IOW. The natural history of how communities respond to winner-take-all competitions in their midst. Especially when valued rewards are locked behind the walls of that winner-take-all event. Sadly, NONE of this comes as a suprise to me. In fact, I've largely predicted it would happen. As well as the steady drop off in interest in the play mode. The simple fact of the matter is that such competions ALWAYS have a corrosive effect on the communities which take part in them. WHY? People will accept unequal distribution of resources if they believe that the manner in which that inequality is reeached is (at its foundation) "fair". Trials is competiton that ISN"T fair, and makes a POINT of not being fair. There is no ranking. Only a half-assed effort at matching players of similar skills. Its basically a shark-tank where the biggest, meanest sharks are allowed to feed on everyone and eveything else. Is it any WONDER, that people who "LUNCH" are getting sick and tired of it....and are desperately trying to do SOMETHING to create a more level playing field. I don't think Trials need to be removed from the game. But it DOES need a fundamental re-envisioning. It needs become a RANKED and FLIGHTED competion. With each flight having its own seperate loot stream. THEN if you want to play winner-take-all within a given flight. I think you'd have less tendency for people to want to take out their frustrations on the weapon system when they lose.