Destiny 2 Dominion game mode explained
Image via Bungie

The Destiny 2 Dominion game mode, explained

Elimination is gone for now

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Bungie is getting rid of a Destiny 2 community staple with the removal of the Elimination mode in Trials of Osiris. In its place in Season 21 of Destiny 2, a new game mode called Dominion has arrived. This offers an open-ended objective-style experience that plays like a blend of Elimination and Control.

Like Control, Dominion features three capture points. The two opposing teams will work to capture at least two of these points to start gaining time and points towards victory. However, there is a twist this time around. As soon as one team gets two of the three points, the opposite team loses the ability to respawn. It then becomes a cat-and-mouse chase, similar to Elimination, of the losing team needing to capture two points to save themselves.

The likely reason Destiny 2 switched to Dominion

The possible reason for this change is to give players more options in Trials of Osiris. Elimination offered a Team-Deathmatch-style experience that doesn’t provide much freedom for players. There were only a select few classes and builds that were considered the best for this mode.

Elimination provided a simple format of taking out the other team of three before they wipe out your squad. With only one life per round, this gave a competitive but narrow gameplay experience. Sure, Elimination had the capture point that appeared if no team had won after a certain point, but it didn’t change much. In fact, some teams would simply camp until overtime and try to capture the point.

The Dominion game mode speeds up Trials of Osiris considerably. The objective-based format allows for more unique builds and sub-classes to pop up. In addition, you can’t really camp all that much or else you’ll likely lose the round.

Dominion will continue to be the new game mode for the foreseeable future. Try and win up to seven random Dominion matches in a row to gain the most rewards.


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Cody Perez
Contributing Writer - Cody has been a huge fan of Destructoid for more than a decade as well as a freelance writer for various publications. Now working for Destructoid, he has the chance to share his passion for Final Fantasy XIV, Pokemon, Call of Duty, and many more games.