Everyone knows that Destiny 2 fell off track a bit after the game’s release. Although it sold incredibly well, players were leaving the game in droves. The Forsaken expansion for Destiny 2 is attempting to rectify that, and from what we saw at E3, they’re on their way to doing just that. Not only does Forsaken up the stakes with the death of Cayde-6, but it introduces a brand new game mode called Gambit. Gambit is a mix of PvE and PvP and strikes the perfect balance between the two. Myself being more of a PvE type of player, this mode was near perfection and will bring players back to the game.
Unfortunately, we were not able to play any of the campaign mode for the Forsaken expansion, but the looming death of Cayde-6, one of the most beloved characters in the franchises, ups the stakes for the game dramatically. Destiny has never killed anyone off of that stature before and it will be fascinating to see how it plays out, as there is no character that can truly take his place.
Destiny 2 Forsaken: Gambit Mode
Let’s be clear: Gambit has made me excited about Destiny again. I do like the game’s PvP, but I am more of a PvE player. Gambit takes the best of both worlds and combines them into one beautiful package. The goal of Gambit is to work as a team, collecting as many orbs as possible from defeated enemies, which come in waves. You deposit these orbs in a bank-like structure and depositing orbs will send special enemies to the other team, making it more difficult for them to advance.
The two teams race to collect as many orbs as possible to summon a final boss in which there is a time limit to defeat. Once this happens, the other team can send one Guardian through a portal who can take out members of your team and impede your progress for a limited time your team batles this gargantuin boss, which makes things a bit tricky.
As an experienced Destiny player, I actually finished at the top for my team each round, although we lost in a best-of-five match (we went the full five rounds). If the enemy team prevents you from defeating the final boss within the time limit, you lose the match.
Brand New Loadouts and Subclasses
Forsaken will shake up how loadouts work in Destiny 2. Now, you are not limited to playing with specific weapons in one slot; you can play with any assortment of weapons you want. If you want to play with multiple shotguns, you’re able to create a loadout to reflect that. It gives the player an abundance of freedom and makes for some very intriguing loadouts.
There are also new subclasses for each class with brand new specials. I was stuck playing the Vanguard Solar subclass, which was admittedly a little boring, and its special is a shield that can be put up to protect yourself and your team from damage. A new weapon being introduced is a bow-like weapon. I gave it a try, and while it was really cool, it didn’t seem to do that much damage to the enemy. I suspect it’s more of a stealth weapon and is more suited for traditional PvE.
Bungie is Pulling it Together
Previously we wrote an article that Destiny has surpassed 343 Halo. We still hold that belief. There is another Halo game in the works, although it may not even come out in the foreseeable future. Hopefully 343 can rectify their mistakes. Bungie, on the other hand, is learning from their previous miscalculations and have crafted one of the most amitious games of all-time. Gambit is one of the most intriguing and exquisite game modes ever created. After only playing for 30 minutes it may be my favorite multiplayer mode of all time. Cayde-6’s death is a huge risk on Bungie’s part, but it’s necessary to propell the game forward. It will cure the stagnation Destiny 2 has suffered from.
The Taken King expansion propelled the original Destiny to new heights. Hopefully, and I believe it will, Forsaken will do the same for Destiny 2.
Forsaken will be released in September of this year.