Destiny PvP sucks (Destiny)

by Schooly D, TSD Gaming Condo, TX, Tuesday, June 10, 2014, 13:07 (3818 days ago)

I said it.

Like many DBO regulars, I received access to the Alpha. I maxed out the (low) level cap and have been playing a lot of PvP.

It sucks, and it's not fixable.

Here's the problem in a nutshell: everything kills you instantly

I'll go ahead and emphasize and elaborate on that:

everything kills you instantly with no skill required and no way to avoid being killed instantly other than staying put in a far corner of the map

I'm not just referring to Destiny's COD-ish time-to-kill. That's not necessarily a problem in itself, since the normal Destiny combat (strafing, shooting, jumping, etc) is pretty fun.

The issue is there are like 8 things that can kill you instantly, and that other players either (a) spawn with, or (b) acquire over time as "supers".

• Everyone can spawn with a rocket launcher, and ammo is plentiful
  
• Everyone can spawn with a sniper rifle, and ammo is plentiful
  
• There is this god-awful vehicle called "the interceptor." Imagine a Revenant from Halo: Reach, but with the Banshee's fuel rod cannon. The driver can conceivably be shot out from the side, but in most cases the driver sees you and you die shortly after
  
• Warlocks have the "soo cool! xD" Nova Bomb which is basically just another rocket launcher
  
• Titans have a super where they slam the ground and kill everyone nearby instantly. Combine this with Destiny's sprinting and sliding mechanics and your paraplegic grandma can manage a 0.8 k/d ratio
  
• Hunters have the Golden Gun super, which is a one-shot kill as long as it hits anywhere around (doesn't have to be on) the body, from any range. And you get three bullets.

And this is what I mean by "it can't be fixed." There is a definite pattern here, and it lays bare Bungie's design philosophy w/r/t PvP. By giving people "Press X to Kill Everyone" supers that they charge just by being in the game, you're giving bad players the ability to have "whoa so cool!" moments that keep them engaged and coming back. This is not a matter of Bungie having the damage dials slightly off, a la the beta nades in Halo: Reach. This is a conscious, intentional design choice. You are going to die instantly 11 times a game because the people killing you need those kills more than you need to have a fighting chance at not-dying.

To say that Destiny's PvP can be fixed in this regard is like saying Halo can be fixed by relying less on "aiming at something and pressing a button." It's ingrained in the fabric of the game. It's not going away.

There's nothing fun about preparing for someone on radar to jump over a wall, then get killed instantly because they managed to press a button and Nova Bomb you.

I am hoping to get some streaming in late tonight. If you'd like to tune in and see what I mean you're more than welcome.