Destiny Strike Team Chat Feature

Early Thursday morning Bungie took the Destiny servers down to pave the way for what they promise will be an exciting series of updates. They didn't have much to say at the time about these updates, but we know that they will both improve the game and prepare players for The Dark Below expansion on December 9th.

Today, as part of their Weekly Update, Bungie has provided a small peak behind the curtain of today's maintenance to let players know what's in the pipeline. More specifically, the developer wants Destiny players to know that there are some new features and experience coming next week.

First and foremost, next week (likely the end of the week) should see the launch of Iron Banner 2.0…if all goes according to plan. This Iron Banner re-do will still feature the same "level advantages enabled" qualifier for multiplayer matches, but it will boast some new features as well. Now, for example, players will be able to buy armor that gets them closer to level 30.

There is also a new 'Reforge' option with Iron Banner 2.0 that apparently lets players re-spec their weapons. We don't know too much about how it works, but it sounds as if reforging a weapon gives it a completely new upgrade tree. Read the full Iron Banner 2.0 feature list below:

Power. Does. Matter! (no, really)
  • Only players Level 20 and above can lead a Fireteam
  • Players below Level 20 can accompany more powerful friends
  • Players within 3 Levels can be competitive with each other
  • Your DEFENSE rating affects how you take damage
    • Wear your best (highest rated) armor
    • Players out of your league will seem like a Boss
  • Your ATTACK rating affects how you inflict damage
    • Equip your best (highest rated) weapons
    • Lower-level players wielding fully-upgraded weapons should still be considered a very credible threat!
Claim victory to gain reputation.
  • Lord Saladin now has five ranks to obtain through victory
  • Your previous Iron Banner rank has been preserved
  • The Tempered buff is a twelve-hour boost in reputation gains
  • Activate Tempered later during the event to catch up faster
Acquire exclusive Iron Banner rewards.
  • Increase your Rank to unlock better gear
  • Reforge weapons to reset progression with new perks
  • Earn gauntlets and boots to move you closer to Level 30
  • See Lord Saladin for details!
Quitters never win.
  • Reputation gains are only awarded only to the winners
  • Defeat grants a token to be redeemed after a future win
  • You can carry up to five Iron Medallions at any time
  • Partial reputation gains are earned instantly upon victory
Strike while the Iron is hot.
  • Your reputation will be reset at the conclusion of this Iron Banner
  • Like any competitive activity, each new event is a chance to regain your standing

Even before Iron Banner 2.0 goes live, however, Bungie will roll out the beta version of their new matchmaking voice channel. As promised, this channel will give players a way to communicate with matchmade teammates with a simple toggle. But, it is purely an opt-in feature, meaning those who don't want to chat don't have to. Moreover, this is just a beta, so chances are there will be some hiccups when it comes to hearing teammates correctly.

Destiny Sparrow Tricks Feature

And finally, comes a tease from Bungie that we don't know what to make of, but that could bring a little more silliness to Destiny. According to the developer next week will see the release of something that they've been, thus far, keeping secret. They say that it will only release for Expansion Pass owners and then use some clever language to skirt around actually explaining what the new addition is. But the image included with the details suggests that Sparrow tricks may be coming to the game. We've already seen some people do clever things with the Sparrow, so it feels only appropriate that Bungie add tricks.

As Bungie mentions, this is only the beginning for Destiny – the first in a series of updates that will culminate in the launch of legitimately new content. In the mean time, though, it sounds like they are adding a few fun distractions.

What do you think the secret feature will be? Does the new Iron Banner sound more intriguing to you?

-

Source: Bungie