What If... Destiny 2's Gambit Was a Hit?

Summary

Destiny 2 could've built seasonal content around Gambit, introducing new maps, objectives, and boss modifiers each season.
The Drifter might have stepped into the spotlight, offering moral ambiguity and branching questlines tied to Gambit.
Regular map updates and experimental modes could have kept Gambit fresh, featuring sudden-death rounds and 3v3 matches.

When Destiny 2's Forsaken expansion introduced Gambit, it felt like Bungie was really onto something. As a mode that fused wave-based PvE with intense PvP invasions, Gambit was messy, chaotic, and unlike anything else in the game. For all intents and purposes, it was the perfect counterweight to Destiny 2's increasingly weary Vanguard and Crucible content. As a result — for a moment at least — Gambit was a promise that suggested Destiny 2 might be headed toward a brighter future.

Unfortunately, that's not the timeline Destiny 2's Gambit ended up in. In reality, Gambit slowly fizzled out and ended up on life support, where it merely survived until it became all but irrelevant. Still, it's hard not to wonder what it might have been if it had turned out to be a hit. If Gambit had succeeded and achieved what it set out to do, what kind of Destiny 2 would players be logging into today? What kinds of stories, systems, and support would have emerged from an innovative mode that actually lived up to its potential?

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What Destiny 2's Gambit Might Have Been

Destiny 2 Might Have Built Themed Seasonal Content Around Gambit

If Gambit had taken off the way it presumably hoped, it's likely that Destiny 2 might have started building full seasonal frameworks around it. This wouldn't involve simply reusing it as a playlist, but making it a significant part of major content drops. Perhaps seasonal enemies might have been designed with PvEvP mechanics in mind, while new maps could have been linked to each season's story — like Hive-themed maps during Season of the Witch, or Europa-based maps that implemented Stasis as either a buff or a hindrance for players to navigate. More than that, Gambit could've introduced rotating objectives and boss modifiers to keep the mode feeling fresh with each season, especially since a major part of its downfall was its repetitive nature.

Destiny 2's Drifter Might Have Taken Center Stage as a Narrative Counterbalance

If Destiny 2's Gambit had found the success it aimed for, maybe the Drifter would have emerged from the shadows to become a central narrative figure in the way of being a full-blown foil to Commander Zavala and the Vanguard. Destiny 2 could have really leaned into the conflict between Light and Dark by making the Drifter its primary voice for moral ambiguity, to the point of offering players choices that challenged their own morals by blurring the lines of what it meant to be a Guardian. Seasonal storylines could have even featured branching quests tied to this idea, as it sure seemed like the game wanted to do that much initially.

The Drifter did play a significant role in Destiny 2's Season of the Drifter, where he led players through morally ambiguous quests linked to Gambit Prime, the mysterious Nine, and his past. Unfortunately, that's about as far as his relevance to Destiny 2's overarching story went.

Gambit Might Have Received Regular Map and Mode Updates

In a world where Gambit was a hit, Destiny 2 might have given it the same treatment it had given the Vanguard and Crucible playlists up to the point of its introduction. This might have meant regular map rotations, new mechancis, and more experimental modes like Gambit Prime. Instead of playing the same maps for years, players might have seen seasonal arenas tied to new destinations, like a Strand-based map on Neomuna or a Taken zone in Destiny 2's Pale Heart. Additionally, Gambit could have even occasionally introduced new rules, like sudden-death boss rounds, public events mid-match, or even 3v3 Gambit matches that increased the challenge.

If Gambit had taken off the way it presumably hoped, it's likely that Destiny 2 might have started building full seasonal frameworks around it.

Ultimately, the fall of Destiny 2's Gambit was more the loss of a bigger idea than a unique game mode. The hybrid format might have changed how players approached combat, morality, and seasonal content in Destiny 2. While it never quite got the support it needed in order to truly succeed, the pieces were all there — and it could be argued that they still are. Maybe Destiny 2's Gambit was ahead of its time. Maybe it asked too much of a community that was already showing signs of splitting. However, in another timeline, maybe Gambit isn't the forgotten third option on the Tower screen but is instead the one thing that holds it all together.

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