The real meat of the PvP discussion begins in full in Part 3, where Smith acknowledges that while Destiny 2 continues get to tuned behind the scenes as well as new pinnacle rewards, there’s a lot to this side of the game that is missing. As he points out, there hasn’t been a new permanent game mode, game modes from the first game are still missing in action, and there isn’t a public facing Crucible team to communicate directly with. As such it became a mode that didn’t have a lot going on, even if most were wondering what direction it was going in.
RELATED: Destiny 2: Shadowkeep has at Least One Unannounced Mode
New Playlists
The biggest change coming when Shadowkeep and New Light launch is changing the playlist structure. Quickplay and Competitive, two staples of the Crucible menu, are getting removed from the Director completely. Instead, players can select Classic Mix, a playlist that is based on player connection and includes Control, Clash, and Supremacy game modes. A 6v6 Control playlist is also available, intended as a good starting point for newer players. Finally, there are 4v4 and a 6v6 weekly rotating playlists which include other modes like Clash, Supremacy, Mayhem, Lockdown, and Countdown. Competitive players seeking Glory now have two options, a 3v3 Survival mode and a Solo queue variant.
Crucible Labs and Elimination
Elimination is the only mode to not be featured in the upcoming Crucible refresh. Bungie is actually still in the process of tweaking this game mode to try and figure out the best way to handle certain features like revives, whether or not there should be tokens spent, and how Heavy Ammo works in general.
Smith goes on to reveal that Elimination is still unfinished as it’s missing voice over, medals have not been created as of yet, and it simply lacks that expected level of polish. That’s why the game mode is getting released inside of Crucible Labs, as Bungie is looking for feedback from players to help make this mode better before it gets added to the public playlists. Better yet, the experimental mode is also getting released with Widow’s Court and Twilight Gap, two original Destiny maps that are finally making their way back to Destiny 2.
Skill-Matchmaking System
The upcoming New Light update/refresh also brings a newly overhauled skill-matchmaking system. While the 6v6 Classic Mix playlist is entirely connection-based, the others will continue to utilize the newly redesigned Skill-based matchmaking. Without going into too much detail, the goal with these changes was to add a bit of variety for players in an effort to prevent continued games where players get stomped match after match. This Fall, the new system will hopefully provide players with greater variety, with some matches going down to the wire and others could be another stomping. The skill match changes also brought about changes to how players earn Glory, with player skill value also impacting how much is gained or lost.
The post wraps up with some other small details including that Valor, Glory, and Infamy also received a few quality of life updates including one that makes losses less punishing to player progress. In addition, certain underperforming maps have been removed from matchmaking.
While this may be the end for the Director’s Blog posts, Smith revealed that the team has plenty more details to discuss prior to the Shadowkeep launch. He alludes to an evolution of the next Annual Pass and how this latest one not only impacts the overall narrative, but each season continues to evolve the experience with limited time content. He also hints at a future of Destiny that isn’t held back by technical limitations, though stops short of providing too many details on the studio’s overall plans for the franchise.
Destiny 2 is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, with a Stadia version also in development.
MORE: 10 Hilarious Destiny 2 Memes Only True Guardians Will Understand
Source: Bungie
