The Crucible meta has very much settled, the Wrath of the Machine challenges have been conquered, and now we’re staring down what could be a long and empty tunnel, with only SRL in sight, and Destiny 2 at the end of it.
If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re in Destiny for the long haul. You’ve seen the ups and the downs, but stuck with it, honing your PvP skills or min/maxing your raid experience.
If you’re looking for more ways to switch up your experience, keep reading!
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Private Matches
Private matches were a much-requested and finally-introduced feature, but I’ve seen precious little discussion of how they can help keep your Destiny experience fresh. They’ve revolutionized the competitive scene and made tournaments possible, but that doesn’t mean you and your friends can’t take advantage of the (relatively) new system. The thing is, you’re not stuck with just sweats (skirmish) or just silly game types. Got three people? Rumble time. Maybe 1v1 a friend. Spend some time honing your skills. This is great because you’re not at the mercy of tea-bagging red-bar gods in the public queue, and if there’s something you really want to work on (say, drag-scoping your new sniper rifle), you can do that without having to deal with the madness of 6v6 or the stress of 3v3.
A great resource for this is the Crucible Random Match Generator. They have a website, or you can follow them on Twitter @crucible_rmg and go with the daily suggestion.
Get Uncomfortable
By now, you probably have a favorite subclass. You may even have two favorite subclasses. Most of us stick to these, and could rant for hours about why our chosen loadout is the best or worst in the game. Thing is, there are still 7 more for you to play. For example, I haven’t played my warlock since the Great Sunsinger Nerf, and have never once played a Sunbreaker Titan. Changing up your class – not just subclass – can inject some new moxy into your game. And who knows – you may discover a new favorite. It’s okay to experiment!
Beyond that, there are always ways to change up your playstyle. Spend a day playing a fully ranged build – or go for an up-close-and-personal approach. Pull out everything you have with the Icarus perk and spend all day baiting shotgunners around corners. See where I’m going with this? My new favorite is double snipers, jump-shots only. Totally worth the negative K/D.
Embrace the Armory
Level-enabled Crucible events are sort of exempt from this, but why not take a minute to revisit some of your favorite guns from Year One? Or Year Two? I know I’m not the only Guardian who still busts out the ol’ Vex Mythoclast for double-fusion fun every once in a while. There are innumerable underused weapons in the game, and it’d be great if someone could show them some love.
If you’re really going to fall off the wagon, my advice is to do this as a fireteam, or maybe in a Private Match. Because the hard truth is that auto rifles – I mean, some weapon types – just can’t compete in a crucible full of max-range shotguns and high-ROF pulse rifles. Even so, it can be great fun to intentionally play an unpopular loadout – just remember you’re doing it to have fun.
Never Play Solo
I used to only play solo. Destiny was the way to unwind after a long day, to un-focus from life’s troubles. Somewhere along the way, it turned into the opposite: a real battle to become better, to understand strategies and weapon perks and optimized loadouts. I won’t say that becoming more competitive at Destiny took the fun out of the game; quite the opposite – but I will say that it made Destiny less relaxing. Part of that is because as the player base shrank, I started to run into more devoted fireteams in the public queue. Lots of them are good, communicate well, and religiously stick to the most effective loadouts in the game. I’m not judging these players by any means – but getting pub-stomped while playing solo has never been fun.
These days, I always roll with at least one other Guardian, preferable more. Not only will you play better, but when you do lose you’ve (ideally) got friends to keep your head in the right place and help you laugh it off. With SBMM being what it is, it’s always better to coordinate and strategize with friends. And if you really hit a wall, it’s easy to back out and head into a custom game or the Archon’s Forge.
Keep Consumption Fresh
This is a slightly broad tip, but I hit a point several months ago when all of my YouTube subscriptions and bookmarks were devoted to Crucible strategy and gameplay. As someone who initially came to Destiny for the lore – scratch that, I bought the game to wear a cloak and save the world – that marked a huge shift in the way I played. And more importantly, in how I thought of Destiny.
The Crucible is but one part of the game – a large part, certainly; and for some of us it’s the largest part – but there are other aspects to consider, and other ways to enjoy the Destiny universe.
One activity I have always enjoyed is browsing the Ishtar Collective’s Grimoire database, reading about the characters that bring the game to life. Sometimes you find gems. Sometimes you find inspiration. And sometimes you find new ways to keep the Crucible interesting. Maybe you want to play as Ikora Rey one day, and storm through the Crucible with the Invective. Or perhaps you drop into combat as Saint-14, your back against the wall with nothing but No Backup Plans to carry you to victory. Maybe you fancy yourself Cayde-6, dispensing frontier justice from the barrel of the Ace of Spades; or Tevis the Nightstalker, stepping through shadow with Stillpiercer in hand.