Destiny 2’s latest release, Heresy, has certainly caught the attention of players, thanks to its captivating storyline, a fresh batch of seasonal weapons, and exciting new activities. One addition that’s generating a buzz is the new Iron Banner weapon, Warlord’s Spear. With its impressive perks, it’s poised to trigger a wave of farming, though some controversy is likely to follow, as seen before.
Despite the hurdles faced during Episode 2, Heresy seems to redeem itself with compelling content and revamped gameplay, albeit with some launch hiccups. The inclusion of The Nether as a main activity and the grand return of the Dreadnaught is exciting enough to overshadow some of the initial issues with the Sundered Doctrine Dungeon and character voice-overs. Yet, history might repeat itself if Iron Banner mirrors past controversies, akin to those seen in Revenant.
Reflecting on Episode Revenant, it’s remembered as a low in the franchise’s history due to several problematic elements. The Iron Banner fiasco stood out, where one of the top PvE weapons was locked behind PvP, with random rolls that allowed no crafting, paired with a Glimmer issue. Even those who relentlessly chased Tinasha’s Mastery found themselves at the mercy of RNG, with only a handful securing the god roll. These challenges might surface again as Iron Banner returns within Heresy.
Introducing the Warlord’s Spear, an Arc trace rifle of the adaptive frame kind, Heresy is setting the stage for another farming frenzy. This weapon has some stellar PvE perk combinations, urging players back to grinding Iron Banner. But alas, no fundamental changes to the grinding process mean that players face the same random roll challenges as before. Engrams coupled with an investment of 25,000 Glimmer per focusing attempt makes obtaining that perfect roll a test of patience and luck.
The previous season showed that Tinasha’s Mastery, although featured in the Reputation Track, wasn’t always up for grabs, frustrating many players. This could very well be the case again with Warlord’s Spear, leading to similar player dissatisfaction.
Still, Warlord’s Spear holds the potential to be a meta-defining weapon during Heresy, even with the lack of trace rifle mods at present. Players can expect more mods to unlock as we progress through Acts 2 and 3. This weapon’s synergy with the Arc-focused aspects of Heresy and its inclusion of the sought-after Detonator Beam perk makes it an alluring pursuit.
From February 18 to February 25, players can dive into the Iron Banner for the first of two scheduled appearances, with the next occurring on April 1. It’s a return to the original one-week format, which might ease some frustration for players.
As Heresy progresses, will history repeat itself with players facing the same trials in pursuit of top-tier gear? This predicament of RNG and reputation track rotations may not find an easy resolution but offers Bungie a chance to address player concerns. Warlord’s Spear certainly seems promising enough to justify diving into Iron Banner, even for the PvE enthusiasts out there, but only time will tell if this new weapon will live up to its potential or become another bone of contention.
