Gambit Beginners Guide for Destiny 2: Forsaken

With the arrival of Forsaken, the latest expansion to Destiny 3, comes the newest game mode to compete in: Gambit. Gambit brings together the two core pillars of Destiny 2’s gameplay, cooperative PvE and competitive PvP, into one action packed showdown that never slows down. Players will need to be good at taking down the various enemies of the Darkness, whilst also dealing with attacks from enemy Guardians, so the overall experience can be a bit confusing for new players. Luckily, we have a very handy guide to help turn you into a Gambit winning killing machine.

Gambit

The core mechanics of Gambit can be broken down into a few key areas: Fighting the enemy, Banking Motes, and Invading the enemy. Most of your time in a Gambit match will be spent dealing with PvE enemies, so players who aren’t the keenest about PvP don’t need to stress too much here. On the other hand, players who love a good PvP match will really enjoy the combat in the invading mechanic, with the high risk / high reward gameplay proving tough to match.

Motes

The main progression in Gambit comes through collecting and banking of Motes. Motes drop from enemies killed, with higher difficulty enemies dropping more Motes for the effort they require. Motes won’t last forever though, so making sure you pick them up as they spawn is a very good idea. Also, dying whilst holding Motes will cause them to disappear, so be careful not to overextend yourself.

Blockers

Coordinating the collection of the Motes is a very important aspect of Gambit to pay attention to, as banking them has several rewards. Overall, you want to bank 75 Motes in total to summon the Primeval, but the way in which you bank these Motes is very important. Banking Motes in intervals of 5 summons Blockers which spawn on your enemies’ side and disrupt their ability to bank their own Motes. Blockers will, as the name says, block your opponents until they are defeated, costing time, ammo, and in rare cases, even a Guardians life.

The more Motes you bank at once, the stronger the blocker you summon:

5-9 motes: small blocker

10-14 motes: medium blocker

15 motes: large blocker

You can only hold 15 Motes at a time, so coordinating with your team when to collect and when to bank is a very important task.

Invasion

At certain points in the game, you’re able to invade the world of your opponent and attempt to take them down. This occurs when you bank 25 and 50 Motes, and also at certain points when the Primeval loses health. When invading, you’re able to see your opponents’ locations, as well as how many Motes they are carrying so you know who to target. Additionally, you won’t be targeted by the enemy AI, so don’t worry about getting too close to them when you’re running around chasing Guardians. If you’re thinking that taking on four Guardians alone might be a bit of a hassle, invaders also gain an over shield for a little extra protection. When invading during the Primeval fight, killing Guardians heals the enemy Primeval, so it can get pretty hectic very fast.

Primeval

The final boss of the Gambit fight is the large Taken enemy known as the Primeval. Whoever is able to kill their Primeval first, wins the round. The Primeval only spawns when 75 Motes have been banked, and they don’t travel alone, bringing a retinue of Yellow-Bar enemies to help them fight. Beyond the Primeval fight, Guardians should also look at the composition of their squad, as some abilities and weapons serve well in a PvE situation, but less so in a PvP setting. Having a well-rounded squad will make every fight in Gambit much easier.

For more help with Destiny 2: Forsaken, check out our guide on tracking down the Wanted Bounties, here.