What is Trials Lab: Capture Zone in Destiny 2?

Last week, Bungie said that it would be changing Trials a bit more this week. Now that we’ve had a new This Week at Bungie article, it’s possible to see exactly what the developer meant by that. We’re getting our very first Trials Lab, and this week it’s all about Capture Zone. This is a very specific type of Trials of Osiris match that’s new and blends a few different elements into the highly competitive activity. This article explains a little of what it’s about for those who have no clue.

What is Trials Lab: Capture Zone?

The important thing to know is that this is still a type of elimination match, so you’re not entirely safe. However, 30 seconds in, a capture zone is going to spawn that all Guardians can claim. You can win by either eliminating the entire opposing team, or by capturing this zone. So the goal now becomes twofold. First, you need to monitor the zone to ensure your enemy doesn’t take it. Second, you need to kill an enemy you see so that they can’t capture the zone and so that you’re one more kill closer to victory as usual. In a way, it’s similar to Rainbow Six Siege because there’s an objective, but you can ignore it in favor of kills.

There’s a waypoint and a timer from the start of the match for the capture zone, so every Guardian knows exactly where it’s going to be and when it’s going to become active. It’s an interesting way of doing things, but also feels incredibly familiar.

If your team loses, you’ll spawn in the next round in a more advantageous area. This shifts according to the team that lost until the end of the match. I can see this part of the match being abused somewhat, but you can only abuse it every other round, so I think it could be balanced enough despite efforts to cheat.

Let us know if you’re playing this game mode this weekend. It’s very different, but we’ve also got the core elements of Trials that keep it enjoyable for any Guardian looking to experiment. I’ll be giving it a go and reporting back at some point soon to let you know how it went.

Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp

I'm an avid Destiny 2 fan and player. I fell in love with Destiny 1 during the early alpha and have been hooked by the universe ever since. I really enjoy playing with other Guardians, speculating about the lore, and writing about as much of the Destiny universe as I can.