Trials of The Nine launches today and millions of Guardians will head to the Crucible ready for the game's premiere PvP experience. For many, this is an exciting beginning to the endgame. For others, though, it's a daunting challenge. But for all the reasons to hesitate, I can't emphasize enough: playing Trials, at least this week, is an essential experience.
I get it. Trials of Osiris may not have been your thing. Or the Crucible has never been your cup of tea to begin with. Destiny's a big game with a lot of things to do. And Destiny 2 is such a bigger game that I imagine there's even more.
Trials of the Nine, though, is a whole new experience. And I'd argue that for the sake of the game, your fellow players and yourself, you need to give it a shot this weekend.
Right off the bat, this is your best chance of actually completing a card and picking up sweet gear. Even if you're not confident in your abilities, Trials is only going to get harder for you after this. Week 1, everyone thinks they have a shot. Week 2, people start to drop off. By the third month, Trials is exclusively a sweat-fest of the game's best players (or most persistent.)
So if you're looking for max-level gear, or Trials exclusive gear, this is the best time to get it. Even if you play it, hate it and decide never to return, the sweet boost to your Power Level is going to make Strikes, Patrol and The Raid that much easier. Heck, even if you hate the gear, it's the best infusion fuel effort can buy.
More importantly though--and setting aside my selfish motivations--the game is better off for you taking part. I'm not being sappy. Destiny had a problem with its perceived "meta." Most games have metas (a repertoire of gear that performs best in the current game balance), but because Destiny has so many different weapons, players frequently reject or ignore loadouts that are perfectly viable.
The best cure for this is player diversity. The more players play and succeed with their own loadouts and styles, the fewer ruts the game falls into. Your unique playstyle is something people deserve the chance to face.
Speaking of ruts, this is a terrible place to get stuck in a rut yourself. By now, you probably know what activities you're comfortable with. You know that Patrol route you can solo with ease; the Strike playlist you can set yourself on autopilot in; the Heroic Events you can cycle between. And you've probably got a healthy supply of Legendary engrams dropping that negates any desire to experiment with those habits.
It's an unfortunate side-effect of the game's generous loot system. Not participating isn't going to hurt your character, or your grind to max level. But it will hurt your experience with the game. Six months from now, it's going to be harder than even to break your routine, and twice as hard to succeed in Trials.
So, with Trials launching today, I'd encourage everyone to participate. If you don't have a fireteam, head to the official Planet Destiny LFG, r/DestinyFireteams or ask a random stranger if they play Destiny. There's a solid chance they'll say yes. I literally started college by asking people in class if they played Destiny. I wear my nerdiness on my sleeve. Literally. I was wearing my Age of Triumph shirt.
Heck, my first class, I sat next to a dude in his Age of Triumph shirt. It was a brief triumph of nerds. Unfortunately, he was on Xbox. In fact, two of the people I found were on Xbox, the third and my roommate are waiting for the PC release. But I eventually found a friend on PlayStation, and friendship is an invaluable commodity.
Also, for the love of Oryx, find a Clan. Everyone and their pet ostrich has a clan nowadays and they're all looking for new members. I'm considering starting a Dstreet clan for people who don't have a clan. It would offer access to weekly rewards, such as Raid and Trials gear, as well as people to play with. If that's something you'd be interested in, mention it in the comments.
Whatever it takes to get you there, I hope to see you all in Trials this week.