The New PvP Game Mode – Rift

I don’t normally play PvP stuff. But Destiny 2 has the habit of putting random PvP stuff into quests. The Rat King exotic quest required players to all use the same pistol, for example. And on the second week of this new season, Lord Saladin is back (already) with objective-based gameplay for us to all fight over.

However, due to paying for someone else’s fuck up, Saladin now basically works for Empress Caiatl on her War Council. And while he’s there, he’s picked up a new 6v6 game mode for us: Rift.

Capture the Flag with a twist

Rift is a very simple game. You run to the flag in the middle of the map, you pick up the flag and then run into the enemy’s base to deposit it there. During this time, you are quite vulnerable, and have to rely on team mates to protect you. In Rift, the flag is a Spark, and it needs to be charged briefly until it properly unlocks.

Once you have the spark, it’s a mad dash to the enemy’s territory to deposit it and earn a point. Once a point has been scored, everyone is trans-matted back to their own side, so a new round to start. The transmat is honestly really annoying, and it can ruin any flow or rhythm that your team needs to play well.

The game itself lasts 5 minutes, or until one team scores enough points. It’s first to 5 points to win, but from what I played, I think being first to 3 or 4 would be better. Defensive teams can easily carry over into sudden death. However, the game never ends in a tie. Instead, overtime spawns 3 sparks instead of just one, and whoever scores next wins the match. I’d rather they just ended with a tie, but oh well.

No KDAs, nothing but objectives

What’s really nice about Rift though is the end of mission table. For once, it doesn’t mention your standard KDA. The score board only cares about the objective, picking up the sparks and scoring points. Which means that someone like me, who can’t shoot well but can run away pretty well, can actually do well, while a more kill-orientated player will clear the path for you. In the first game I played, I actually managed to score a point, and got insanely close to doing so several more times.

You can also revive team mates, which makes a change too. The respawn timer though is kinda short, and the one map we have has quite a few sight lines. With different maps, this might improve, but currently the only existing map has a ton of unused space and it’s easy to be sniped.

You definitely need a team though

Playing solo is okay, I guess, but to play well, you really, really need coordination. Or at the very least, two or three players guarding the spark-runner. Playing with randoms means you get no real protection, only luck. Sure, allied players may try and follow the flag-runner but most of the time, myself included, we all kinda just run around like chickens. It’s also worth having 1-2 players in your own base, defending the Rift in case the rest of the team dies.

There are specific roles to be played, but it’s nigh impossible to communicate said roles with a public team.

Honestly, I really didn’t mind playing Rift. Will I play it regularly? Probably not. But it does make for a refreshing change of pace. Plus, it’s basically Capture the Flag but backwards, which is pretty neat.