[2019] I wish I understood what I was doing wrong in Comp

A lot of folks throughout this thread are giving great feedback. Record your gameplay, have others give tips, etc.

While LFG can be chaotic, I highly recommend finding some folks to play with. I can already see replies saying "But DMG, you play with streamers, it's not so easy!", "Comp should have a solo queue so I don't have to find a fireteam to go against 4-stacks", or "Your matchmaking should be better."

The feedback is definitely heard for some of the questions posed in the OP, and we'll have more info on the future of Crucible (Quickplay, Competitive) in the coming months. As for Season of Opulence, I'd like to take a moment to word vomit. Pardon the language, but this is just my brain dumping some personal gaming experiences since 2004. Apologies if this isn't the answer you're looking for at the moment, but it's what I've got :) Let me break it down with a few options.

Find Fireteam Feature: Bungie.net/Destiny Companion App

There's the Bungie.net LFG which can be a mix of great fireteams and potential for lifelong friendships, or just groups of folks looking to knock out a couple of wins ASAP. You risk getting some teams that may be harsh, or boot you because they only want a win. It's a more distilled matchmaking, but you can host your own LFG post and clearly state in the title that you're looking to improve. If folks don't play nice with that goal in mind, you have the power to remove them from the fireteam and continue looking for folks who wish to help you.

General LFG Websites

There are also other LFG style websites, like The100.io. You can find a group of folks who play around the same time as you, are looking for more casual or hardcore, or whatever other specifics that you may have about your playstyle. There are quite a few portals that other players will suggest to you, and I'd recommend checking out as many as you wish until you find a good home. You may be invited to a new clan, which could help you to have a consistent team to not only improve your skill with, but you improve your communications with. As your team plays together, you all become stronger in filling in weaknesses that you learn from your other team mates. Maybe one player will be a sniper for longer ranges, while you rush in with a fusion/shotgun. One other member could take the mid range fight, or push with you to keep the pressure on. These are all things that build towards more success in competitive environments, as random players don't always communicate, or you don't know exactly what to expect the team to need mid-match.

Personal experiences with "competitive" online gaming

Back in the Halo days, before I had any sort of idea that I'd have a career in gaming or be a community manager at this very studio, I went through the same motions. I had a bit of trouble getting the hang of competitive PvP. MLG settings didn't make sense to me. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong. It took quite a bit of practice, many nights of feeling pretty bad about my performance. Hell, I remember shutting off my Xbox a few times because I got tilted from the enemy team taunting me. One of the most important things I learned was to brush off the negativity and keep focus on my personal goals of improvement. Eventually my skill increased and I was able to maintain a 1.0 K/D in my matches. Slow and steady improvement. After so many years, I feel a lot of confidence in general PvP environments. There are definitely matches where I find myself thinking "Wow, I can't do anything right now." - and that's okay. I either take a break to reset, or log off for the night to take a stab at it the next day. Focus on changes to strategy for the best outcomes, and hit it again.

I am by no means a Crucible pro. I still have a lot to improve on myself. But setting goals and just straight up asking for help is the best start. Just in this last season, I learned a lot about my class set up, armor perks, and some map knowledge. I was able to jam through the Iron Banner quest a lot easier than I first expected, as I asked some folks for tips on weapons or strategies to use. I was able to keep my K/D steady as I went out of my comfort zone, and that felt great. Now I have an Enhanced Unflinching Sniper chest on every class to take into Comp, which could be the make or break between a 1v1.

Making friends in the process is a great feeling, as they build you up along the way. Best of luck to you on your journey. Hope this helps. <3

You WILL make plays that aren't smart, and when they most likely don't work, you'll be even more pissed

I can't tell you how many times a night I say "Guys, I'm going to do something stupid."

Sometimes it plays out and I get a triple. More often than not, I kill one guy and die. You miss every shot you don't take, and you can't learn from mistakes if you never make any. Sometimes you will need to keep it cool and play conservatively, and that's fine. In any case, taking a risk should always come with the understanding that things may not work out, but there's no reason to get mad about it.