The community has been discussing a hidden mechanic in the Gambit mode of Destiny 2 for quite some time. The Destiny expert Mercules has now conducted extensive tests and shared his findings with the Guardian community.
Fans suspect a hidden mechanic in Gambit: According to many fans, the gameplay experience in the Gambit mode can vary greatly from match to match. Sometimes the AI enemies go down easily, while at other times, they seem to take you out just by giving you a sideways glance.
The fans have been discussing for some time what might be causing this. The most widespread theory is that there might be a hidden mechanic that controls the behavior and certain parameters of the AI enemies.
Many suspect that this mechanic is meant to restrain overpowering teams and give lagging teams a chance to catch up. It is believed to be a kind of hidden catch-up mechanic that intervenes differently for each team depending on the match’s progress.
Is there a hidden catch-up mechanic in Gambit? Here’s what the test says
This is how the testing was conducted: The Destiny expert Mercules has thoroughly tested this aspect. For the tests, he used the Gambit Pulse Rifle The Recluse and the Hand Cannon Duke Mk. 44. He compared the following criteria:
- Damage dealt to enemies while ahead compared to tie
- Damage dealt to enemies while behind compared to tie
- Damage taken by the player while ahead compared to tie
- Damage taken by the player while behind compared to tie
- Damage dealt to the “Shiny” enemies when far behind
- Damage dealt to the “Shiny” enemies when only slightly behind
What did the test conclude? After extensive testing, Mercules concluded that there is no hidden catch-up mechanic in Gambit. The damage dealt to the different enemy types (critical and normal) remained consistent with both weapons, regardless of whether the team was winning, falling behind, or in a tie.
Additionally, the damage taken from the different enemy types – whether from enemies with red, orange, or yellow health bars – did not change in the various situations. When ahead, behind, or in a tie, the damage taken from the respective enemy types was always the same.
The damage tested purely for fun against the glowing elite enemies also showed no variation. Whether one is slightly behind or completely obliterated by the enemy seems to have no effect.
In conclusion, the following points can be made:
- Damage dealt during a Gambit match does not increase or decrease – regardless of whether you win or lose
- Enemies do not deal more or less damage during a match – regardless of whether you win or lose
The perception that the second round is harder stems, according to Mercules, from the fact that it actually is harder. In this round, players face more orange-bar enemies that take less damage from the player but are generally more accurate and quicker in their shooting.
This condition is, however, universal, applying to both teams. The feeling of being obliterated by the AI enemies in the second round often arises because players do not change their playstyle compared to the first round, even though the enemies in the second round are tougher.
Who is Mercules? Mercules has established himself multiple times as an expert and enjoys a very good reputation in the Destiny community.
He is likely remembered by many fans from his time as a theorycrafter at PlanetDestiny, where he was famous for his detailed weapon breakdowns. Additionally, he worked as a selected gameplay specialist for Bungie and supported them as a community representative during the development of Forsaken.
