Destiny 2 Iron Banner season 19 is upon us. Iron Banner is always an exciting time for PvP aficionados, and the season 19 iteration of the slugfest brings with it a brand new game mode, Fortress, which is an enticing prospect for even the non-competitive among you. Fortress, as the name suggests, involves taking on enemies set up in a defensive position as well as tasking you with securing points on the map.
Iron Banner is a staple of the FPS game, celebrating Destiny 2’s PvP activities at their most chaotic. Although it operates similarly to Crucible, this special timed event offers a limited set of rewards that players can only get by completing Iron Banner activities. It’s available to all players, regardless of whether they own in-game expansions or seasonal DLC.
Destiny 2 Iron Banner: Overview and start time
The start time for season 19 Iron Banner was 3 January at 11am PT / 2pm ET / 6pm GMT, the same time as the weekly reset.
New players must have completed the New Light quest through to the point where they’ve met Lord Shaxx to access Iron Banner. Guardians must then speak with Lord Saladin in the Tower Courtyard. Lord Saladin typically only appears when Iron Banner is active.
Throughout the event, you can rank up with Lord Saladin by completing matches and completing tasks that improve player reputation. You will begin the season’s second Iron Banner with the amount of reputation gained from the season’s previous Iron Banner.
Iron Banner used to take into account Light levels, but that is no longer the case. Therefore, you needn’t worry about leveling your weapons and gear before participating in the event.
The new game mode, Fortress, is a variation of Iron Banner that puts AI enemies into the mix, as well as your usual human opponents. It works in a similar way to Zone Control; there are several zones on the map to fight over, with points accrued at set intervals depending on how many zones are controlled by your team. The twist with Fortress is that Cabal units and turrets drop into the map at the four-minute and six-minute mark of each match.
The Cabal defensive position that appears on the map is accompanied by an additional control zone. Defeating the enemies and their turrets enables you to capture the zone and either extend your lead or give you the extra points needed to catch up to the opposing team.
Destiny 2 Iron Banner rewards
Anyone who tells you that they play Iron Banner solely for the challenge is, frankly, a liar. The best players get the best rewards, and Iron Banner season 19 doesn’t disappoint, as not only are there two new weapons on offer, but a classic Iron Banner armour set, brought back from year two of the original Destiny.
The two new weapons are Gunnora’s Axe, a slug shotgun, and the Dark Decider, an Arc auto rifle. Slug shotguns are notorious in PvP for their one-shot capability, while an Arc auto rifle is a perfect fit for anyone running an electrical build. The armour set, Iron Companion, has been repurposed from the original free PC game and features a rather dashing wolfskin pelt for the Hunter class.
Iron Banner will also reliably drop armour pieces with stats that are 60+, which is typically better than most world drops.
Destiny 2 Forging Iron quest
Players taking part in Iron Banner should also plan to acquire and complete the Forging Iron quest. Regardless of player skill level, the quest is relatively easy, and most players can quickly finish it within the week.
The quest steps are as follows:
- Complete an Iron Banner match.
- Complete a daily challenge.
- Earn Iron Banner rank points.
- Collect an Iron Banner engram reward from Lord Saladin.
- Complete Iron Banner matches while wearing armour (at least one piece) from the season Iron Banner set. Additional Iron Banner armour pieces grant faster progress.
- Speak to Lord Saladin to complete the quest.
Completing this will fully unlock all of Lord Saladin’s vendor options.
Destiny 2 Iron Banner reputation boosts and Iron Lord title
To complete the Iron Banner quest line as quickly as possible, Guardians can boost their Iron Banner reputation gains by doing the following:
- Equip five pieces of Iron Banner gear (200% increase for all five pieces).
- Complete Iron Banner daily challenges (100% increase per challenge, up to 400%).
- Equip the Iron Banner emblem (10% increase).
- Complete more Iron Banner matches, as the more matches you complete, the more the game accelerates your progress per match.
- Increase Iron Banner rank, as higher ranks also reward more reputation.
Players can find the Iron Banner challenges listed on the Destinations menu when they hover over Iron Banner. Completing Iron Banner challenges also unlocks Pinnacle gear.
Bungie suggests that players attempting to chase the Iron Banner Seal and Title set aside approximately 15 to 20 hours to play. Completing this Triumph unlocks the Iron Lord title.
If you’re planning to compete in Iron Banner, be sure to master your character build by checking out our guides to the best Destiny 2 Warlock builds, the best Destiny 2 Hunter builds, and the best Destiny 2 Titan builds. Good luck, Guardian — you’re going to need it!