Removing Skill-Based Matchmaking Makes Iron Banner Great

For the past week we’ve all been fighting it out against whoever we’re matched up with in Iron Banner. There has been no skill-based matchmaking going on to ensure that we’re put up against Guardians around the same level as us, and it has honestly been amazing.

Bungie recently revealed that they were removing skill-based matchmaking from all but the most competitive of PVP modes for a number of reasons. At the heart of all this reasoning was the core gameplay concept that loading times would be smaller between matches, because it would take less time to match Guardians up against one another.

I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a PVP session in Destiny 2, I spend more time in orbit than I do fighting other Guardians. Part of the problem is Destiny 2’s incredibly long load times, but it has also seemed almost impossible to match against what the game deems as the right opponents.

In Destiny 1 there was no skill-based matchmaking. It was fun and frantic, and all the more satisfying when you managed to completely destroy a Guardian who was way ahead of you in level of Power Level. It was also great to see a Guardian with the best Exotic of the moment get completely owned by someone with a common rarity weapon, which I did a lot.

Destiny 2’s Crucible modes have never felt great because there has always been this process of matching you against the right opponents. I don’t think any of us had a problem with being matched with those beyond our level, it’s what pushes us to be better, but apparently game design standards were seen as more important than fan feedback.

Still, at least now this feature has been removed. Iron Banner has genuinely never been so enjoyable, and I think it’s a great first step towards making the PVP game in Destiny 2 so much better.

We’re currently living in a time when most other PVP games are all built around the battle royale genre. Somehow Destiny 2 remains fun, even though it doesn’t have a battle royale mode, and I think that’s a testament to the hugely enjoyable gunplay.

I hope that Bungie pushes themselves to keep making PVP more fun in Destiny 2 with small changes like this, because I can’t wait to feel as good about the Crucible at large as I do about Iron Banner right now.

Let us know what you think of the rule change in the comments.

Image Source: PC Invasion