Destiny 2 Iron Banner Guide: Schedule, Power Levels, Guide and More


Season 15 is approaching, and that means plenty more Destiny content for Guardians – including Iron Banner.

Kicking off for a week each month, the event will offer some of the game's coolest-looking armour sets, but if you're new to the game you may be wondering what the fuss is about.

Here's a quick explainer.

Read More: Destiny 2 Iron Banner Countdown: Start Date, Weapons, Armour, Next-Gen Versions and More

What Is Iron Banner?

Iron Banner is a limited-time PvP playlist that lasts for one week, usually starting from the second Tuesday of the month.

There's usually an increased Valor rate, but the real draw is arguably the rewards.

Winning matches and completing bounties for Lord Saladin will award players with Iron Banner Tokens that can be turned in for Iron Engrams.

These contain some of the snazziest armour sets, and actually aren't all that much of a grind to get through – especially if you enjoy playing in the Crucible. Some items are doled out as rewards for winning and completing matches, too.

The mode is a slightly different version of Control, where players capture zones. More zones held = more points for kills, and if a team holds all three zones, "The Hunt" is triggered.

This locks zones for 25 seconds and allows players on the team holding the zones to rack up the points without having to worry about defending. Once the 25 seconds are up, all zones return to neutral.

When Is Iron Banner?

We've got you covered.

Iron Banner Power Levels

The other big change is in the way Power Levels are implemented in Iron Banner.

In standard crucible matches, all players' Power Levels are normalised, but in Iron Banner, you'll deal more damage and take less damage the higher your level.

That means it's usually tricky to jump in if you're a lower level, but it's not impossible.

For more articles like this, take a look at our Destiny and Guides page.