A major component of Destiny 2’s currently ongoing Revelry event is the Reveler’s Tonic item. By spending a new Reveler’s Essence currency, players can use Reveler’s Tonic to temporarily boost their ability/grenade/melee recharge rates. This buff applies in virtually all of Destiny 2’s game modes, and PvP fans are understandably upset as a result.
Destiny 2 Reveler’s Tonic PvP Concerns
In PvE activities like Strikes or the new Verdant Forest, Reveler’s Tonic buffs can be a huge blessing. However, the massive boosts they grant have thrown any semblance of PvP balance out the window. Again, this isn’t a huge issue for Quickplay PvP (we all remember Mayhem, don’t we?), but Quickplay isn’t the problem.
Players quickly discovered the Reveler’s Tonic buffs are also active in the Crucible’s Competitive playlist. As its name infers, the Competitive playlist is designed for more serious PvP enthusiasts and thus is carefully balanced. However, the Reveler’s Tonic has again thrown that balance out of whack, and players aren’t happy.
The Competitive playlist uses a strict ranking system where losses can cost players rank progress. Certain PvP triumphs and rewards like Pinnacle Weapons also rely on doing well in the Competitive playlist. Of course, it’s hard to do well when the entire enemy team is just spamming grenades the entire match.
Players are understandably upset that Reveler’s Tonic buffs are active in an otherwise strictly balanced PvP environment. Many are also confused as to why Bungie thought it would be a good idea to begin with. Competitive PvP is all about strict balance and focused teamwork, why toss such an unbalanced wildcard into the mix? Bungie’s decision also unfortunately fuels the ongoing fan theory that the studio just doesn’t care about Destiny 2’s PvP component.
As of this writing, Bungie hasn’t responded to fan concerns with anything more than a vague “we’re looking into it.” There are still two weeks of the Revelry event left, so hopefully Bungie is working on some sort of reprieve. Many PvP fans have said they won’t even boot up Destiny 2 until the Revelry is over. Given the circumstances, it’s hard to blame them.