‘Destiny’ Iron Banner 15.0: Tripping The Rift Edition, What You Need To Know
The first full Iron Banner of 2016 will be a different spin than what Destiny players are used to undertaking. PlayStation and Xbox players will want to find a good team as the usual Control mode has been replaced by Rift.
This Iron Banner event will be interesting to watch in more ways than one. Aside from the change to an all-new game mode, Bungie will be delivering a matchmaking update to Destiny on Wednesday at 1 p.m. ET. This update will prioritize connection quality in an attempt to reduce some of the lag that has been encountered in the Crucible since the December update. Full details can be found here.
When Does It Run?
This Iron Banner event started Tuesday, January 26 and will run until the Destiny weekly reset on Tuesday, February 2. This typically occurs at 4 a.m. ET / 1 a.m. PT.
What Modes And Maps Are Supported?
Bungie is experimenting this event by going with Rift. This is a team-oriented Neutral Bomb gametype with a Destiny spin. The goal is to grab the Spark in the middle of the map and carry it to the opposing team’s Rift to score points. Of course, there are other ways to score points too.
- Regular Kills earn 100 points.
- 10 points are earned for headshot kills
- Picking up the Spark earns 300 points
- Kills as the Spark Runner earn 150 points
- Killing the Spark Runner earns 300 points
- Passing checkpoints (5 total) as the Spark Runner earns 100 points per checkpoint
- Slamming the Spark in Rift earns a whopping 1,500 points
This is the most team-oriented Crucible mode in Destiny. It’s highly suggested to run with a group of friends, a clan, or a pickup group from sites such as the100 and DestinyLFG.
The general strategy is to choose one or two highly mobile fireteam members to be the Spark Runner while the rest of the team focuses on defending the runner or the Rift.
Rewards
As the Inquisitr previously covered, Bungie has made Iron Banner more rewarding for players with the following changes from the 2.0.2 update.
- Iron Banner reputation from winning matches increased by 20 percent.
- Activity completion rewards increased at all ranks, with even more significant increases at Rank 2 and above.
- 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.
Here is the end-match reward breakdown for the current Iron Banner:
- Rank 2 – Boots
- Rank 3 – Chest Piece, PS Exclusive Helmet, Colovance’s Duty Scout Rifle
- Rank 4 – Ashraven’s Flight Fusion Rifle
Does Gear And Level Still Matter?
Yes. Bungie Senior Designer Derek Carroll provided an overview of how power levels in Iron Banner have changed with the introduction of the new Light level system implemented with Destiny 2.0. Essentially, a difference in 10 levels of light represents approximately a 2 percent difference in damage. Another way of looking at it is if you are at a 280 Light level facing off against someone at a 300 Light level, you will be at a 4 percent damage disadvantage.
The approximately 2 percent damage drop in every 10 levels of light continues until a 50 light level difference represents a 10 percent difference in damage. It then gets slightly steeper, to a 2.6 percent damage drop per Light level over the next 100 Light levels. We reach a light level difference. The Destiny power curve then goes into free fall at this point, with every 10 levels representing a 10 percent power difference.
Your Standing Has Been Reset?
Yes. All Destiny players start each Iron Banner event with their reputation at zero. You max out at level five.
Iron Banner Ranks
You start out at rank 0 and should be able to quickly reach rank 1 after the first win. The climb to the max rank is a bit steeper but still obtainable thanks to all the buffs added to Destiny.
| IB Rank | Reputation Points Needed |
| 1 | 100 rep points |
| 2 | 1,200 rep points |
| 3 | 2,400 rep points |
| 4 | 2,400 rep points |
| 5 | 2,400 rep points |
Equip Your Iron Banner Items
If you still have the Iron Banner emblem, shader, and class item, go ahead and equip them. The Destiny Year One items still count. Each gives a 10 percent experience and reputation boost, and they do stack with each other for the possibility of a 33 percent total bonus. If you don’t have any Iron Banner items yet, purchase the Iron Pride emblem from Lord Saladin as soon as you reach rank one to begin earning bonus experience and reputation points.
| Name | Type | Cost | IB Rank |
| Iron Pride | Emblem | 1000 Glimmer | 1 |
| Million Million | Armor Shader | 1000 Glimmer | 2 |
| The Ironwood Tree | Emblem | 1000 Glimmer | 5 |
| Goldspiral | Armor Shader | 1000 Glimmer | 5 |
The Tempered Buff
The Iron Banner Tempered Buff is now applied automatically to Destiny characters every day.
Here’s the progression that the Tempered Buff should follow, based on the last Destiny Iron Banner event.
- Tuesday: +10 percent
- Wednesday: +15 percent
- Thursday: +25 percent
- Friday: +40 percent
- Saturday: +60 percent
- Sunday: +100 percent
- Monday: +150 percent
Multi-Character Buff
Your second and third Destiny characters can receive a 100 percent reputation boost in addition to all the other buffs when playing Iron Banner. The buff is active as long as one or more of your characters are at least one Iron Banner rank ahead of the character being played.
For example, if you get one character up to level 3, your second and third Destiny character will be able to reach the same level in approximately half the time. This is especially true when combined with all of the other buffs.
Iron Banner Weapons
Note that you also have a chance to receive other weapons as end-of-match drops after you reach Iron Banner reputation rank two. This is best primary way obtain Iron Banner weapons in Destiny, as there is a chance for them to drop at high Light levels.
| Name | Type | Perks | Cost | IB Rank |
| Colovance’s Duty | Scout Rifle |
|
90 LM | 4 |
| Ashraven’s Flight | Fusion Rifle |
|
90 LM | 5 |
“LM” is short for Legendary Marks.
Iron Banner Armor
Here is the armor that is being sold by Lord Saladin in Destiny. Note that they all start with a Defense rating of 280. They can be Infused to higher levels like the weapons, though.
You should not break down any of these armor items, as you will not receive Shards or any other additional material. Also, like the weapons, end of match drops are the best way to obtain Iron Banner armor at high Light levels.
It’s also worth noting that this is the first Iron Banner where PlayStation owners of Destiny will have the opportunity to get exclusive gear.
| Name | Class | Stats | Perks | Rank | Cost |
| Wolfswood Mark | Titan | Intellect 26 / Strength 26 |
|
3 | 40 LM |
| Wolfswood Cloak | Hunter | Intellect 26 / Discipline 28 |
|
3 | 40 LM |
| Wolfswood Bond | Warlock | Intellect 25 / Discipline 26 |
|
3 | 40 LM |
| Iron Companion Plate | Titan | Intellect 61 / Discipline 66 |
|
4 | 40 LM |
| Iron Companion Vest | Hunter | Intellect 65 / Discipline 69 |
|
4 | 40 LM |
| Iron Companion Vestments | Warlock | Intellect 68 / Discipline 62 |
|
4 | 40 LM |
| Iron Camelot Mark (PS Exclusive) | Titan | — | — | 3 | 40 LM |
| Iron Camelot Cloak (PS Exclusive) | Hunter | — | — | 3 | 40 LM |
| Iron Camelot Bond (PS Exclusive) | Warlock | — | — | 3 | 40 LM |
Iron Banner Bounties
Destiny changed the daily bounties for Iron Banner with the release of The Taken King. There are now three-week-long bounties, along with three daily bounties that are available each day. The daily bounties come from a pool of nine to allow for a little more variation than in previous events.
Tip: Wait to turn in the Weekly bounties toward the end of the week to make the most of the Tempered Buff to boost your character up to level 5.
Remember that Crucible bounties can be completed in Iron Banner too. Destiny players will want to pick those up to advance their reputation with the different factions and gain additional experience.
| Bounty Name | Description | IB Rep | Experience | Legendary Marks |
| Iron Gauntlet (Weekly) | Impress Lord Saladin with extraordinary feats in the Iron Banner. Get 10 kill streaks, 5 double kills, the top overall score in a match, and reach Iron Banner Rank 4. | +525 | +5,000 | +25 |
| Iron Marathon (Weekly) | Complete 13 Iron Banner matches and win 7. | +525 | +5,000 | +25 |
| Iron Versatility (Weekly) | Defeat 50 Guardians with Primary Weapons, 25 with Special Weapons and 13 with Heavy Weapons. | +525 | +5,000 | +25 |
Iron Medallions
Destiny players will receive an Iron Medallion for each match you lose in Iron Banner. You can carry up to five at a time in your inventory. These will be redeemed automatically after your next win for Iron Banner reputation.
If you still have Medallions left over after Iron Banner ends, hold on to them. They can still be redeemed when the next event rolls around.
Is The Taken King Required?
Yes. The Iron Banner has a level 40 requirement to participate and uses maps from the expansion. The only way that can be achieved is with the purchase of Destiny: The Taken King.
Good Luck!
Do you have any Destiny Iron Banner tips you want to share? Please post them in the comments section below!
[Images via Bungie]
