In the first part of our preview report on the Destiny 2 beta, we looked at the PvE activities. Now it’s time for the Crucible. Find out in this review what Bungie has changed in Destiny 2 and how multiplayer battles play out.
The Destiny 2 beta not only delivers the first story mission “Return” and the strike “The Twisted Tower” but also offers content for the Crucible pros among you. The Control mode on the map Endless Vale and the Countdown mode on the Midtown map are unlocked for the beta. Also, the Frank Buschmann of the Destiny universe, Lord Shaxx, is back and delights us with his witty remarks – well, at least he thinks so.
The Gameplay of Destiny 2
One noticeable thing as soon as you enter the PvP of the beta for the first time: Your Guardian is noticeably slower than in the first part. Whether this is good or bad is a matter of debate, but it is definitely noticeable. The jumps also feel less quick and direct.
What stands out negatively is the delay of the radar after aiming with a weapon. Here you have to wait a full second before you can use the radar again. What Bungie was thinking here will probably remain their secret for now.
The HUD is significantly more cluttered than in Destiny 1. While it’s nice to see the classes of the opposing team, the health bar gets lost in the abundance of information, which is particularly problematic in the competitive multiplayer mode. So far, I have not seen a need to know the opposing classes; this will only be relevant in the upcoming Trials mode.
A real gain is the warning when Guardians activate their super ability or who has loaded which power ammo. You can now estimate exactly when to take cover or attack. This encourages a tactical playstyle.
The Weapon Arsenal – Team Shots instead of Lone Ranger
In the “This Week at Bungie” from July 13, it was explicitly mentioned that certain abilities and weapons will still change in terms of balancing and currently feel sometimes too weak or too strong. We can confirm this. Scout rifles are nearly useless, the damage drop-off over distance is massive, and close range has never been their strength.
On the other hand, pulse rifles feel good and responsive. Even at short range, pulse rifles could still reliably get kills; Bungie will likely still work on this until the release.
Overall, Bungie has significantly increased the “Time-to-Kill” (TTK), meaning the time needed with a weapon under optimal conditions to kill another Guardian. With hand cannons, you need four hits, and all other weapons also now require significantly more time before your opponent goes down.
With this measure, Bungie returns to its Halo roots. Opinions on whether this change is good or bad are controversially discussed. However, I welcome it, as players are encouraged to play more cleverly and tactically.
In particular, teamwork is now significantly emphasized, as team shots on a target are very effective. This will particularly become a problem for the highly skilled Lone Rangers among the players. While in Destiny 1, with excellent skills, you could take out more than one opponent, this will be much more difficult in Destiny 2. Team play is clearly at the forefront here.
The Abilities – As if “Trickle” were always active
In addition to weapon gameplay, class-specific abilities make up a large part of the game, especially in the PvP mode. Here, too, the abilities have been toned down across the board. This is a change I support, as sticky grenades are far too strong in the current Destiny 1 meta. A hit with a sticky grenade couldn’t even destroy my shield in the beta.
This change is nullified by a significantly increased cooldown for all skills. The community-hated strike modification Trickle now feels permanently active. I understand Bungie’s desire to encourage players to use their weapons more rather than just throwing grenades.
However, I could only activate my super ability once per match at best. That’s too little. If you have a bad match, it can even happen that the game ends without the super ever being used. The melee has also been toned down. For a Guardian at full health, three hits are now required before the opponent falls. We hope Bungie hears this criticism and delivers improvements in September.
Everything Under Control
The Control mode has seen a few changes compared to its predecessor. Matches now take place in a 4v4 format. Also, zones A and C are already captured by the starting teams. Instead of the 2-3 Guardians that usually storm zone B, the control point is now virtually overrun. Capturing a hostile zone works much faster, as the zone no longer needs to be neutralized.
A welcome change, allowing you to dive directly into the action without first having to capture your own zone. Additionally, there is no longer an advantage when more than one player captures a zone. Thus, there is no longer a bottleneck at the control points; the other players on a team can spread out and defend strategically important points.
The points awarded after a kill have been simplified. Instead of the previously required 20,000 points, only 75 points are now needed to win a match. For every control point captured, you gain one point for your account per kill. Assists also always earn you a point. Bungie has reimplemented the mercy rule.
The Countdown is on
The second mode is Countdown. There have been plenty of information and lots of gameplay on this mode in advance. Teams in this 4v4 mode alternate between offensive and defensive roles. The offensive team’s goal is to plant a bomb in the enemy base, while the defensive team tries to prevent this. Additionally, the death of all players on a team ends the round. One could describe Countdown as elimination with an optional objective.
It will be interesting to see how the mode develops and whether Bungie makes any changes, for example, by awarding bonus points for successfully planted bombs to further incentivize achieving the primary objective of this mode.
Conclusion: Great Game Feel, but Some Questionable Decisions
Divided. The multiplayer mode is fun, no question about it. The typical game feel that made Destiny great is still there. Yet I cannot understand all the design decisions. We don’t even want to discuss the weapon balancing; Bungie will surely work on that.
The reduction of abilities is one thing, but the increase in cooldowns makes it a double penalty that seems excessive and also has negative impacts on PvE. This situation is currently being heavily criticized in the community, as Bungie does not view PvE and PvP separately.
Destiny 2: Is Bungie sacrificing PvE to make PvP better?
Despite all these points of criticism: Destiny 2 is fun. It will be exciting to see how the game develops in the last 7 weeks before release and whether Bungie will address some of the criticisms and make changes to the game.
How have you liked the PvP mode so far? Let us know in the comments!
Interesting: Read the first part of our preview report to see if the PvE can convince!
