Destiny 2: what time Iron Banner kicks off today, and what you can expect from the event, loot and new PvP map

Iron Banner returns in Destiny 2 today. Here’s what you need to know.

Destiny 2 players can revisit the glory of the Iron Lords as fan-favourite PvP event Iron Banner makes its debut in Bungie’s sequel.

As part of our Destiny 2 guide, we’ll keep this page updated with the latest details if Iron Banner becomes a monthly event, as it was in D1. Read on for all the details of this month’s event, as well as informaiton on how Iron Banner functions in general.

October Iron Banner times, mode, loot and new map

The inaugural Destiny 2 Iron Banner kicks off at 2:00am PT/5:00am ET/10:00am UK/11:00am CET on Tuesday October 10, and will close at the same time on October 17.

Destiny 2’s first Iron Banner will be played in Control mode. Unlike D1, Power scaling will be in effect; your levels won’t matter, while your skills will. Just like regular Crucible, then.

There’s been no mention of unique weapons, but here’s the armour on offer in Destiny 2’s first Iron Banner:

Next week at Bungie… pic.twitter.com/U7i6KReQWA

— Bungie (@Bungie) October 5, 2017

To celebrate the very first Iron Banner, Bungie is bringing a new map to Destiny 2. Called Distant Shore, it seems to have a fair bit in common with D1’s Shores of Time. It will be added to standard Crucible playlists after Iron Banner concludes.

Tomorrow, we’re adding a PVP map to Destiny 2 with Iron Banner. Distant Shore will be available in all playlists when the event ends. pic.twitter.com/oxcvts7Lkv

— Bungie (@Bungie) October 9, 2017

Distant Shore is the third new map to be added to Destiny 2 in free updates since release; the other two accompanied the Leviathan Raid and Trials of the Nine launches. It’s the first one that’s seemed so much like a throwback to a D1 map, though.

Iron Banner basics – how to get your loot

In Destiny 2’s version of Iron Banner, players will no longer complete bounties and earn ranks, but will instead earn engrams by turning in Iron Banner tokens to Lord Saladin. You’ll find him in the Tower after reset; return to orbit and come back if you don’t see him immediately.

As with other Destiny 2 vendors, Iron Banner tokens are earned for participating in the associated activity. In this case that means completing Iron Banner matches, and you get more for a win. Bungie hasn’t said whether there will be Challenges you can leverage to earn extra tokens, but we’d assume so – just like most Activities in Destiny 2. Be sure to equip any Ghost shells with extra token perks to maximise your winnings, though.

It doesn’t sound like Iron Banner will award Luminous engrams, so don’t expect to reap huge Power benefits if you’re already in Destiny 2’s levelling endgame.

Bungie has also said that Destiny 2 introduces Daily and Season Milestones for Iron Banner. What in the hell are Seasons? We’d all like to know, as there’s also mention of that on the Clan page. Bungie intends to announce the details at Twitchcon. You can tune into Bungie’s Twitchcon stream from 4:30pm PT on October 20. Check that time in your timezone here.

Stay tuned for details right here, of course.