Trials of Osiris is certainly returning toDestiny 2with Season 10, exciting the thousands of fans waiting for the revered PvP mode to make its triumphant return. With the initial hype dying down, fans soon came to realize an important distinction: Artifact bonuses were being factored into a Guardian’s power level in Trials. After fan outcry, Bungie very quickly reversed this decision and took out Artifact power level buffs entirely. Bungie’s game director Luke Smith let fans know that, until a limit was developed for Artifact power level bonuses, it would not be factored into Trials.
To most fans, this will be good news forDestiny 2, but it does pose an interesting problem. If Artifact power bonuses are not being factored into a player’s overall power level, then how can players get the edge over their opponents? Prior to Artifact bonuses, there was only one way to use more powerful gear, and that was through Pinnacle loot drops.
The Importance of Pinnacle Loot Before Shadowkeep
Max power level (also known as the soft reward level cap)inDestiny 2is currently 960, meaning any normal loot you can acquire through the standard activities in the game does not have a power level higher than 960. Any standard strike, Crucible, or main questline inDestiny 2only drops loot at this maximum power level. Pinnacle loot however can have a power level as high as 970, above the power level soft cap. Pinnacle loot as exactly as it sounds: gear that surpasses the supposed power level cap by a small margin, meaning in situations where power level advantage is enabled, Pinnacle gear would normally give players an edge over the competition.
BeforeDestiny 2: Shadowkeepand the introduction of Artifacts, Pinnacle gear was top-of-the-line loot that made the difference in competitive modes like Iron Banner, the most difficult PvE content like Raids, oreven without Raids by doing some seasonal content like Vex Invasions. There was no other way to gain more power than to grind for better gear, and unlike standard loot, Pinnacle gear is much harder to find. Very few and only certain modes have Pinnacle loot drops. Pinnacle loot can drop in Raids, Dungeons, Ordeal variants of the weekly Nightfall Strike (fireteam must reach 100,000 points or higher to qualify), and through Iron Banner.
ThePinnacle gear drop-rate was the source of many player complaints, even with the introduction ofShadowkeep. But along withShadowkeepcame the introduction of Artifacts, which significantly changed the importance ofDestiny 2Pinnacle loot.
Pinnacle Loot Became Irrelevant
Withthe introduction of Seasonal Artifacts, items acquired per season after the main questline that provide bonuses to Guardians, the drive to acquire Pinnacle gear became less relevant than it ever was. Not only do Artifacts generate powerful and important seasonal weapon/armor mods, they also increase a Guardian’s power level. As players gain XP while playing through the season, the seasonal Artifact generates power level bonuses as Guardians progress through the season. This allowed Guardians to gradually increase their max power level past the aforementioned soft cap without acquiring Pinnacle gear, just by playing the game more.
In theory this is a great mechanic in terms of balancing all Guardians together, but in reality it takes the already-established Pinnacle gear and effectively makes it useless.Pair this with Armor 2.0and the changes to weapon modifications introduced inShadowkeep, and it emphasizes how much Pinnacle gear doesn’t really matter for the averageDestiny 2player. Other than the difference between rare, legendary, and exotic loot having more armor/weapon modification slots, players could take their favorite armor and weapons and continue upgrading them as long as they want. AverageDestiny 2players with the use of Upgrade Modules were able to be on practically the same power level as Guardians with Pinnacle gear.
Granted this doesn’t make a difference in power-advantage-disabled modes like Crucible and Strikes, butcompetitive multiplayer modes like Iron Bannerwere certainly affected by these changes. Pinnacle weapons didn’t make much of a difference in Iron Banner when other players just needed to play the game more to be on par or have higher power level then those players. On its own this didn’t hurtDestiny 2’s competitive balance that much, as the most powerful legendary and exotic weapons like Spare Rations or The Last Word were still king in PvP. With Trials of Osiris no longer taking Artifact bonuses into account, this changes things.
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Pinnacle Gear Matters Again
PvP Players now actually have a reason to grind for Pinnacle loot again. SinceArtifact bonuses will be disabled in Trials of Osiris, at least not like they are now in Season of Dawn’s Iron Banner, that extra power bonus from Pinnacle gear is worth seeking. That slight difference in power level can be life-or-death when it comes to weapon TTK in competitive modes. Especially in Trials of Osiris, the highest level of competitive play inDestiny 2. Many players will need to level up their gear if they want to be best of the best, or at the very least have a fighting chance.
When the ultimate reward is contingent on not losing and going Flawless, TTK and power level advantage is a big deal in Trials of Osiris. Interest in Raids, Nightfall Ordeal runs, and Dungeons will likely spike in the coming weeks forDestiny 2with players in search of Pinnacle Gear. It’ll be interesting to see how adversely these changes affect Guardians who may not have as much Pinnacle Gear or haven’t participated in Pinnacle activities. Even though it is only 10 power levels, that minute difference in power could easily mean life or death for Guardians in the Trials.
Destiny 2is out now on PC, PS4, Stadia and Xbox One.
