To start the Destiny 2 season's Iron Banner, you must complete Lord Saladin's Forging Iron quest. It has several steps to master; all focused on objectives within the Iron Banner, such as matches played and ranks. Here's how to complete the Destiny 2 Forging Iron quest with our walkthrough.
How to start Destiny 2 Forging Iron quest
To start the Forging Iron quest for the current Destiny 2 season, you need to speak to Lord Saladin when he appears in the Tower while the Iron Banner activity is live that week. You'll know when it is because he's impossible to miss, standing in the Courtyard with a giant flaming gong right before you when you spawn.
Talk to Saladin, and he'll give you the Forging Iron quest, which has the following steps in Destiny 2, Season 20, Season of Defiance:
- Complete a match in Iron Banner.
- Complete a Daily Challenge.
- Earn Iron Banner Rank points (300).
- Collect an Iron Banner engram from Lord Saladin.
- Complete Iron Banner matches while wearing at least one piece of Iron Banner armor. Each additional piece grants extra progress.
- Speak to Lord Saladin at the Tower.
Note that the current Season of Defiance Iron Banner runs from April 4, 2023, to April 11, 2023.
How to complete a match in Iron Banner in Destiny 2
When Iron Banner is active, you can start the limited Crucible activity by going to orbit, selecting Crucible, and then clicking on Iron Banner. When you're ready to start, click on the green LAUNCH button, and you'll be put into matchmaking.
All you need to do to move on to step two is play and finish one Iron Banner match.
How to complete a Daily Challenge in Destiny 2
For the second step in the Forging Iron quest, you must complete a Daily Challenge. If you're not sure where these are found, follow these steps. Return to orbit, click on the Crucible, and hover over the Iron Banner activity. You'll see Weekly Challenges here—you need to complete one of these.
The Daily Challenges for the current Destiny 2, Season 20, Season of Defiance are:
- Complete three Iron Banner matches using a Strand, Solar, or Void Subclass.
- Complete four more Iron Banner matches using a Strand, Solar, or Void Subclass.
- Complete five more Iron Banner matches using a Strand, Solar, or Void Subclass.
- Complete six more Iron Banner matches using a Strand, Solar, or Void Subclass.
How to earn Iron Banner Rank points in Destiny 2
There are three ways of earning Iron Banner rank points in Destiny 2. They are:
- Participating in Iron Banner matches.
- Getting an Activity Streak.
- Wearing Iron Banner armor.
You automatically earn Iron Banner Rank points every time you participate in a match, whether you win or lose. You get more points if you chain multiple matches in a row without quitting: this is called an Activity Streak. You also get a Rank point bonus if you wear Iron Banner armor.
There's also a multiplier that goes into effect when the following conditions are met:
- Equipping an Emblem earned from Iron Banner—+50% Rank gain.
- Equipping an Iron Banner armor piece (maximum of five)—+40% Rank gain.
- Completing the Daily Challenge (maximum of four)—+50% Rank gain.
All Iron Banner Ranks in Destiny 2
The Destiny 2 Iron Banner has the following 16 Ranks you can earn your way through:
| Iron Banner Rank | Total points | Points until next Rank |
| 1 - Guardian I | 0–49 | 50 |
| 2 - Guardian II | 50–124 | 75 |
| 3 - Guardian III | 125–249 | 125 |
| 4 - Brave I | 250–499 | 250 |
| 5 - Brave II | 500–949 | 450 |
| 6 - Brave III | 950–1,549 | 600 |
| 7 - Heroic I | 1,550–1,924 | 375 |
| 8 - Heroic II | 1,925–2,524 | 600 |
| 9 - Heroic III | 2,525–3,349 | 825 |
| 10 - Fabled I | 3,350–3,874 | 525 |
| 11 - Fabled II | 3,875–4,649 | 775 |
| 12 - Fabled III | 4,650–5,699 | 1,050 |
| 13 - Mythic I | 5,700–6,449 | 750 |
| 14 - Mythic II | 6,450–7,524 | 1,075 |
| 15 - Mythic III | 7,525–8,999 | 1,475 |
| 16 - Legend | 9,000–1,0000 | N/A |
How to earn Iron Banner armor in Destiny 2
To earn Iron Banner armor, simply participate in Iron Banner matches. If you're lucky, you'll get an armor piece drop. You'll know it's an Iron Banner piece when it has Iron or Wolfswood in the name.
All Iron Banner Armor in Destiny 2
The Iron Banner armor that you can obtain via drops during Destiny 2, Season 20, Season of Defiance is called the Iron Companion set and consists of the following pieces:
- Iron Companion Hood (Warlock)
- Iron Companion Gloves (Warlock)
- Iron Companion Vestments (Warlock)
- Iron Companion Legs (Warlock)
- Wolfswood Bond (Warlock)
- Iron Companion Mask (Hunter)
- Iron Companion Sleeves (Hunter)
- Iron Companion Vest (Hunter)
- Iron Companion Boots (Hunter)
- Wolfswood Cloak (Hunter)
- Iron Companion Helm (Titan)
- Iron Companion Gauntlets (Titan)
- Iron Companion Plate (Titan)
- Iron Companion Greaves (Titan)
- Wolfswood Mark (Titan)
Scroll up to the image above to see what the Season of Defiance armor looks like for each class.
Forging Iron quest reward in Destiny 2
Once you've completed five of the six Forging Iron quest stages, return to Lord Saladin at the Tower to complete the quest.
Your prize for finishing the quest is the ability to trade any earned Iron Engrams with Lord Saladin for weapons and armor once you've got them as a random drop from matches. This makes grinding for specific God Rolls easier.
All Iron Banner trade-in rewards
In Destiny 2 Season 20, Season of Defiance, you can trade Iron Engrams, Glimmer, and Legendary Shards for the following:
- Iron Companion Hood (Warlock)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Gloves (Warlock)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Vestments (Warlock)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Legs (Warlock)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Mask (Hunter)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Sleeves (Hunter)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Vest (Hunter)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Boots (Hunter)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Helm (Titan)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Gauntlets (Titan)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Plate (Titan)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Iron Companion Greaves (Titan)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- The Hero's Burden (Legendary Submachine Gun)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- The Wizened Rebuke (Legendary Fusion Rifle)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Allied Demand (Legendary Sidearm)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Roar of the Bear (Legendary Rocket Launcher)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Dark Decider (Legendary Auto Rifle)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Gunnora's Axe (Legendary Shotgun)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Jorum's Claw (Legendary Pulse Rifle)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
- Bite of the Fox (Legendary Sniper Rifle)—x1 Iron Engram, x25 Legendary Shards, x20,000 Glimmer.
For more information on Destiny 2, check out Is Lightfall Deluxe Edition in Destiny 2 Worth It? Lightfall Versions, Explained on Pro Game Guides.
Brent Koepp is a freelance games journalist based out of California. An avid Pokemon fan for over 25 years, he has spent his career reporting on the popular Nintendo franchise. He also dabbles in Destiny 2 and JRPGs. You can follow him on Twitter @brentrkoepp.