The Crucible
Checkmate Survival
Achieve victory by depleting your opponents' shared life pool, then eliminating them.
Ability and Primary ammo damage is reduced. Special ammo is earned by engaging in combat and is not lost on death.
Overview
Checkmate Survival is a Crucible playlist variant that applies the Checkmate modifier to a standard mode. Objective: deplete the opposing team's shared life pool, then eliminate them, as in Survival. Introduced two weeks after Checkmate Control. Checkmate is a modifier rather than a standalone mode: it was introduced in Season of the Witch via Crucible Labs and later rotated into the weekly Crucible playlist, selectable from the The Crucible destination tab. Bungie has since moved Checkmate back and forth between Labs and the core rotation, so availability varies by season.
Mechanics
Checkmate raises Guardian health (longer time-to-kill); cuts passive Grenade, Melee and class ability generation by 50% and passive Super generation by 40%; and Guardians never spawn with Special ammo. Special ammo is instead earned through final blows, playing the objective and picking up Heavy ammo. The in-game description adds that ability and Primary ammo damage is reduced. The goal is a slower, gunplay-focused Crucible. Numbers may have changed in later seasons.
Rewards
Standard Crucible rewards (engrams, Valor/Glory-style progress where the playlist counts) and Crucible Triumphs.
Related
Location: The Crucible
Community guides & sources
Category: Activities · Last edited 2026-10-12 19:04:34 UTC