The new Iron Banner of Destiny 2 has launched with high expectations. How does it play compared to Destiny 1? And why are so many players disappointed? We have the answers for you!
The Iron Banner is a monthly PvP event in the Destiny universe, which could already be played during the Destiny beta in the summer of 2014. Regularly, all Guardians were allowed to compete and prove the power of their Light. Furthermore, the Iron Banner weapons and armor in Destiny 1 were among the most sought after in the game, as almost all had strong rolls.
With Destiny 2, the Iron Banner returns now. Time for a comparison of the Iron Banner between Destiny 1 and Destiny 2. What has changed? And why are many players disappointed? All answers can be found here.
Note: We are comparing the Iron Banner at the end of Destiny 1 – not at the start. There have been significant changes in between.
The requirements for participating in the Iron Banner
To participate in the Iron Banner in Destiny 1, one had to reach a certain Light level first. Because level advantages were active – Guardians with a lower Light level than others therefore had a disadvantage.
Even though these level advantages were marginal, they did make a difference.
All of this is irrelevant in Destiny 2. You only need to unlock the Tower with one character and reach level 20, from then on you are allowed to play the Iron Banner account-wide. Thus, you can also participate in the Iron Banner with your second and third characters, even below level 20.
The power level advantages are disabled, a level 3 Guardian deals as much damage as a Guardian with power level 305. Bungie’s direction is clear, more Guardians should gain access to the Iron Banner.
Whether this maintains the original idea of the Iron Banner can be excellently debated. Because it actually violates the lore that the level advantages are disabled. Lord Saladin always held the Iron Banner to test the power of the Guardians’ Light. Therefore, it was expected that level advantages would also be active in Destiny 2. However, it likely doesn’t harm the playlist’s population if more players can participate.
The game mode – Control 4vs4
That there would be changes to the game mode surprised no one. Even though many players secretly hoped that Bungie would at least introduce the Iron Banner as a 6vs6 playlist, it remained the usual 4vs4, as is common throughout the Crucible of Destiny 2.
The game mode for the first Iron Banner in Destiny 2 is Control. The objective is to capture zones distributed across the map. For each zone captured, there is one point per kill. The team holding more zones gets more points per kill. The team that first collects 100 points wins.
Bungie changed the Iron Banner game mode monthly in Destiny 1, and this will likely also play a role in future Iron Banner events in Destiny 2.
Team play – Not for solo players?
The pros and cons of reducing team sizes have been extensively debated elsewhere. Specifically in the Iron Banner, this change causes an effect that primarily affects solo players. They are often confronted with fixed fireteams that communicate and coordinate their actions.
In Destiny 1, this disadvantage could be offset by the abilities of individual players. In Destiny 2, this is much harder; team play and team shots are the best strategy in the Crucible.
One could argue that Iron Banner is a team-oriented game mode. In practice, however, Bungie wants to ensure that solo players also get their fair share – the implementation of Guided Games proves this. The player search in the Iron Banner, however, does not.
This causes players to leave individual matches prematurely – resulting in frustration for the remaining players.
The loot system in Destiny 1 – Guaranteed!
In every Iron Banner event, you can grab some loot. Destiny 2 makes no exception. However, the way to obtain this loot has changed significantly compared to its predecessor.
In Destiny 1, Lord Saladin brought a selection of items, which were strongly rolled and particularly provided great advantages in the Crucible. Additionally, after each match, there was a drop chance for a randomly rolled item from Saladin’s repertoire.
This system kept players engaged, as the loot after a match could not only be better than the equipment Saladin sold, it also increased the light level. Players could level up during the Iron Banner.
The weekly bounties further motivated players – bounties specifically tailored to the Iron Banner event.
The loot system in Destiny 2 – Good luck!
Bungie completely overhauled this system for Destiny 2. You now need to earn tokens and exchange them with Saladin for Iron Engrams, which contain a random Iron Banner item. You get 5 tokens for a win, 2 tokens for a loss. Those who complete the daily Iron Banner challenges receive additional tokens.
You need 20 tokens for an Iron Engram. If you want to fully farm the Iron Banner armor (consisting of 5 pieces), you need a lot of luck. A clever Guardian calculated the average number of Iron Engrams needed for all armor pieces using the Monte Carlo method.
Using this stochastic method, the Guardian simulated the statistical distribution of drops from Iron Engrams. If you just want the armor, you need to open an average of 30 Iron Engrams. This corresponds to 600 tokens or 120 wins.
If you want to gather all items, including the weapons of the Iron Banner, an average of 41 Iron Engrams need to be opened (820 tokens). The numbers vary based on luck or misfortune, but one thing is clear: If you want to obtain everything within a week, you have a long grind ahead of you – and you also have to rely on your luck.
The loot quality – Generic mush?
The Iron Banner weapons from Destiny 1 not only had excellent perk distributions but also featured a unique design. With almost every Iron Banner release came strong weapons that dominated particularly in the Crucible. Almost every veteran will recognize the names Nirwen’s Mercy, Felwinter’s Lie, or the clever dragon.
Destiny 2 again offers a selection of Iron Banner weapons. There are eight in total, with something for every weapon slot. The rolls of the weapons are static, you will always get the same perks on a weapon. These also focus more on the Crucible in Destiny 2, but are no longer as dominant as in the predecessor.
The pulse rifle is strong but hard to master. The auto rifle is excellent but faces strong competition from Uriel’s Gift and the Origin Story. The other weapons hardly stand out, which further dims the players’ motivation to hunt them.
All weapons are, furthermore, simple reskins of already existing firearms.
However, the armors look neat and are designed in the classic Iron Banner style. The question will be how often Bungie will revise Lord Saladin’s inventory and create new designs.
Robert says: The Iron Banner of Destiny 2 is meant to appeal to more players and provide easier access. This objective has been achieved. At the same time, however, Bungie has packed the entire loot pool into just one event. Previously, only a few items were available per Iron Banner release. This meant that players could only complete the armor set after 4 or 5 months.
This may be questionable from a design perspective, but at least it ensured that all players had the complete armor set after that period (if they participated regularly). Destiny 2 completely relies on randomness here. If things go poorly, you might still be looking for the stylish Hunter cloak in 8 months. This was unthinkable in Destiny 1.
The lack of Iron Banner drops after a match also results in great boredom. Randomly rolled items are exciting. Often, we had to fly to orbit after a match so that everyone could marvel at their loot. The missing loot after a match takes away the motivation of many players to even participate in the Iron Banner.
The missing level progression and the boring token system (many Guardians want loot drops, not tokens!) caps off the whole system. In Destiny 1, the progression of one’s character was a crucial motivation to participate in the Iron Banner. This is completely lacking in Destiny 2.
Many Guardians describe the current Iron Banner as the worst of all time. While many forget what a full-blown catastrophe the first Iron Banner of Destiny 1 was. Drops were virtually nonexistent and the level progression was also missing there. However, Bungie must be measured against the Iron Banner that was held at the end of Destiny 1. And here, unfortunately, three steps have been taken back.
At least Bungie has announced that it is listening to the concerns and suggestions of the player base. The coming months will show how Bungie will respond to the criticism.
What do you think of the Iron Banner? Have you already managed to grab everything you wanted? Let us know in the comments!
