Destiny 2’s top Trials of Osiris streamer GrenaderJake is stepping away, saying the mode has “lost its identity” and urging Bungie to scrap it entirely for something new as player numbers keep falling.
Destiny 2 is in a rough spot right now. For many long-time fans, the excitement around Bungie’s looter-shooter has faded, and frustration with the state of the game keeps growing. From game-breaking bugs to half-baked systems, it feels like problems keep stacking up, and that’s showing in the reviews and player sentiment.
Just yesterday, veteran Destiny streamer Gladd announced he’s dropping out of the Desert Perpetual Epic raid race (which goes live today), calling the game “bland” and saying “the only thing that will save this franchise is a brand new game.”
Now, another big Destiny 2 streamer has announced that he is stepping away from the game.
Destiny 2 GrenaderJake Says Goodbye to Trials of Osiris
Today, GrenaderJake, one of Destiny 2’s most recognizable Trials of Osiris streamers, posted a YouTube video titled “Goodbye Trials.” In it, he announced that he’s taking a full break from the mode for the rest of the season, with a possible reconsideration after December’s Renegades expansion release.
“I have decided to not participate in Trials of Osiris for this season,” Jake said in the video. “Meaning the next time I’ll even reconsider stepping foot into it, won’t be until after the December Renegades release.”
Jake has been a pillar of the mode since it was released back in 2015, grinding Trials nearly every weekend and building a following on Twitch and YouTube around it. But in his words, Trials has “lost its identity,” and the issues run deep enough that he’s asking Bungie to “scrap Trials [and] start fresh.”
Jake breaks his decision down into several core reasons, starting with the simple fact that Trials just isn’t enjoyable anymore. “The gameplay doesn’t feel nearly as fun or rewarding as it did back when the game mode was first released,” he says. “And the player base, well, it’s in shambles, leading to matching the same sweaty teams over and over again. I used to look forward to my 12-hour Trials streams, but not anymore.”
Another big reason is what he calls the “behind-the-scenes nonsense.” He explains how paid carry teams, which violate Bungie’s Terms of Service, have become common again. He describes a new meta where service teams (like paid carries) and streamers watch each other and avoid queueing on purpose to dodge tougher matchmaking, sometimes backing out to protect a carry’s card.
“The new meta for playing Trials is actually avoiding all of these teams,” he said. “So, what you see here is that all the streamers are going to have a bunch of tabs open because they want the path of least resistance on getting their seven wins, so they can get as many of these paid carries done as possible. Essentially, they are reverse stream sniping them.”
His third point is that Trials has simply “lost its identity.” He describes how the mode used to feel like high-stakes endgame PvP, with adrenaline-filled wins and exclusive Lighthouse loot that felt meaningful. “Trials has lost its identity,” he said.
“Trials used to be an intense playlist where, with each win, your opponents got tougher and the stakes got higher. Lighthouse matches were all or nothing, where you either got to fly to the Lighthouse and get tons of exclusive and unique rewards, or you had to start all over from scratch.
“What is it now? I mean, it’s a casual playlist disguised as Trials. Everybody gets showered with loot. There are no Adepts, AKA there’s no real exclusive rewards. And the Lighthouse is very far from special now. There really is nothing on the line anymore.”
Finally, he slams Bungie’s response to cheaters, calling it one of the most discouraging parts of playing. “Bungie’s inability to handle clear and blatant cheaters is a constant letdown. I spend too much of my time playing Trials, looking up enemy teams, discovering statistical anomalies that make it clear as day that that player is not legit, and yet they play week after week.
“The whole thing is a buzzkill, and taking a few months away from it sounds wonderful.”
For now, Jake says there won’t be much content on his YouTube until the launch of Renegades in December. His Twitch streams will also be limited, with no fixed schedule and only when he feels like going live. He hasn’t given up on Destiny entirely; he still believes the core gunplay and abilities are “as good as it gets,” but says that Bungie should “scrap Trials, start fresh.”
Jake’s announcement lands amid a tough month for Destiny 2. Since Edge of Fate, the Steam player count has dropped by over 80%, access has been blocked in multiple countries, and Steam has issued full refunds for affected purchases in some cases.
Watch the full video below.
What do you think? Should Bungie scrap Trials os Osiris and start over? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
