Destiny: Which Multiplayer PvP Mode Gives the Best XP?

As it stands right now, the PvP Crucible in Destiny is one of the best ways to gain XP and level up quickly, regardless of which game mode you go for that’s going to be the case. But while you’re taking on other Guardians anyway, why not make sure that you’re getting the maximum efficiency you can and getting ahead of other players trying to get some quick levels. By investing your time wisely and picking the right online multiplayer mode to fight other players, you’ll find yourself rocketing through levels at an incredible pace.

Which mode should you pick? Well upon entering the Crucible you’ll see four game modes open to you. Three of them are guaranteed to be there at all times, the other one rotates through three special options, which are unlocked as special events by Bungie.

The ones that you will be able to access at any time are:
Clash
A 6v6 team deathmatch mode, where you will be placed into a team of Guardians with the sole objective of hunting down and killing the other team.
Control
A 6v6 team objective based mode, where you and your team of Guardians will be fighting over three command zones placed on the map. In this mode you gain points by holding on to more zones than the other team, as well as gaining points from kills.
Rumble
A 6 player free-for-all. You’re on your own on this one, fighting against all other players on the map in order to be crowned the best of the lot of them. The kills will come thick and fast in this mode, as you’ll be running into other players at every corner you turn around.

The fourth game mode, which will differ depending on events, will be one of the following:
Combined Arms
A special mode, consisting of rounds of Clash and Control, but instead played on large maps, with vehicles available for whoever is fast enough to grab them. You will get bonus XP in Combined Arms for nabbing vehicle kills.
Skirmish
A 3v3 twist on Clash, where your smaller team will face a tougher challenge, and longer respawn times, however you can revive your downed teammates for some extra XP and backup.
Salvage
Another 3v3 mode, with your team fighting over random objectives on the map which change after being captured. You’ll have to think on your feet and be ready for anything in this one.

Well now that you understand what each game mode rewards you for, the obvious answer to which one gives you the most XP would seemingly be something like Control, which not only gives you points for each kill like in the other modes, but also gives you the opportunity to gain some extra points from capturing and holding the command zones scattered across the map.
But in practice Bungie has put a lot of work into balancing out all of the modes. You may have more ways to earn XP in Control, but the action is much more spread out, meaning that you might stand a better chance in a more frantic mode like Rumble, where you should hopefully be getting consistent kills.

In order to properly answer our question we decided to run through a couple of games in each mode. Here’s our average score across each of the easily accessible modes:
Control – 3537.5
Clash – 2075
Rumble – 1527.5

So there you have it, as it turns out the extra opportunities you have to gain XP in Control, as well as your kills, which to not count toward your team points goal, make all of the difference.
Clash provides a decent opportunity to get some XP from kills, but this can change from game to game, and if you’re not winning you’ll see you progress slowed.
Rumble is kind of a surprise, with the frantic pace of each round we were expecting to rack up more points, but with a relatively low score target, even if you’re coming top of every game you’ll only be getting 2000 points from each match.
But there is one thing we forgot to take into account…

Whichever mode you pick, the XP rewards will be dwarfed by the amount of XP you stand to gain by completing Bounties for the Crucible.
By taking on Bounties that your feel are suited to you, you’ll be getting a big boost to the amount of XP you can earn in a few matches.
So the honest answer? The best PvP mode to earn XP in is whichever one you have a bounty for.
Oftentimes an available bounty won’t even ask you to be all that good at a mode, just that you can finish a few matches, win or lose. So make sure that you’re always taking advantage of the best bounties to fit you.

Which mode do you think is the best for earning XP? Let us know in the comments below!

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