So far in Trials, of the handful of matches I have played, only one has been what I would consider an even match where we regularly traded round wins. The remaining matches have all been skewed heavily in the favor of one team, or the other. The solution I would like to propose is a match-making system that places weight on a team's number of wins and flawless runs that week. At no point should my team of four wins and one loss be paired up against a team half way through their second flawless run. [url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/231437749?sort=0&page=0&path=1]To quote Dragoon4290:[/url] [quote]If done properly, it can actually enhance your accomplishments. Going to the lighthouse by beating mostly scrubs like myself isn't exactly saying much. Going to the lighthouse by beating teams on your level, especially at higher tiers? Watch out for those guys![/quote] And I entirely agree. Trials is sold as being the ultimate PvP experience, the "end-game" content of the Crucible. How can it be touted as such, though, if a great many matches are unbalanced and teams don't get the adequate challenge that they deserve? Now, in anticipation of some counter-point, I offer the following: [b]1) You just hate PvP and Trials![/b] [spoiler]No. Not at all. I actually enjoy PvP quite a bit, and I have enjoyed this iteration of Trials a lot, too. I think a lot about this Trials is super awesome: The gear is epic (and you can get a lot of it), the Third Spire is gorgeous and interesting, and playing with friends still remains an enjoyable experience. I just think that it could be better.[/spoiler] [b]2) You're just mad that you lost![/b] [spoiler]Well, yes, but I'm also mad at some of the matches that I won. Wiping out the enemy team every round with absolutely no challenge isn't much fun, either. Trials is intended to be the ultimate "end-game" PvP activity, and it's not a challenge for anyone if things are so awfully one sided that one team is doomed from the get-go.[/spoiler] [b]3) You just suck at PvP![/b] [spoiler]Well again, you're likely not wrong, [i]but you're still missing the point[/i]. Trials is supposed to be the ultimate PvP challenge. A poor crucible player paired against a great one isn't a challenge for either side. For one, it's absolute misery, and for the other, a waste of time. And saying that bad players playing against good players is how the bad improve is just silly. No one learns anything when they're miserable and getting wiped the second a round starts. You learn by playing with people on your level, and those slightly above it.[/spoiler] [b]4) Trials just launched! How can you criticize something brand new?[/b] [spoiler]Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, is ever perfect. To err is human, and last I checked, Bungie isn't made up of inter-dimensional cyborgs. Feedback like this isn't intended to slap the devs in the face, but instead, it's meant to provide more data for them to work with so that they can continue to improve their work. Our opinions and experiences matter, and combined with their raw data, it can all be used to forge a better experience in the end. To stave off criticism because something is too new is silly. Instead, it's the perfect time to get the ball rolling![/spoiler] [b]5) But this plan will only increase wait times![/b] [spoiler]Probably. Personally, I'm 100% OK with this, but I also can't speak for everyone. I would rather spend more time waiting to get a solid match where I am challenged (but still have a chance of winning) than match instantly only to get my ass kicked and sent right back to orbit. I would assume others also feel this way, but again, I can't speak for everyone.[/spoiler] [b]6) But I enjoy absolutely wrecking people![/b] [spoiler]I'm really glad that you do, but no one enjoys being on the other side of that, and again, it's missing the whole point of Trials. It's not a "Trial" if all you have to do is launch the activity to win.[/spoiler] [b]7) But if you suck at PvP, you shouldn't be doing trials anyways![/b] [spoiler]But why not? Trials is an awesome activity that I wish more people could get into. Why should people be locked out of enjoying something awesome just because they're not very good at it? A system that groups people by their abilities to some minor extent would allow more people to play and enjoy Trials, while creating a better challenge for players that qualify as "good." There are literally no losers in this system because you either get to participate in the activity if you haven't been able to before, or, you get a challenge and play more with people with your own skill sets.[/spoiler] [b]8) "Players like you ruined pvp, enjoy your hand holding."[/b] [spoiler]I cannot stress this enough: [b][u][i]YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT![/b][/u][/i] This system doesn't hold anyone's hand. Yes, it would allow for more players to participate in Trials. Yes, it would give more people a chance at going Flawless. But not, it doesn't dilute the Trials experience. You cannot claim that Trials is living up to expectations and that it's the perfect challenge for the Ultimate PvP God when it doesn't make any effort at matching people based off of your skill. There is no skill or challenge involved in shooting fish in a barrel. Absolutely none. This system simply makes it so that people would be more evenly paired, and if anything, make the challenge even greater. Got an issue with a little more challenge? Then maybe you're not as good as you think you are.[/spoiler] tl;dr I love Trials, really. I've had a good time and enjoyed a ton of different facets of it. My issue is with the match-making system, which, I feel, needs to be re-balanced in some manner that supports more even match-ups. I propose, at the very least, trying to keep people matching with people having a similar number of wins (n +/- 1, maybe). This would allow Trials to be more enjoyable and accessible to players of lower skill, and provide greater, more even challenge across the board, allowing Trials to truly become the ultimate PvP challenge it should be. My $0.02. EDIT: Added a few new counter-points and removed a few sentences that were causing confusion as to the intentions of this post.