In Destiny 2 was revamped with Season 17, featuring the popular Iron Banner mode. Lord Saladin not only received a new menu and reward system but also a new, old mode for the popular PvP event. However, great anticipation was followed by crushing disappointment. MeinMMO author Christos Tsogos still considers the mode one of the best that Iron Banner has to offer and tells you why.
What did the Guardians specifically criticize? According to many Guardians, Iron Banner suffered a significant setback in Season 17. Bungie replaced the well-known Control mode with the already known “Rift” mode from Destiny 1. Additionally, the number of appearances that Lord Saladin gets in a season was reduced from four seasonal to just two in an entire season.
The loot and thus new gear were also absent, shocking many players as it resembled a bold move by Bungie. Employees of the space shooter were even threatened with murder. However, our MeinMMO author Christos Tsogos celebrates, despite the toxic hate towards the changes, the new mode and will continue to play it – and for good reason.
Iron Banner finally emphasizes what is most important: teamwork as a pack. Those who know Lord Saladin’s fiery mode know how he fills Guardians’ ears with teamwork and terms like “pack”. But that has always been missing from the PvP event.
A mode where teamwork is key to victory. For over 5 years, Guardians have been stuck in the familiar Control mode of Iron Banner and know nothing else.
What bothered me about Iron Banner were rounds in which players never captured the zones and only aimed for kills. That drove me to the brink of fury, as this mode has always been designed for teamwork, not for improving the KD.
Now that it is finally not the number of your kills but the tactical advance that counts, many Guardians are overwhelmed by the change. In my opinion, Guardians should just bite the bullet and finally work on their teamwork. Then they wouldn’t waste their time putting Bungie on trial as they are working hard to keep us Guardians happy with content.
The Iron Banner still needs improvement, but the mode should remain: Anyone who has tried the Iron Banner in Season 17 knows the catastrophic state it was left in for the Guardians.
The spark disappeared, Guardians got trapped in endless teleport loops, and the balance between teams and solo players was also poorly pitched. These are all issues that Bungie will certainly tackle over time, but the mode must still remain.
After 5 years without changes, Rift is truly the best thing that could happen to PvP. Finally, a fresh mode that encourages Guardians to try out new strategies and start playing together. The matches won feel earned and the lost ones motivate improvement.
So I don’t care how much hate you express towards the mode, I can’t get enough of it.
With Bungie daring to implement the Rift in Destiny 2, more modes might follow. At least Bungie hinted at this in one of the recent weekly blog articles:
Essentially, we plan to change the Iron Banner mode season after season. Sometimes it will be a brand new or a returning mode; sometimes it will be an existing mode with new challenges.
Bungie writes in the TWaB (“This Week at Bungie” blog from May 12, 2022)
Supremacy was also a good and strong mode, more focused on kills and collecting the blue and red engrams, yet still offered variety.
One thing the Iron Banner still lacks: Bungie promised cool rewards before the release of Season 17 that Guardians should receive in the revamped Iron Banner.
I understood that, for example, players should be able to earn old ornaments from Seasons 1-2 that are worthy of the chivalrous image. But as I got closer to Lord Saladin, I was disappointed with familiar and sunset weapons.
For me, neither the seal nor any weapons have ever been a drive for Iron Banner. It has always been the stylish armors that stand out from the futuristic image of the shooter. That disappointed me deeply, as I saw the greatest potential in that.
If Bungie had at least granted Guardians such rewards, many Guardians probably wouldn’t have gone off the handle.
But despite this, the mode has been and is a highlight for me for Season 17 and I will play it again in the next Iron Banner.
Enough about me, what about you? Do you share my opinion and find that the Iron Banner, despite bugs, has produced a cool and varied mode? Or are you still mad at Bungie and want your dusty Control back? Let us know in the comments how you feel about it!
