Destiny 2 Season 17 Iron Banner rework revealed alongside Rift return

Lloyd Coombes
Lord Saladin/Bracus Forge in Destiny 2

Bungie has revealed an overhaul of Destiny 2’s Iron Banner PvP event, and the reintroduction of the Rift mode, for Season 17.

Destiny 2 Season 17 is just a few short weeks away, and Bungie has finally revealed what players can expect from the reworked Iron Banner mode.

The PvP staple, which has been around since the first game, will see huge changes in the game’s next season. For one, the popular Rift mode will be found in Iron Banner, meaning you’ll be dunking on opponents with the Spark, and it’s bringing a new map, too.

Players will also no longer have to worry about Power Level in Iron Banner since it’s being disabled — just as it is in core Crucible modes, although it’ll remain in Trials of Osiris.

Destiny 2 Iron Banner rework for Season 17

Destiny 2's new Rift map for PvP
Rift will get its own custom map.

In the latest “This Week At Bungie” blog post, Bungie confirmed that players will be able to find Bracus Forge (formerly Lord Saladin) in the spot where Eva is usually found in the Tower.

Rift will make its return as part of the season, and Bungie said players can expect the Iron Banner mode to switch out, saying “sometimes it might be a brand new or returning mode, sometimes it might be an interesting twist on an existing mode.”

Rewards will be replaced with a Trials-esque ranking system, too, so you can earn Iron Engrams that can be focused just like Trials gear. Bungie said it’s looking into adding older Iron Banner gear, too, as well as cosmetics.

Each match will earn additional Iron Banner reputation, and you’ll earn a bonus based on your rank for winning. Wearing a set of Iron Banner gear and equipping Iron Banner weapons can max out a multiplier for reputation of up to 200%, while a new series of daily challenges can earn you an extra 100% for each challenge for the week. You’ll even get a 10% buff from using an Iron Banner emblem.

Players can also expect a new Iron Lord challenge which Bungie says will take around 15 to 20 hours to earn, and it can be gilded in Season 18.

Perhaps one of the biggest shifts is that Lord Saladin/Bracus Forge will now only appear twice during Season 17 — in Week 2 (May 31), and in Week 8 (July 12). All Guardians will take an induction quest for Iron Banner when it arrives in Season 17, but there will no longer be a seasonal Iron Banner quest.

Destiny 2 Iron Banner rework director screen
Expect different modes other than Control in Iron Banner

Bungie also revealed that the new map, Disjunction, which has been promised for some time, is set on Savathun’s Throne World from the Witch Queen expansion and is built for all modes, but is particularly suited to Rift.

Rift, for new players, was a Destiny 1 mode that requires players “dunk” a Spark in the opposition’s goal. It was fast-paced and chaotic back in the original game, and Bungie says “we have had a ridiculous amount of fun testing and tuning the mode internally; it plays so very different than anything we have in the Crucible right now.”

Rift will be added to the Crucible rotator in Season 18, so you’ll only be able to play it in Iron Banner in Season 17.

Season 17 will also bring back Zone Control, and see changes to existing PvP modes including Control, Elimination, Rumble, and Showdown.  We’d recommend jumping into the full blog post for a rundown.


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