For ages, Bungie has struggled to balance abilities and weapons meaningfully between PvE and PvP in Destiny 2. Do more radical solutions need to be considered? Should Bungie ban the Super attacks from the Crucible?
What is meant by balancing? For all abilities, weapons, and Super attacks, the developer must always consider that the rules differ in combat against computer-controlled enemies in PvE compared to human opponents in PvP.
Take for example a weapon that can take out normal enemies in PvE with one shot. If this were also the case in competitive multiplayer, all players would use the same weapon.
Bungie must constantly perform a balancing act and reconcile competing ideas:
- Abilities like grenades and Super attacks should feel powerful in PvE but not bring an unfair advantage in the Crucible
- All available tools in the game should shine in certain situations, not in all
- Different playstyles between PvE and PvP necessitate a different approach (PvE is generally played more aggressively than in multiplayer mode)
- Balancing each ability and weapon separately would allow for fair gameplay, but hundreds of variables would need to be considered
Especially the last point is a significant challenge. If every ability and weapon were to be considered differently in various game modes, it might not only be difficult for players to understand, but also for the developer, who would have to deal with a myriad of side effects with each adjustment.
What triggered the current discussions? With update 2.1.4, Bungie has shaken up the Super abilities significantly. Classes like the Gunslinger Hunter and the Striker Titan have received fantastic buffs.
On the other hand, one class was hit particularly hard: The Warlock with his Nova Warp has been considered “overpowered” since its introduction with Forsaken, with update 2.1.4, the focus is now nearly useless, not only in PvP but everywhere.
Many Guardians cannot understand why the class has now become useless in both game modes, especially since Nova Warp was far from being overpowered in PvE content. Therefore, we take the current discussion as an opportunity and ask you, the Guardians: Should the Super abilities simply disappear completely from the Crucible? But first, let’s weigh the pros and cons!
What would speak in favor of removing the Supers from the Crucible? The advantages are clear. Bungie could finally allow all players their fantasy of omnipotence without having to deal with the pitfalls of the Crucible. However, a multiplayer mode without Super abilities would have further advantages:
- The skill of the individual player and their handling of weapons would come more to the forefront
- Players would no longer need to orient themselves towards the “meta”, meaning which Super is currently particularly efficient in the Crucible, but could make decisions based on the remaining abilities.
What would speak against removing the Supers from PvP? Destiny and Destiny 2 thrive on the abilities of the different classes. If part of these abilities were no longer available, a piece of “identity” would also disappear, one of the unique characteristics of Destiny. But there would be further disadvantages:
- Some equipment items have been specifically designed for Super abilities. These would become useless in the Crucible. Not only abilities would be affected, but also another core element of Destiny 2 – the loot.
- Mods on armor can also influence Super abilities. These would also be obsolete in PvP.
- A multiplayer mode that focuses more on weapons can already be found in competitors like Battlefield or Call of Duty. Destiny 2 would lose one of its essential elements and could ultimately become interchangeable.
- The Crucible of Destiny 2 is also a place for grand comebacks and panic moments that are created with a well-timed Super. These moments would become rarer.
What is your opinion? Should Bungie remove the Supers from the Crucible or not? Vote in the following poll:
How could Bungie achieve better balancing? All changes made by Bungie could first be tested on a separate test server before they go live. Especially for more rare balance adjustments, like those made by Bungie, this approach would make sense.
Other games like Diablo 3 have been practicing this successfully for years. The downside, however, is that additional resources would need to be provided, thereby increasing costs. However, the player experience would be significantly improved through this. Bungie could also identify and fix more complex side effects through extensive testing.
In theory, it would even be possible to consider only certain game modes in the Crucible. A competitive playlist could do without Supers, while the quick play could continue to use Super attacks. However, what sounds nice at first reveals itself to be a bit of a ruse, as separate balancing would still be necessary, and thus nothing would be gained.
What do you think of the whole topic? Should everything stay as it is? Or does something need to change?
