Destiny 2 Iron Banner: Schedule, Challenges and more

While Guardians tend to have a love-hate relationship with Iron Banner, Destiny 2’s semi-competitive PvP mode, this event remains extremely popular. Why? On top of offering four Pinnacle rewards, it also features exclusive weapons and top-tier armor.

This guide covers everything you need to know about Iron Banner, including its schedule, rotation, daily challenges, and more!

2024 Iron Banner Schedule: When is the next Iron Banner?

Iron Banner returns to Destiny 2 for the fourth time this season today, April 2, 2024. It will be available to all players until April 9, 2024.

• Iron Banner starts on Tuesday, April 2, 2014, at 10 AM PDT
• Iron Banner ends on Tuesday, April 9, 2014, at 10 AM PDT

Active for only three weeks per season on normal seasons, Iron Banner will occur five times this season!

What is Iron Banner

Iron Banner is a 12-player PvP event that occurs three times per season. It features four distinct modes that rotate each month—Rift, Eruption, Control, and Fortress—and Pinnacle gear as rewards.

With two teams of 6 players duking it out, Iron Banner is a hectic and high-octane playlist. But the main reason players prefer the Iron Banner playlist over Zone Control is the rewards: Pinnacle gear, exclusive weapons, and unique armor. Up until recently, Iron Banner had a pretty awful reputation amongst Guardians. It had Power Level Advantage, meaning Power Levels counted and poor matchmaking ensued. This led to “stacks” of skilled (and usually high Power Level) teams stomping on everyone else non-stop.

Luckily, several changes have been made to matchmaking, including the addition of a solo playlist, and Power Level advantages were removed.

How to enter the Iron Banner event

To enter Iron Banner in Season of the Wish (S23), you simply need to open your Director, enter the Crucible playlist and join the Iron Banner playlist. 

While you previously had to complete a pesky quest that forced you to use weapon types you did not want to use (or fight your own teammates for Heavy ammo), Iron Banner no longer has requirements to enter.

Iron Banner Daily Challenges (Season 23)

These are the expected daily challenges this Season:

• Day 1: Earn 50 points in Iron Banner as either Stasis, Solar, or Strand subclasses.
• Day 2: Earn 50 points in Iron Banner as either Stasis, Solar, or Strand subclasses.
• Day 3: Earn 50 points in Iron Banner as either Stasis, Solar, or Strand subclasses.
• Day 4: Earn 50 points in Iron Banner as either Stasis, Solar, or Strand subclasses.

To find the active Daily challenge for your character, you need to:

1. Open the Crucible Playlist
2. Hover over the Iron Banner Playlist
3. The current challenge will be highlighted below the mode’s description

You can find more details about this season’s Iron Banner daily challenges here.

Iron Banner Challenges S22, Destiny 2

Iron Banner Rewards: Season 23

While most Guardians will jump into Iron Banner for the Pinnacle gear, the Iron Banner-themed weapons and armor are also a perfect excuse to join in the fun. We cover all the exclusive Iron Banner weapons and Iron Banner-themed Armor sets here.

It is worth mentioning that the mid-season update for Season of the Wish (S23) introduced two new weapons to the Iron Banner loot pool. One reprised, the other brand-new:

• Multimach CCX God rolls: This is a reprised Kinetic SMG, considered top-tier in PvP.
• Tusk of the Boar God rolls: The first-ever wave frame Strand Grenade launcher, expect it to become one of the best GLs for PvE. 

For Season of the Wish, the featured armor this time around is the Symmachy Armor set. 

Iron Banner Symmachy armor sets, Destiny 2

When is Iron Banner coming back? Iron Banner Dates

Iron Banner returned on week 23 of Season of the Wish on April 30, 2024.

As confirmed by Bungie, Iron Banner will take place five times per season. This is the Iron Banner schedule for the remainder of the season:

• Week 19: April 2, 2024
• Week 23: April 30, 2024