Destiny 2 is finally adding a highly requested mode next year

Guardians can jump back into a helpful Destiny feature in early 2018.

Bungie’s latest weekly blog on Destiny 2 had a tidal wave of updates. Among the upcoming improvements and new features was a long-awaited Crucible mode that the developer has been quiet about since launch.

Targeted for an early 2018 launch, Guardians will be able to create Private Matches for competitive play. While the ability to create private PvP battles didn’t become available until the first Destiny‘s Rise of Iron DLC, players were surprised to see the Private option was not going to be included at Destiny 2‘s launch. Before its September 6th release for consoles, director Luke Smith simply stated that mode would not appear “at launch,” but since then there hasn’t been word on when or if the customizable experience would return.

The benefit of creating Private Matches comes down to its customization options. Players can focus on honing their competitive skills by battling against invite-only Guardians, which is an excellent way for teams to build and practice their strategies for Quickplay and Competitive PvP. Within a match, the score limits, respawn times, ammo drops, buffs, and mods can even be tailored to replicate other in-game events, like Trials of the Nine, to help players get accustomed to the different ways PvP can be handled.

It’s unclear when in “early 2018” players can expect to receive the update, but it’s likely Bungie will launch it alongside one of the new seasons fitted with new Crucible activities. For those hoping for extra rewards in the coming updates, Bungie will offer better incentives for the Prestige versions of events, Strikes, Adventures, and Lost Sectors. Thankfully, the hustle to hunt down new and better Exotics should get a little easier, as the developer announced a reduction in duplication.