One of the big new features included in Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter is the Gambit Prime game mode. This hardcore variant of the standard Gambit experience features tougher enemies, new mechanics, and some sweet role-specific armor. As Bungie recently explained, Gambit Prime is also the result of player feedback regarding the default Gambit experience.
Destiny 2 Gambit Prime Origins
Speaking with Polygon, Bungie creative lead Lars Bakken and communications director David “DeeJ” Dague talked at length about Gambit Prime. According to Bakken and Dague, Bungie had been monitoring players’ reactions to Gambit ever since its debut last year. The studio even flew in a dedicated Gambit player from the U.K. so it could get more focused feedback.
The two pieces of criticism Bungie was hearing over and over was that Gambit felt too long and too predictable. With Gambit Prime, the studio wanted to address those two problems specifically while also creating a more hardcore pinnacle experience.
Bakken also touched on the Gambit Prime combat roles and matching armor sets. Right from the start Bungie anticipated certain players would want to adopt specific roles in Gambit. The Gambit Prime armor concept was a way to solidify that idea and reward players for playing their desired role:
“Even while Gambit was in pre-production, there were ‘soft roles’ we expected players to naturally take on. Specifically clearing the bank, picking up Motes, sending Blockers, clearing out waves, and invading. When we discussed how we could evolve Gambit, cementing the roles in armor sets were one of the top ideas that came out of the team.”
The armor sets also help in preserving Gambit Prime’s longevity amongst Destiny 2’s more casual community. Gambit Prime may have a more hardcore focus, but it also ties into the season’s new Reckoning PvE experience. Shifting between Gambit Prime and The Reckoning to earn new armor creates an accessible and easy-to-understand endgame gameplay loop. Even casual players can acquire basic Gambit Prime armor sets without much effort, making Destiny 2’s endgame more accessible overall.