Much has been said already about the Crucible, the PvP arena inDestiny 2, and the difficulties this side of the game currently has. One of thebigger gripes with the Crucibleseems to be with the player hitboxes, which tend to be more on the generous size, especially with precision damage. Fans have also mentioned other points of frustration like map design, generous aim assist, hit detection for melee, and the fact that not all Guardian supers are created equally. PC players have an added layer of the potential for cheating, which poses a major issue should more competitive modes make their return.
With the upcoming season expected to at least partially provide a renewed focus on the Crucible thanks toTrials of Osiris making its long awaited return, fans have begun to worry about the current state of the game negatively impacting the overall experience. For many longtime players, Trials of Osiris is viewed as an endgame activity, reserved for the highest level play and something that is sorely lacking inside ofDestiny 2right now. However, the current seasonal state of the game could negatively impact this highly anticipated game mode.
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Without much information to go on in regards to how Bungie plans to approach the next season, here’s whyDestiny 2fans are a little apprehensive.
The Artifacts
Alongside theShadowkeepexpansion last year,Season of the Undying introduced the artifact. Players would unlock an item that’s only available for that season and any earned experience allows the player to obtain new mods as well as additional power levels. Players are free to gain as many levels as they can through normal play, with some users pushing their power levels beyond 1000, a feat which takes a lot of dedication.
The other aspect to Artifacts are the seasonal mods they offer. Players are free to pick up to 12, though they can reset the board if they want to switch one of their previous selections. While there are some standard mods in this list such as dealing with Champion enemies or enhancing weapons, towards the fourth and fifth columns are typically the more unique and powerful options which really can impact gameplay.
Why is this an issue?
If Trials of Osiris really is coming back, most fans view this mode as the pinnacle competitive activity for players looking for things to do in the endgame. For most fans, this is an area of the game that is currently one of the biggest issues in the game, which places an even greater significance on the mode. As such, fans are hoping this mode retains what made it so great in the firstDestiny, which means as balanced as possible and without any gameplay quirks that could interfere with that.
One of the major things that could interfere with a mode is the artifact itself. As both seasons have already shown, some of the mods available can be extremely powerful when used in certain ways. For example, during the Season of the Undying, Hunters found a way to utilize Arc Battery with the Way of the Wind Arcstrider subclass and Wormhusk Crown to become dominant in the Crucible. General consensus is that the mods for this season aren’t quite as strong, but a few of them likeProtective Light, Void Battery, and Taking Chargeare dominant, to name a few.
Light level is also a major area of concern as the artifact essentially rewards players who spend more time in the game. While the Crucible doesn’t take light level into account, meaning a level 1 player can hold their own against a max level character, this isn’t the case in the other PvP mode, Iron Banner. For that event, the higher the player’s power level, the stronger that player is against someone who isn’t on their level. While players generally accept this as part of Iron Banner, it likely wouldn’t go over well if Trials of Osiris were unbalanced like this. However, thisCrucible activity is also having its own fair share of issueswith the community as well.
Potential Solutions
In order to safeguard Trials of Osiris, Bungie is going to have to implement a system to limit, if not outright balance, the playing field and keep Trials secure. Perhaps the easiest solution would be toeliminate power levels, which would solve the issue of hardcore players being able to dominate those who may not be able to put in as much time. Considering that the Crucible currently functions this way with light level scaling, it shouldn’t be too difficult to implement.
The easiest option would likely be to institute a minimum power level to be met for players to take part in. While this doesn’t necessarily solve the artifact imbalance from players who continually grind bounties, the minimum level would prevent cheaters and bots on PC from simply infiltrating a match and using wall hacks or map glitching to pick off normal players. Perhaps then, Bungie could not only put a minimum power level in place, but then nullify any power bonuses once the match starts. As long as each player is currently over the minimum requirement, the game then treats each player equally.
The real issue, however, is with the seasonal mods. While Bungie has systems in place to disable entire loadouts, like in the Nightfall, there’s nothing in the game currently that removes individual items in certain modes. Bungie hasdisabled items in the past, like the Telestoor Wormgod’s Caress exotics, but those have been universal and not specifically tied to a particular game mode. While disabling the Artifact would be a sensible option, it’s unknown if Bungie’s game engine is even capable of doing such a thing.
While it’s still unknown what next season will be focusing on, Season of the Undying and Season of Dawn have both brought plenty of powerful options to players, so it’s likely the rumored Season of the Worthy will also have something similar. On the other hand, perhaps sorting seasonal mods into a PvP or PvE grid could offer a solution, leaving the powerful mods for the PvE side instead.
Considering that Bungie has been working on a mode like this for a couple years now, hopefully this is an area that the studio has spent time thinking about options, preparing for, and testing things out. Considering thedisappointment that Trials of the Nine became, fans are expecting big things from Trials of Osiris, adding a new layer of pressure for Bungie to deliver.
Destiny 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
MORE:What to Expect from Destiny 2’s Season of the Worthy
