Destiny 2 Trials Labs explained: December 3 Freelance guide

Trials Labs are now upon us in Destiny 2, with Bungie’s experimental Trials of Osiris playlist letting Guardians in on a few early tests. From how it all works to a rundown on the currently active mode, here’s everything there is to know.

Bungie has opened the floodgates for experimentation in Destiny 2 as Trials Labs has arrived in the popular FPS title.

While Labs was once a testing ground for new Crucible ideas, it now serves exclusively as an experimental Trials of Osiris playlist. Destiny 2 players will be dropping into some truly unique modes that may never see the light of day in regular Trials.

If you’re unsure how Trials Labs works or just looking for an explainer on this week’s test, we’ve got you covered below.

What is Trials Labs in Destiny 2?

Trials Labs offers up new experimental multiplayer modes each time around.

Trials Labs serves as a way for Bungie to include the Destiny 2 player base in new experiments. This everchanging playlist provides new gameplay experiences with bold changes to the core Trials experience.

While none of these adjustments are guaranteed to reach the standard version, they allow Bungie to get some immediate feedback with the full Destiny community getting in on the action. 

These experimental Trials Labs often overtake regular Trials of Osiris for that week, meaning all players will have to test out the new variant or simply go without their Trials fix for those cycles.

December 3 Trials Labs: Freelance

Freelance is the perfect time for solo players to hop into Trials.

Freelance will land back in Destiny 2 on December 3, but unlike other Trials Labs we’ve seen, it won’t replace the regular 3v3 playlist and will be a separate node instead.

This variation of Trials functions the same way it does inside Iron Banner and the Competitive playlist: only solo players without pre-made teammates can queue into the Freelance node, meaning all six Guardians in each match will be thrown together randomly.

Despite the shakeup in matchmaking, the Elimination gameplay loop in Freelance Trials stays the same: put all of your opponents down, and make sure they stay down, before they do the same thing to you and your teammates.

Bungie also confirmed they were looking to tweak Freelance matchmaking after the first iteration of this particular Trials Labs, so we’ll have to see what they have in store for the playlist this time around.

Expect new game modes in Trials Labs as Bungie tests the limits of the playlist.

Trials Labs is set to shake things up every so often in Destiny 2, as Bungie continues to refine the competitive multiplayer experience.

As always, the regular Trials of Osiris experience will be rotated in and out alongside these experimental options. Be sure to check back often as we’ll keep you up to speed with all the latest variations.

And there you have it: everything you need to know about Trials Labs. In the meantime, you can check out some other helpful Destiny 2 guides here:

Best Destiny 2 PVP weapons: meta tier list for Trials of Osiris & Control | Everything being vaulted from Destiny 2 in 2022 | Destiny 2 best weapons and how to get them | Destiny 2 promo codes: All free emblems and shaders | Destiny 2 Season 16: Release date, story, content and everything we know |