This weeks update from DeeJ over at Bungie.net touches on the return of the Iron Banner, and promises that it will be different, and that this time, levels WILL matter!
One of the main disappointments from the last Iron Banner event was that it didn’t seem like having the best loot and gear made a difference, even though we were told that it would, and that only the toughest Guardians would prevail. But the impending return has promised to change that as DeeJ explains.
“The goal for Level Advantages in PVP had been to create relatively small advantages that would suffice only to tilt the balance between players of equal skill towards the player of greater achievement, expressed in terms of his gear. But we now believe we have been too conservative, and that small tilts failed to meet anyone’s expectations.
In the next Iron Banner, we will debut a much more dramatic difference between players of wide variation in Level. We will detail the changes in an article of its own to come as soon as we settle on some of the numbers.
Because of this, the next Iron Banner will also require a Fireteam leader to be Level 20 to enter. While lower Level players may join in with their Level 20+ chaperone, they will find it very challenging.”
Another large problem was people constantly quitting if they were on the losing team. This was mainly down to the fact that you didn’t earn any Iron Banner reputation if your team lost, so players didn’t see any point in fighting it out until the end. Bungie are looking to address this by implementing a reward for players even if you lose.
“The goal of Iron Banner was to create a PVP playlist where players would push their game and their equipment harder than ever. To do so, the emphasis is on winning. But that meant players who found themselves losing would be inclined to leave.
The Iron Lords respect perseverance and tenacity. In the next Iron Banner, players will receive a Medallion of Iron on a loss. Upon their next win, each Medallion they carry will convert into a reputation gain almost equal to a win.”

This isn’t all we can expect from the event though, oh no, no!
Iron Banner armour will now be bumped up to level 30 to make it more appealing for those who are already at the higher levels, and may already be kitted out in raid gear or exotic armour.
Bounties are also getting a slight tweek, you can now expect to earn a little more rep from them, and they will actually be a little easier to complete, and therefore less of a grind. Because we all know people are hating the grind!
Any Iron Banner weapons you earn will now have the option for a re-roll from Lord Saladin, effectively giving you the option to change the perks associated with the weapon at the cost of a few motes of light.
Finally, if you are a player who can’t dedicate handfuls or hours a week to the game, and can only play here and there you are in luck. A new feature called Tempered will be added, which will allow you earn extra rep for a limited time. The further you go in to the week, the bigger the buff in rep will be, allowing players joining the party a little late to catch up.
All of these things sounds like a good idea, and I’m glad that they are addressing the issues quickly. Now, all we need is a date! As of yet, Bungie haven’t confirmed when the next Iron Banner event will actually be. But I would expect to see it in the next couple of weeks. Keep your eyes peeled Guardians! Check out the full post here.
– Will