Finally Reaching the Lighthouse in Destiny 2. Was Trials of Osiris Worth It?

This video breaks down why Trials has always been an aspirational challenge, the changes introduced in Episode: Heresy, and how they helped players like me finally achieve this long-standing goal.

ter a decade of being thrash at PvP, I finally made it to the Lighthouse in Destiny 2.

But let’s back it up a bit, for those unfamiliar, Trials of Osiris is the pinnacle 3v3 player vs player mode. It’s a high-stakes, high-reward, elimination-style mode where the goal is simple—but brutal: win seven matches in a row without a single loss, and you earn access to the Lighthouse, an exclusive social space where only the best of the best get to claim their rewards.

If you’re new here, this video is a bit different from what we usually do here on Cutscene Collective. I usually break down the storytelling, themes, and symbolism within video game narratives. We are a small channel but I’m pretty sure you’ll find something you’d like. But today? The story isn't one told by the game—but a player-driven experience. My experience.

Trials has always been the ultimate test of skill, coordination, and endurance. It’s not just a PvP mode—it’s an aspirational challenge, a proving ground for Destiny’s sweatiest players. The rewards? Exclusive weapons, and the most visually striking armour in the game. But more than that, it’s the prestige of being part of the minority.

The Gap

I’ve been playing Destiny since Vanilla D1. I’m no PvP king, in fact, I’d rather just play solo.

Yeah, I played Trials back in D1, and won a match or two but never made it to the OG Lighthouse. 

In D2, I was there for the great Prometheus Laser Tag Event. I’ve only ever had 3 We Ran Out Of Medals, 2 of them were 7 years ago, one was 4 years ago, and by pure luck had one during Iron Banner in 2025’s Episode Heresy. 

But one of my personal PvP highlights was grinding the Competitive playlist for must-have weapons at the time, The Recluse and The Revoker.

As a console-only player, Trials always felt just out of reach. The competition was fierce, the skill gap was massive, and the introduction of cross-play only widened the challenge. Facing off against stacked teams with insane coordination, on mouse and keyboard, who were farming less experienced players made it almost impossible.

The Changes

Then came Episode: Heresy, and with it, a shift in Trials of Osiris. Bungie introduced new changes aimed at making the mode more accessible without diminishing its prestige for those who could still flaunt their Flawless titles. These changes included:

• Matchmaking adjustments, allowing for a better experience for solo players.

• A focus on participation rewards, meaning you could still earn loot even if you didn’t go flawless.

• A revised skill-based matchmaking system, ensuring that casual players weren’t constantly being stomped by flawless regulars.

It was still Trials—still brutal, still sweaty—but for the first time, it felt like a matter of when I would make it to the Lighthouse, and not if.

The Journey

And so, one weekend, I decided to go all in. 

The first match began pretty normal. I met the opposing team in the middle, applied some pressure, and got taken out pretty quickly by a shotgun runner. So quickly in fact, that it prompted our teammate to leave the match in the first round. 

I guess the other team was just too honourable because one of their guys decided to leave as well.

So it was just up to me and Kelvin here. Well, Kelvin was doing much of the heavy lifting while I just sat and watched. I figured the only way to stay in the game was to get a little cheap with a fusion rifle. I spent the next couple of rounds just chasing Kelvin while he steamrolled the other team, which I didn’t mind. But I earned my keep in the next round with a double kill. And with the match point at hand, Kelvin decided to make me work for my Lighthouse passage. So in a 2v1 situation, I just had to show up. All in a great start. Also, Kelvin had a 7-game winning streak. Good for your Kelvin.

The next 5 matches consisted of rounds where I dominated and rounds where I was just free frags for the opposing team. 

And then we got to the 7th and final match to end my suffering.

The Lighthouse

After years of grinding, heartbreak, and shying away from Trials weekends, I finally loaded into the Lighthouse. For you PVP gods, it may be just another Saturday, or even multiple visits all day all weekend, but for me it was surreal.

The stone structures, the scorching celestial glow of Mercury, and the sheer weight of finally being there after all these years.

The player experience is something else. Bungie sure knows how to make you feel elite. There’s nobody else around. Just you, and your team, if you had one, and greeting you at the top of the steps is the organiser of The Trials, Saint-14 who showers you with warm praises… and then he showers you in rewards.

And with that, there was nothing else to do, but to ponder the finality of the experience.

There are few moments in gaming as satisfying as overcoming a long-standing personal challenge, and for me, making it to The Lighthouse is up there. The beauty of Destiny 2 isn’t just in its lore, mechanics, or gameplay—it’s in these personal stories, the triumphs, the struggles, and the moments where skill, persistence… and a rework… finally pays off. 

So if you ever shied away from Trials, this is me telling you, if I can do it… trust me… you can too.

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