Destiny Brings Back Iron Banner, Trials of Osiris With Some Changes

Two special events in Destiny's competitive multiplayer mode, Iron Banner and Trials of Osiris, will return for the first time since the release of The Taken King expansion last month. While they'll mostly operate as they have in the past, there are some changes in store for their first appearances in Year Two.

As detailed in the latest Bungie Weekly Update, Iron Banner will go live for three days beginning on October 13. As in the past, Iron Banner allows for level advantages over other players, though Bungie says it's "adjusting the damage curves to work with the new measurement systems." Players are recommended to be at least Light level 230 to take part. Match rewards now include weapons and armor, with drop rates higher than in the past. You can also buy these items from Lord Saladin, though they'll now cost Legendary Marks, not Glimmer. In addition to the existing ways to earn the new Taken King currency, there will be a total of nine daily bounties (three for each day of the event) and three weekly bounties that reward Legendary Marks. Also different is the way the tempering buff works--you'll no longer buy this from Saladin at the Tower, as it's instead automatically applied and becomes more effective with each passing day of the event. Immediately after the Iron Banner concludes, the Trials of Osiris will begin (recommended Light level: 290). You'll still be competing to rack up nine wins before you get three losses with level advantages enabled. However, the game will now attempt to match you up against teams with the same number of wins. That means if you're going for win number nine, you'll be more likely to go up against a team trying to do the same, rather than pitting these elite teams against those with, say, only a single win.

Trials-specific gear now drops only for the winning teams (and will be delivered immediately, without visiting Brother Vance), though losers can still receive Passage Coins. If you're able to win nine games without a loss, you'll still get to visit the Lighthouse, but there's no mention if the potential loot from doing so is still the same. You can also continue to play after racking up nine wins, but you won't get better gear by doing so.