In Destiny 2, the first Iron Banner of Season 5 is in full swing. We explain why participating at the end of the year could be worthwhile for you.
Since the weekly reset on December 25, the last Iron Banner of the year 2018 has been running. Guardians can still compete under the watchful eye of Lord Saladin in the limited-time PvP event until January 1 and grab fresh loot.
But what does participating bring? We show you 4 reasons why this Iron Banner could be worthwhile.
1. Use the Iron Banner to level up
With the start of Season 5, the level cap has been raised for all owners of the Forsaken expansion. Currently, many Guardians are still working their way up to the new max power level of 650. For them, the Iron Banner offers an additional opportunity this week to push their Guardian’s level towards the cap.
Lord Saladin offers 7 weekly bounties, all of which yield powerful rewards.
If your Guardian hasn’t reached full power yet, you can still make a solid push towards max level along with the usual sources with some time and effort.
This way, you can prepare your Guardian for the new Raid Scourge of the Past if their power level is still below 640.
If you are still in the leveling process, be sure to take this opportunity.
2. There are new armor sets to acquire
The first Iron Banner of Season 5 offers cool new armor sets for all three Guardian classes. The appearance of the sets is well received by the fans.
On Reddit and also on MeinMMO, numerous fans believe that these armor pieces are finally worth the grind again.
If you are on the hunt for perfect rolls, you should start early. The armors will likely not carry over into the next season after Season 5. Thus, the sets from Season 4 are no longer earnable in the context of Season 5.
Additionally, for those who like the new look of the armors and want to find good perk combinations, participating in the ongoing Iron Banner can be worthwhile.
3. Iron Banner weapons from Year 1 – but with random rolls
As part of the Iron Banner, you can currently earn weapons from the last season. For example, the rocket launcher Bear Roar is available for direct purchase.
In addition to the weapons from Season 4, which will be available in Season 5 unlike the armors, two returning weapons from Year 1 can now be earned:
However, these come with random rolls and can also be equipped with Year 2 mods. Crimil’s Dagger can be purchased from Lord Saladin with fixed perks and also drops randomly. The submachine gun is only available as a random drop.
The SMG has very decent base stats for its archetype and some interesting rolls are possible. However, this weapon type is currently not a top choice.
The hand cannon has average stats and is outperformed by its direct Year 2 competition Duke Mk. 44 in almost all categories.
However, Crimil’s Dagger can now roll with perks such as Enhanced or Stable Rounds, Lawless Killclip Combo, Mess Seeker, or Zen Moment, which significantly improve the weapon compared to Year 1 and still performs quite well.
However, both weapons are not must-haves; they are rather average with chances for some good rolls. So, if you’re only playing the Iron Banner for the “new” weapons, the ongoing event is not mandatory. However, if you’re still chasing some good weapons from Season 4, you may have the opportunity to boost your arsenal.
4. Big bonuses during the Iron Banner
To celebrate the end of the year in style, Bungie has also introduced significant bonuses alongside the Iron Banner. There are
- from December 25 to December 28, 2x Valor Points
- from December 28 to January 1, 3x Valor Points
All those who, for example, are working to earn the pulse rifle “Redrix’s Claymore” in the Crucible and have to reset their valor rank multiple times within a season can greatly benefit from these bonuses. This is an opportunity that should not be missed.
By the way, the last week of the Dawning event is currently running: How to bake in Destiny 2: All recipes and ingredients for the Festival Oven
Are you participating in the last Iron Banner of 2018? Or has the Destiny year already ended for you?
