Since their introduction in Destiny 2, the Trials of Osiris have struggled to regain their former glory and continue to deal with numerous issues. However, this is set to change soon, as Bungie aims to make this PvP pinnacle activity more attractive – and that for all Guardians.
What is the overhaul all about? The Trials of Osiris (Trials of Osiris, or Trials for short) embody the most popular Crucible format and THE highlight for the PvP elite in Destiny. Week after week, Guardians come together there to battle for the Lighthouse. This is where the coveted Trials loot can be obtained, which cannot be found anywhere else.
But the Trials also face issues that make it hard for Guardians to be lured into the Crucible. Many find them not accessible enough or too “sweaty” – it’s not something for a casual play session or for “casuals” who feel out of their depth. Others deem them not rewarding enough, some die aimlessly there for loot. And then there are the cheaters. In short: the Trials have their fair share of problems.
Bungie has also taken notice of this and plans to implement numerous changes to the Trials with the new Season 15 to breathe new life into this PvP format and make it more attractive for all player groups. They want more Guardians to play the Trials and pursue goals beyond “Flawless or nothing”.
The changes happening in the Trials of Osiris in Season 15
From some fundamental things, like accessibility and rules of the activity, to rewards – a lot is set to change in the Trials. Here are the key details at a glance:
General
Seasonal changes: At the start of a season, but also in general, Bungie wants to avoid players feeling torn between multiple PvP and/or endgame objectives on weekends. Therefore, for Season 15 and all following seasons:
- No more Trials in the first week of the season or before a World-First race during a new raid. The focus should be on new contents, features, new weapons, and Exotics.
- No Trials during the Iron Banner, no PvP events should overlap.
When do the first Trials in Season 15 start? The Trials of Osiris will start in the current season of the Lost on September 10.
Accessibility
In this area, two particularly exciting changes are ahead. On one hand, the Trials will become more accessible in terms of requirements and participation conditions. On the other hand, however, a massive barrier will be put in place for a certain player group:
Requirements: The requirements for the access quest will be reduced and will now count overall valor ranks and kills.
Player search: The Trials will now offer matchmaking for everyone who does not have a full fireteam. You will thus be able to jump into the Trials alone or with a partner. The player search will fill the fireteam. Freelance Trials (no pre-made fireteams, solo only) will soon be available in the Trials labs (a type of test playlist). Bungie emphasizes that going flawless alone will likely be nearly impossible. However, they are still confident that some players will manage to do so.
Trials will be paid: This is exactly what many players have wished for: If you want to participate in the Trials, you will now have to own the current annual (paid) expansion – at the moment, you need Beyond Light. From February 22, 2021, it will be The Witch Queen. Free-to-play players are now excluded from this format.
This will prevent cheaters from easily creating numerous free accounts repeatedly to bypass cheat detection, bans, and restrictions.
Rules
Here, Bungie mainly aims to fine-tune the gameplay flow and eliminate unfair advantages:
- The duration of a round has been shortened from 120 to 90 seconds. This should largely prevent players from deliberately delaying gameplay to recharge their abilities.
- The so-called three-peeking problem will also be fixed. Gestures will now be executed in the Trials in the first-person perspective, swords can only be used when you have heavy ammunition (this applies to “Elimination” and “Survival”, not only for the Trials), and when heavy ammunition is depleted, you will automatically switch to another weapon. This largely prevents players from peeking around corners from a clearer third-person perspective.
- Special and heavy ammunition will no longer carry over from one round to the next. This is too big of an advantage for strong teams.
Reputation and Rewards
Why the changes? The aim of these changes is to make the Trials more attractive to a broader audience without taking away the PvP elite’s own rewards.
The broader player base should have more reasons to spend more time in the Trials than just chasing rewards after three wins. More rewards will be distributed more frequently. The reputation system of the Trials will be completely overhauled at the 14th Saint. Additionally, Trial engrams can be focused to work towards specific rewards. However, the strong master weapons still require a flawless pass.
What is changing in detail:
- At the 14th Saint, there will be new Trials ranks, a new reputation system, and a rewards track – Trials tokens have been removed.
- Reputation will be earned at match completion and is based on how many rounds you won on your pass
- Up to 20 round wins can now be recorded on passes.
- The focus for main rewards will thus be on the number of individual rounds won. This way, players of all skill levels can set more achievable goals.
- You will always have a reason to keep playing – even if you are behind. Because for rewards, you no longer need to win complete matches.
- By increasing the Trials rank, you will receive Trials engrams
- Before the first reset per season, you will receive powerful Trials engrams at every third rank.
- Just like in other ritual reputation systems, you can also earn other rewards at every third rank. On Trials ranks 10 and 16, you will receive one of the unique Trials weapons during the first three resets in Season 15.
Trials Passes
Why the changes? Passes or tickets are a central element of the Trials. Changes will also be made here to make the format more appealing to as many players as possible.
Previously, the focus was too much on winning as often as possible to even get to rewards. Many players reset their pass fairly early and frequently. This is where the changes are supposed to take effect. Guardians should be able to play Trials and earn rewards without having to reset their passes frequently. However, reaching the Lighthouse and thus the ultimate rewards will still only be possible through wins.
What is changing in detail:
- No losses will be recorded on passes anymore. This means that you can simply continue playing and winning matches/rounds to reach rewards. You can still reset a pass after a loss, but you are no longer forced to do so after three losses.
- Up to 20 round wins can now be recorded on passes.
- The passes have been reorganized, and their prices drastically reduced.
- Passes are now account-based and no longer character-based. This means you can play with any character and earn rewards with the same pass.
Every week there will be two pinnacle challenges in the Trials:
- Win a total of 7 matches on any weekend.
- Win 50 rounds.
Based on the number of rounds won on your pass, you will receive bonus progress.
- The win challenges for 3/5/7 wins have been removed.
- Once you reach the maximum reputation, you can reset it and accept a Ascendant Shard or an Exotic Engram. As with other ritual reputation systems, your Trials ranks and rewards will reset with each new season.
- Additionally, Bungie wants players to engage with their pass longer instead of resetting it every time they lose a match. If you have 7 wins on your pass and then win more matches, there is a chance that additional Trials engrams, masterwork materials, or Trials armor with high stats will drop.
- Nothing will change at the Lighthouse. The way there still leads only through a flawless run, i.e., 7 wins without losses. There, at your first weekly visit (with the account, not with the character), you will receive a unique master weapon. There will also be all the mods and cosmetics to encourage further visits.
Trials Engram
Why the change? The Trials-specific engrams will also be revised to provide players with more direct ways to obtain Trials loot.
What is changing in detail:
- Trials engrams now grant random armor pieces and weapons (no master variants). You do not need to unlock an armor piece or weapon to see it in the engram preview.
- The Trials engrams can now be focused at the 14th Saint to receive specific items you have already unlocked. By the way, if you were flawless in the respective week, you can still snag additional drops of the weekly master weapon. However, this is supposed to be costly, according to Bungie.
Matchmaking
Why the change? In the Trials, it has unfortunately become routine. Strong players pursuing “Flawless or nothing” face much weaker teams with completely different skill sets in early matches. This can quickly kill the fun for weaker Guardians. This is exactly what they want to change.
What is changing in detail:
- The matchmaking will now pair players with the same number of wins on a pass and similar performance in the Trials during that week. However, other factors will also be considered for more balanced matches.
- If the player search takes too long, the search for similar characteristics will be extended until enough opponents are found for a match.
Anti-Cheat
Not only does Bungie want to attract more players to the Trials, but they also want to protect them from cheaters and other fraudsters to ensure as enjoyable an experience as possible. To achieve this, the following measures are being taken:
- BattlEye Anti-Cheat was added with Update 3.3.0.
- Measures against cheaters and cheat providers outside the game are being continued and strengthened (for example, lawsuits against provider websites).
- Players participating in win trading will now be increasingly targeted and can expect bans.
- Anyone who uses or offers paid carries, account recoveries, and similar services – i.e., anything that grants another person access to their platform account and control over their Destiny characters – will be more closely monitored and punished. There are, of course, exceptions. If you let your child play or let a friend check Xur on your account because you are on vacation, you have nothing to fear.
Trials Labs
What are the Labs all about? These changes are not the end, Bungie wants to continuously improve the Trials experience. To gather player feedback more effectively on specific changes, the Labs will return in Season 15.
Essentially, these are a type of test environment or test playlist that will temporarily be unlocked in the game, allowing players to try out specific features or changes. These changes will only be playable through the Labs, and regular PvP will not be affected.
In Season 15, three such Trials Labs weekends are planned, during which targeted Trials changes, such as solo player search, will be tested. There are no fixed dates yet, but they will be announced soon. During these weekends, the changes will apply to the entire mode to allow as many players as possible to participate.
What do you think of the announced Trials changes – whether as a casual player or a seasoned Trials veteran with X Lighthouse visits? Which adjustments do you find sensible, which incorrect or at least questionable? Do you believe Bungie can breathe new life into the Trials of Osiris with this? Let us and other readers know in the comments.
