Destiny 1 House of Wolves: Trials of Osiris How to and General Tips

The Rules of the Trials of Osiris

So you picked up Destiny House of Wolves and you’re ready to jump right into its exciting new PvP mode, Trials of Osiris. Hang on a second though because before you jump you’re going to need to learn the basics.

Unlike other Crucible game modes, the Trials of Osiris require a pre-made fire team of three people. You can’t go in there alone and get matched with random people, nor would you want to really. Trials of Osiris is a pretty brutal and competitive place comprised of the most dedicated Crucible players. It also worth noting that the map each week will change; so don’t get too comfortable.

Before we get into describing how Trials of Osiris works, the first thing any team is going to want to do is head to the Reef and visit Brother Vance (the gentleman in the yellow cloak). He has a couple of things you’re going to need before starting. Most importantly, you’re going to want the Trials Passage. The Trials Passage keeps track of your wins and losses. Think of it as a punchcard. Your object is to punch as many wins on that card as possible before you get to three losses. The more wins you have on your card, the better equipment and rewards you have access to.

Ok, so onto the game mode itself. The Trials of Osiris has its own unique game type; even though it’s 3v3, this isn’t Skirmish or Salvage. Instead, you’ll be going head to head in Elimination style combat. Here’s how Elimination works: The object of the game is to down all three members of the opposing team before they do the same to you. There are no respawns, and the only way to get back up if you’re down is if you get revived by a teammate. If a round continues past the allotted time, a control point spawns and the game goes into sudden death. Whichever team captures the point (or eliminates the other team still) will capture the round.

The first team to win five rounds will win the match and earn a win on their Trials Passage “punchcard”. As you get more wins on your Trials Passage you’ll unlock access to more items from Brother Vance. On the flip side however, once you get three losses on your card, that card is thrown out and you’ll have to start back over. You do not need to be with the same team, your Trials Passage is unique to you and could mix and match teammates if you wanted to.

Brother Vance sells equipment and prize packages (like what you get from leveling your Vanguard or Faction ranks). They are all either free or sold for a nominal amount of glimmer. The catch is you can only get them once you have enough wins. The tiered prize packages can only be purchased once per week. If you get three losses you still have access to whatever you previously earned. However, if you still had previously unearned items (stuff you haven’t unlocked yet) you’ll have to gain access to them on a fresh card with zero wins.

Preparing for the Trials of Osiris

You have everything you need to know about the rules, but only a fool or an expert would just go walking right in. There’s a lot of pre-fight preparation that should be done first.

First and foremost is Brother Vance’s buff inventory. Brother Vance sells three buffs (similar to Iron Banner’s Tempered), that can be purchased with Passage Coins. You really want to try and grab all three if you can. The best way to get Passage Coins is by playing the daily Crucible match which guarantees you a couple. Having all three will make getting getting to eight or nine wins MUCH easier.

Mercy of Osiris forgives your first loss. Favor of Osiris starts you off with a win, and Boon of Osiris makes your next win count as two instead of just one. If you have all three buffs on and you win your first match, you’ll be kicking off your run with three wins on your card and a safety net if you happen to lose one. Not too shabby. Keep in mind you can only purchase these buffs once per Trials Passage. No buying Mercy of Osiris every time you lose.

After you picked up your buffs it’s time to consider your loadout. You may not have ever really paid attention to your Intellect, Discipline or Strength, but in the Trial of Osiris these things matter. Stack stats that fit your playing style. For example if you’re a Hunter that wants to run amok with one of your supers, then you’ll need some extra Intellect.

Don’t go crazy though with one particular stat otherwise it will go to waste. You can’t have more than 100%. Once you hit 100% anything more than that will add no benefit, so try to pick gear that focuses on two or even all three stats but not just one. All of that being said though, like Iron Banner, armor and level matter. So wear the strongest gear you have access to.

Finally, don’t forget to ascend your best weapons. Trials of Osiris is a weekend event, so make sure to also visit Xur while he’s around and get all the Exotic Shards that you need. Definitely make sure they are at least maxed out from The Dark Below era, and preferably ascend them out to the new max. Etheric Light is a bit harder to come by and should be first used on getting your armor to the max light level. However if you have some spares and can afford to use it on your weapons, go ahead and max those out as well.

Character Builds

Trials of Osiris is a different beast than normal Crucible, and the elimination style combat is going to force you to rethink how you usually spec and equip your character. We have some suggestions for you depending on what class you are but keep in mind one thing: Don’t lose sight of what you’re comfortable with and what brings you success. You can try new builds and weapons out, but if it doesn’t fit with how you play, stick with what works for you and is going to bring you the best chance to win.

This isn’t a comprehensive PvP guide. Instead, we’re just going to focus on specific perks that will have a notable effect on the way you play a Trials of Osiris match. Let’s start with the Warlocks.

Warlocks in Trials of Osiris

Voidwalker

The Voidwaker has a number of perks that make it perfect for Trials of Osiris. Notable is their Axion Bolt grenades which can be thrown into the vicinity of an enemy and chase them down. If you’re in a evenly matched firefight you could throw an Axion Bolt there way, send them running and push up to finish them off. Just be careful to never chase someone into a trap. In Trials of Osiris, it’s EXTREMELY important to time your offensive push on the enemy correctly. That brief moment of panic that a well placed Axion Bolt causes creates that window for your team to push up and pick people off. Because of how great Axion Bolt is, keep your Discipline up high to ensure you have it ready to go when the timing is right.

Since we’re not dealing with PvE enemies with high HP, go for a Nova Blast build that ensures that it lands as accurately as possible. We suggest Shatter with Angry Magic. Giving you the best chance to land it and hit as many people as possible.

If you have the new Exotic helmet, The Ram, you can take advantage of the free Life Steal perk included on it and also use Soul Rip to get your Nova Blast back quicker. However, melee opportunities are rare in the more defensively focused Trials of Osiris. So it might be wise to go a more support oriented route. Using Light Beyond Nemesis (this goes for Sunsinger as well) to help pick up teammates and get picked up faster makes a WORLD of difference. Obsidian Mind is also viable for getting the potentially round ending Nova Blasts back quicker, just try to also pair it up with Bad Juju and a high Intellect stat.

Finally, take advantage of your strong natural recovery and stack that up high. Go with armor or speed depending on your play style. Speed is great for running someone down while armor will keep you alive longer in close firefights.

Sunsinger

First and foremost, yes you’re definitely going to want to keep Fireborn on. Just as you can save the day in a Nightfall when everyone is eliminated, you can also do the same in Trials of Osiris. Just keep in mind, people camp dead bodies in this game type. So make sure your timing your revive effectively. If you can afford it, it might be better off taking a loss than wasting your super just to get mugged by three enemies the second you come back to life. Despite how great Fireborn is, you’ll likely be saving it for the right moment and not using it right away. So feel free to pump up your Discipline and Strength more than you normally would.

Fusion Grenades are quite powerful in Trials of Osiris if you’re good at aiming them. Stick it to one enemy and you and your teammates can rush the opponents knowing that in a moment or two you’ll have the upper hand. Make it two potentially if you have the Gift of the Sun perk enabled. If you don’t want to waste the Gift of the Sun perk, you could use the exotic Chest piece, Starfire Protocol for an extra Fusion grenade as well.

Although in PvE Flame Shield sees a lot of use, it’s worth considering Solar Wind in Trials of Osiris. Not only could you knock enemies away from you and out of your face, you can also knock them into your teammates to help you finish them off.

Finally, the Sunsinger has a lot of damage over time related skills. If you hit someone with a Solar Grenade or Scorch, that might send them running for cover. Don’t let them get away, use their lack of recovery to your advantage and finish them off.

Titan in Trials of Osiris

Striker

Like the Voidwalker, the Striker has an extremely powerful special (Fist of Havoc) capable of taking out an entire team if used correctly. However the Striker has to be a little more careful about where they are landing. It’s important that hit you with accuracy and don’t leave yourself open to gunfire afterwards. One route would be to equip the Unstoppable perk and Death from Above. Ensuring that your special lands and with the most possible accuracy.

There’s no room for error in Trials of Osiris and specials come at a premium. Fist of Havoc is the main selling point of the Striker, don’t let it go to waste. Finally, Fist of Havoc is also excellent for clearing enemies off the control point if a round goes into Sudden Death. The Exotic helmet, Helm of Inmost Light, is useful too for giving you Death from Above for free so you could equip another perk instead such as Shockwave or Aftermath.

The rest of the Striker loadout is dependent on whether you’re a fan of Shoulder Charge or not. In the right hands it is an extremely powerful attack that can one shot an opponent. However, if you don’t know how to use it properly or don’t see yourself getting up close and personal a lot don’t waste a perk on it. Use Unstoppable instead.

Defender

Defenders are excellent in Trials of Osiris because they are full of abilities that can set up an offensive push or a defensive stand for your team. Ward of Dawn is the most obvious tool and your Intellect should be maxed to take advantage of that in as many rounds as possible.

How you decide to spec your Ward of Dawn is up to you. Both Weapons of Light and Blessing of Light are viable. We suggest Blessing of Light as it gives you an advantage both defensively and offensively (knowing that you can take more shots in a gunfight all things being equal with the weapons. Weapons of Light won’t do you any good if you get one or two shotted from afar.

Either way you go, Ward of Dawn is an excellent basecamp for an offensive push or can be used defensively by throwing it on top of a teammate to revive them safely or on top of the control point in sudden death. The Glasshouse is an excellent Exotic as it let’s you keep the benefits of Weapons or Blessing of Light longer outside of the bubble, great for when you want to push up but not have to worry about returning back or losing your bonus. Helm of Saint-14 is powerful too, but only if enemies are foolish enough to walk into your bubble. Trials of Osiris contains more skilled players than your average Crucible match, so that may not happen as often as you would think, limiting its usefulness. Finally, Ward of Dawn also provides your team protection when Heavy Weapons eventually make it onto the scene, potentially shielding you from powerful long ranged rocket attacks.

Also worth mentioning for the Defender is the Suppressor Grenades that can be used to cripple the opposing team for a short few seconds. Teams usually tend to stick together. Catch an opponent at the right spot with the Suppressor Grenade and you now have an incredible advantage in a firefight as their abilities are now useless. If you don’t see yourself being able to effectively take advantage of the Supressor Grenade go with the tried and true sticky Magnetic Grenade instead which is also incredibly useful as well and easier to use.

Hunter in Trials of Osiris

Gunslinger

The Gunslingers super, Golden Gun, can cripple the opposing team. When timed right, you can singlehandedly win a round for your team. While many Gunslingers use Achlyophage Symbiote for the added shot in normal PvP, keep in mind you have less people to worry about in Trials of Osiris and that extra shot may go to waste. Consider using a different exotic such as Young Ahamkara’s Spine to help keep your deadly tripmines up longer.

When you’re not golden gunning the entire opposing team. Lure the opposing team into Tripmine Grenades which is easy if you’re good at playing cat and mouse. Make eye contact, fire a couple of shots, retreat into a hallway, letting your opponent think they have the upper hand. Inexperienced players will make chase and walk right into your trap.

Golden Gun is the main draw here though for Gunslingers so pick whichever perks will help you make the most of it. We suggest Gunfighter if you’re confident in your accuracy to give you the best chance to use it multiple times in a game. If you think you might miss, use Deadeye instead. And of course, max out that Intellect stat with Discipline being your next priority. Throwing Knives are great too because since you’ll be separated from the opposing team often, you have some extra time to let that cool down safely than you normally would in a normal Crucible match. Finally, don’t forget that you can Golden Gun down a Titan’s Ward of Dawn by shooting at it, removing the opponents advantage and ruining a Defender’s sense of security.

Bladedancer

Like the Gunslinger, the Bladedancers super, Arc Blade, is capable of leveling an entire team. Unlike the Gunslinger though, the Bladedancer needs to get up close to use it. So make sure to take advantage of the Bladedancers inherent speed and keep it maxed as much as possible. You’re going to want to close the gap on enemies that try to run away from you.

Bladedancer also has some defensive abilities that Gunslinger lacks that could turn the tide in your favor in a close firefight. Being able to Vanish during Arc Blade can give you an edge if you’re on your own and/or facing coordinated fire from the opposing team. Same goes for the perk Escape Artist, which can give you a slight advantage when in a melee showdown. Most people in Trials of Osiris are skilled, so things such as having a split second of invisibility is what could be the difference between life and death.

Fleetfooted will also help you close the gap on fleeing enemies but is especially useful if you’re a shotgun user, allowing you to slide further. If you have the skills for Shotgun, this will help you immensely. If you’re worried about getting up close and want to play it safe, go with Shadowjack or Quick Draw instead.

Finally, use your invisibility and speed to your advantage. For example, you can catch a team off guard by rushing them with Arc Blade as they wait for Heavy Ammo to drop. If you’re not willing to use your speed and sneakiness, you’re probably better off going Gunslinger.

That just about does it for our Trials of Osiris guide! If you can brave the challenges and string together wins, not only will you get great prizes but you too may be able to enter the exclusive area for Trials of Osiris champions, The Lighthouse. Be sure to check out the rest of our Trials of Osiris and Destiny House of Wolves coverage by visiting our Destiny House of Wolves Wiki Guide!