Destiny 2 Iron Banner quest guide: What We Survive

Iron Banner armor sets (Image via Bungie)
Iron Banner armor sets (Image via Bungie)

The arrival of the Iron Banner in Destiny 2 Season of the Risen has given players a chance to boost their power levels. It is one of the fastest and most efficient ways to gain pinnacles within a week, as everyone will get a total of four bounties.

All of these reward a +2 gear, further pushing a player's power towards the 1560 mark.

However, due to its first week, everyone will receive a questline known as "What We Survive" consisting of a total of five steps. Each asks Guardians to perform various kills and objectives, granting rewards exclusive to the loot pool.

The following article lists down all the steps of this quest and how to finish them quickly to earn the various rewards.


What We Survive quest guide: Destiny 2 Iron Banner quest steps

Step 1:

The first step in the What We Survive questline (Image via Destiny 2)
The first step in the What We Survive questline (Image via Destiny 2)

The first step in the quest asks everyone to perform general tasks inside the Iron Banner activity. This involves defeating Guardians and capturing Zones. There is also a step where the game asks players to land Solar or Void final blows.

The objectives are as follows:

Number of Guardians that need to be killed: 30

Number of Zones that need to be captured: 10

Void/Solar final blows required: 15

Players should focus on capturing Zones from the very beginning as everyone spawns near one capture point. From there, weapons such as Palindrome and Igneous Hammer are some ideal Void and Solar weapons that can be used to score quick kills.


Step 2:

The second step (Image via Destiny 2)
The second step (Image via Destiny 2)

The second step requires players to complete Iron Banner matches, capture Zones, and get kills via Hand Cannons. Fortunately, these objectives are retroactive, meaning that a percentage will already be completed even before the quest step becomes active.

The objectives are as follows:

Matches that need completion: 6

Zone capture: 20

Hand Cannon kills: 15


Step 3:

The third step of the Iron Banner quest (Image via Destiny 2)
The third step of the Iron Banner quest (Image via Destiny 2)

Once players are in the third step, the quest will ask everyone to defeat a total of 100 Guardians. As mentioned earlier, this will be retroactive, so chances are high that every objective except Sniper or Glaive kills will already be done.

Objectives for the third step are as follows:

Guardians kill: 100

Zone capture: 30

Sniper or Glaive kills: 10

Scoring a kill with Glaives might prove to be easier than Snipers, as the former weapon has 4 ammo as opposed to Sniper's 2.


Step 4:

The fourth step in the questline (Image via Destiny 2)
The fourth step in the questline (Image via Destiny 2)

The fourth questline will require everyone to get Super kills, capture Zones, and land kills via Sword or Charge/Uncharged Melee. Typically, capturing Zones and getting Super kills will be retroactive, while Melee and Sword kills need to be performed to progress further.

Objectives for the fourth quest steps are as follows:

Super kills needed: 15

Zone capture: 40

Melee/Sword kills: 5


Step 5:

Saladin with the quest completion (Image via Destiny 2)
Saladin with the quest completion (Image via Destiny 2)

Upon completion, players will simply need to turn in the quest to Saladin and earn Legendary gear. Each quest step will grant an exclusive Iron Banner weapon as well. They include:

  • Step 1: Frontier's Cry.
  • Step 2: Legendary gear (random).
  • Step 3: Razor's Edge.
  • Step 4: Legendary gear(random).

This quest is character-bound and does not progress in any other characters except the active one.

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