Comprehensive guide to Destiny 2’s Trials of Osiris overhaul with strategies, rewards, and accessibility improvements
Understanding the Trials Overhaul
Destiny 2’s pinnacle PVP competition has undergone a dramatic transformation with the Season of the Lost update, implementing sweeping changes to improve accessibility while maintaining competitive integrity.
Bungie has completely reimagined Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2’s most prestigious PVP mode, introducing fundamental changes to how players access, compete, and earn rewards in this elite tournament environment.
For dedicated PVP enthusiasts, Trials of Osiris represents the ultimate test of skill and teamwork within the Destiny universe.
Despite its reputation as Destiny’s premier competitive experience, the 3v3 elimination format faced significant challenges in recent seasons, prompting Bungie to implement this comprehensive redesign.
While community attention focused on Savathun’s impending arrival with The Witch Queen expansion during the August 24 reveal, Bungie simultaneously established the foundation for Trials’ future. The revamp transitions this elite PVP activity to premium status while completely overhauling its core mechanics and reward structure.
This complete breakdown covers every modification coming to Trials of Osiris throughout Season of the Lost.
With Season of the Lost’s launch, Trials transitions to premium content status. Free-to-play Guardians and seasonal pass holders lose access, restricting participation to players who own the current annual expansion.
Currently, Beyond Light ownership is mandatory for Trials access. When The Witch Queen launches, that expansion becomes the new requirement.
The competitive PVP experience undergoes foundational changes beyond access requirements. Where previous iterations rewarded extended victory streaks, the redesigned 3v3 playlist now distributes loot through specialized Trials Engrams.
Teams struggling to achieve flawless runs or maintain winning streaks now compete on equal footing for Trials rewards. Simply winning individual rounds—even in ultimately lost matches—provides opportunities to earn Trials Engrams throughout your session.
Scheduling and Access Changes
Destiny 2 Trials of Osiris: Featured map & weapon this week (December 19 – December 23)
Best Destiny 2 PvP weapons: Meta guns for Competitive & Trials of Osiris
How to get to the Lighthouse in Destiny 2’s revamped Trials of Osiris
The penalty for defeat has been significantly reduced in the new Trials system.
Previously, the mode operated with a strict three-strike policy. Three losses terminated your current attempt, requiring card resets and starting over completely.
Under the new system, teams may continue their Trials runs indefinitely regardless of loss count.
Bungie designed this adjustment to make Trials “more approachable to more players,” explicitly stating their intention to ensure the challenging mode remains rewarding “even if you are not the best PVP player.”
Trials introduces native matchmaking for the first time in Destiny history. Solo participants and two-player teams can now find additional teammates directly through the game instead of relying on external LFG services.
First and foremost, Alan Blaine, rituals lead at Bungie, explained the goals for the future of Trials of Osiris in Destiny 2 with this revamp:
“We believe Trials of Osiris plays best, for everyone, when it has a large and diverse population of players, who are all chasing rewards and competition for wide variety of reasons. Too often, Trials has just two populations: the Flawless-or-bust crew, or folks who just want to get the three-win reward for the weekend and get out. While we support both of those mindsets, having a majority of players falling into just two camps is not healthy for Trials. With that in mind, we are undertaking a series of targeted changes to help support more players with more in-game goals. Some of the changes are subtle, some are quite large, some have been suggested by the player base, and some might be a surprise.”
The full Trials of Osiris changes are as follows:
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- Week 1 should be about exploring new content, features, and tunings, as well as finding and using the new weapons and Exotics.
- Week 1 should be about exploring new content, features, and tunings, as well as finding and using the new weapons and Exotics.
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- Overlapping limited-time PvP events aren’t good for the health of either game mode.
- Overlapping limited-time PvP events aren’t good for the health of either game mode.
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- This should open Trials to more long-term Crucible dabblers.
- This should open Trials to more long-term Crucible dabblers.
Gameplay and Ruleset Updates
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- We want to allow more players to try the mode out and start earning rewards, even if they don’t have a fireteam.
- You can enter the playlist solo or with a friend, and matchmaking will fill the rest of your fireteam for you
- Freelance Trials (No pre-made fireteams, solos only) will also be available via Labs. More on that below.
- Going Flawless on your own will be hard-to-impossible, but we are sure someone will do it thanks to the other players they match up with!
- We want to allow more players to try the mode out and start earning rewards, even if they don’t have a fireteam.
- You can enter the playlist solo or with a friend, and matchmaking will fill the rest of your fireteam for you
- Freelance Trials (No pre-made fireteams, solos only) will also be available via Labs. More on that below.
- Going Flawless on your own will be hard-to-impossible, but we are sure someone will do it thanks to the other players they match up with!
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- In our efforts to strengthen security around the Trials experience, we’re removing opportunity for players to create numerous free accounts to circumvent cheat detection, bans, and restrictions. (More on Security below)
- This is Beyond Light for Season 15, and will change to The Witch Queen once it launches.
- In our efforts to strengthen security around the Trials experience, we’re removing opportunity for players to create numerous free accounts to circumvent cheat detection, bans, and restrictions. (More on Security below)
- This is Beyond Light for Season 15, and will change to The Witch Queen once it launches.
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- Stalling to wait for ability energy is not fun for either the winning or losing team.
- This will not eliminate stalling but will lessen the amount of stalling that can take place.
- We will talk about other plans to help this further down in the article.
- Stalling to wait for ability energy is not fun for either the winning or losing team.
- This will not eliminate stalling but will lessen the amount of stalling that can take place.
- We will talk about other plans to help this further down in the article.
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- If you run out of Sword ammo while using it, you will be force-swapped to a different weapon.
- This removes the ability for players to secretly peek around corners without putting themselves in danger.
- If you run out of Sword ammo while using it, you will be force-swapped to a different weapon.
- This removes the ability for players to secretly peek around corners without putting themselves in danger.
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- Having the winning team keep all collected ammo, but the losing team getting set back to default creates too big of a snowballing advantage.
- Having the winning team keep all collected ammo, but the losing team getting set back to default creates too big of a snowballing advantage.
Rewards and Reputation System
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- Trials tokens have been retired.
- Trials tokens have been retired.
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- Tickets track up to 20 round wins now.
- Emphasizing winning individual rounds for the core rewards gives every player more achievable goals at all skill levels.
- Since you don’t have to win full matches to get rewards, you always have a reason to keep trying even if you are behind.
- Tickets track up to 20 round wins now.
- Emphasizing winning individual rounds for the core rewards gives every player more achievable goals at all skill levels.
- Since you don’t have to win full matches to get rewards, you always have a reason to keep trying even if you are behind.
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- Powerful Trials engrams show up every three rank ups before your first reset of the Season
- Just like the other ritual reputations, there are other rewards to earn every three ranks – and Trials ranks has one of the unique Trials weapons at Rank 10 and Rank 16 for each of the first three resets of Season 15.
- Powerful Trials engrams show up every three rank ups before your first reset of the Season
- Just like the other ritual reputations, there are other rewards to earn every three ranks – and Trials ranks has one of the unique Trials weapons at Rank 10 and Rank 16 for each of the first three resets of Season 15.
- This allows you to keep playing and earning match and round wins for rewards.
- Players may continue to reset their passages after a loss, but are no longer forced to after three losses total.
- You can play and earn rewards on any of your characters on the same Passage.
Bonus progress based on the number of wins on your card.
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- Like the other ritual reputations, Trials ranks and rewards reset each Season.
- Like the other ritual reputations, Trials ranks and rewards reset each Season.
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- Match wins on a seven-win card have a chance to drop extra Trials engrams, Masterworking materials, and high-stat Trials armor.
- Match wins on a seven-win card have a chance to drop extra Trials engrams, Masterworking materials, and high-stat Trials armor.
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- A unique pinnacle Adept weapon each week the first time you visit on your account.
- All of the mods and cosmetics are available in the chest to reward return visits.
- A unique pinnacle Adept weapon each week the first time you visit on your account.
- All of the mods and cosmetics are available in the chest to reward return visits.
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- You do not need to unlock a piece of armor or weapon before it shows up in the engram.
- You do not need to unlock a piece of armor or weapon before it shows up in the engram.
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- If you have gone Flawless that week, you CAN Focus additional drops of the weekly Adept weapon.
- Expect it to be a bit… expensive.
- If you have gone Flawless that week, you CAN Focus additional drops of the weekly Adept weapon.
- Expect it to be a bit… expensive.
Matchmaking and Security
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- We have a bunch of different factors planned and will be watching and tuning these to balance match quality vs matchmaking time.
- We have a bunch of different factors planned and will be watching and tuning these to balance match quality vs matchmaking time.
We’re partnering with BattlEye to enhance our anti-cheat capabilities. pic.twitter.com/FETjFQlzRl
— Destiny 2 (@DestinyTheGame) August 24, 2021
Most importantly, a comprehensive anti-cheat solution is now operational. Destiny 2’s competitive PVP should experience significantly improved performance with stricter measures preventing disruptive hackers.
The inaugural Trials session for Season of the Lost begins Friday, September 10.
Advanced Strategies and Tips
Optimization Strategies for Veteran Players
Experienced Trials competitors should focus on maximizing round win efficiency rather than match victories. The new reputation system heavily favors consistent round performance over flawless runs. Prioritize loadouts that excel in the shorter 90-second rounds and practice efficient ability management to capitalize on the reset ammo economy.
Common Beginner Mistakes to Avoid
New players often make critical errors that undermine their Trials experience. Avoid these common pitfalls:
- Over-resetting passages: With loss forgiveness, continuing to play on a card with multiple losses can yield better rewards than constant resets
- Ignoring round wins: Even losing matches contribute to reputation if you secure round victories
- Poor ability timing: The shortened round timer makes efficient ability usage crucial
- Underutilizing matchmaking: Solo queue provides valuable experience even if Flawless seems unlikely
Advanced Loadout Considerations
The ammo reset between rounds fundamentally changes weapon viability. Special weapons that quickly secure picks become more valuable, while heavy reliance on ability-reliant builds requires adjustment. Consider these loadout strategies:
- Prioritize weapons with strong opening engagement potential
- Balance your loadout between round-opening and clean-up capabilities
- Experiment with different subclass options that complement the faster pace
- Coordinate with teammates to cover multiple engagement ranges
Progression Optimization
To maximize your reward acquisition:
- Focus on completing the 20-round win ticket for reputation bonuses
- Save engram focusing for weapons you genuinely want improved rolls on
- Take advantage of the seven-win card bonus rewards for high-stat armor
- Coordinate with your team to maintain card progress across multiple sessions
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