Destiny 2's PvP Sound Effects Mixed Differently From PvE

Game Rant

By Weston Albert

Published Jul 15, 2017

Destiny 2 has a specific and different mix for PvP over PvE activities, in order to clue players into what their enemies are doing on the battlefield.

When it comes to PvP in Destiny 2, the game is trying to give players as much information as possible for them to judge their enemies. From being able to see at all times when enemy players get their supers to seeing specifically who picked up Heavy Ammo and with what type of weapon, these are all cues to help players make better decisions when engaging other players in Crucible PvP.

Another part of that equation looks to be the audio mix, which is tuned completely different from Destiny 2's non-competitive modes. In those activities, like story missions, raids, and strikes, the sounds of allies take priority over enemies. But according to Bungie's Head of Audio, Jay Weinland, that gets completely flipped in PvP:

"We also did something really different in Destiny for PvP, where we actually change the mix entirely in PvP [...] and we try to make sure you hear your enemies more than you hear your own teammates' stuff. So you want to make sure you're warned when your enemy's targeting and firing in your direction."

Weinland says that the audio team works hard to design the soundscape of PvP to allow the guns in the players hands to feel and sound appropriately visceral. At the same time, the team also make the sounds of guns in the enemy's hands sound different, which helps players gauge the type of weapon and where the shots are coming from. That also involves trying to communicate how far away the enemy may be and what environment they are firing from.

It's no doubt a delicate balance when it comes to prioritizing exactly what gamers hear in the Crucible, but at the very least players can hope to hear their enemies more than their teammates.

Speaking of sound effects in Destiny 2, in the same video, the developers explain that the game features both the familiar and the new in terms of sound effects and music. Players will be able to test out the new mix of sound in the Beta, specifically while playing the Control and Countdown PvP modes.

Destiny 2 launches September 6 on PS4 and Xbox One, followed by a PC release on October 24.