Alright, let’s talk about diving into Destiny 2’s competitive playlist. I figured, why not? See how far I could actually climb. It wasn’t like I was expecting to hit the top right away, but I wanted to give it a solid try, you know? Put in the time and see what happened.
Starting Out – The Placements
First things first, I had to jump into those placement matches. Honestly, it felt like a bit of a coin toss. Sometimes my team clicked, other times we got absolutely steamrolled. I wasn’t really focused on a specific loadout yet, just using weapons I felt comfortable with from playing regular Crucible. Think I ended up somewhere in Silver after the seven matches. Not great, not terrible, just a starting point.
The Early Grind: Copper to Gold
Okay, so I started in Silver. The grind through Bronze and Silver was… interesting. Lots of different skill levels mashed together. One match felt super easy, the next felt impossible. I spent a lot of time just trying to get a feel for the main mode, Survival. It’s different from Control, slower paced, gotta stick with your team more.
- Loadouts: I messed around a lot here. Tried different pulse rifles, some auto rifles, shotguns, fusion rifles. Basically threw stuff at the wall to see what stuck for me. Found myself liking pulse rifles for range and a shotgun for close encounters pretty early on.
- Solo Queue: Mostly played solo at this stage. It was tough sometimes. You get teammates who don’t play the objective, rush in alone, or leave mid-match. Frustrating, but it is what it is. You just gotta play your own game as best you can.
- Learning: Started focusing more on sticking with teammates, even random ones. Learned map layouts better, where people tend to push from, common sniper lanes. Just basic stuff, really.
Getting into Gold felt like the first real milestone. Matches started feeling a bit more consistent, like people generally knew what they were doing.
Hitting the Mid-Ranks: Gold and Platinum
This is where things picked up. Gold and especially Platinum lobbies felt noticeably sweatier. Players had better aim, better movement, and definitely better game sense.
Teamwork became key. Playing solo got harder. I started trying to use voice chat more, even just simple callouts like “one low on heavy” or “pushing B”. It makes a huge difference when the team coordinates, even a little bit.
I also had to refine my loadout. The stuff that worked in Silver wasn’t always cutting it. Started paying more attention to what good players were using against me. Hand cannons became way more common. Had to get better with my primary shots and rely less on special weapons.
There were winning streaks and losing streaks. You’d climb a bunch, then lose it all in a few bad games. That part’s rough, gotta keep a level head.
The Push for the Top: Adept and Ascendant
Okay, pushing past Platinum into Adept and then trying for Ascendant? That’s the real deal. This is where you run into really coordinated teams, often three-stacks who play together all the time.
- Meta is King: You pretty much have to use meta or near-meta loadouts here. Everyone’s optimized. If you’re not using strong weapons and abilities, you’re at a disadvantage. Had to really dial in my build.
- Map Knowledge & Positioning: Knowing the maps inside and out is crucial. Spawns, flank routes, power positions. Standing in the wrong spot for even a second gets you punished.
- Communication: If you’re serious about climbing here, voice chat isn’t optional anymore, especially if you team up. Constant callouts, coordinating pushes, tracking enemy supers.
- The Grind & Tilt: Losing points here hurts more. Matches are intense. It’s easy to get tilted after a tough loss or facing a suspected cheater (though that’s rare, mostly just really good players). Taking breaks was important for me.
Playing during peak hours or specific days sometimes felt better or worse. Sometimes teaming up with a couple of decent players I met along the way helped immensely. That consistency is gold.
Final Thoughts
Making it to Ascendant felt like a proper achievement. It took a lot of games, a lot of focus, and yeah, some frustration. Was it worth it? For me, yeah. I learned a ton about how to play Destiny PvP at a higher level, improved my own skills significantly, and got that shiny rank emblem.
It’s definitely a commitment, though. It’s not something you can just casually dip into and expect to hit the highest ranks easily. You gotta put in the reps, learn from your mistakes, and keep grinding. But hey, that’s the process, right?
