Axion Bolt’s idiot-proof accuracy is preferable in lieu of the not-needed area denial of Vortex and finicky AoE damage of Scatter. Blink, when used properly, is the single most frustrating thing to encounter in the Crucible. You’ll get one-on-one matchups and Blink makes you scarily hard to predict.
Shatter spreads out your Nova Bomb death, and is chosen over Vortex because of the smaller team sizes discouraging bunching up and hanging around after a single player dies.
Soul Rip gives you a huge chunk Super Energy, which beats immediate health regeneration; the other team will likely be retreating to regroup once they’re down a Guardian. Still, Life Steal can save your butt if you’re too aggressive, so either is fine.
As for stats, you’re going to want to prioritize Recovery above all else. There’ll be lots of hit-and-run situations, and taking even a little bit of damage without giving any is cause for retreat. In this case, in case you’re being pursued, you’ll want to have a full health bar when your unlucky enemy rounds the corner.
Agility is second for the strafe speed and jump height, which gives you a slight edge in taking minimal damage from an otherwise lethal volley. If you decide for Armor, make sure it’s enough to avoid a one-hit tripmine kill, then dump the rest in Recovery.
Finally, Annihilate combos well with Bloom to create a dangerously big blast radius from Grenade and Nova Bomb explosions. If you catch someone reviving a teammate with an Axion bolt, Bloom may take care of them both. If you don’t feel you’re going to see enemies bunched up enough, The Hunger and Embrace the Void give you the biggest chance at having Axion Bolt up as frequently as possible.
Our hands-down preference for both PvE and PvP. Every kill you get will maximize your Super Energy, and if you stack enough Discipline too, your grenades will be a constant threat. Strength is a distant third; you shouldn’t be too eager to rely on your melee when you could easily face a shotgun death at any moment.
Light Beyond Nemesis
Although the Strength is a disappointment, Keeper of the Pack is reason enough to use this. It speeds up your revives noticeably, making you invaluable as a medic on the field. Those who’ve used this helmet know you can practically do a “drive-by” revive by holding the button while briskly walking past.
For a 3 vs. 3 where you can’t respawn, having a dedicated revive teammate is going to be essential. Infusion could even save your life if you steer yourself towards a teammate’s orbs, and Snap Discharge lets you win or at least tie any melee-only duel.
Voidfang Vestments
You get your grenade every time you come back from the dead. What more needs to be said? This Exotic already dominates in Control for both Voidwalkers and Sunsingers alike, and it’s going to be no different in Trials of Osiris. It salvages strength from a weakness, and is top-tier for this reason.
Firebolt grenades are quick and easy damage. If they’re combo’d with Touch of Flame/Viking Funeral, they also harass and greatly damage anyone unlucky enough to get caught in the initial burst. Fusion Grenades are a highly magnetic, guaranteed one-hit kill. Either benefit immensely from Gift of the Sun. Focused Burst is preferable for the same reasons as outlined in Voidwalker, though Balanced Glide adds a modicum of control into the mix.
Fireborn is going to be absolutely crazy. Saving it for just the right moment can swing the entire round in your favor. We’ve already seen footage of how nail-bitingly intense a Warlock returning from the dead can be in ToO. It forces your opponents to conserve their Supers and is an excellent mind-game tool for this reason.
Flame Shield is the only real option for Sunsingers in PvP; an overshield is much more effective in smaller fights and will cause opponents to think twice before engaging.
See the Voidwalker guide above for Recovery/Agility recommendations. However, consider some Armor if you want to be extra beefy in Radiance.
If you want a second grenade, you should choose Radiant Will too. It gives you a couple precious extra seconds of Radiance, with all the benefits that grants. This means more offensive power or extra time to revive a teammate or get to safety yourself.
Touch of Flame should only be used with Firebolt Grenades, and then absolutely paired with Viking Funeral for the maximum DoT possible in Crucible. If you pop Radiance and throw a couple of these accurately, you’ve already got a kill. Trials of Osiris
Yes, you’ll want Radiance quickly, but your grenades should be top priority. As you’ll likely be conserving your Fireborn Radiance, there’s no need to get it ASAP, unless you’re determined to take an early lead at all costs. Having maximum cooldown reduction on your Firebolt/Fusion killers will give you a big safety net.
Strength is much better on Sunsingers, but still necessarily last. Flame Shield is great, but dealing death from a distance is always the better choice. Having your Flame Shield up for Radiance, however, is always appreciated.
Light Beyond Nemesis
See: Voidwalker
Voidfang Vestments
Yes, these work for Sunsingers, too! Though you don’t get the extra Axion bolt seeker, you get potentially two grenades every time you come back from the grave. With Fireborn, this means two grenades in the face of the unlucky Guardian who thought he had you beat.
Heart of the Praxic Fire
Great for the massive amounts of Discipline it grants and the ability to make Radiance the ultimate offensive super. If your Discipline is still on the low end, its signature perk will all but remove this downside after you self-resurrect. Firebolt Grenades need to be thrown relentlessly, and Heart of the Praxic Fire works like gangbusters.
Tripmine Grenade is simply the best option a Gunslinger has. It’s a potential easy one-hit kill, has proximity detonation, and can be used flexibly in almost any situation. Triple Jump is unique to Gunslingers, and is good for mind-games with opponents, allowing in-air “strafing” while being easy to control. With only three opponents to be concerned about – and assuming you are already proficiently accurate – Gunfighter is the best option for your Golden Gun.
Kills are at a premium, with a potential low of three in play in a given round, so getting the maximum Super Energy for a kill is essential. Combustion is better suited to larger game variants like Control, and Deadeye is simply a crutch if you miss too much.
We’d take Incendiary Blade over Knife Juggler, unless you are a knife-throwing guru. The DoT and resultant extra damage could be the difference between your team being up one or down one. The extra Armor from Circle of Life is an option if you couldn’t care less about your throwing knives.
Like Warlocks, a Gunslinger likes Recovery in the Trials of Osiris. Hunters are especially naturally mobile and thus can make use of much quicker health regeneration. Unfortunately, they’re also lightly armored, and require a huge investment in this stat to hit any pertinent damage thresholds, so Agility is your next priority. Extra jump height, strafe speed, and ADS times, while difficult to notice, will all contribute toward cleaner kills and a higher success rate of escaping.
Scavenger is better than Keyhole and Gunslinger’s Trance, but only by default. If you’re lucky enough to get a Special Ammo crate, your Tripmine Grenade and Throwing Knife will thank you. Keyhole might be decent in Control/Clash, but in Trials of Osiris chances to intentionally make it work will be few and far between.
Over the Horizon is the best choice, letting your Golden Gun maintain its accuracy even from across the battlefield, while also giving Recovery. Again, for you Knife Throwers, Gambler’s Dagger is there so you can chuck to your heart’s content. Landing two Incendiary Blades is nothing to sneeze at.
Like Sunsingers, Gunslingers want to have their tripmines available at the drop of a hat. Locking down corners is going to be great on the small maps ToO will likely be played on, and you’ll be able to dictate the flow of battle at least every 27 seconds if you max your Discipline.
Gunfighter will help you get Golden Gun faster, but you should still have enough Intellect to make keep your foes on their toes. Strength again takes last place, as the Throwing Knife just isn’t worth sacrificing Discipline or Intellect.
Crest of Alpha Lupi
The Hunter equivalent to Light Beyond Nemesis, this Exotic provides both the same Strength and Keeper of the Pack perk, and is equally valuable because of the latter when reviving a teammate.
Ensure the helmet you wear has perks valuable for Osiris, because this Exotic chest only provides Keeper of the Pack, plus the requisite ammo.
Young Ahamkara’s Spine
An Exotic that doesn’t get a lot of love in PvE, it’s perfect for Trials of Osiris. Your tripmines will stick around for almost 25% of the total potential round time, making them a nagging presence that your opponents will have to constantly compensate for.
Top-tier players will be able to control where engagements occur by carefully placing these in a position that encourages other Guardians to steer clear. If one of them forgets about it and dies later, well that’s just the icing on the cake.
You may say, “What about Achlyophage Symbiote ?” With only three opponents ever on the field at one time, a patient and steady Golden Gunner only needs three shots to get the job done. However, if you know you’re likely to miss, it’s perfectly viable. It shares the Ashes to Asset and Discipline of Young Ahamkara’s Spine.
Knucklehead Radar
Strength again, unfortunately. Not unfortunately is the constant radar while ADS with a primary. This is really the only reason to use this one, though. Radar is so incredibly important in Elimination, but Light the Blade and Inverse Shadow are nigh on useless, the latter literally so.
Radiant Dance Machines
I know, I’m just as surprised as you are, but some serious ADS strafe speed could be a lifesaver in winning those one-on-one firefights. If you’re down a man, the Dance Machines could help you pull off a nifty comeback by frustrating the accuracy of the opposition.
The trend with building your Bladedancer is choosing between invisibility and health regeneration. The rest of the talents are just par for the course. Flux Grenade is a one-hit sticky kill, while Arcbolt can chain respectable damage around its initial explosion.
Blink is perhaps best on Bladedancers, synergizing with Fleet Footed for the ultimate mobility build. Razor’s Edge is preferable over Showstopper; you can simply slash to get short range kills, whereas you might surprise a Defender Titan in his bubble or snag one last distanced kill just as it your Arc Blade expires.
Vanish can be used to prep yourself for whomever remains or make a quick escape if you don’t have a chance of doing so. Escape Artist is not going to be effective unless you’re careful to make sure that it’s the killing blow, and for that reason Fast Twitch (especially with Hungering Blade) is recommended too.
For Bladedancers, whose speed is their bread and butter, we say “why not” and advise going all in with Agility. Recovery is certainly important, but you want to be blistering across maps leaving your enemies scratching their heads as you blink right into their face for a kill. In cat-and-mouse games, that all important strafe speed may just save you. Your speed will be your Armor.
Fleet Footed makes the Bladedancer faster in every regard while also adding increased slide distance and a bonus to your Agility stat. It should be paired with Hungering Blade, as you’ll definitely want Shadowjack if you’re set on Stalker. Invisibility could actually easily be viable in Trials of Osiris. You can more or less predict where opponents are coming from, and getting the drop on them is thus more easy.
Only having to worry about three people doesn’t hurt, either. If you don’t want to worry about that, though, go with Fast Twitch/Fleet Footed/Hungering Blade, which will keep you alive by offering health regeneration at the drop of a hat.
Some of this depends on your Exotic/Talent choice. Going with Lucky Raspberry gives you some leeway on Discipline, while Fast Twitch means you can practically ignore Strength altogether. The Bladedancer Super is a Crucible menace, and with only 1-3 opponents to take out at a given time, you’ll want it as often as possible.
Their grenades are not quite as scary, but you never want to be without one for too long. Strength is only worthwhile if you’re going with Escape Artist.
Crest of Alpha Lupi
Even better for Escape Artist users, who will actually be able to use the unholy Strength boost.
Radiant Dance Machines
With Fleet Footed and max Agility, you’ll move comically fast while ADS. Throw in the MIDA Multi-tool for good measure and feel like Sonic the Hedgehog.
Knucklehead Radar
See: Gunslinger
Lucky Raspberry
Pure Intellect is perfect and, like Voidfang Vestments, having your grenade anytime you’re revived is one of the best potential boons for something like Trials of Osiris. Arcbolt Grenade gains a little extra chain range, too.
Striker grenades are some of Destiny’s best. Lightning is a highly visible, multi-pulse equivalent of Tripmine that can lock down corners and clear multiple enemies if they bite. Flashbang is quite viable with smaller teams; blinding even one person puts your opponents at a significant disadvantage and vulnerable to a rush.
Increased Height is the best option for the ability to throw high vertical dodging into the mix/kite Bladedancers, but Catapult is acceptable if you want to get places quicker. Death From Above, paired with Increased Height, can turn Fist of Havoc into a missile, but Shockwave can be just as valuable in scoring kills on those who think they’re safely out of range.
We don’t recommend Aftermath, as the likelihood of the two remaining Guardians willingly entering the shock field is low. Amplify is the only quality PvP option out of the Titan’s Melee choices. AoE damage is unnecessary and Overload is too temperamental to be counted on in short, intense rounds.
Recovery will be king in Trials of Osiris, and Titans are no exception. Max out the Striker’s Recovery first, then make your decision between Armor and Agility. You can patch up the Striker’s naturally low Agility with as much as you want, but the difference won’t be huge, so Armor is acceptable for guaranteeing that you won’t have your spree ruined by a tripmine and wringing every last ounce of “health” out of your build.
Aftershocks is our recommended choice if you use Lightning Grenades. You’ll get no use out of it if you’ve chosen Flashbangs, in which case we recommend Transfusion and subsequently Shoulder Charge. Otherwise, the extended pulse times of Lightning Grenades will be invaluable for chances to force your opponents into its deadly Arc field or controlling momentum. Unstoppable is a great choice for those who like to embrace the “Fist of Panic” mentality. You’ll survive that Felwinter’s Lie to the face as you land your counterattack, and can easily sponge even an Arc Blade slash.
Shoulder Charge is a bold choice in Trials of Osiris, as you may get lucky with a free one-hit kill, but anytime you tempt CQB, you’re tempting an untimely demise. Headstrong might be the smarter bet. Shoulder Charge can take advantage of Transfusion without expending the Titan’s melee, however, so it could be great for a bluffed retreat: take damage, flee, turn when it’s ready, and surprise kill your pursuer with a shoulder to the face while regaining all your health simultaneously – not bad.
Just like Gunslingers, Striker’s love their grenades too much to not want maximum cooldown. Burning Shrine will be the first map in rotation, and it is chock full of walls to stick Lightning Grenades to, so your Discipline should be as close to maximum as possible. Fist of Havoc is also the ultimate opposing Super denier, destroying Sunsingers, Defenders, and Bladedancers with patient reliability, so you’ll want the Intellect to always have your backup plan ready before your opponents.
Strength needs little or no investment, as the Titan’s Melee has the lowest range of all three major classes, and Amplify is more of a lucky once-a-round possibility than a viable strategy. If you want to take advantage of Tranfusion, use Shoulder Charge and don’t sweat Strength.
Crest of Alpha Lupi
The Titan variant includes Keeper of the Pack plus a pure Intellect roll. Strikers and Defenders both love this, and Keeper of the Pack is just as great on a Titan as it is on a Warlock or Hunter. We haven’t mentioned the “spawns more orbs” benefit, yet, but if the Super kill comes at the beginning of the match, this could be an added bonus. We don’t know if orbs carry over rounds, though.
The Armamentarium
If you’re not going for medic, this may be your next best bet. Pure Discipline fits the Striker’s build desire perfectly, and the ability to start the first round with two grenades could give your team an immediate edge with overwhelming AOE damage from multiple angles. We’re not sure if new rounds refresh your Grenade cooldowns or not, but if so, this is even a greater reason to use the best all-around Titan Exotic in the game.
Both Striker Helms, An Insurmountable Skullfort and the Helm of Inmost Light are not bad choices either. They’re inferior to the Exotics mentioned above, but grant free perks to free up some build space, buffing Melee and Fist of Havoc, respectively. Go with one of those if you don’t have the CoAL or Armamentarium.
Magnetic Grenade is the Defender’s best grenade, hands-down. It’s a sticky that explodes twice, in case you miss the outright stick. Spike Grenade doesn’t last long enough. We will make a concession that Suppressors can be used in extremely tactical counter-Super play, but this is best left to the pros; you’ll get more of out Magnetic. Increased Height/Catapult follows our same logic from the Striker.
Your Super Buff comes down to personal preference. Armor of Light is the ultimate defense, providing you know you’re not going to face a Nova Bomb, Arc Blade, or Fist of Havoc. Blessing of Light provides flexibility, as you can retreat for an Overshield and then go on the offensive with a huge advantage. Weapons of Light is for all out offense, and is risky but potentially can win a round in seconds with Snipers and a good team strategy.
You won’t get a lot of Melee kills, probably, but Unbreakable is the best choice for Force Barrier if you do. You don’t need the raw offense of War Machine, and survivability in Trials of Osiris will be key. A 15 second overshield shouldn’t be underestimated.
See our Striker recommendations above for more on the value of Recovery, and the ensuing choice between Armor and Agility. Defenders have an even easier time stacking Armor with Bastion, so throw some love Agility’s way to compensate.
Bastion beats Relentless and Gift of the Void for a couple reasons. Relentless relies on you securing a melee kill to be of any use, and we just don’t see melee kills being as commonplace when everyone is so sensitive to radar and any threat. Gift of the Void would be a great choice, but no one bothers shooting the Ward of Dawn. If they’re going to attack it, it’s going to be with a Super, and it’s going to ruin you regardless. Make your WoD last with Bastion.
The choice between Untouchable and Illuminated means deciding between more frequent WoD or a more potent buff when you do have it. If you’re using Armor of Light, it’s a no-brainer, but those with Blessing and Weapons may prefer the extra survivability or damage. We probably would go with Untouchable, as the buffs granted by Weapons and Blessing of Light are already strong enough to give you a sufficient advantage, but more firepower/defense is never a bad thing. Go with what works best.
Ward of Dawn is your best offensive and defensive tool. Stacking Intellect with Bastion ensures you’ll have it at least as often as the other team has their Supers, which will be crucial for a Super that, frankly, is a little underpowered in light of how strong the others are. Next comes Discipline, to get you your Magnetic grenades at least twice per round. Strength is your last priority, with the Titan’s abysmal melee range and Force Barrier only proc’ing on a kill.
A final note on Strength: We find more frequent Supers and Grenades to be strategies that yield success more consistently at all levels of the Crucible, while Strength is not nearly as easy to use effectively. If you are able to perform well with a Strength build, don’t let these suggestions stop you.
Crest of Alpha Lupi
Defenders appreciate the Intellect even more.
The Armamentarium
Two grenades is universally wonderful, and any class that is able to get them somehow would be foolish to not try it out once or twice to see how they like it.
The Glasshouse
An excellent choice for Illuminated Blessing/Weapons of Light users. It lets your team get further out from the bubble without needing to retreat for a rebuff. The other team might think you’ll be sticking close to your WoD, but you’ll quickly show them their error. Rain blows lets you win or tie melee-only fights.
Helm of Saint-14
Inferior to the above three, in that an opposing Guardian is going to be especially reluctant to enter your bubble when it could mean costing their own team a death. It will be great in one situation unequivocally: Overtime when the other team has already spent their Supers.
If you can get a Starless Night powered WoD up on the control point, it’s game over. Better go with the CoAL, Armamentarium, or Glasshouse otherwise, though.
Well, that’s it – an exhaustive build consideration for Trials of Osiris. You’ll notice many of these strategies work well for regular Crucible game modes, and closely mirror our past advice. This is not a coincidence.
Trials of Osiris represents the pinnacle of competitive Crucible, and tailoring your build to Elimination means understanding what is a winning strategy and what isn’t. We hope our talent, stat, and Exotic discussion has given you a lot to think about for how you’re going to dominate the Trials.
Let us know if you have any build recommendations in the comments.
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