History of Gambit Preview
Revision 18131 by archivist at 2026-10-10 08:25:37
Overview
Gambit Preview was a free, 24-hour trial of Gambit that Bungie opened to all Destiny 2 players ahead of the Forsaken expansion. It ran from 10:00 PDT on 1 September 2018 for exactly 24 hours, and owners did not need to have bought Forsaken to play it. It appeared in the Director as a separate mode, and the sources name no specific destination for it.
- Type: Gambit (competitive PvE/PvP co-op, two teams of four).
- Destination: Not named in the sources. Gambit is played inside its own arenas rather than on a patrol destination.
- How to launch: Select the mode from the Director during the trial window.
- Power and difficulty: The trial used Gambit's standard ruleset and difficulty.
Gambit has been reworked several times since 2018. Gambit Labs are occasional experimental playlists, and Gambit Prime (activity) was a single-round, 100-Mote version later merged into standard Gambit with Season of the Hunt. Freelance Gambit, where every player is in a one-Guardian Fireteam, has been available since Season 16.
Encounters and mechanics
The trial played by the standard Gambit rules, which have changed over time:
- Enemies drop Motes of Dark. A player can carry up to 15, and half are lost on death.
- Banking at least 5, 10, or 15 Motes sends a Taken blocker to the opposing bank. A Taken Goblin, Phalanx or Knight is the blocker, depending on the amount.
- At 40 and 80 deposited Motes, a portal opens and one player can invade the other team's arena.
- At 100 Motes the bank is full and the Primeval phase begins. The Primeval is protected while its Primeval Envoy units are alive, and the first team to kill its Primeval wins.
Older versions used lower thresholds, such as 75 Motes to summon a Primeval, and Gambit Prime used 100. Players should check current in-game values, since these figures come from guides written for different versions.
Rewards
The trial has no documented rewards of its own. Gambit's ongoing reward track, including Drifter reputation gear added in Monument of Triumph, and Infamy progress are covered on Gambit.