Trials of Osiris is a competitive PvP mode that pushes Destiny 2 players to the limit, but right now the community is avoiding it entirely, with player counts reaching concerning lows.
For the weekend ending August 20, Trials of Osiris saw just 109,449 players take part, as tracked by Trials Report. That is not only an 8% decline from the previous week but also the lowest population the playlist has seen in three years.
Back in August 2021, only 95,929 players queued into Trials, with the following 113 weekends all proving more popular. Last weekend, the playlist’s population hit the lowest since then, suggesting that even those who regularly play Trials aren’t engaging with it right now.
This is likely due to multiple smaller factors rather than one big problem. Throughout The Final Shape, the community has protested various features. The likes of Fireteam Matchmaking, frustrations with the meta, and cheating have been among the biggest complaints.
Equally, casual players who are only interested in farming meta weapons don’t have a reason to play Trials this season. Since the newest expansion’s launch, only one new weapon has been added to the loot pool – Aisha’s Care.
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Three other guns were reissued, but this hasn’t proven to be enough of a draw to get people involved. This loot deficit is problematic considering Echoes did not add any new armor sets to Trials, so there aren’t any earnable cosmetics either.
It isn’t just Trials of Osiris that is struggling, as Destiny’s population as a whole has declined. According to Steamcharts, the looter shooter attracted an average of just 42,343 Steam users over the last 30 days, 32% less than in July and 65% less than in June.
To be fair, somewhat of a decline is expected in the months following the launch of a major expansion. However, in a live service game like Destiny 2, those players should return at some point. Right now, that isn’t the case, with the population declining almost every week.
Hopefully, the content coming in Echoes Act 3 gets players to log on again, with the next Exotic Mission said to be “the biggest,” Bungie has ever created. It’ll also conclude the ongoing seasonal story, making it a must for lore enthusiasts.
