In the MMO shooter Destiny , players must reach reputation level 2 in the Iron Banner in order to see drops in the new mode. The Iron Banner event is currently receiving heavy criticism from some players: It invites desertion and is not working as advertised.

The active event this week “Iron Banner” is functioning differently than previously thought. Players are reporting that they started receiving rewards such as a legendary weapon only after reaching reputation level 2 at the end of a match. Before that, it looked bleak.

The Reputation Levels in the Iron Banner in Destiny

It is now clear how many reputation points are needed for each reputation level:

• Reputation level 1 can be reached with just 100 points. Here, a shader and an emblem can be purchased from the vendor Lord Saladin, which each grant an additional 10% reputation points. Instead of 25 points per victory, with them you receive 30 points. A loss does not grant any reputation points.
• Reputation level 2 requires 1200 points. From here, players report an increased chance of rewards after match completion, and a class item can be purchased from the vendor that grants an additional 10% bonus.
• Reputation level 3 needs 3000 points. From here, legendary items can be purchased from Lord Saladin, including armor pieces and weapons.

Update: The first players have now reached rank 3. The weapons cannot be broken down into energy or shards. There are also no reports of new items that are only available at this level, like in the Queen’s Wrath event.

Problems with the Iron Banner: Mode Attracts Deserters

In the English-speaking Forum reddit, there is much criticism of the Iron Banner mode. Because losers do not receive reputation points and no other rewards, it has established that players in a hopeless situation (whatever they understand by that) simply leave the 6vs6 match. This leaves the remaining players outnumbered and frustrated. Sometimes it only takes a slight disadvantage that players throw in the towel: This takes the tension out of the mode and is generally seen as a design flaw in the concept.

Furthermore, the fact that the Iron Banner is only played in 6-man teams on large maps does not please some.

Does the Iron Banner in Destiny Work as Intended?

As players have envisioned and as it was announced at the beginning, the Iron Banner event does not seem to function quite as intended. In theory, high-level Guardians should have a clear advantage in the PvP mode, as their gear and the stats on it fully count. In practice, while the difference is there, it is hardly noticeable. In a YouTube video, a Guardian with level 4 and a level-1 auto rifle plays a strong role in an Iron Banner match.

Players are hoping for answers from Bungie regarding whether the mode works as planned.

Update: Community Manager DeeJ has asked for player feedback and has already announced that the Iron Banner and its functionality will be the topic of the next Weekly Update.

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment

The public opinion on the shooter MMO Destiny seems to be changing. After the huge hype at release, meager reviews came in, seeing the 500 million project with ratings around 75%. Yet even some of the supposedly harshest critics are still playing it and can’t stop writing about it. Even after a month, gaming sites are still full of reports about Destiny. Non-players are slowly getting annoyed by this.

A few weeks ago we reported on the criticism of the MMO shooter Destiny. After the huge hype at release, some critics sharpened their knives: Destiny is at best an average game. The hype once again a trick. Bungie miscalculated, the game lacks too much story, soul, it feels incomplete.

Addiction factor is here: The Destiny virus

Now, however, a different mood is slowly building: because despite the weaknesses of the game, which are still being identified, even the critics can’t stop playing it. For instance, Paul Tassi reports on Forbes that despite its flaws, the game is remarkably playable and especially replayable: “About a week after launch, many of the 6/10 or 7/10 reviews were probably justified, as we entered a dead phase where the mechanics became boring. But now? I actually know many of the critics who judged so harshly, and I know they are still playing Destiny today. They have contracted Destiny like a virus.” Furthermore, Destiny is already significantly better after the first patches than it was at launch.

According to Tassi, the fascination of the game lies in its incredible accessibility, gradually introducing players to the numerous activities. In the end, there are so many possibilities to engage that one doesn’t even know what to do first.

Reporting on Destiny annoys some non-players

Ben Kuchera is dealing with another problem for the US magazine Polygon. In the article “We can’t stop writing about Destiny, but you can’t stop reading about it either” he addresses the enormous media attention that Destiny still receives a month after release. Many readers of the site, who are not Destiny fans, are slowly fed up and want to read more about other games. No Facebook post, no article goes by without someone complaining about giving free attention to the 500 million colossus.

But Kuchera defends Destiny: The interest in it is simply enormous. And there is so much to write about. Yes, Destiny is a mess. But it is an incredibly interesting mess!

At Polygon, they compare Destiny to the first Assassin’s Creed. That also drove fans to despair, but the potential of what a great game it could become was always visible. And with Assassin’s Creed 2 at the latest, that hope was fulfilled.

Other voices online compare Destiny more to Diablo 3. That also took some time to really find its form, but still kept players engaged despite its flaws. Something seems to be going right with Destiny.

Non-players can also annoy themselves with Destiny articles through this link.

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment

In the MMO shooter Destiny, a new farming spot for legendary engrams, Glimmer, and experience points has been discovered. In the Cosmodrome, a staircase proves to be the new El Dorado. The community has affectionately named it “Loot Stairs.”

Many paths lead to the goal in Destiny

While some players struggle with the new Nightfall Strike or the Iron Banner event, others want nothing to do with such content and prefer to stay in a place where they can farm low-level mobs to gain experience points and level up their weapons. Furthermore, it is currently trendy to bring Twinks to level 20 – it might make sense to level up more Guardians of the same class. Or players are looking for engrams and trying their luck with the newly coded decoder, the Cryptarch. This is called loot cave farming.

The first batch of these treasure caves was locked soon after they emerged. Grinding them became a trendy activity before the nerf. Much to Bungie’s dismay. But that didn’t stop players from looking for new spots. And they found one. Now again!

The magical staircase in the Cosmodrome

Gold seekers – or rather engram seekers in Destiny – have once again spent hours searching for the best farming spot in Destiny – and they have found it. The new spot is located in the Cosmodrome, relatively close to the spawn point and has an outstanding yield. The special thing here is: The mobs come quickly, spawn at close range, drop like flies and drop like a loot piñata.

The only downside: Every seven to ten minutes, the Guardians must leave their cozy spot in the staircase, and one has to show up, go upstairs, and check on things. A ship lands – it announces itself with a lot of noise – and enemies jump out. They must be eliminated, otherwise the spawn gets interrupted.

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment

In the shooter MMO Destiny, the Nightfall mission, level 28 Nightfall Strike is intense this week. All three burns are active. We tell you how to manage it anyway.

What is a Nightfall Strike?
A Nightfall Strike is a mission for three Guardians that can be completed once a week. It is essentially the “secret” final stage of the weekly heroic strikes, pushed to the limit by the “Epic” modifier. The weekly Nightfall Strike is designed for level 28 and the rewards are extraordinary: In addition to the chance for exotic items, there’s a 20% bonus on reputation and experience for everything you do this week. Unfortunately, this does not apply to reputation gains at the Iron Banner, that would be too easy.

What is special about Nightfall Strikes?
Nightfall Strikes have so-called modifiers. This always includes the modifier “Nightfall” – which means: If the entire strike team is dead, the strike is considered failed and the players end up in orbit, having to start over.

In addition, Nightfall Strikes also have some other modifiers like “Juggler” – meaning no ammunition drops for the weapon being fired – or “Lightswitch”, where enemies are strong in close combat.

Okay, where are we going this week and what can they do there?
This week’s Nightfall Strike in Destiny is “Defeat the Archon-Priest.” This leads you into the strike “Winter’s Run” on Venus. The modifiers, alongside the two always active modifiers Nightfall (if all Guardians die, you go to orbit) and Epic (ensuring it gets quite tricky), this time are Solar Burn, Arc Burn, and Void Burn. Each of the three elemental damage types deals triple damage in the strike. This applies to both enemies and Guardians. Last week, for example only “Arc Burn” was active in a strike that had very few enemies with electric damage, which was ideal. This week, it’s going to be intense in Destiny.

And how do I still complete the strike?
At most spots, it is advantageous to seek a higher position and snipe the enemies from a distance or let them eliminate each other at first. There are even some glitches or semi-exploits at the final boss, safe spots under structures allowing you to shoot at the boss without getting hit yourself. Therefore, the strike is quite manageable and also food for those players who need to prove themselves by completing a three-person meal alone.

We have selected two videos for you, where you can see the Nightfall Strike well this week.

This is a short version with commentary from the US site IGN:

And here it goes a bit more in detail:

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment

The MMO shooter Destiny has launched the Iron Banner event today. What is already known about it, and how will it proceed?

The event Iron Banner will start today in Destiny, and it will run for a week until next Tuesday at 11 AM our time. The previous event “The Witch Queen” has ended.

We already gave you a first insighton Sunday. While definite and complete information is still missing at the moment, a lot more about the procedure has become known in the last hours:

It will definitely be about reaching Rank 3 in the Iron Banner. Through perseverance, it will be possible to earn four armor pieces for each class. You will likely need luck to obtain one of the 9 legendary weapons or even the legendary ship Birth of History.

Update: The event has been live since 11 AM, and we will update the definite information from the live server as updates – like in this example.

You need Reputation Level 3 for the armor

According to Bungie, the reputation vendor for the Iron Banner has the following items available at the different rank levels:

• At Rank 1 there are Iron Banner emblems and shaders. They may sound boring, but you should buy them since both the emblem and the shader provide a 10% bonus on the reputation you earn in the Iron Banner. (And yes, this means: many will look similar next week).
• At Rank 2 you can buy the class items. They also grant a 10% bonus on reputation gain.
• At Rank 3 there are the armor pieces for the Iron Banner. These are highly sought after and will likely represent the main prize. Rumor has it that they might even be upgradeable to light level 30, which would give them raid-level. However, no exact information is known until the event goes live and someone gets access to them. Additionally, there will be a new shader and an emblem available at Rank 3.

Update: At first glance, it looks like the legendary armor pieces only go up to 27 Light. Apparently, it takes only 100 reputation points to reach Rank 1, and 1200 for Rank 2 (Source: reddit). By the way, while you are earning reputation for the Iron Banner, you can also continue to earn reputation for factions; just equip the faction class item, and you will earn reputation for both. Successfully completing a Nightfall/the Strike does not grant a bonus.

Where are the legendary weapons and the ship?

As of now, it is still unknown where Destiny players can obtain the nine different weapons and the legendary ship.

One possibility would be: rewards after each round in the Iron Banner playlist. They could also be rewards for the bounties, of which there will be 10. The bounties are quite skill-based if they are indeed the ones that sites like destinydb currently speculate about. There are three different headshot bounties alone, others require kills without dying or completing the round as the top scorer. There are also some grind bounties where you just have to gather EXP. But it looks pretty intense.

Update: The bounties have been confirmed. There is one today that cannot be completed yet because it requires items that need to be bought and worn, which will only be available after Rank Level 2. One of the nine weapons is available today for purchase from Lord Saladin. However, Rank 3 is also required for that.

In the video, you can see which bounties are active today, on Tuesday, and what Lord Saladin is selling for Hunters:

And what do I actually do in the Iron Banner in Destiny?

The Iron Banner is a PvP event where armor IS NOT adjusted, but fully counts. This means that anyone below light level 27 is likely to get completely wrecked. You compete in the Iron Banner in a special playlist against other players, just like you would in the crucible.
At the moment, it is assumed that reputation will be distributed after each round, whether you win (25 points?) or lose (10 points?) – perhaps there will also be a new kind of “tokens” for which you can buy items. This is not yet certain.

Update: 10 crucible tokens cost the armor pieces, while the rest can be bought with glimmer. Oh, and automatic rifles are currently dominant in Destiny’s PvP, so if you need a suggestion on which weapon to prefer in PvP… a nerf of these weapons could come within the next few days, and the balance wheel will turn again. By the way: 25 points for a win, no points for a loss. This causes problems with quitters.

For optimal success, you should try to track and submit as many Iron Banner bounties as possible at the same time, and you should equip the 3 items that provide reputation bonuses, namely the emblem, shader, and class item.

On this page you will find an overview of the 12 armor pieces, the 9 weapons, 10 bounties, and the 10 cosmetic items. Whether all of these will be in the game and what stats they will have is still unknown at the moment.
The most important question will be whether the 12 armor pieces will indeed reach light value 30 when upgraded.

Update: Today, on the first day, the vendor for Hunters has a chest piece, for Titans gloves and a chest piece, and for Warlocks gloves. Whether the items can indeed be upgraded to light level 30 is unknown. Early signs say rather “No.”.

If you want to prepare for the event, Bungie has set up a mini-page for that – and we have found a Youtube video for you:

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment

Tonight, on Tuesday, October 7th, the servers for the MMO shooter Destiny are expected to be down for a few hours. A hotfix will be applied.

A valuable tip for your daily planning: If you were looking forward to a few rounds in the new Iron Banner event after work, school, or after a long afternoon nap, or if you want to pursue the Nightfall strike, you can do something else instead. Because Destiny will not be accessible.

Around 4 PM our time, the Destiny servers are scheduled to be taken down. They are expected to remain down for a few hours. The reason for this is a hotfix. It should fix some technical issues. The players themselves are not expected to notice much of a difference due to the change. Perhaps they will notice if the occasional kick to orbit is absent or if the server connection is a bit more stable than in recent weeks.

Most of the changes mentioned relate to analysis tools and system security. Server-side, the performance is to be improved. You can find the complete update notes here:

Client fixes

• Added more data logging for matchmaking systems
• Improved connectivity failure handling to reduce beaver (Kick To Orbit events) KTOs
• Improved logging of player disconnections
• Internal tools fixes to speed up our release process
• Fixes to the roster system to allow us to tune the frequency of roster updates on Xbox One
• Fixed a bug that allowed users to quick scope on some weapons

 

Server Fixes

• Security fixes
• Server performance improvements
• Fixes to reduce the frequency of some KTOs
• Better logging to help diagnose connectivity problems
• Fixes to some Centipede errors that were exclusive to specific player characters

And for those who are upset about why it’s happening at 4 PM, when you just find time to play: Bungie is located on the West Coast of the USA. It’s 7 AM there.

Update 19:48: It’s back up and running.

Your opinion is important to us!

Do you like the article? Then let us know!

I like it! Comment