As players finalized the Empyrean Foundation event in Destiny 2, Guardians lit the beacon to begin the Trials of Osiris. After finishing the in-game cutscene, players were pointed to the reveal trailer where Trials was officially unveiled to fans for the next season.
The trailer was relatively brief, but finally confirmed and gave a quick rundown on what to expect from the return of Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2. Other than what was announced, there were some additional tidbits within the trailer that weren’t specifically highlighted as well as a few details Bungie announced outside the trailer as well. Here are some subtle details we learned from the trailer and afterwards.
New Weapons As Well As Armor
Along with the announced return of the new Trials of Osiris armor sets as well as returning Destiny maps, some Trials specific weapons and ornaments will be coming as well. Shown off but never talked about were several weapons that had Trials iconography on them, meaning special weapon drops are coming and will be exclusive to the returning competitive mode. Watching the trailer back hints at a few different Trials-exclusive weapons: Scout Rifles, Shotguns, Fusion Rifles, and Hand Cannons. There even appears to be a Trials ornament for Outbreak Perfected, meaning there will likely be Trials ornaments for other weapons as well.
Players in the past complained about the weak loot rotation in PvP modes like Iron Banner. It’ll be interesting to see how viable these weapons may be if they’re releasing alongside Trials, likely balanced with PvP in mind.
Overall Balance Changes Coming
Similar in that vein, the trailer also vaguely confirms that balance changes on the whole Destiny 2 sandbox are coming with Trials of Osiris, and presumably the rest of Season of the Worthy. Bungie designer Eric Smith notes that abilities, sub-classes overall, weapons, and armor are being balanced to accommodate the introduction of Trials, likely in service of balancing Crucible PvP altogether. What changes are coming remain to be seen, but if it’s anything like the Season 10 preview players received a few days ago, there’s going to be plenty of drastic nerfs to popular weapon types and specific exotics.
Since Trials in Destiny 2 will follow in the footsteps of the original game, it will have Power Level advantages enabled. Bungie also noted it’s taking into account the artifact power boosts introduced in Shadowkeep as well. Artifact influence on Destiny 2’s PvP was a main concern among those anticipating Trials’ return, especially considering Trials of Osiris would almost certainly have Power Level advantages. It also begs the question if the weapon mods gained from leveling up artifacts would also be usable in Trials or PvP in general. Artifact weapon mods haven’t been confirmed or de-confirmed as available, but hopefully with the PvP balance focus, these mods won’t be overpowered or polarizing.
More Than the Trials of Osiris
Something curious that wasn’t specifically shown in the trailer is the fact that Destiny 2’s Season of the Worthy won’t be entirely focused on Trials of Osiris. After the trailer was revealed, Bungie director Luke Smith teased more news would be coming “on Season 10 (and Trials) over the next few weeks,” meaning we could be getting more than just a PvP focused season like it was originally rumored. Along with this, Smith also shared some concept art depicting a sword/dagger with an emblem similar to the Warmind’s IKELOS symbol. Assuming this tease is related to the Osiris-Warmind encounter we saw in a Season 10 teaser, this could be a potential exotic quest line coming outside of Trials of Osiris.
This should excite players who may not play Destiny 2 PvP often or at all, meaning there may still be plenty of PvE content for Guardians to enjoy during Season 10.
Season of the Worthy Is Coming
The official announcement of Destiny 2’s Season of the Worthy corroborates many of the leaks fans have received from data-miners. Aside from some minor grips from fans about power level disadvantages, the hype for Trials of Osiris returning is certainly intense. The first round of Trials of Osiris begins March 13, just a few days after Season of the Worthy begins.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
