Destiny 2’s Momentum Control mode is a neat idea, but quickly becomes an annoying slog of random deaths, kills undeserved, and chaos all around.

By Scuttle Gamez

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The Game:

Destiny 2 has recently released Momentum Control in their un-ranked crucible, their PvP mode. It was for one week only, and is already out of rotation, but will probably be returning soon, possibly in different modes as well.

!!!UPDATE: Momentum Control is still in the game. Looks like it’s staying around for a while. So get on in there if you want to try it out!!!

Normal Control sees players capturing flag zones and earning points via opponent kills. The more zones you control the more points per kill you earn. It’s a simply and easy format. Momentum adds an interesting spin. The base concept is the same as control, but now everyone runs faster, there is no radar to see where opponents might be, and weapons deal a huge increase in damage.

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The Good:

It’s fast, that’s for sure. If all you care about is getting matches completed as fast as possible this is probably the mode for you. People die quick, one team usually dominates the other, and either way, you can jump in and complete a game in a hurry.

I also see a lot of people claiming that this mode is amazing for grinding out certain crucible pinnacle weapons. And, for the most part, I agree that it’s pretty good for that.

Any quest that simply requires kills will go well here, medals too. Off the top of my head I’d say this is a good place to grind Randy’s Throwing Knife, and some of the first phases of Radrix Broadsword. Both quests require the use of mid-long range weapons, Pulse Rifles and Scout Rifles, and both gun types will pretty much one tap kill in Momentum.

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The best thing about Momentum is that your radar is disabled in the mode. This adds a lot of fun to PvP. When playing, I had to actually be careful. Checking corners became required, capturing zones was way more risky, and sniping and surprise attacks was a real thing. Multiple times I was able to get behind the enemies’ fighting line and sweep in behind them unknown. In normal PvP this would be nearly impossible due to showing on the radar.

The Bad:

To be frank, I dislike this mode. There are good elements to it, and I can see the appeal now and then, but overall it feels too chaotic and random. Simply put, team sizes are too big to have this mode be effective.

It’s hard to feel real satisfaction in a battle when it always ends with a single shot from behind. Often you’ll have no chance to fight back when attacked. Crucible has always had this problem to an extend, but Momentum makes it a whole lot worse. It’s just kill and be killed here, nothing more.

The Verdict:

I think Momentum has some interesting ideas, but they’re not very well built for Control. But, I think it could be great in Rumble. That mode of play already forces players to move carefully and watch for ganks. Momentum could bring that mode of play to a whole new level.

Perhaps Bungie will give Momentum Rumble a shot sometime. I certainly hope so. I’d rather they pass on Momentum Control in the future though.

What do you think of Momentum Control, or Momentum as a modifier in general? Would you like to see its return to Destiny 2?