Was Destiny's 'Spooky' Trials a Success or a Flop?
By Weston Albert 11 November 2016
In celebration of Destiny‘s Halloween live event, Festival of the Lost, Trials of Osiris got a “spooky” version. But did fans laud or hate the change to the weekly Crucible event?
Destiny fans were met with a surprise on the first Friday of Festival of the Lost, receiving “Spooky” Trials instead of their standard experience. The modified Elimination gametype replaced the normal Trials of Osiris mode, which meant two weeks on small, close-quarter maps with no Motion Tracker and no revives. With Festival of the Lost coming to a close, we examine the mode and whether or not Spooky Trials was a homerun or a strikeout.
Generally, fans seem to not have enjoyed Spooky Trials, saying that it just brought out the worst in Destiny‘s PvP: shotguns, camping, and a slow pace.
Spooky Trials has brought out all the worst of PvP. Camping, extra slow pace, even more shotguns (Somehow) and So. Many. Stickies. Hate it.— Chris (@ApexCris) November 6, 2016
But there are those who seem to have very much enjoyed the change to Trials of Osiris:
@_mantis_ #FoTl #SpookyTrials is Awesome! Haven't hit flawless yet but you got my heart racing and all sorts of emotions going. #NLB— k0oL AiD (@koolaid2420) October 29, 2016
Spooky Trials is lit! I thought I'd hate it but it's the most fun I've had in Trials in a long time!! https://t.co/HZh54DefQl— [REZO] Hov (@Hov76) October 29, 2016
Destiny YouTuber Patrick Casey (also known as Holtzman) gave Bungie praise for trying something new, and commented how the thoughts behind the changes were good in theory but often failed in practice. The no revive mechanic made the mode more competitive in the sense that it borrowed from a game like Counter-Strike where each life matters that much more. However, that created a problem when players could still see the outline of who killed them and where exactly that player was on the map, allowing for detailed callouts for the rest of the team. Further, the no radar made the team-based mode even more reliant on good communication, but it also heavily encouraged camping, hiding, and shotgun play.
The other topic that has been a part of the conversation is what Spooky Trials has done to the skill gap – the difference between highly-skilled players and lower-skilled players. Some would argue that the lack of revives and radar has widened the skill gap, making the best better. But some, like Destiny content creator Ms 5ooo Watts, believe the mode seems to have actually narrowed the skill gap. Without top-tier players being able to use their radar effectively (which is a huge part of Destiny) to set up engagements, Spooky Trials does seem to have reduced the skill gap, allowing less skilled players the ability to excel. This may be no more apparent than in those streamers who normally do Lighthouse “carries” having extreme difficulty doing so in Spooky Trials.
That is not to say that only lower skilled players enjoyed the mode more, as some of the community’s very competitive players enjoyed the change of pace. Either way, perhaps the best thing to be taken out of this is that Bungie was not afraid to mess with expectations and deliver something new. With another live event planned for December, fans can hope that whatever Bungie delivers will be a slam dunk for the majority of players.
What did you think of Spooky Trials? Let us know in the comments below!
Destiny: Rise of Iron is available now on PS4 and Xbox One.
