Destiny 2 adds killstreaks to Iron Banner in Season 18

Bungie is gearing up for Destiny 2 Showcase 2022 in a couple of weeks, but before that, there are still some important announcements to make. For one thing, the game will see some big changes to Iron Banner in Season 18 – and not just the removal of Rift.

Iron Banner gets killstreaks. Lead Designer Alan Blaine explained the inspiration and how a new mode will incorporate the feature in the latest This Week At Bungie blog post. “What if Saladin yelled at killstreaks, ‘He’s on fire!’ and you caught fire?” asked the designer. “From that chaotic conversation, Eruption was born.” Eruption is the name of the new game mode – think Clash, but with killstreaks that boost your energy.

When the game starts, you get a normal point and standard energy for knocking down an enemy. When you take out a second target in a row, start surging. At this point you get boosts. You’ll glow physically as you earn three points, 10% super energy, and 20% grenade, melee, and class energy for every kill. Get a fifth kill in a row and you’ll shine even brighter; this is called primed. At this point, kills are still worth three points each, and you gain 12% super and 5% grenade, melee, and class energy per kill. In addition, your entire team gains 5% super and 10% grenade, melee, and class energy.

However, being primed comes with a trade-off. A 15 second timer starts and you explode when it hits zero. This will kill you and reset your streak, but you can reset the timer every time you get an extra kill. That might be tricky considering you’re tagged and fully visible to the other time while you’re prepared. They get three points themselves for taking you out.

All in all, Eruption sounds like a fun addition to Destiny 2’s Iron Banner series. Certain modes will also get skill-based matchmaking with Season 18, but we don’t know if Eruption is one of them.