4 Changes that Take Destiny 2’s PvP to the Next Level

New Class Skills

Class skills make their debut in Destiny 2. In the original game, different subclasses for guardians were set apart by jump styles, grenades, melee types, and super abilities. Now, each class (Titan, Hunter, and Warlock) have their own abilities that players can use on recharge. Titans can now create a void light wall for impromptu cover, Warlocks now create pools of light that either heal their teammates or deliver a damage boost, and Hunters have new movement abilities that simultaneously reload their weapons.

These new abilities create another layer within Destiny’s multiplayer. While team sizes are now limited to four players — down from the six allowed in the original — coming up with the right combination of abilities among the four guardians can make all of the difference within the crucible. Titans can use their light shields to cover flanks at over exposed capture points and Warlocks can coordinate their light pools to give their teammates a slight boost that can put them over the top in a gun fight.

New Weapon System

What the subclasses lack in flexibility and customization, the new weapons system makes up for in spades. Destiny players should no longer think about the old Destiny 1 weapons classifications — primary, special, and heavy. Instead, Destiny 2 opens player options in some regards, while making some much-needed changes to other weapon classifications.

Now, players can carry one kinetic, energy, and power weapon each. Kinetic weapons are the standard primary weapons of old and include pulse rifles, scout rifles, auto rifle, etc. The energy slot can hold any weapon that deals void, arc, or solar damage, with the exception of weapons capable of dealing one-shot kills. Those weapons — shotguns, snipers, grenade launchers, rocket launchers, etc — now belong in the power slot.

These changes bring two unique elements to Destiny 2’s weapon play. First, players can now carry a far more diverse loadout with more weapon types available in both categories. This allows players to come up with interesting combinations of weapons to carry.

Far Fewer One-Hit Kills

Along with the changes made to weapons classification, the team at Bungie took a number of additional strides to eliminate the one-hit kills that plagued the first installment. Gone are the days of players sliding around the map delivering one-shot shotgun kills throughout the map considering its ammo is now as rare rockets for Gjallarhorn. Grenades, abilities, and charged melees no longer result in instant kills.

The changes in damage take the emphasis off of abilities and place them squarely on what makes Destiny’s gameplay so great, that smooth gunplay. The game gives a distinct advantage to the team with the better gun skills rather than allow players to take advantage of overpowered weapons and abilities. In much the same way that Bungie’s original Halo games emphasized map and weapon control, Destiny 2’s multiplayer feels far more skill-based while placing importance on controlling power ammo drops.

Changes to Control

Destiny’s most popular crucible mode, Control, has also seen some tweaks that elevate the gameplay to new, frenetic heights. The new 4v4 set-up makes it far more difficult for one team to hold all three points, meaning teams have a far better chance of making comebacks even if their game starts slow. Combined with the new class abilities, the revamped supers, and the emphasis on gunplay, the reduced number of participants doesn’t result in a less engaging battle.  In fact, it places a renewed and welcomed focus on team play.

The way the actual capture points work in the crucible mode has also received some minor, yet game changing tweaks. First, both teams start off in control of the point closest to their spawn, removing the triviality of capturing point A and forcing the fight to the neutral point A. Once a team captures B, the point never returns to neutral and one team is constantly in control of at least two points and scoring. Capture speed also no longer increases the more players stand in the point. This allows teammates to cover flanks and lanes rather than stand on the point and serve as bullet and grenade fodder.

While there are several changes needed when it comes to cool down and charge times for supers, grenades, and abilities, the overall experience feels well-balanced. Spawns flip on a fairly regular basis during lopsided matches, allowing the losing team to have quick and easy access to a less-defended point and set up flanking attacks on B. The sole control map featured in the beta,