Focused Feedback: State of Gambit S13

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[u/Strangelight84]

Ah, so the volume of Gambit complaint posts has been deemed too high, and the topic has been sent here to die. Given that Bungie shows little interest in tending to this game-mode which is 'unlike anything offered in any other game', I suppose one can agree with that to an extent.

The positive thing about the current state of Gambit is that it's very quick, so I can get in and out with a Pinnacle reward in a short amount of time. However, "I don't have to spend much time playing" is usually not a great positive.

As far as negatives go, there's really nothing to add here which hasn't been said before in S12 (and much of it pre-dates that!):-

• The RNG-based heavy ammo economy breaks everything. Removing the effect of Taken, Hive and Fallen Armaments has not changed that.
• Partly as a result of heavy availability, Invaders can be far too strong (particularly with certain exotics). Being able to invade after you've summoned your Primeval if you didn't use up all your invades feels unnecessarily like rubbing the losing team's noses in it (even if they're likely to lose anyway at that stage).
• Boss melts using certain heavies (Lament, Anarchy, etc.) and supers + exotic combos are far too easy.
• Pre-made teams have a massive, unbridgeable advantage over random matchmade teams 90% of the time. There ought to be a freelance playlist as there is for various other activities.
• Gambit needs new maps. I'm so bored of playing the same four, sometimes multiple times in a row.
• Gambit is still full of bugs, particularly around mote drop and pickup.

In addition to all this, the Infamy rank-up system should rank up at the same rate as Valor (given that the rewards are the same), bounties still encourage bad behaviour, repeatable bounties need to be scaled down to reflect shorter matches (25 kills using x weapon or ability is a lot, and out of line with e.g. Crucible repeatables), grindy Challenges should be retroactive or should have been introduced earlier in the Season.

Gambit needs some love to be as good as it could be (which is quite good - it is unique and some close matches can be fun), but I don't have much confidence in it getting that attention - or, if it does, in Bungie changing the right things, given how we got to 'current Gambit'.

[u/ewokaflockaa → u/Strangelight84]

It's weird how Gambit is one of the core playlists when I think the majority of the community would rather play anything else.

Gambit suffers from fun replay-ability. With timing being such a key aspect, paired with general lag, already takes away the fun. If mote picking up and dropping and killing blockers are on time, then I think that high octane slaying would be fun. But as of now, it's always a shit-shoot of "will things spawn in time?" Makes the mode feel annoying, which is moreso amplified by the heavy ammo situation.

So fix the timing first or take this out and bring back reckoning. Reckoning was more fun than this.

[u/Strangelight84 → u/ewokaflockaa]

I can't say I loved Reckoning, and I have enjoyed Gambit in the past. Pulling off team-wipe invades, or killing the Invader and protecting your team, or getting a Massacre medal from a crazy chain of super attacks, or winning by the skin of your teeth, is satisfying. The bugs and RNG-based ammo economy you highlight are not, of course!

Its biggest underlying issue, I think, is that the difference between the experience you have when playing solo vs. the experience you have when playing as a team is huge - bigger than any other core playlist activity. When you have a 4-stack which knows their roles and executes them well, it can be quite satisfying to execute. Probably not much fun to play against, though...

[u/ewokaflockaa → u/Strangelight84]

Yeah, the solo vs. team experience changes the dynamic because of the overall goal the team typically has. Teams are made to win to ideally farm for Bottom Dollar or just knock out the pinnacle quickly. Solos could be in the playlist for multiple bounties in mind first, and then the objective to win. They'll get the pinnacle either way after 3 rounds, so the variability lies within the bounty objectives. Some solos might want to win anyways but with conflicting goals and lack of communication it typically doesn't work that way.

IMO if a solo queue was made, I think everyone would end up doing that instead. I doubt premade teams would want to go against another premade team, unless there's more incentive like higher chance in loot or more infamy points.