Bungie just confirmed one of the wildest Destiny 2 community theories — and it changes how we look at every recent Trials run.

In Power Creep Episode 3, we break down Patch 9.5.0.5, a massive “cleanup” update that quietly admits lobby balancing was accidentally enabled in Trials of Osiris — a system designed for low-stakes modes that fundamentally breaks competitive integrity.

This explains the chaos.
The sweep-or-be-swept weekends.
The random-feeling cards.
The sense that skill suddenly didn’t matter.

And that’s only the beginning.

We also dig into:

• Why account-wide Triumph tracking is a huge win for grinders
• How syndicate progress bugs were punishing efficiency
• The end of infinite Warlock suspend chains
• Cheese fixes in Equilibrium that force players back into intended mechanics
• Why Bungie is giving LFG teams more revive tokens and time instead of nerfing enemies
• What this patch says about Bungie’s QA pipeline and backend stability

This update gives massive relief — but it also raises uncomfortable questions.

How long was Trials broken?
How many Lighthouse runs were affected?
And if something this big slipped through… what else is currently broken that we don’t know about yet?

Is this patch restoring trust — or exposing deeper problems?
Did Trials finally feel different this weekend?
And which fix mattered most to your playstyle?

We need your data. Let’s talk.