The first Iron Banner of Destiny 2 Season 19 will debut on January 3, 2023 and is set to introduce a new game mode that will pit Guardians against other Guardians as Empress Kayatl and her forces face new challenges.
Bungie teased the new Fortress game mode in a previous article in the This Week at Bungie (TWAB) ongoing series. At the time, Bungie explained that the mode would be similar to Control, but with a twist. The control mode of the FPS game involves a team effort to capture and control three areas on different maps while defeating enemy guardians throughout the game. Protecting all three areas at the same time grants significant bonuses to points for each kill.
With the release of TWAB on December 15, Bungie offered more information on its upcoming Fortress mode.
“The objectives will change once Kaiatl and his troops face off, but we won’t reveal the exact details of how the fortress works as we want you to scale this hill yourself,” the post read.
While it’s not entirely clear how Bungie plans to bring NPCs and Caiatl to Iron Banner, it’s likely that they’ll ally with Guardian teams based on specific objectives or secondary enemies that all players fight.
The PvPvE format wouldn’t be new to Bungie, as Gambit activity in the game pits players against Guardians and enemy NPCs. However, for the first time, players will see non-player species heavily involved in Iron Banner.
From the perspective of lore, it seems appropriate that Cayatl and his forces join the Iron Banner. In the Destiny 2 game world, Lord Shax controls the Crucible and Saladin controls the Iron Banner. However, when the Cabal Empress, Cabal warlord and daughter of the disgraced Emperor Calus, joined forces with the Vanguard, some players speculated that she would play a role in the ‘Test, especially after expressing interest in the activity on Zavala.
From the Lightfall preview, it looks like his father Calus will be in the spotlight when the Destiny 2 Lightfall release date rolls around and his Dark Cabal forces enter the new city of Neomun. Kayatle is willing to fight Calus for various personal reasons, including cruelty resulting from his decision to kill his pet War Beast.
TWAB also notes that Destiny 2 Iron Banner Season 19 will offer players the chance to earn two previously released Iron Banner weapons: the Dark Decider Auto Rifle and Gunnora’s Ax Slug Shotgun. Both will now include new perks and an Iron Banner Bloodline trait that allows Guardian final blows to buff radar and remove the player from enemy radar when low on health.
TWAB reiterates that the next few weeks of Iron Banner will also feature a re-release of the popular armor set, which includes a wolf cape and Mohawk helmet.
Iron Banner is usually held during two separate weeks during the season. While the first Iron Banner of the Fortress will begin on January 3 and will reset weekly on January 10, Bungie has yet to reveal when the second Iron Banner of Season 19 will take place. Either way, the new Fortress mode offers a unique take on a fan-favorite activity in the popular space game, giving players a chance to look forward to the new year.
Source : PC Gamesn
