Bungie is planning significant changes to Destiny 2 ’s Iron Banner reward system, the studio confirmed over the weekend, but players won’t be completely free of the token system that’s drawn ire since the game’s early September debut. And that’s just the start of the mixed bag of Destiny 2 news we’re unpacking to start the week.
The studio announced big plans for Destiny 2 on Saturday, during its TwitchCon 2017 panel, along with more structural updates on Bungie personnel. We found out the Live Team is now responsible for day-to-day D2 support and Seasons will be the primary means of motivating Destiny players for the next few years. We also found out about major changes coming to the Iron Banner, the semi-regular PvP event that lets Destiny players face-off in the Crucible without having their weapons and armor artificially balanced.
The Iron Banner has already taken place once, since Destiny 2 hit PS4 and Xbox One last month, and its reward structure left many players disappointed. It also left more than a few without the specific item(s) they’d been hoping to earn before the mode went away again. The good news is Bungie has heard the community’s complaints and says future iterations of the Iron Banner will include a revised reward system. It will (unfortunately) still be based around the game’s token system. But Destiny 2 players will trade tokens for specific items instead of new engrams that drop one or more items at random. The bad news is that those changes won’t be ready for public consumption until Season Two. And the Iron Banner is scheduled to return one more time before the first seasonal transition occurs.
Elsewhere, IGN saw a preview build of the Destiny 2 PC port that debuts on Tuesday. While there aren’t many surprises left, given that the shooter has been on consoles for more than a month, some might be shocked to learn aim assist is still active for gamepad users. Destiny fans objected to seeing aim assist in the PC port because it’s too easy for PC gamers to emulate gamepad inputs with a special software, a mouse and keyboard, thereby gaining an unfair advantage. The studio told IGN it "heard the feedback” but concluded that coming to PC was ultimately about giving gamers more choices, including the choice to plug your PC into a TV and play a prettier version of Destiny 2 (controller in hand) on your couch.
Destiny 2 is currently available on PS4 and Xbox One. The game hits PC on Oct. 24.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Destiny 2 news in 2017 and however long Bungie supports Destiny 2 in the years ahead.
