Gambit is one of the most difficult game modes to master in Destiny 2. It's a hybrid between PvE and PvP, where two teams race against one another to summon a Primeval and eliminate it. It's fast-paced, nerve-wracking, and a ton of fun once you learn the ropes. But just learning the ropes isn't enough to bag wins in Gambit. In order to get better at the game mode, you'll need to pay attention to certain things that may not seem important when you're speeding through a match with your friends.
A lot of players may see Gambit as nothing more than an "eliminate your opponents often and destroy everything you see" type of game mode. But in reality, Gambit is a much more tactical mode. There are so many things happening at once in a Gambit match and it's every bit strategic as it is action-packed. You won't just have to outplay your opponents skill-wise, you'll also have to out-fox them, thinking on your feet and adapting new strategies on the fly.
10 Banking Motes Is Most Important
There are a lot of moving parts in a Gambit match but collecting and banking motes is perhaps the most important. The name of the game is to summon a Primeval and eliminate it before the opposing team. The faster you summon your Primeval, the better shot you have at downing it first. Because of this, Mote management is crucial. You'll need to be fluid in your gameplay and use quick decision-making to ensure that you bank your motes. It can be enticing to bank 10 to 15 motes at one time but losing those motes to an invader or accidental death is devastating to the team. Try to strike a good balance between collecting motes and banking them.
9 Be Tactical With Motes
It's also important to be tactical about when you are banking motes and how many you are depositing. The Drifter will send a blocker mob to the enemy team (and forcibly shut down their ability to bank motes) if you deposit a certain amount of motes. The blockers increase in strength dependant on the tier reached:
- At 5 motes he'll send a small blocker (an easy to eliminate enemy that acts like a nuisance more than a blocker).
- At 10 motes he'll send a medium blocker (a stronger enemy, usually with shields).
- At 15 motes he'll send a large blocker (the best of the best, bullet sponges that require a team effort to take down quickly).
Allowing your teammates to pick up motes for you or communicating one who will and won't be picking up motes is a great way to collect them quickly and send over large and medium blockers.
8 Pay Attention To The Invasion Timer
Invasions are the biggest swing factor in any Gambit match but there's a way to anticipate when you'll be invaded or can invade the enemy team. The invasion portal on both sides shows up at every 25 mote interval. Because you can see both your motes banked and the enemy's in real-time, you'll be able to better anticipate when to get defensive or aggressive. If someone on your squad has a large number of motes and the enemy banks 25, you need to be ready to defend them from an oncoming attacker. Likewise, if you know your team is ready to bank 25 motes, prepare yourself (or for someone on your squad) to head into the invasion portal to attack the enemy team.
7 Be Aggressive When You Invade
Gambit matches can be both won and lost in the early game. Because of how the game mode works, it's incredibly easy to create a snowball effect and roll over your enemies. Likewise, it's easy to fall into an inescapable pit. To get the upper hand, you want to create a deficit for your enemy as quickly as possible. If you're the type of player that enjoys PVP, make sure you're stocked up and ready to invade the enemy team at each invasion interval.
If you can manage to strike the enemy team and force them to drop their motes before they can even hit 25, it will severely throw off their rhythm. If you're the type of player that doesn't value PVP, it's still important to stock motes for your invader as quickly as possible. You can also be tactical and send over small blockers to force the chamber to close, giving your invader more time to down enemies before they can bank.
6 Anticipate Enemy Invasions
The biggest draw for an enemy invasion isn't the possibility that they will eliminate you. Teams respawn relatively quickly in Gambit and perishing isn't a huge deal when you aren't in the Primeval phase. As long as you're not carrying any motes when the enemy downs you, you won't suffer significant losses (besides a small loss of time).
Because of this, it's important to keep a close eye on the enemy's motes total and anticipate when they're going to attack. If you feel like the enemy will soon be at your door, it can be a good idea to stop collecting motes, bank what you have, and fight them while your pockets are empty. If you're the only one on your team without motes and an enemy invades, do your best to seek them out and take the fight to them. Even if you perish, your demise will help your team locate the enemy and you may get enough damage in to soften them up.
5 Don't Be Stubborn
Foolishness and pride have no place in Gambit. If you find yourself struggling in one specific area, try changing up your role or allowing another teammate to try in your place. If you roll through the invasion portal and are instantly deleted by the enemy team, give someone else a shot the next time you're able to invade. Likewise, take the initiative to invade if you see a teammate struggling to get it done. Gambit teams are only as strong as their weakest link and rotating according to your strengths and weaknesses as a unit is the key to victory.
4 Eliminate The Adds And Envoys Immediately
As soon as you bank 75 motes, The Drifter will summon a Primeval for your team to destroy. Unfortunately, this big bad doesn't show up alone. They'll be flanked by two Envoys and a pack of mobs. Dedicate a few of your teammates to clearing the smaller mobs while you and a teammate focus down the Envoys. The faster all of the mobs perish, the sooner you can focus your attention on the Primeval.
The Envoys are especially important as, once they're eliminated, the Primeval will begin to stack a debuff called Primeval Slayer. As it scales, the boss will be easier to take down.
3 Don't Try To Burn The Primeval Too Soon
This piggybacks off of eliminating the envoys. Once they're gone, Primeval Slayer will slowly start to stack. If throw all your heavy ammo and super energy at the Primeval before these stacks accumulate, you won't do nearly as much damage and you'll potentially waste your biggest damage dealers. Even worse, you'll leave yourself vulnerable to enemy invasion.
It's better to wait until Primeval Slayer grows before really unleashing your power on the boss. You may even want to bait your opponent to invade so that you can deal with them before you start melting your Primeval.
2 Keep Your Head On A Swivel
One of the most intense moments of Gambit is when both teams have managed to summon a Primeval and it's an all-out war to see who can down their own first. During these moments, the invasion portals are wide open (and respawn fairly quickly), giving both teams a chance to invade one another. To make things even tenser, deaths are heavily penalized. Anyone who perishes by invasion during the Primeval phase will actually give health back to the boss.
Whenever an enemy invader hops over to your side, you need to pull yourself from the action and eliminate them quickly to ensure they don't end up getting the upper hand and healing your Primeval.
1 Don't Waste Heavy Ammo
It's tempting to blow through your heavy ammo to take down the Envoys and melt the Primeval but emptying your reserves can backfire quickly. It's important to communicate between yourself and your teammates to know who does and doesn't have heavy ammo. Those purple bricks can be the difference between burning the Primeval before your opponent (once the Primeval Slayer stacks are large enough). They can also help you defend against any super-infused invaders looking to ruin your progression.