History of New Arcadia (activity)

Overview

New Arcadia is an eight-player Gambit map set in Hellas Basin on Mars. Introduced on March 5, 2019, during Season of the Drifter (Season 6), it was designed as a competitive arena for both standard Gambit and the now-retired Gambit Prime mode.

Location

The map is situated in Hellas Basin, a region on Mars, presenting industrial and cavernous terrain characteristic of the Braytech mining operations in that region.

Map Layout

New Arcadia features three primary spawn fronts for enemy waves during Gambit encounters:

• The Gulch: An open valley area with exposed sightlines
• The Depot: A central location with scattered structures and cover
• The Cavern: An enclosed underground section with tight corridors

These three areas define the primary zones where players encounter Gambit enemies and where invasions occur. The map layout encourages rotation between zones to manage enemy spawns and control invasion points.

Visual Variants

New Arcadia has both a day cycle variant and a night cycle variant, affecting visibility and ambiance while maintaining identical gameplay layout and objective locations.

Gambit Gameplay

In Gambit, teams of four players from each side race to defeat enemies and collect Motes, depositing them into a bank to summon a Primeval boss. The first team to defeat their Primeval wins. New Arcadia's three-front layout emphasizes team positioning and efficient enemy rotation to maximize Mote collection efficiency.

Legacy

While Gambit Prime has been sunset, New Arcadia remains an active Gambit map in current Destiny 2 seasons.