When Destiny 2’s Forsaken expansion launched earlier this month it sadly didn’t come with any significant new features for the game’s existing Crucible PvP experience. However, that will change starting tomorrow when the previously unveiled Breakthrough PvP game mode finally arrives.
Breakthrough will be a Competitive playlist mode which means that, unlike the modes featured in the Quickplay playlist, it will pit two teams of four against each other in a multi-round format. Each round will involve completing two separate goals, and depending on how efficient your team is, those goals can change from round to round.
At the beginning of each Breakthrough round, both teams will vie for control of a central capture point which acts as the deployment station for a machine called the Breaker. The central point can be contested, which means there’s a lot of potential for stunning reversals and upsets as both teams work to capture it, but the round isn’t over once one team manages to secure the Breaker for themselves.
When one team gains control of the breaker, the round shifts into an attack/defense format where the “attacking” team (i.e. the one that controls the Breaker) has to assault the opposition’s vault while the defending team has to do whatever it can to stave off the assault while a timer whittles down. If the attacking team successfully penetrates the vault, they win. However, if the defending team can hold out until the timer reaches zero, the win goes to them.
As Bungie noted in its most recent This Week at Bungie blog post, a series of brand new Crucible maps were created specifically for Breakthrough, with five maps in total (one of which will be a timed exclusive on PlayStation 4) set to debut alongside the new mode:
- Equinox
- Firebase Echo
- Convergence
- The Citadel
- Gambler’s Ruin (PS4 Exclusive)
During its initial launch week, Breakthrough will have its own dedicated playlist, and starting on October 2 it will be added to the rotating selection of Competitive playlist modes. Breakthrough will be free for all Destiny 2 players, but owning the Forsaken expansion will be required if you want to play the new mode in private PvP matches.