It was with great reluctance that I called Destiny’s last Iron Banner the worst the game’s ever seen. Iron Banner, for those unfamiliar, is a monthly celebration of my — and many players’ — favorite part of Destiny, the Crucible. But no amount of anticipation could have made up for the woeful rewards, dismal matchmaking and blatant power imbalances that plagued the previous Banner. However, there is something that can: a proper, reworked and satisfying Iron Banner. And this past week, Destiny delivered precisely that.
It’s something you can’t tell just from reading. When Bungie first revealed the sweeping changes brought to Banner, I was excited, though I limited my celebration to grunts of approval as I pored over patch notes, bitter as I am. Increased reputation gains, they promised. Reward packages for cracking ranks three and five, as well as new and unique items like ghost shells and artifacts. Dramatically improved in-match drop rates rounded things off. It was great on paper, but it’s brilliant in practice.
On the surface, Iron Banner is all about power. Next to the Trials of Osiris, it’s the one place where the PvP-minded can truly flaunt their gear. But we all know how little the “power matters” mantra actually impacts things. We’re no longer in the days where fledgling Guardians can dominate Banner with the first gun they find, but Crucible is Crucible. Putting a “You must be this tall to ride” sign out front doesn’t change much when everyone has six inches on the thing. In truth, and true to Destiny’s core design, Iron Banner is all about the rewards. If the rewards are bad, the experience suffers. Naturally, the reverse is also true. And, oh, did Banner benefit this time around.
Abundant Legendary drops were the sweetest addition. In October, I was surprised to see players get a drop before hitting rank five. This past Banner, I was surprised to not see someone from my team pull a Legendary after every match. As everyone climbed ranks and unlocked new drop tables, two items per team quickly became the average. And that works unseen wonders for Banner as a whole. Even if the drops aren’t yours, and they often are, you know they’re out there. For once randomness is in your favor, and continuing to play will get you what you want without putting too many hours into the grind furnace. The loot had far more raid and far less strike in it this month.
Rewards are everything in Destiny. For Iron Banner, they’re the gratifying high punctuating hard-earned victories and the cushion lessening the sting of photo-finish losses. They’re so much more than just Legendary gear to be scrapped or infused. They’re reassurance that your time wasn’t and won’t be wasted, the necessary mental carrot to the stick of Destiny’s unabashed operant conditioning.
Of course, a real carrot is fine too, or at least a digital one. Alongside in-match drops, this is where those new reward packages shine. Betting on the next throw of the dice is fun and all, but a guarantee is more motivating in the long haul, and Banner is a long haul if ever there was one. Gaining packages at ranks three and five, both of which can contain unique rewards, provides powerful incentive to climb Banner’s ladder. It makes the daily and weekly bounties much more enticing, and the ever-increasing Tempered buff all the better. Much the same is true for the flat, 20 percent reputation increased Bungie divvied out. This is to say nothing of the fact that, as you reach for new rungs on the ladder, Lord Saladin’s greatly improved inventory—now packing two armor pieces and two good weapons—is hoovering up your Legendary Marks. He may regret that in future months, as I suspect any step backward won’t be met happily. Four items or bust, Saladin.
The upswing in player happiness was due to more than just loot, however, and in many cases more than just Iron Banner. The changes to Banner’s bounties, namely their departure from win requisites, reflects a broader change in bounty design that finally did away with the growing toxicity of quitting. Slapping “and win the match” onto otherwise reasonable bounties proved to be the kiss of death to more than just player motivation. Matchmaking suffered tremendously as torrents of people quit at the first sight of defeat, inevitably forcing their teammates to either do the same or await the fickle mercy rule. Now all classes and weapon types are on the same playing field (at least where bounties are concerned), and outside one deservedly difficult weekly bounty, participation is plenty.
The best negativity I can muster is a shadow of a grievance toward the current weapon landscape. Hawkmoon is still absurd and Red Death is still the biggest winner of power mattering. As anyone will tell you, Banner is also still overwhelmingly dominated by pulse rifles, though shotguns get more than their fair share of limelight as well. In related news, last I checked the sky was blue and grass, green. But these imbalances are already on the chopping block, so it’s hard to throw a fit over them. Shotguns are getting their sixth (or so) nerf in December, and special attention will be paid to the Crucible’s most egregious offenders, including, to my immense relief, my most-used exotics. We also have more weapons on their way to glorious year-two status, so optimism really is the best attitude, though my tongue (keyboard?) shrinks at the notion.
Oh, and did I mention it was Clash? I didn’t want to. Not because it seemed irrelevant, but because I can’t have my undying preference for the game type coloring your perception. Why, no, I can’t even spell bias.
Control is nice for a time, but it’s, well, controlling. After playing Banner Clash, the mode seems a better fit for the wild escape that Banner has on offer. Still, there is something less momentous about winning a game where your teammates’ actions are wholly irrelevant. And I understand complaints that the less skilled or less eager have a harder time contributing in a game where they can’t win by playing “duck, duck, goose” around a flag. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see the Trials crew recoil from seeing Saladin plod on their “rise of the mighty” door mat. At the very least, I won’t cast my vote for Iron Banner Rumble just yet.
Iron Banner is a reward, both for equipment earned and skill refined, so it should be rewarding. Its conclusion should invite tales tall enough to make fishermen green in the face—I really did get five Golden Gun shots once—and forum-wide speculation on the next month’s loot table. And as it fades, it’s clear this month’s Banner did all that and more. Most importantly, it told Destiny players exactly what they needed to hear: it’s worth playing.
