Destiny 2 is reverting its most recent round of Trials of Osiris matchmaking changes following a PvP weekend that can charitably be described as controversial.
As Bungie explained in its latest weekly blog post, the recent adjustments to prioritize total Trials wins when matching playlist participants ended up slightly increasing the rate of blowout games (scored 5-0 or 5-1) and significantly reducing the average play time of higher skill players, without really benefiting players in other skill brackets. The Crucible team summed it up aptly: "Sometimes you learn more when things don’t go well than you do when everything is perfect."
Trials has yet to strike a perfect balance, but its overhaul has been pretty well-received overall, with more players playing games and earning loot in the past few weeks. That said, the most recent matchmaking experiment went awfully sideways. Many players across the community, from YouTube and Twitch content creators to regular PvP enthusiasts, quickly complained that the win-based system was both extremely easy to game and excessively punishing when you played Trials regularly. In fact, some top players called it the worst Trials experience Destiny 2 has ever seen.
The win-based system was initially scheduled to run for a few weekends, but after players and statistics both panned it like the Colorado River, it's being retired after just one go. Instead, at least for the immediate future, Trials will again focus on card-based matchmaking while moving Flawless players – those who reach the coveted Lighthouse – into a Flawless-exclusive matchmaking pool. However, Bungie's still in the process of honing Trials settings, so expect more changes soon enough.
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