Destiny Taken King: Iron Banner Guide (Nov 17-24)All hail the Iron Lords! Level advantages are enabled in Iron Banner, so your Light should be as strong as possible.

Once you’re rank 2 you’ll be able to get gear from the end of Iron Banner matches. Potential match completion rewards now include both weapons and armor, matching the same items available from Lord Saladin during each event.

Control vs Clash

For the first time ever, this week’s Iron Banner tournament will take place in the Clash arena. What changes might we see on a game level?

With the removal of zones and influence towards scores, we now have a pure “team deathmatch” game type. The team with the most kills wins, and no zone can change that. Map control is still very important, however.

Many Destiny maps offer plenty of routes for aggressive movement, and games often evolve over time with teams holding different parts of the map for periods of time. In Clash, position still influences a team’s ability to succeed. Holding the high ground or heavily protected area versus an exposed space can mean all the difference. If a team gets too aggressive, however, the spawns will “flip” when map position changes. If you’re caught in the middle or unaware of the flip, you might suddenly find yourself surrounded by enemies who just spawned right next to you.

In Iron Banner Control, many players noted how difficult it was to succeed and rank up while matchmaking on their own. A team that can communicate could easily hold two zones for entire games, thus making it near impossible for a lone wolf to get enough kills to secure the win. With Clash, kills are the only thing deciding the victors. Still, it’s important to remember that teaming up will increase your likelihood of winning tenfold. 

Bounties

Wear the IB emblem, shader, and class item to get the most reputation!

Name Description Familiar Iron Defeat 13 opposing Guardians with Primary Weapons. Iron Hued Win an Iron Banner match with any Iron Banner emblem or shader equipped. Iron Domination Win an Iron Banner match with a score of at least 2500. Iron Gauntlet Impress Lord Saladin with extraordinary feats in the Iron Banner. Iron Marathon Complete 13 Iron Banner matches and win 7. Iron Versatility Defeat 50 Guardians with Primary Weapons, 25 with Special Weapons and 13 with Heavy Weapons.

Weapons

Iron Banner weapons cost 90 Legendary marks and are 280 Attack. Finnala’s Peril & Bretomart’s Stand are available for purchase.

Finnala’s Peril

Hugh Impact! Also important to note is its strong aim assist of 71, and great vertical recoil. With a supposed weapon balance patch coming in December, this might be a good time to secure yourself a competent hand cannon once again.

• Steadyhand IS / Fastdraw IS / Quickdraw IS
• Relentless Tracker
• Hand Loaded / Smallbore / Feather Mag / Third Eye

Bretomart’s Stand

The Iron Banner HMG comes ready and waiting to wreak havoc in both PvE and PvP. With its mid-impact build and strong aim assist and stability, Bretomart’s Stand could be a great pick up this week. The vendor roll is actually great as is – Spray & Play helps with those long reload times, and Crowd Control will melt through anyone who’s foolish enough to challenge you after a kill.

• Accurized Ballistics / Smart Drift Control / Field Choke
• Spray and Play
• Fitted Stock / Hand-Laid Stock / Reinforced Barrel
• Crowd Control

Name Type Strength Finnala’s Peril Hand Cannon Impact Haakon’s Hatchet Auto Rifle Reload, AA Nirwen’s Mercy Pulse Rifle Stability Colovance’s Duty Scout Rifle Impact, Range Weyloran’s March Sniper Rifle RoF, AA Ashraven’s Flight Fusion Rifle Impact, Range Ironwreath-D Sidearm Stability, Reload Deidris’s Retort Shotgun RoF, Reload Tormod’s Bellows Rocket Launcher Velocity, Reload Bretomart’s Stand Machine Gun Impact, Stability

Armor

Iron Banner armor costs 40 Legendary Marks and is 280 Defense.

Hunter

• Iron Companion Vest | Rank 3
• Iron Companion Sleeves | Rank 4

Titan

• Iron Companion Plate | Rank 3
• Iron Companion Gauntlets | Rank 4

Warlock

• Iron Companion Vestments | Rank 3
• Iron Companion Gloves | Rank 4

What’s New

• The tempered buff is also now automatically applied and continues to grow in effectiveness each day of the event.
• Packages from Lord Saladin upon reaching Rank 3 and Rank 5
  • Iron Banner Artifacts can be obtained from the Rank 3 package
  • Iron Banner Ghost Shells can be obtained from the Rank 5 package or activity completion rewards

Learn more about the damage changes with Derek Carroll in this announcement.

Teamwork is Key

While the new offensive subclasses for Titans and Warlocks have proved thrilling in standard Crucible, the teamwork based mechanics of Iron Banner give more breathing room to Defenders, Nightstalkers, and Sunsingers. Support subclasses provide both defensive and offensive advantages to their fireteams, without distributing heavy fire. Depending on preferences and strengths, offensive subclasses are also vital to Iron Banner, as they make up the aggressive front lines needed to capture well-defended zones.

Classic Control mode welcomes players of several play styles, but Iron Banner ensnares lone wolves and teams who avoid the objective. The new weekly and daily bounties that Lord Saladin bears encourage success and proficiency not only as an individual, but as a team. Ideally, one should play matches with a full fireteam of six, which would allow players to communicate enemy positions and vulnerable zones. Even without communication, matchmade fireteams should stick in groups, always making sure that your allies have cover fire, and someone to watch their back.

The Appeal

Iron Banner allows players to flaunt their high-level gear, while simultaneously proving their skills at PvP. Those who are bored with lackluster matches in standard Crucible and want some more challenge are invited to the test of the Iron Banner. Iron Banner demands teamwork, consistency, and dominance on the battlefield; where chivalry is an afterthought and savage multikills are as rewarding as ever.

Are you picking up this new Iron Banner gear? Let us know! Learn how to rank up fast with this guide by GenericDreadHead!

For more Crucible discussion, the Crucible Radio podcast is for you: