Honestly, even for a bang-average player like me, the idea of getting a lucky run of opponents and going flawless with a team isn't beyond the realms of possibility-though that likely will hinge on how many people stick around for all seven games. There's also the more low-key satisfaction of feeling your synergy steadily grow as a team. Clutching out a 1v2 win, or pulling off a perfect knife throw, are still giant dopamine hits that are only enhanced by having friends in Discord to share them with. Which isn't a total surprise as I have enjoyed Trials in the past. The other thing I want to say is that when I played in a two or three-person team, I had a ton of fun. I'll certainly keep going until I get a Reed's Regret with Triple Tap/Vorpal Weapon. Tim: I think the new loot system is so good that it's going to stay sustainable in a way that the old system wasn't likely to. Do you expect the population to stay healthy?Īt one point our matchmade player decided to abandon us, and we proceeded to be roflstomped by a stacked team who still felt the need to teabag our ghosts. It's good that Bungie has relaxed the rules and lets you take a chance as a solo player, but I think it's reasonable to say that your chances of going flawless are slim to none. For sure, though, Trials is still first-and-foremost for teams of three. I don't know how frequently that will actually happen in practice, but the option is there. Phil: It's worth noting the potential benefits, that if you do get matched with some skilled players, you can pop in a friend request and naturally transition into a three-stack. But I'm not sure that's something I'd want to experience every weekend, and suspect that we're going to see some big drop off as people transmog the gear they want and then move back to activities that feel less like a bracing prison beating. It's definitely better for the players who are rolling you and potentially going flawless for the first time because the playlist is now full of teams that are wildly underskilled. Is that better than cliff jumping? Marginally. Just there to pack out the experience for others to enjoy. It's the Faustian pact you're being offered by solo queue: yes, you'll now be showered in loot, but you'll also be the sawdust in the Trials sausage. On the one hand, stomps are to be expected. Certainly my experience aligned with what Datto describes in his reaction video below. For the vast majority of people who solo queue, I think you're unlikely to win more than ~30% of your games, and you're also going to get absolutely rolled by a lot of pre-built teams who are using voice comms and comfortable with playing together. I saw several posts from players who managed to go Flawless (the process of seven straight wins that awards a ticket to The Lighthouse destination and a chest containing the highest tier of loot), but I think those people are unicorn-like freaks. Tim: So, unlike the overall loot rework, the addition of solo queue is definitely not a slam dunk. Phil having a sexy Messenger is hurting no one. I also think the Rituals team, which has been at the helm of this revamp, deserves real credit for being bold in its abandoning of a lot of the elitism and gatekeeping that ran through the old Trials' DNA. There even seems to be some sort of knockout system to ensure the Cryptarch decodes engrams into stuff you don't currently have. I'm really pleased to see Bungie finally getting over itself when it comes to loot parsimony. As you note, there's no way that would have happened under the stingy old system. I walked away with a god roll Sola's Scar sword (Relentless Strikes/Chain Reaction… *drool*), all the Warlock armour unlocked, and enough new Linear Fusion Rifles to shoot Saturn out of orbit. Socially anxious players can just sit in solo queue and expect to be able to earn half a dozen pieces of gear in a couple of hours. The loot loop is a galactically better that what we had before, both for players with toes-for-thumbs and the grizzled veterans. Tim: I don't think there's any debate here. Some current Trials weapons, from top to bottom: The Messenger (pulse rifle), Igneous Hammer (hand cannon), Sola's Scar (sword).
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