When Trials of Osiris first launched, we called it the best experience in Destiny’s House of Wolves DLC. And while that still holds true today, more time with the mode has shown some problematic areas as well.

However, rather than make any meaningful fixes to Trials of Osiris gameplay, Bungie has only addressed loot distribution in the mode, while suggesting that balance changes may be in the works. Still, Destiny players want to see Trials of Osiris get better and fairer, so here are a few changes we think could facilitate that.

1. Change Spawns Mid-Match

Although many of the maps used in Trials of Osiris have been symmetrical in concept, few are truly equal. In most cases, if a team gets a specific spawn they gain a certain advantage – either control of the high ground or the quickest route to an important control point. Granted, there are always ways to combat this, but a skilled team can take advantage of the “good spawn” and turn it into an easy win.

An easy way to fix this for Trials of Osiris would be to exchange spawns at least once during the match then everyone would have a chance to take advantage and prove their skill. If the team without the “good spawn” can win a few rounds, then they truly deserve the match. However, if the match were close then that would require a lot more strategy.

2. Tweak Thorn Damage

Play just a few matches in Trials of Osiris and you’re likely to run into a lot of players running Thorn. While the hand cannon was at one point practically useless, it is now one of the premiere PvP weapons in the game. More importantly, with Trials of Osiris’ ‘Power Advantages Enabled’ modifier, players can take out an opponent with only two Thorn headshots or 3-4 body shots. Just tag the player and watch as the Thorn’s ‘Devouring Essence’ burns their health away.

Upgraded Thorn in Destiny
New Version of Thorn

Obviously, Bungie can’t completely cripple Thorn, but they need to make it slightly less powerful. The whole point of PvP is balance, but when more than 50% of players are running Thorn there’s clearly something missing. Matter of fact, there’s really only a handful of guns being used in Trials of Osiris, and that’s somewhat of a problem. Bungie needs to find balance tweaks that make it so all weapon types feel viable, not just three hand cannons (Hawkmoon, Thorn, The Last Word).

3. The Last Word's ADS 111's

Speaking of The Last Word, if Destiny is going to tweak Thorn’s weapon damage then it will also need to make some changes to The Last Word. Specifically, The Last Word has this random occurrence where an ADS (aimed down sights) shot will hit for 111 damage, despite The Last Word favoring hip fire. Basically, the gun mis-registers the ADS shot as a hip fire shot and adds an extra bit of damage as a result.

For now, The Last Word is fine, as it’s a suitable counterpoint to Thorn and Hawkmoon (on PS4). The hand cannon fires fast enough that it can win firefights, but it doesn’t have quite the range as those other guns. However, if Thorn gets nerfed, something will need to be done about that specific issue.

4. Eliminate Final Round Perk

Any Trials of Osiris regular knows the feeling of going up against “Final Round Spears”. The Final Round perk was built as a cool PvE ability that would add a little extra punch to the last bullet in a sniper rifle’s chamber, but it has now become a PvP exploit. For Trials of Osiris, it’s not uncommon for a player to fire off all their shots just to use the Final Round as an insta-kill. With it, there’s no need to aim; you can kill an opponent just by hitting them in the toe.

Of all the weapon changes, nixing Final Round seems the most likely for Destiny, as it has become a legitimate exploit. Hearing enemies fire off sniper shots just to get to their Final Round is not only aggravating, but it feels like cheating. We suspect that it won’t be too long before Bungie replaces the Final Round perk with something different.

5. Better Matchmaking Across the Board

The final recommended change is one that will be hard to get right, but could prove extremely important for Trials of Osiris’ success. While matchmaking in the mode thus far is purely random, there is a growing sense that it shouldn’t be. More specifically, we mean that players who struggle to win just one match are being put against teams of consistently Flawless players, sometimes teams that aren’t even working for rewards.

The quick fix for that issue would be to put Destiny players who have already gone Flawless for the week in a new tier. So if they want to keep playing Trials of Osiris, they will be matched against other players who have gone Flawless for that week. No matter the solution, the mode needs some way to keep repeat Flawless players from matching up with those who may just be trying to get a few wins and some gear. Then again, that does go against the spirit of Trials so that might not work.

What would be much easier to fix is the re-match problem that plagues Trials of Osiris more than it should. Although there are likely thousands of active teams in Trials of Osiris at any given time, it’s very common to get matched up with the same opponent right after completing a match. In some respects, this can be a good thing, especially if you made quick work of the opponent, but in others it can be a huge problem. Let’s say that the team was much stronger than yours and you earned your first loss. If the Mercy Boon was active then that loss would not count, and your team would move on to face a new opponent. Then, you get matched up with the same opponents and this time that loss counts. That’s a problem.

Obviously, there are plenty more smaller changes that will help Trials of Osiris feel fairer in the long run, but these are the five that would most benefit the biggest group of Destiny players. In fact, Bungie has come out to suggest that some weapon balance changes are in the works that should make it so everyone isn’t using the same handful of weapons. They want Trials of Osiris to feel like a strategic experience, but right now it’s a lot of Thorns and Final Round-ers.

What changes do you want to see in Trials of Osiris? Is there anything in particular that feels broken in Destiny to you?