[quote]From orbit, you decide it’s time to test out the new gear against your fellow players, and proceed into several games of competitive multiplayer. Within the fiction, guardians fight against one another in support of various competing factions in the City, and battles play out in contested areas across the solar system. “You are being employed by these factions,” says design lead Lars Bakken. “The factions helped and were integral to the forming of the city. They are very interested in pushing guardians out into the universe, and helping them to reestablish and take back these places.” Competitive game modes in Destiny run the gamut, and show the same flair for clever construction that Bungie is known for, both in concept and environment design. One battle pits groups of fire teams going head-to-head in a straightforward area capture style; holding any of the three points gives you scoring multipliers for kills, assists, and other actions. After a few games capturing zones, you head into a smaller, deathmatch-style mode with an interesting tactical layer; points are awarded for kills, but also for finding your downed teammates and reviving them before they respawn – presuming your enemies aren’t camping the corpse. Guardians begin competitive matches without access to heavy ammo, and occasional drops of the precious pick-ups are focal points for action. Maps have lots of verticality, and it’s easy to reach high ledges thanks to the wide variety of vertical movement modes available to each class. Shifting environmental features add complexity, like giant mechanisms that move to alter sight lines, or even using the glare from the distant sun to approach an enemy unawares. The broad range of grenade types and supers on display keeps everyone on their toes, but ultimately the action is still focused on quick reflexes and smart weapon use. “When you play Destiny, if you are just interested in competitive multi-player, we are going to scratch that itch,” Bakken says. “There’s going to be an awesome amount of stuff for you to dig into and play. But we’re going to balance that with the fact that we’re giving players a bunch of other new activities as well.” [/quote] Still relevant*