It's been a big week for Destiny players thanks to the release of The Dark Below expansion last Tuesday. Sure, the content might be thin once players dig a little deeper, but the new Crota's End raid and the quest for level 32 has kept players plenty busy.
However, just in case players wanted a little more to sink their time into, Bungie has brought back the Iron Banner event for its third go-round. Not much has changed with the Iron Banner as compared to last time, except that now players can work towards level 31 gear. The event will run from December 16th to the 22nd.
As with Iron Banner 2.0, reputation has once again been reset for Destiny players. That means they will need to complete new bounties and win matches in order to level up and purchase new gear. Once those players do, however, they will have a better selection to choose from, including higher level weapons and higher level gear.
The major difference between Iron Banner this time around and last is that the gear won't take players partway the current level cap. Iron Banner 2.0 offered two pieces of armor that could get players closer to level 30, meaning all they would need is a fully upgraded exotic and only one piece of raid gear. Post-Dark Below, however, Iron Banner will not get you part of the way to 32; you still need four pieces of raid gear or three and an exotic.
Nevertheless, hitting level 31 will be important for those players looking to tackle the Crota's End raid, as it ensures greater success. Plenty of players can get through the first four sections at level 30, level 29 if they're lucky, but the team really needs a level 31 player in order to finish off Crota. The fight has such a short time limit that if the team isn't doing enough damage then they will never take the Hive god down.
Then again, the Vanguard and Crucible Quartermasters for Destiny also have level 31 gear, and their wares are much easier to get. It ultimately depends on the time players want to spend working towards a higher level.
So, Iron Banner is, if nothing else, a stepping stone towards completing the new raid and getting to level 32. It's also a nice distraction for Crucible fans, but unfortunately it doesn't feature the new multiplayer maps included with The Dark Below.
What do you think of Iron Banner 3.0? How would you like to see Bungie improve the event in the future?
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