Destiny 2 Season 19 Iron Banner: Start Time, New Gear, New Mode

Iron Banner is here in Season 19, and it has come with some changes. Here is everything we know about this iteration of the PvP mode.

Dave McAdam

03rd Jan 2023 17:20

Images via Bungie

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The Destiny 2 Season 19 Iron Banner is different from previous events, with some of the biggest changes the PvP mode has seen in a long while. Destiny 2 is gearing up for the next big chapter, but we still have some new things being added. Iron Banner week is always an exciting time for PvP fans, as it always brings some interesting rewards. Here is everything you need to know about Destiny 2 Iron Banner in Season 19.

Get ready for the upcoming expansion with all the info in our Destiny 2 Lightfall release date guide.

Destiny 2 Season 19 Iron Banner: Start Time

The start time for Iron Banner is the same as the weekly reset. Depending on where you are in the world, that time will be different. In North America, the reset is at 11 AM Pacific Time, 2 PM Eastern Time, and 6 PM UK time.

Log into the game after the reset time in your area to apply whatever changes there may be, and head to the Crucible tab to compete in the Iron Banner.

For tips on getting through it, check out our Destiny 2 Seraph's Shield walkthrough.

Destiny 2 Season 19 Iron Banner: New Mode

The big news coming into Iron Banner in season 19 is a brand new PvP mode is debuting here. The mode is called Fortress. The description from Bungie for Fortress is "Capture and hold zones while defeating opponents, but there's a twist. A Cabal twist! The objectives will change once Caiatl and her troops get involved."

Fortress is very similar to Zone Control. There are three capture points on the map that you need to control. For each one you control, your team gains points at set time intervals. You get two points per zone, for a maximum of six per interval.

What separates Fortress is how The Hunt works. Unlike previous Iron Banner modes where The Hunt was triggered by a team controlling the match, in Fortress, The Hunt takes place at set times. At four minutes into the match, and again at the six-minute mark, Cabal drop into the middle of the map with a new capture point.

You need to defeat the Cabal and their turrets to unlock the point for capture, but once you hold it, you gain a lot of points each interval that the zone is held. This Hunt mechanic is a great way for a team that is behind on points to catch up, and creates some wonderful chaos whenever it begins.

Conquer the newest dungeon with our Destiny 2 Spire of the Watcher dungeon walkthrough.

Destiny 2 Season 19 Iron Banner: New Gear

There is no greater impetus to take on the Iron Banner than getting that sweet gear. In this Iron Banner there are two new weapons to collect, and some returning armour from years ago. The new weapons are the Gunnora's Axe shotgun and the Dark Decider auto rifle. Gunnora's Axe is a slug shotgun, making it potentially very useful in PvP. Dark Decider is an Arc weapon that can roll with the Voltshot perk, excellent for Arc builds.

For the armour, we are delving deep into the Destiny 2 vaults to pick out some classic threads. The Iron Banner armour sets from year 2 of the original Destiny are being brought back in season 19. These classic and ornate armour pieces are sure to take long-time Guardians back when they get them, so if you are a fan from the first game, be sure to play some Iron Banner this week.

That is it for our rundown of Destiny 2 Iron Banner in season 19. For more of the latest, check out our Destiny 2 Cascade Point guide.

About The Author

Dave McAdam

Dave is a Senior Guides Writer at GGRecon, after several years of freelancing across the industry. He covers a wide range of games, with particular focus on shooters like Destiny 2, RPGs like Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077, and fighting games like Street Fighter 6 and Tekken 8.

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