Destiny 2 Iron Banner: Dates, rewards & more

The Iron Banner contest returns to Destiny 2, drawing competitive players back each month to fight for some great rewards. This is the first time it's been around since The Final Shape, marking the first Iron Banner of Episode Echoes.

Here's everything you need to know about the PvP event, including when it'll run to and what weapons and armour are on offer.

The next Iron Banner starts on July 2, 2024 at weekly reset. It'll run until reset on July 16.

There is typically one Iron Banner event scheduled each month - or three during each season. That may change now we're into Episodes instead.

Bungie is testing two-week Iron Banner events, so it'll be interesting to see if it continues, or reverts to seven-day rotations.

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Iron Banner challenges are only active during the event, and you can spot them by hovering over the Iron Banner node and holding L2/LT on console and E on PC.

Each of the first four days will add a fresh challenge, like completing a set number of matches, or dealing damage with a certain element. Challenges reward gear, but they also buff the multiplier to help you level up with Saladin more regularly.

You'll essentially get two types of challenges each day. The two series of challenges are broken up as follows:

• First series: Tasks players with completing matches with no restrictions, using any subclass, to receive Iron Banner rank bonus multipliers
• Second series: Works more like the original IB challenges and has players using specific seasonal subclasses to earn Pinnacle rewards

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Saladin has an array of Iron Banner ornaments available for transmog purposes, with each costing 10k Glimmer and three Iron Engrams.

Players can focus Engrams with him, too, for more chances at the weapon they want. At the time of writing, the following can be focused, but you'll need to unlock them in Collections first:

• Point of the Stag Combat Bow
• The Guiding Sight Scout Rifle
• Lethal Abundance Auto Rifle
• Riiswalker Shotgun
• Multimach CCX Submachine Gun
• Tusk of the Boar Grenade Launcher
• Crimil's Dagger Hand Cannon
• Claws of the Wolf Pulse Rifle

Lord Saladin's Rank Rewards are as follows:

• Rank Up: Prime Engram
• Rank 4: Claws of the Wolf Pulse Rifle
• Rank 7: Crimil's Dagger Hand Cannon
• Rank 10: Tusk of the Boar Grenade Launcher
• Rank 13: Multimach CCX Submachine Gun
• Rank 16: Ollywocket Emblem
• Rank Reset: Ascendant Shard

There are four rotating game modes in Iron Banner: Control, Eruption, Fortress, and Tribute. For July 2, it's Control.

Control

Control is the basic Crucible mode you know and love: Capture control points and defeat opponents. Your score goes up for every enemy killed; one point if your team holds one control point, two if your team has two, and three if you control all of the points.

How Control differs in Iron Banner is that, once one team controls all three points, the Hunt begins. This locks all control points for a short period of time, during which the Hunters can get extra points for defeating the Hunted.

Tribute

This new mode has players collecting crests that are dropped by defeated enemies. The goal is to collect these crests and deposit them in tribute stations, which will increase your team's score.

To activate the Hunt in this mode, you need to deposit a large amount of crests at one time, which will then increase the value of your deposited crests for a time.

Eruption

Eruption is a relatively new mode. Basically, it's Clash (Team Deathmatch), but with a twist. Getting kills builds up energy, and when you obtain two kills, you will become Surged. Five kills, however, will see you become Primed - the Hunt mechanic of Eruption.

When a player is Primed, they have a fifteen-second timer in which to get another kill, or they will explode. Kills while Surged are worth two points. Kills while Primed, or killing the Primed opponent, are worth three points.

Fortress

Fortress is another mode in which you capture objectives, but no points are awarded for defeating opponents. You gain two points every time interval for each zone you control.

Twice during each match, a Cabal drop pod will appear. Capturing that will begin the Hunt, which grants a large number of points over a shorter period of time.