Trials of Osiris just made Destiny 2 history in its first week back

After months of setbacks for Destiny 2’s pinnacle PVP activity, Trials of Osiris finally found its footing this week, making history as more players engaged with the competitive mode than ever before.

Since the release of Destiny 2 in 2017, truly elite PVP experiences have been few and far between. What started as Trials of the Nine, a unique 4v4 take on the elimination mode from the original Destiny, soon transitioned back into Trials of Osiris three years later.

The challenging playlist was finally set to return to its initial form in Season of the Worthy and while players rejoiced, the fanfare was short-lived. Catastrophic issues led to repeated delays as the PVP mode was held back time and time again.

After multiple false starts, Trials eventually returned on March 19. For the first time in Destiny 2, it actually felt “perfect.” As a result, the latest weekend of elite PVP competition made history.

The player count for the most recent weekend of Trials action saw more than 365,000 Guardians getting involved. This marks the biggest weekend for Trials in Destiny 2’s four-year history.

Previously, the record was held by the opening weekend, which saw just shy of 360,000 players jumping in.

The success of this weekend can be boiled down to a few key factors.

First, after such a long stretch of mishaps, finally having a solid experience gave PVP players something fresh to grind. For new players and veterans alike, there’s nothing else quite like the intensity of a Trials run. Now that it’s functioning properly, everyone is able to share in that excitement after years of shortcomings.

• Read More: When is crossplay coming to Destiny 2?

The next big factor that drove engagement was the Igneous Hammer. This powerful Hand Cannon served as the three-win reward this time around.

While the best loot is saved for flawless runs, having such a lucrative draw this early into a Trials run means just about anyone can earn it. Therefore, more Fireteams than ever before were eager to join the mix.

We’ll have to wait and see if Trials can keep this momentum going in Destiny 2. With the next major expansion set for 2022, it could be another full calendar year until the next big content drop.

• Read More: Bungie ditches sunsetting in Destiny 2 after huge player backlash

In the meantime, Trials may just have to carry the PVP player base.