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Bungie Outlines Infamy, Gambit Ranking System for Destiny 2: Forsaken

When Destiny 2: Forsaken officially drops on September 4th on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, a lot of changes are going to be implemented, some of which have already rolled out ahead of the highly-anticipated launch of the massive DLC, and Bungie, the developer behind the popular title, is outlining some of those changes.

During a series of blog posts on Bungie, the team discussed the inner workings of Gambit, and it’s progression/rank system:

Known by All

Many of you have asked about how rewards will work in Gambit. We’ve seen questions as to whether it will feature a ranking system akin to Valor or Glory in the Crucible. Senior Designer Robbie Stevens and Test Lead Sam Dunn can answer these questions with an explanation of Infamy ranks.

Robbie: With Forsaken just around the corner, Gambit will soon be unleashed into the wild. I wanted to discuss our high-level goals for the mode:

- - Fuse the best aspects of PvE and PvP into a brand-new activity that you can experience only in Destiny 2
  - Make the mode accessible to players of all skill levels, but give it depth and variety that will keep even the most hardcore Guardians coming back for more
  - There’s always a role to play; whether it’s slaying enemies, scooping up Motes, or invading, there’s always a way to contribute to your team’s success
  - Communication isn’t required, but strategy and quick thinking are just as important as thumb-skill
  - Always make it possible for teams that fall behind to come back, so they don’t become discouraged

Gambit was designed with replayability and variety as a core part of the experience, but we knew that wasn’t enough. Players need desirable loot to chase and a way to show their dedication. So, with that in mind, we created our very own ranking system: Infamy.

At a high level, Infamy is:

- - A progression-based ranking system where completing matches earns you points
    - - Winning matches will greatly accelerate your climb, while losing matches still earns you points, just fewer than if you win
  - An experience that rewards players with unique Gambit weapons and armor

We’ve been watching the response to the Valor ranking system in the Crucible. A lot of this new work takes that community feedback into account. At this point, I’m going to pass it to Sam, who pulled double duty to design and test the Infamy ranking system.

Sam: To start, we’ve designed Infamy ranks to be more granular by splitting most of the familiar ranks into three tiers. This will allow players to work toward shorter-term goals that are achievable in a few play sessions, rather than over many weeks. It also gives us more opportunities to grant rewards. The Guardian, Brave, Heroic, Fabled, and Mythic ranks will all have three tiers. The Legend rank will remain as one solid chunk.

Apart from this major change, Infamy ranks will function very much like Valor ranks:

- - Each rank will require more Infamy points to complete than the last
  - Win streaks award bonus points
  - Your win streak caps at 5 and doesn’t get reset until you lose a match
  - Your win streak won’t be reset if you join a match in progress

In addition to completing matches, you can also earn Infamy by completing Gambit bounties. Each day, the Drifter will have a selection of daily bounties available for sale that will award Infamy points, as well as other rewards. He’ll also sell a special weekly bounty once you reach Level 50. The weekly bounty will award a large number of Infamy points and a piece of powerful gear. This allows you to always be making progress toward Legend, no matter what your short-term goals are.

Guardians who have tried Gambit in the wild have given it high marks for fun. At the same time, we know you well enough to know that a worthwhile reward is another crucial ingredient in a recipe that brings you back to the fight again and again. We hope to see you in Gambit when it launches with Forsaken!

During our combat reveal stream, we used the Crucible as a proving ground to show off how new weapon systems and tuning will affect the way we fight in all activities as Guardians in Year 2 of Destiny 2. The updates to the tools of the trade are not the only changes you can expect in the arenas that pit players against players. Senior Crucible Designer Kevin Yanes is here to be accountable for how you’ll distinguish yourselves and earn awesome rewards in glorious combat.

Kevin: I’m glad to have the chance to talk to you all about Crucible ranks going forward. This past season of gameplay has taught us a lot about what has worked well and where we can do better. As we kick off the next season, we’re excited to give players new ranks to earn! Let’s dive right into the goals we had for designing the Crucible rank system in Season 4 and the changes that they generated:

Goal: Make earning a high rank in Glory NOT feel like your second job

Changes:

- - Glory rank points gained and lost have been re-tuned to reduce the overall climb to higher ranks
  - The weekly award has been fixed and its gains have been doubled

Goal: Recognize the achievements of players who did not receive their weekly awards in Season 3

Changes:

- - Players who competed in Season 3 will earn bonus rank points for completing their first match in Season 4
  - Does not require completion of any previous weekly milestones

Goal: Encourage more players to strive for higher Glory ranks

Changes:

- - Losses in the Competitive playlist no longer reset your Valor win streak
  - Radar has been reenabled during Competitive gameplay
  - Control and Clash modes have been added to the Competitive playlist
  - Loss streaks have been removed
  - We are currently investigating activity reconnections to Competitive Crucible for players who encounter an error midgame; this will not be available at the launch of Forsaken, but we are looking to add this feature postlaunch

Goal: Remove the time pressures associated with Glory ranks

Changes:

- - Pinnacle Crucible rewards are now awarded via quests
    - - Some of these quests will ask you to engage with Valor or Glory ranks
      - These quests will NOT go away at the end of the season
  - Redrix’s Claymore is being retired in Season 4
    - - Players who already earned the weapon will still be able to equip and use it
      - Players will be unable to earn Redrix’s Claymore beyond Season 3
  - Shaxx will offer a new quest that players can complete to earn Redrix’s Broadsword, a companion weapon to Redrix’s Claymore
    - - Redrix’s Broadsword features a similar talent arrangement, but it does not share the lore and Triumphs associated with Redrix’s Claymore
      - Once you’ve earned the weapon, random roll versions of Redrix’s Broadsword will start dropping from Crucible engrams
      - Each drop will have the fixed Outlaw + Desperado combination
      - Each drop will also have randomized barrels, magazines, and Masterwork perks
  - Players who earned Redrix’s Claymore in Season 3 will receive additional bonuses
    - - Owners of Redrix’s Claymore will be granted an exclusive emblem when redeeming the corresponding Triumph
      - Claymore owners will be eligible for drops of Redrix’s Broadsword from Crucible engrams even without completing the corresponding quest
  - A new Crucible reward will be added via a quest in Season 4

Goal: Continue to promote Rumble as a third mode

Changes:

- - Earning a place in the Top 3 in Rumble will now count as a win
  - The correct number of Valor rank points will be granted

If you committed to any of the rank ladders we established in Season 3, thanks for making the fight lively. We love supporting the competitive community, no matter your skill or mood. Keep your feedback coming, and we’ll keep making the Crucible a place where you submit to some of the finest tests of skill that Destiny has to offer players.

Anthony DiMoro

Covering Content Creators, Twitch, YouTube, Streamers & the digital culture. Anthony has written for publications such as Forbes and the Huffington Post, among others, during his career.