Iron Banner has returned to Destiny 2 for the first time in the current Season of Dawn, but many fans are unhappy with the PvP event that comes around once per month. The game mode itself has not changed. Iron Banner is still a 6v6 Control variant with level advantages turned on where the capture points lock if a team can capture all three and points are boosted while the points are locked.

So it is not the gameplay itself that is causing the frustration. Interestingly, this Iron Banner is an example of how the progression and rewards around this revolving game mode in Destiny 2 can completely change the perception and experience while playing it. This Iron Banner is almost identical to last season's but there seems to be a higher level of dissatisfaction with this particular, which could potentially stretch throughout every week of this event over the course of this season.

RELATED: Bungie Might Fix Destiny 2's Bounty XP Problem After Holiday Break

The first big problem that Iron Banner is facing is that there are almost no new rewards. Fans were extremely disappointed last season when they found out that Season of the Undying's Iron Banner event did not add any new weapons to the Iron Banner loot pool but just continued to bring back the existing weapons. Season of the Undying did, however, bring a new set of armor for players to chase.

And while, technically, Season of Dawn also adds a set of armor, it is the Iron Truage set, which was Year 1's base set (subsequent Year 1 seasons did add ornaments for this base set). But this same set was also seen, with a slightly new color scheme, in Season 7 at the end of Year 2. Granted, this season's Iron Banner grants an Armor 2.0 version of the Iron Truage set with a mod slot for Season of Dawn mods, but there is some frustration around the return of this set yet again.

Players earn the armor via another Iron Banner quest like they did last season, and that's another source of tension. The quest is basically copy/pasted from last season's quest, requiring players to capture zones, complete matches, and defeat enemy Guardians in specific ways. But instead of submachine gun or pulse rifle kills from last season, those kills have simply been swapped for hand cannon and scout rifle kills.

The most frustrating part of the quest for many players is the final step of getting 10 rocket launcher final blows. The problem with this is that in many cases, it is causing an increased focus on grabbing heavy ammo when it drops and the game can suffer for it. Entire teams often huddle around heavy ammo allowing the other team to capture all the points and go on a run, even throwing the Mercy rule into effect and ending the match.

cancelled season of dawn weapon

And to add just a little bit more to these issues, originally there was a Iron Banner ritual weapon planned for this season, a bow called Point of the Stag. It appeared in a screenshot for the seasonal schedule for Season of Dawn and fans found it in the database. It has an obvious Iron Banner design theme and it has a fixed roll like this season's other ritual weapons.

But Bungie announced last week that Point of the Stag would not make it to the game in Season of Dawn and is delayed until next season. Point of the Stag would have likely alleviated this season's Iron Banner that was otherwise light on new gear, giving players something to chase in the mode, but unfortunately with the ritual weapon slipping out of this season, it only seemed to exacerbate the frustrations felt in the game mode.

It will be interesting to see if Bungie changes anything about the Iron Banner quest before the next event comes to the game. It is likely the only thing that can change in regards to Iron Banner considering that no new armor nor weapons are realistically going to be added mid-season. Perhaps reducing the rocket launcher kills requirement would be a step to relieve some of the friction and frustration players are experiencing with Iron Banner during Season of Dawn.

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.

MORE: Destiny 2 Players Must Hit Rank 92 in the Season Pass