Destiny 2 Gambit: Mastering Mote Banking

Gambit. A mode that seamlessly blends PvE combat with the thrill of PvP, all wrapped up in a competitive race to summon and defeat a Primeval. Since its introduction with the Forsaken expansion, the core premise has remained, yet subtle changes have refined the experience. Whether your sights are set on achieving the coveted Dredgen title or simply completing your weekly bounties, understanding the nuances of Gambit is key. This guide is designed to equip you with the knowledge to master mote collection, efficiently bank them, and ultimately secure victory, ensuring the Drifter is always pleased with your efforts.

The fundamental loop of Gambit is elegantly simple: eliminate enemies, gather the motes they drop, deposit those motes into the Bank, and repeat this process until your team amasses the required 100 motes to summon your Primeval. Within this cycle, the act of banking motes stands out as a critical, yet frequently mishandled, aspect of the game. The temptation to hoard motes, aiming for the formidable 15-mote Large Blocker summoned by a Taken Knight, is undeniable and can be incredibly potent. However, this strategy is fraught with risk. The longer you spend lingering in the combat arena, the greater your exposure to being eliminated by enemy Invaders or even the standard PvE threats. Therefore, a prudent approach is to bank your motes as soon as a safe opportunity arises. Even if you have managed to collect the full 15 motes, prioritise banking them swiftly to mitigate the chance of a poorly timed enemy Invasion disrupting your efforts. Holding onto motes can also inadvertently delay your team's ability to initiate their own Invasions, potentially hindering your team's overall progress. It's also more strategically advantageous to distribute your motes amongst teammates, allowing others to contribute to the mote count and potentially guarantee stronger blockers for the entire team.

It is also crucial to recognise that being the first team to reach a significant mote threshold and bank can, paradoxically, be detrimental. Consider a scenario where you successfully bank 7 motes, but your teammates have not yet contributed substantially. In this instance, the opposing team will only have a Small Blocker to contend with. This provides them with ample opportunity to gather more motes uninterrupted, while your team struggles to catch up. Conversely, a highly coordinated and skilled team might aim to gather the necessary motes to trigger the first Invasion, bank them simultaneously, unleash an Invader, and effectively dismantle the opposing team. Such a manoeuvre places your opponents at a significant disadvantage, allowing your team to establish and extend a commanding lead. However, if the enemy team of four manages to bank 15 motes in a single go, they will deploy a formidable array of Blockers, capable of draining your team's banked motes and simultaneously unlocking their own Invasion. This could lead to a devastating wipe of your teammates.

Keeping Your Bank Clear of Blockers

It is imperative to remember that the enemy team is pursuing the exact same objectives as yours. Consequently, maintaining a clear Bank, free from enemy Blockers, is paramount to ensuring your own mote flow remains unimpeded and your team can consistently send out their own disruptive Blockers. If you have just completed a mote deposit and Blockers are incoming, do not retreat. Instead, valiantly defend your Bank and endeavour to eliminate the Blockers yourself until your teammates arrive to deposit their motes and offer support. Understanding the different types of Blockers is essential for effective defence and offence:

A significant mechanic that can dramatically shift the momentum of a match is the ability to drain the opposing team's banked motes. Mote draining is activated whenever the enemy team has at least two Blockers of any size present in their Bank. Therefore, always strive to bank your motes in conjunction with at least one other teammate. This not only increases your chances of siphoning additional motes from the enemy but also prevents them from banking their own motes. It leaves them preoccupied with dealing with the Blockers, allowing your team to gain a significant advantage and swiftly summon your Primeval.

Monitoring the Mote Counter for Strategic Advantage

The visual indicators at the top of your screen, represented by blue and red bars, provide crucial information regarding the mote progress of both teams. The white segment within each bar signifies the number of motes currently being held by each team. This information is invaluable for gauging when your team and the opposing team have accumulated sufficient motes to trigger Invasions (at 40 and 80 motes respectively) and for identifying the most opportune moments to initiate your own Invasions. Ideally, your objective should be to eliminate the entire enemy team, thereby confiscating all their held motes. To achieve this, invading when the enemy's white bar is substantial is paramount – avoid invading merely because the portal is open. Conversely, if the enemy team is holding a significant quantity of motes, be prepared for incoming Blockers or even an Invader, and ready yourself to defend your Bank and teammates.

The Criticality of the First Invasion

Gambit matches possess a remarkable capacity for rapid snowballing, and the most effective method to initiate this momentum is by banking 40 motes before the enemy team, invading early, and decisively eliminating their Guardians. Your presence as an Invader will invariably disrupt their plans. Even a single kill can deny them precious motes, significantly setting them back while affording your team more time to advance towards the next Invasion opportunity. This strategy is amplified in effectiveness if your team can strategically chain Blockers by continuing to bank motes whenever the enemy team eliminates their previous Blocker.

Countering Invaders with Supers and Heavy Weapons

The piercing sound of the Invasion alarm can induce a sense of dread, but confronting the Invader head-on is essential for thwarting their attempts to inflict damage. It's vital to remember that an Invader is simply another Guardian, albeit one augmented with an overshield and wall-hacking capabilities. They can be neutralised with a well-aimed sniper shot, a barrage of Gjallarhorn rockets, or the devastating power of a Super ability. Therefore, do not feel compelled to retreat every time you are invaded. If you are carrying a substantial number of motes or lack confidence in your precision aiming, it is perfectly understandable to adopt a defensive posture. However, if you are only holding a few motes, it is advisable to engage and defend your ground. Even if you do not manage to eliminate the Invader, you can at least impede their progress and provide crucial protection for your teammate who may be carrying 15 motes.

Securing Heavy Ammo from Crates

Given the relative scarcity of Heavy ammo in Gambit, possessing any amount can significantly influence the outcome of matches. It empowers you to rapidly clear waves of enemies, efficiently melt Primevals, or effectively neutralise Invaders. Fortunately, the systematic elimination of all enemies in a combat arena awards the entire team with a lootable Heavy ammo crate, which dispenses a modest quantity of both Heavy and Special ammunition. Pay close attention to the Drifter's announcements regarding High-Value Targets. Not only do these formidable foes drop a substantial number of motes upon their demise, but they also yield a valuable Heavy ammo brick.

Strategic Primeval Engagement

Once your Primeval has been summoned, you become vulnerable to repeated invasions until its demise. Each Invasion presents an opportunity for the enemy team to heal your Primeval by eliminating your Guardians. Consequently, if you expend all your Supers and Heavy ammo on the Primeval only to be defeated by an Invader, your Primeval will revert to full health, and your potent offensive capabilities will be depleted. The more Primeval Envoys you eliminate – these are the Taken Wizards that periodically spawn to shield the Primeval – the more damage you will inflict upon the Primeval itself. Therefore, it is prudent to conserve your Supers and the majority of your Heavy ammo for when you have accumulated several stacks of the Primeval Slayer buff. At the very least, permit the initial Invader to appear while the Primeval is still at its full health. This will compel them to waste their efforts, while simultaneously allowing you to accumulate more Primeval Slayer stacks. When you ultimately unleash your offensive, you will be able to melt the Primeval more effectively and with significantly reduced risk. This waiting period also provides valuable time to clear out any residual minor enemies in the vicinity.

Gambit is a dynamic mode that rewards strategic thinking, coordinated team play, and a keen understanding of its core mechanics. By focusing on efficient mote banking, proactive Blocker management, and intelligent engagement of both PvE threats and enemy Invaders, you can significantly improve your performance and increase your chances of achieving victory and earning those coveted rewards. Remember, the Drifter is always watching, and a well-played Gambit match is a sure way to earn his favour.

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