Destiny 2’s Trials of Osiris overhaul was long overdue, but well worth the wait

Destiny 2’s Trials of Osiris saw its long-awaited revamp last weekend – and the mode is all the better for it.

Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost has added some fun new PvE content, but the question on many players’ minds last week was “will Trials of Osiris get better” following Bungie’s planned overhaul.

The sweatiest of Destiny’s PvP modes, Bungie took the huge step of adding matchmaking, while also bringing its rewards closer in line with the likes of Vanguard and Crucible activities – meaning players are rewarded for playing, rather than cast aside if they aren’t racking up wins.

• Read More: Destiny 2 Season of the Lost impressions

My friends, I’m here to tell you about the second coming of Trials of Osiris.

Less “Trials and error”

I’ve been writing about Destiny for several years now. It’s essentially the game that simultaneously launched my career, and rekindled a love of gaming. I’ve raided, I’ve looted, but one mode never really hit right for me: Trials of Osiris.

I’ve got nothing against the mode, I’m just not the most competitive PvP player. I have my moments, sure, but I’m more driven by the PvE power fantasy of carving through enemies like I’m playing a Musou with guns.

After finding time to play over a busy weekend, though, I’m sold. Trials of Osiris now feels like it can appease both more casual and more hardcore fans, and it’s better for it. And it appears I’m not the only one who thought so.

While Trials’ best gear is still tucked behind flawless runs of seven wins, this weekend I finally earned not only my first Shayura’s Wrath SMG – but my second, too. And I didn’t win a single game.

How casual is too casual?

Purists will (understandably) scoff at the thought, but while I was winning rounds, I was losing matches. I leaned on matchmaking, and sure, it was a mixed bag. Some players had me almost screaming “revive me” at my screen, while others did their best to carry me on my less positive rounds. That’s the price you pay to form a squad, and there are plenty of other idiosyncrasies that Trials can’t quite get around.

• Read More: Destiny 2’s Trials of Osiris rewards revamp is flooding players with incredible loot

“Roaming” Supers, for example, tore through my team on the final round more than once, feeling downright galling when you know you’re about thirty seconds from earning one of your own.

Still, in one match I managed a more than respectable 12 kills across the rounds, slowly edging my reputation rank upward with Saint-14. We lost, sure, but I earned a nice, shiny Trials engram for my blood, sweat, and bulletholes.

Farmer’s market

If there’s one thing Bungie has been working on in recent seasons, it’s farmable weapon rolls. From Hawkmoon, to Dead Man’s Tale, to the prevalence of Umbral Engrams for several seasons in a row, the team has done its best to negate getting a great gun with a middling (or terrible) roll (looking at you, Adrenaline Junkie).

• Read More: Destiny 2’s best weapons

Saint-14’s new setup is a testament to this. With my single Trials Engram, I had the chance to earn a piece of armor or a weapon, and I got lucky with Shayura’s Wrath. After completing a few more matches (and a Bounty), I earned a second one and was able to get a better Shayura’s Wrath because of it.

It’s a far cry from the days of grinding for your perfect weapon only for it to be one perk short of a god roll, and it has reignited the gear chase for me.

If you bounced off of Trials in the last few years, it may be time to rethink that.