Is Destiny’s Iron Banner “Reforged” really an improvement?

Yesterday, The Iron Banner made its triumphant return in Destiny. With weeks’ worth of feedback and tweaks, Bungie promised an improved PvP experience. So far, I’m digging the changes.

The biggest change this time around is a more dramatic difference between players of wide variation in level. While Guardians within three levels of each other can still be competitive, the advantage/disadvantage becomes most noticeable when the level gap is larger than that. Bungie has already said that defense and attack ratings will have a much larger impact on the combat and while I don’t have solid numbers to back up my claim, I definitely notice a difference. As a level 28 Guardian, I can definitely feel the impact when a fully-upgraded, level 30 Guardian targets me. That being said, I am close to a fully-upgraded Invective shotgun so I am able to hold my own, which is in line with what Bungie said when they warned that lower-level Guardians should “still be considered a very credible threat.” Of course, skill also plays a part because you still do need to actually hit the person.

For an event in which it was promised that power matters, I’m glad to see it actually make a difference this time around. Is it frustrating when I die to a better-geared Guardian? Absolutely, but I embrace the challenge. This is what The Iron Banner is all about — proving you are better even if outmatched.

Another change that’s had a huge impact — for the better — is the Medallion of Iron. Previously, you would only gain Iron Banner rep for wins in the Crucible, encouraging Guardians to quit mid-match if they felt their team was going to lose. It was annoying, but I couldn’t blame them as we were given just a week to get three Ranks. Who wants to waste their time? This time around, losses reward you with a token — a Medallion of Iron. On your next win, this Medallion of Iron is redeemed for a portion of your lost reputation. While it’s not as much reputation as you would get for a win, it’s enough to encourage players to stay in a match. I’ve still had games where my team has left early, but it’s not nearly as bad as it was before.

My only gripe — and this is my personal experience talking here — is that I’ve noticed a considerable amount of lag in the Crucible. Maybe I’m alone in this (and I would love your feedback), but my latency is constantly all over the place. Again, I don’t know if this is a personal connection issue that I’m having, but I don’t remember PvP being this laggy. Bungie has already acknowledged frame rate issues as a result of the update, but I haven’t seen reports of widespread lag issues.

Perhaps more important than the actual gameplay changes is the fact that Iron Banner now has a purpose. With five Iron Banner ranks, you are now able to obtain gear comparable to that of which you would find in the Vault of Glass raid (check out the full list of Iron Banner rewards here). The Iron Banner now acts as a PvP alternative to grinding Destiny’s PvE content. As someone who hates wasting hours raiding, I’d much rather prefer to get to 30 through PvPing. And for a game that encourages leveling both ways, it’s nice to see Bungie acknowledge the portion of their playerbase that prefers shooting other Guardians instead of mindless AI.

These aren’t all of the changes that have been made to the Iron Banner, but these are the ones that I feel have greatly improved the overall PvP experience. Bungie has received a ton of flak for Destiny — some of it rightly deserved — but it’s nice to see the developer actually listen to feedback from the playerbase and adjust the game accordingly. If Destiny is to survive for the full 10-year vision, Bungie must continue to show a willingness to listen to its players, and the open-minded approach displayed with the Iron Banner is a great start.

This is just one man's opinion though. Maybe it's all in my head. Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter if you've noticed the changes made to the Iron Banner, and if you're in favor of them.