Iron Banner is back in Destiny 2, which means a whole lot of Guardians are trying to complete the Iron Lord title. Doing that involves more than just playing a whole lot of the competitive game mode, though — it means completing specific Triumphs. Of these, Orewing’s Spirit stands above the rest as a huge pain in the ass, requiring players to focus on one specific style of play sometimes to the detriment of their team. The Triumph is such a grind that it’s gotten me thinking about the problem with these kinds of meta-objectives in Destiny 2.
By meta-objective, I mean any player goal that goes beyond the immediate confines of the specific match or instance of play. Meta-objectives exist across all games and have varying degrees of impact on their “pure” gameplay. For example, say you’re playing Super Smash Bros. with your friends. You’re a lot better than them, but you don’t want to humiliate them (and you want them to want to keep playing with you). So, your meta-objective would be to play well, but not so well that you destroy them.
In Destiny 2, the most common meta-objectives are bounties, quests, and Triumphs. A simple example is a Crucible bounty — Shaxx wants you to get five Auto Rifle kills, so you use that kind of weapon for a bit instead of something that might be more preferable or effective. Even PVE Bounties can be considered meta-objectives, which can contribute to the occasional feeling in Destiny 2 that you’re working against your Fireteam for kills rather than trying to finish the Strike together.
Most of the Triumphs associated with the Iron Lord title don’t drastically shift player behavior. They ask you to equip Iron Banner gear or win matches, but you’re probably doing both of those things anyway. Orewing’s Spirit, on the other hand, tasks players with “completing objectives.” Having your team score is not one of the objectives. What actually furthers this Triumph is picking up the Spark, scoring a point with it, and defeating the enemy Spark carrier. Revives seem to possibly count in large amounts, and defending your Spark carrier may also generate a little progress, but for the most part it’s all about the Spark.
Now, Orewing’s Spirit is arguably poorly designed because it pushes players into a playstyle that emphasizes grabbing and hogging the Spark, rather than winning the match regardless of who scores the point. (A generous reading here would be that it’s a deliberate choice to highlight the distinctions between team success and individual superstardom in real professional sports.) But nobody would be trying to complete it if it weren’t tied to a title. There are other Iron Banner triumphs that aren’t a part of that package — there’s one specifically for taking out Spark runners, for instance. But most players don’t care about those, because they don’t progress the meta-objective of getting a shiny new title.
Meta-objectives provided by the game aren’t necessarily a bad thing. They’re arguably a big part of Destiny‘s success, softening losses and sweetening victories. But they do fundamentally change how a game feels and plays. It’s not just about winning or losing a PVP match once you’ve got them, it’s about loot drops, quest and Triumph progression, and deciding to what degree you’re focusing on making those bars go up rather than playing what’s in front of you at the moment.
If you’re a purist about gameplay, then you might think these are all distractions from the core loop and competitive action of the game, and I can see that point. But for better or worse, players have come to expect them. The issue isn’t that Destiny 2 has objectives for players to pursue beyond the confines of individual Crucible matches or Vanguard Activities. The problem is that sometimes, these objectives create perverse incentives, leading to an environment where it feels like you’re fighting your team as much as your enemies. That’s the issue with Orewing’s Spirit. But hey, maybe we’ll get Control back in Iron Banner next season, and Rift will just be a scary story we tell new Guardians.
