Destiny 2’s Trials of Osiris have returned after a quick hiatus, and with them has come a slew of matchmaking updates. Most notably, Bungie will be introducing mechanics that should give struggling players some more lee-way, but some fans are concerned that these changes will also give the best players an easy way to get matched with Destiny 2’s… less skilled player base.
The Trials of Osiris, for those of you who aren’t already obsessed with Destiny 2, is a highly competitive PvP mode pitting two teams of three against one another. Teams face off over a set of rounds, winning a point every time the enemy squad is completely wiped out. Seems like a fairly run-of-the-mill Crucible match, but there’s one more important aspect: If players are skilled or lucky enough to get seven wins in a row, they’ll be placed into a “flawless pool,” which will only match the successful team with others who’ve also managed a 7-0 win streak and give all of them access to a swanky members-only lighthouse on Mercury. Here, players can snag big rewards, some of which are completely exclusive. This added incentive has turned the Trials of Osiris into the hardcore battleground it is today.
Because of the competitive nature of this mode, some players have resorted to unsavory tactics in the past like DDoSing, doxxing, lag-switching, and message spamming, as described on Destinypedia. These tactics are decidedly unfair, but some players have even started to use the matchmaking itself as a way to get a leg up on the competition.
In a recent blog post, community manager Cozmo_BNG explained some new changes coming to the Trial’s matchmaking. First and foremost, the “flawless pool” will be implemented this Friday, but on the other end of the spectrum, players getting “repeatedly thrashed” will get some help from the matchmaking system. Assumedly, this means that they’ll get matched with players a bit below their skill level, and Cozmo_BNG confirmed that this help wouldn’t last beyond a couple matches.
Don’t think someone will cheese a flawless by tanking for a few games and then have a weekend of smooth sailing.
The issue players are having with these changes is simple: If a fireteam is smashing their competition and wants to continue smashing their competition, all they’d have to do is win six matches, then leave some early so that the game thinks they’ve lost consecutive matches, and suddenly they’ll be specifically matched with people below their skill level, giving them the green light to smoke some more fledgling guardians just trying to have a good time. It’s hypothetical, sure, but it’s not difficult to imagine just how many players will at least try to abuse the mechanic. Luckily, this setup is reportedly going to be under close supervision this coming weekend, so hopefully, the team at Bungie will be able to iron out all the kinks.