There have been rumors floating around that Destiny 3 could see the removal of traditional PvP, via the Crucible, from the game. This has been talked about on Fireteam Chat, Paul Tassi wrote an article about it on Forbes, and one of my favorite YouTuber’s (particularly when it comes to Destiny’s Crucible) Aztecross did a video about it as well that you can watch below.
The idea is that it would create a better PvE game, and more people engage in PvE content than they do in PvP content in Destiny.
The Destiny community, the PvE crowd anyway, has always complained that Bungie nerfs things in PvE to try and cater to PvP balance. Meanwhile, there’s always something that the PvP community complains about, which in the past brought more nerfs.
There’s also the rumor that Destiny 3 might contain a planet that would operate sort of like the Dark Zone in The Division, where players, who would be representing factions, would be able to engage other players in a PvEvP patrol zone.
I’m fairly good at Crucible, but I don’t play it a lot, so that’s where my perspective is going to be coming from here.
I agree largely with Aztecross. I think it would be bad to wholesale do away with Crucible. At the same time though, Crucible has always held Destiny back some in the power fantasy of PvE through trying to maintain some sort of balance. Although yes, sandbox updates in Destiny 2 have done more to separate buffs and nerfs to more geared towards certain activities.
My philosophy though is that Crucible should continue to exist, but it should be a separate experience. I know Bungie has never wanted to separate the two modes in the past, but I think it is the only way that you could please both communities.
Keeping in mind that PvE players have never liked being forced to do Crucible for exotic quests, and it’s never been fair that the people who only want to play PvP are forced to do PvE activities however many times it takes to get a RNG weapon to drop just to take it back into Crucible.
You can make most everyone happy with a complete separation; obviously, you’re never going to please everyone. Separation means each can be balanced in a way that has zero impact on the other mode.
So, how do you go about it separating PvE and PvP completely? There’s multiple ways of course, but today we’re going to be focusing on two of them: Hero Shooter and Stand Alone client.
Destiny 3: Crucible Legends
In this scenario, the Crucible in Destiny is relegated to being a “Legends” thing (a hero shooter). You’d have pre-made characters, legends from Destiny lore, in an Overwatch like system. It would still play like Destiny, but you’d just be using characters that exist within the lore and have their own preset loadouts.
There are of course disadvantages to this, especially for those who like to use different weapons and different classes and subclasses, but it is much easier to balance. And players automatically know when they see someone is playing as a particular legend that they’re going to have these weapons and these abilities, and thus can learn the strengths and weaknesses of each legend.
If your loadout is set, what then are you grinding for? Cosmetic and vanity stuff that sets players apart based on skill, accomplishments, time played, etc. That would be things like titles, outfits, weapon skins, emotes, ghost shells, auras, and mastery challenges.
Each legend could have a checklist of objectives in addition to individual leveling, that would take some time and dedication, to master the legend. Doing so would unlock a skin that drastically changes the legends appearance, a title, and provides that character with some sort of buff that includes (balanced) abilities and passive perks over the base character. It could even grant an armor skin and an exotic version of the legend’s primary weapon for use within the PvE side of the game.
These challenges, and items, and all progression would be on a seasonal basis. So you’d have something to grind each season in PvP.
Modes would be like they are currently, but hopefully done better. Dedicated servers, casual modes and ranked modes (not just a playlist). A QP Control and a Ranked Control, QP Clash and Ranked Clash, QP Rumble and Ranked Rumble. A weekly rotating casual playlist consisting of Mayhem Clash, Rift, or Supremacy and a weekly rotating ranked playlist consisting of Countdown, Survival, and Zone Control.
Ranked playlist are skill based as you climb the ladder, have their own cosmetic and vanity items at each rank up, and award increased XP for leveling/mastering the legends. Leaderboards and bragging rights as well.
It’s important to note that while it’s in the “hero shooter” style, this is not a majorly team-based crucible. It would still be classic arena style, with TTK under one second, and play like the crucible we know and a lot of people enjoy. You could have support characters, that can drop a rift, a shield, grant increased reload speed, or whatever, but it would still feel like Destiny PvP with individual skill mattering.
Play as the legend you want in QP, but only one legend per team for Ranked play.
And I would add that, the base game, the PvE character side, should still have a weekend Trials PvP 3v3 Elimination playlist with great armor sets and weapons that are strong in PvE and Trials itself. Even if it does have to be potentially slightly unbalanced due to hopefully very powerful subclasses and weapons/perks/builds. And a monthly, week long, Iron Banner Clash event for more armor sets and powerful weapons.
Destiny Crucible
The second option for separating PvE and PvP in Destiny 3, and the one I prefer if done right, is the complete removal of basic PvP from Destiny 3. As said above, I think events like Trials and Iron Banner should remain apart of the base game as special events using your PvE characters and builds.
How you completely remove Crucible from Destiny 3 and still have it be a thing?
You have a dedicated PvP team create a stand-alone, free-to-play client that’s the crucible we know now with some changes.
Again, dedicated servers and both casual and ranked playlists. You can create multiple characters, so that you can play as different classes and subclasses, and you’ll level them up by playing the game. Level up and you unlock new perks and abilities, as Destiny has always done.
You get armor drops with perks for completing matches and bounties. Much like Destiny 2 now, you can choose two primary weapons, two special weapons, or one of each, and also a power weapon. Unlike Destiny, random weapons do not drop.
For this, if you wanted to use a hand cannon and a sniper rifle, you would start with a generic common hand cannon and sniper, and as you complete objectives and level up the weapon, you’ll progress to the next tier. Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary. Each tier unlocks perk slots. Perks can be crafted, purchased from the gunsmith, and select perks would come about from completing special bounties, objectives, or triumphs.
Using a currency you earn for completing matches, you can take your weapon to the gunsmith to modify it to different rates of fire, barrels, and magazine perks once you level the weapon up to Rare. Master a weapon to Exotic level to unlock a gun type exclusive powerful perk, as well as the ability to lock in a significant mastery bonus to your choice of range, impact, stability, handling, or reload speed.
Because there’s only one gun for each weapon type, the common version would be set to the most used RPM archetype. Players would be able to earn, by completing weapon objectives, nameplates to attach to their gun so “Rare Handcannon” could turn into “The Devil You Know.”
Progression does not reset in casual play, meaning anything you earn in a Season can still be used in casual play the next season, but all progression resets each season in Ranked play. Which means every season, you’d climb the ladder again starting with a bare bones character and common weapons. Each season would feature a different weapon type specific exotic perk, which you could switch between (for a in-game currency cost) in casual play.
Besides earning armor, players would acquire cosmetics and vanity items.
It’s here, in this stand alone game, that Eververse would reside. Since it’s free-to-play, the game would be funded by the selling of micro-transactions and season specific “Crucible Passes.”
It should go without saying, but we’re talking strictly cosmetic items here. Weapon skins, outfits to change the look of earned armor, emotes, emblems, masks, etc. That’s it. No bonus XP stuff, no actual weapons or armor, no buffs of any kind. Just 100% you don’t need it cosmetic and vanity items.
Crucible would be tied to your Bungie.net account, so certain titles and emblems that are earned through seasonal ranked play, would carry over to your Destiny 3 account.
I personally favor method two, but think the hero shooter way would be the easiest to balance while also keeping everything as part of one game.
What do you think should happen with Destiny 3? Should Crucible be kept, pretty much as is with some improvements, should it go away completely, or should Bungie look into an alternative way to separate PvE and PvP? Let us know in the comments below.
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