The Iron Banner returns to Destiny 2 this week, and the Crucible competition has a new mode for Guardians to get familiar with: Fortress. Curious about how it works? Here’s the basic flow.
Destiny 2 Iron Banner Fortress Basics
When the match begins, there will be three zones to capture around the map, just like in a regular Control match. However, these work a little differently from regular Control zones. In Fortress, unlike traditional Iron Banner, you earn points for each zone you hold at regular time intervals. If you have one zone, you get two points. Two zones, you get four. All three — a Power Play — and you get six points.
So right off the bat, Fortress prioritizes holding ground over getting kills. If you want to win the match, take and hold the zones. It doesn’t matter how many kills you’re scoring on the other team if you aren’t holding the zones. Conversely, it also doesn’t matter how often you’re getting killed if the enemy team isn’t grabbing the zones from you.
Fortress is further distinguished from other Iron Banner modes by the intervention of Caiatl, the Empress of the Cabal. This is the mode’s implementation of “the Hunt,” the classic Iron Banner feature. Twice a match, Caiatl will send a Drop Pod into the arena. This spawns a high-value zone in a central area, defended by a number of turrets. When this happens, you should drop whatever you’re doing and run to capture the zone. The high-value zone awards more a large number of points over a shorter interval of time, meaning that it’s the key to winning the match.
Tips for Playing Fortress
Since enemies are likely to be bunched up while capturing zones, area-denial weapons and abilities are going to be pretty useful in Fortress. Witherhoard is going to see a lot of play, as will other grenade launchers, Dusk grenades, and any Exotic that helps Guardians damage groups of foes. Additionally, supers like Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn, while less relevant in Crucible modes where opponents can simply leave, can be a huge help in controlling the zones — especially the high-value zone.
Overall, Fortress isn’t too complicated as an Iron Banner mode. It will likely be less divisive than Rift, but whether it’ll be as popular as the classic Control mode remains to be seen.
Remember, if you’re trying to level up your Iron Banner reputation you’ll want to have five pieces of Iron Banner gear as well as an emblem on during your matches. The challenge system is still in place, too — each week, you can complete a certain number of matches on particular subclasses to get Pinnacle engrams and an Iron Banner rank modifier. These challenges unlock over the course of the week, so you can’t just play a ton of the mode on Tuesday to clear them out.
