Destiny 2 devs signal Gambit’s end by making core activity “entirely optional”

Destiny 2’s unique PvPvE Gambit mode has been rather quiet in recent years and now, Bungie is officially moving the core mode to the side by making it “entirely optional”.

When Destiny first hit store shelves in 2014, it did so with two core pillars: PvE and PvP. With Destiny 2, however, that changed with the arrival of a hybrid PvPvE mode known as Gambit.

While this innovative concept served as an equal pillar in the early stretch, it soon became somewhat of an afterthought, with players merely jumping into the mode when required for weekly or seasonal rewards and nothing more.

With its player base in decline and no sizeable updates on the horizon as devs focus on The Final Shape, Bungie has officially moved Gambit to the side, making the once-core playlist “entirely optional.”

“As many of you have noticed, we’ve been quiet on Gambit,” devs acknowledged in a lengthy August State of the Game blog. This silence has been intentional on Bungie’s part as devs confirmed the PvPvE’s player count is “still low” in 2023, to the point where only a few smaller bits of content are still in development.

“This is an area of the game with lower engagement that would take resources away from more popular parts of the game to shore up.” As a result, Bungie has no plans to “dedicate resources to significantly transform Gambit” anytime soon.

In light of this clarification, devs have now made Gambit “entirely optional”, ensuring players don’t have to jump into the less desirable mode if they don’t want to. From Season 22 on, all weekly challenges can be completed in any ritual of your choice.

So unless players are eager to grab a specific piece of Gambit-only gear, including a new Void Machine Gun in the next Season, there’s no requirement to play the PvPvE mode.

However, that’s not to say Gambit is being completely forgotten in the months to come. In the year of The Final Shape, devs teased a new port of the Cathedral of Scars map along with Shadow Legion and Lucent Hive enemy types to keep things fresh.