Trials of the Nine replaces the weekly Trials of Osiris Crucible event from the first Destiny, so we can assume it will work somewhat similarly. That was a PVP elimination tournament that ran every weekend. Guardians entered by purchasing a Trials Passage from Brother Vance for 500 Glimmer, which would also serve to record their progress in the Trials. There was no matchmaking, so Guardians had to form their own Fireteams to enter. Unlike conventional Crucible matches, level advantages were still active in the Trials of Osiris. Guardians also had to complete a mission in order to access the Trials, so presumably there will be a bit of in-game narrative here as well to introduce players to the eponymous Nine.
Similar to the Arena in Hearthstone, lose three times and your run is over, forcing you to purchase another Trials Passage if you wish to compete again. The more wins you logged before that, however, the greater your rewards. Five wins earned you a piece of armor, and seven a weapon, all special for the event. A perfect run of nine wins and no losses would earn you passage to the Lighthouse, a special area on Mercury with particularly good and rare loot. There’s also a system of special coins that can be earned in the trials and used to modify the stats on your Passage.
We’ll be playing the Trials of Nine alongside you when it launches, and almost certainly publishing a guide once we’ve mastered its intricacies, so stay tuned. In the meantime you can get ready by studying up with our beginner’s, power leveling, and Crucible guides.