Next week marks the return of Destiny 2 Iron Banner, and the first time the event will return for Season 2. Alongside new Season 2 loot to earn and armor ornaments to unlock, Bungie has changed some things around for this event to make it more worthy of a Guardian’s time.
Iron Banner engrams for Season 2 will allow you to get the new hand cannon, scout rifle, and shotgun, along with the original Season 1 rewards. Additional Season 2 weapons will be added to the loot pool in subsequent Iron Banner weeks. There will also be an Iron Banner sparrow, a new Ghost shell, and a ship that can be earned by playing and turning in tokens to Lord Saladin in the Tower. If you complete the Iron Banner Milestone, you’ll receive an exclusive Season 2 Iron Banner emblem.
One of the biggest changes Bungie made is to allow players to purchase armor and weapons directly from Saladin, instead of waiting for random drops. Players will now have the ability to purchase all five armor pieces and a rotating selection of three weapons using the tokens earned while playing. Next week, Saladin will have the hand cannon, scout rifle, and shotgun available.
Armor ornaments are new for Season 2. Instead of earning a whole new set of armor, completing certain objectives (such as winning 10 Iron Banner matches, etc.) will unlock ornaments that change the look of the Iron Banner armor. You can see the fully ornamented Season 2 Iron Banner armor sets in the image above.
A lot of these changes are geared towards rewarding players for playing and giving them a good reason to come back. It also takes away the frustration that can come from random drops by allowing players to directly acquire the things they want. The added incentive of special event items like sparrows and Ghost shells is a welcome addition that helps to drive the loot grind without driving players to microtransactions. It’s a great start towards making Destiny 2 a game that players will want to play again.
Destiny 2 Iron Banner returns on January 30 and will end on February 6. There will be some downtime preceding the start of Iron Banner on January 30.
[Source: Bungie]
