Bungie has hit players of Destiny 2 with some big news regarding the return of the Trials of Osiris, the D1 PvP event that has been brought back by popular demand for your competitive enjoyment. However, reports that Guardian Power levels will be enabled for the event have caused some concern in the community, since it puts players who want to participate but have little time to invest in the game at a disadvantage against others. Even so, the community was able to convince Bungie to disable the Seasonal Artifact’s Power advantage for the event, a small victory which will promote skill-based progression in the event rather than give players a power crutch to rely on. This announcement comes from a tweet by Bungie’s Destiny Director, Luke Smith, who also reminds Guardians in the Destiny 2020 Director’s Cut that their greatest weapon in the game is one they may not have considered:
“Aspiration is what keeps our game alive… it can be about entering Destiny 2 for the first time and feeling the potential of what you could become. It can be about the pursuits in front of you. Or it can also be PVP players looking over the horizon and seeing the Lighthouse and its treasures awaiting them – if they pass The Trials.”
Okay, so maybe aspiration will take you far in the game, but it isn’t all you need to succeed in the Trials, and this last “if” statement might send pangs of anxiety (or “FOMO,” as the director defines it) through those players who may face a disadvantage with Guardian Power levels in play. This is further complicated for some by Smith’s declaration that “aspiration isn’t something reserved for the elite or the engaged; it’s for everyone.” The truth of the matter is, Trials itself is not for everyone, as this isn’t the little leagues and not everyone gets a trophy simply for showing up (at least, not that we know of at this time).
Do keep in mind that for the 3v3 Crucible-Elimination-style event of Season 10’s Trials to stay true to its origins, it has to be a high-stakes competition that matches its rewards. It’s meant to allow players to showcase their PvP skills, which creates senses of meaning and purpose in this event that would be lost if it didn’t make you sweat.
Still, Trials start just three days into the new season, so most Guardians are going to be more or less around the same Power level in the beginning anyway. Then it’s a multi-weekend event, which is how Bungie can best ensure that most players with busy weekday schedules can still participate. But beyond that, it’s up to a Guardian’s skills, Artifact mod strategies (which will not be disabled with the Artifact’s Power advantages), and a drive to succeed that will prove whose Worthy of passing Destiny 2‘s reboot of the Trials of Osiris.
If you have the slightest interest in this event, try it out — you have nothing to lose. And in lighter news, D1 Trials armor and weapons are coming back, along with three of the original maps: Cauldron, Exodus Blue, and Anomaly. Also, there have been upgrades to the sandbox to ensure better player balancing, and all of this is available for free. So, Guardian, why not give it a shot?
2020 Director’s Cut Shortcuts for Season 10
- Faction Rallies will not be returning to the game, but Season 10’s Legendary engram reward pools can contain Faction Rally armor and some of the more popular Faction weapons.
- Bright Engrams will no longer be available for purchase in the Eververse Store but will still show up on the Season Pass in the free track.
- New Light players will have a New Intro experience that should be better than the last.
- Questlog will have categorization for easier, more organized tracking.
Season 10 Subclass Changes
- Warlock Melee basic range will be extended by 1 meter from 4.5 to 5.5 meters.
- Titan Barricades health will be raised from 500hp to 600hp, but certain weapons will deal more damage to Barricades.
- 30% extra damage dealt to Barricades: sniper rifles, grenade launchers, linear fusion rifles, machine guns, trace rifles, and anti-barrier weapons.
- 60% extra damage dealt to Barricades: shotguns and fusion rifles.
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- One-Shot Abilities
- Titan’s three Shoulder Charge abilities:
- Reduced auto-targeting angle by 50%.
- Reduced targeted lunge distance from 6m to 5.5m.
- Increased untargeted lunge distance from 4.5 to 5.5m.
- Hunter’s Weighted Knife ability:
- Tracking significantly reduced.
- New tracking tech makes the knife “more faithful to its initial throw trajectory.”
- Warlock’s Handheld Supernova ability:
- Increased activation time by 0.6 seconds.
- Reduced hold time from 3.5 seconds to 2.5 seconds.
- Reduced range by 20%.
- Tightened horizontal spread of bolts by 25%.
- Bolt explosion now does self-damage.
- Reduced bolt explosion radius from 3m to 2.5m.
- Note: “To compensate for this change, other elements of the middle Voidwalker path are being buffed, including the Nova Warp Super, which now has increased damage resistance, a longer duration, and a reduced blink cost.”
- Titan’s three Shoulder Charge abilities:
- General Subclass Tuning
- Changes have been made “to a number of subclass paths in an effort to tighten the gameplay balance.”
- Since Stormcaller top, Striker bottom, and Arcstrider bottom trees have consistently beat all other paths in both win-rate and average efficiency in PvP, they’ve been nerfed a little.
- Since Voidwalker bottom, Nightstalker bottom, and Striker middle trees have proven to be weaker than average, these subclasses received some buffs.
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