On October 10, Bungie will introduce the Iron Banner competitive multiplayer event to Destiny 2, giving Guardians a chance to earn special rewards in exchange for the corpses of their fellow players. But the event has been modified quite a bit from the original game, and the removal of one key feature could leave longtime fans frustrated.
The Iron Banner will run until October 17 and sees players competing in the “Control” game mode, which requires two teams to capture key locations in order to earn points. In place of the bounties and ranks of the original Destiny are special “Iron Banner engrams,” which will likely be converted into high-power equipment after crossing a certain threshold.
However, during matches, the equipment and power level you have for your Guardian will have no impact on the match, just like both quick and competitive Crucible multiplayer both work now. This is a huge change from the first game’s Iron Banner, where having the right loadout could give you a huge advantage over newer players. In fact, it was largely the point of Iron Banner, finally giving the most dedicated players a chance to show off their power to the world.
Competing in Iron Banner matches in Destiny 2 will earn you both daily and “season” milestones for the game, but Bungie is keeping quiet about what that means — more information will be divulged at TwitchCon on October 20.
If you’re more interested in raiding than in competitive multiplayer, you’re still going to want to head back to Destiny 2 on October 10. The brutally hard Leviathan raid will contain a new “prestige” difficulty option, with a recommended power level of 300. While the raid will still contain the same basic obstacles, you’ll find the battles to be much more difficult and you’ll be able to earn some “unique rewards” for your trouble. The first group to complete the new version of the raid will also be rewarded, but it isn’t clear exactly what that means yet.
Destiny 2 is now available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The PC version of the game will arrive on October 24, just before the launch of Assassin’s Creed Origins, Super Mario Odyssey, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus.
