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While Destiny 2 has a burgeoning PvP community, this particular aspect of the game seems to have been sidelined for quite a long while now, with Bungie not adding any new maps to the mix since the release of Shadowkeep DLC in October 2019. The launch of Season 17 on May 24 may bring an end to this status, however.
Namely, Destiny 2 is getting a fully fledged Iron Banner rework as part of Season 17 festivities, and the list of changes that are being made is rather long. These include, but are not limited to, the removal of power level scaling, as well as the return of classic Rift game mode, where Guardians effectively play super-powered rugby to score points against one another.
In what seems to be the biggest evolution of PvP gameplay since Destiny introduced a solo queue to Trials of Osiris, Bungie is delivering a total rework of how Iron Banner works in Season 17. The PvP-centric event will now only take place twice every season, but will offer way more options when it comes to earning reputation points. The new daily challenges will, for one, give players large amounts of reputation with Lord Saladin. But by wearing full sets of Iron Banner cosmetics, Guardians will be able to effectively double their reputation gains from regular matches, too.
Iron Banner is also getting a full progression rework, one that's very similar to how Destiny 2 recently reworked Trials of Osiris. By playing the PvP mode and completing its challenges, players will earn unique Iron Banner engrams that can either be opened for a random loot drop or focused into a specific, previously unlocked item. Bungie also mentioned the availability of special Iron Banner cosmetics as part of the reward track, as well as the potential return of legacy Iron Banner items in the future.
Veteran Iron Banner players may also be thrilled by the fact that Bungie will be adding a special "Iron Lord" title in Season 18, though the blog post makes it clear that it might be one of Destiny 2's hardest titles to earn yet. Odds are that the new Iron Banner title might be about as difficult to unlock as the legacy "Unbroken" title from Destiny 2's early years, giving PvP players an endgame-tier unlock to chase after.
Now that there's an actual new PvP map coming to Destiny 2, it seems like Bungie is taking the game's PvP component seriously again. While it's a given that PvE activities take precedence in Destiny, some players felt that the game's many competitive game modes had been left for way too long at this point, and the new changes Bungie has outlined should do much to revitalize them in the long run.
Destiny 2 is currently available on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: Bungie