Since the creation of the system, PlayStation Trophies have been maintained at four levels. While new upgrade systems were introduced and the visual designs of each rarity changed, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum remained the four trophy types. While there’s nothing wrong with limiting things to these four rarities, they don’t represent a specific problem.
When thinking of what a rarer type of trophy than platinum might look like, palladium comes to mind, as it is the most expensive of the four precious metals. With its real-world inspiration being rarer than PlayStation’s current top-tier trophy, it might be a perfect fit, looking like a much shinier and bigger silver trophy. The requirements to unlock it would be quite simple – achieve 100% completion on a game with DLC trophies.
How a new trophy rarity could work
For games that are constantly updated like Minecraft, it’s not too uncommon for additional trophy packs to expand on existing rosters. While this does not prevent players from earning Platinum, as only the original roster needs to be completed, it does lower the total percentage below 100% and requires players to collect the new trophies to increase this number.
Having less than 100% completion for a Platinumed game can be a bit frustrating for trophy hunters. While one solution would be to have additional trophies add up beyond 100%, letting players reach 105%, 110%, etc., making them more worthwhile could also do wonders. Some may be disappointed to see their numbers drop below 100% for a finished game, but DLC trophies are rarely worth pursuing unless the player loves the game. A new rarity that rewards players for collecting these trophies might inspire them to make the effort.
Palladium trophies could be unlocked for reaching 100% on a PlayStation game that has additional trophies, which would take time in things like Monitor 2 Where Minecraft which have several additional packs to go through. This way, players could not only get a Platinum trophy for completing the main roster, but they could also get a Palladium trophy for going the extra mile and sticking with the game to clear their bonus achievements. With big first-party exclusives for PlayStation often getting new trophies when they add New Game Plus modes or extra difficulties, some Palladiums might take a while to earn.
One concern with Palladium trophies is that they wouldn’t be permanent until a game stopped receiving more additions to the trophy list. If a player gets one of these hypothetical Palladium Trophies, and a game like Monitor 2 obtains another hero with more achievements to collect, the Palladium Trophy would briefly disappear from a player’s collection until the new achievements are obtained. While this might be annoying for some and continues to show the problem with post-launch trophies, it would make some Palladium trophies more valuable since players would have to remain dedicated to maintaining them. Positioning-wise, Paladium Trophies would be placed ahead of Platinums in the lineup, as they require Platinum to be unlocked and additional Trophies to be earned on top of that.
While this would no doubt require some work on Sony’s part, as it would require adding Palladium Trophies to players’ accounts for games where they’re already 100% on the main roster and DLC, it could be a nice addition. Palladium Trophies could also open the door to new PlayStation Stars goals, which would be a nice bonus. With post-launch trophies unlikely to go anywhere, and some PlayStation with users being happy every time they are introduced, upgrading them through their own trophy rarity is something to consider.