6 Things You Need to Know Before Destiny: Rise of Iron Comes Out

There’s a Sweet Pre-Order Bonus

For those who have yet to pre-order Rise of Iron, Destiny’s upcoming major expansion, maybe the Iron Gjallarhorn can provide a bit of incentive. As many fans are already excited about, the Gjally is making a return in year three, but you can get a spiffy new look for yours. This “Iron” variant is black and chrome, offering style and functionality, perfect for all of you legendary Guardians.

There’s also the Iron Gjallarwing. This is a Sparrow designed to look like the Iron Gjallarhorn, sporting the winged wolf that emblazons the weapon along with a black and chrome finish to match. 

The Light Level Will Increase Twice

For those of you looking to gain more power with Rise of Iron, you’ll be happy to know that you will get to see the Light Level cap increase twice. At launch, the max Light Level will jump up 50 points to 385, which is not too shabby at all. That’s a large increase that will definitely show a gap between Year Two and Three’s power.

For those who feel like that’s just not enough, the Light Level will increase one more time when the hard mode of the Wrath of the Machine raid rolls out. The new cap will be 400, rounding out the max as we await whatever’s next in Destiny, whether it be a new expansion or Destiny 2. 

You Can Start Raising Your Light Now

As always, Bungie likes to sneak little things into Destiny prior to whatever expansion is on the horizon. For Rise of Iron, some gear is dropping at above 335 Light (the Year Two max), which is allowing some players to start gathering power in preparation for whatever challenges will be thrown at us next week. Among the better gear is a brand new Exotic sidearm to whet the appetite of all you weapon collectors.

There is no guaranteed way to obtain any of this gear, though, which may be a bit frustrating to some. Still, playing through strike playlists and other challenges to obtain some Engrams and running through King’s Fall will provide plenty of opportunities. So gear up your Guardian and start collecting some loot. 

Everyone Will Have the Same Opportunity to Get a Gjallarhorn in Rise of Iron

If you’ve been playing Destiny for some time, you may recall that the reason Gjallarhorn wasn’t upgraded for Year Two was due to how certain players were treating others who didn’t have the Exotic Rocket Launcher. Many players were being excluded from teams simply for not having this rare drop and Bungie didn’t like how that was splitting the community. Now that it’s coming back, the studio has decided to make it possible for everyone to have a fair shake at getting one by making it a guaranteed quest reward.

Players will embark on a quest that will take them to the very spot where the first ever Gjallarhorn was crafted out of the armor of fallen Guardians. Upon completion, you will get your very own piece of history and be able to let the wolf pack roar once more. 

PlayStation Exclusives

As with Year One and Two, the PS4 will be receiving some exclusive content when Rise of Iron launches on Sep. 20. The content includes a new Crucible map called Icarus that is located on Mercury, a new quest titled “Show of Strength,” and a new ship called the Timeless Tereshkova which closely resembles an Arwing from Star Fox and is actually a reward for completing the exclusive quest.

None of this extra content will cost you a single penny as it is part of your standard Rise of Iron download, even if you don’t pre-order. While it hasn’t been stated yet, if the past serves as an example then this content will most likely be exclusive for a year before hitting the Xbox One. 

The Raid Will Not Be Available Day One, Giving You Time to Prepare

As was the case with previous expansions, the new Wrath of the Machine raid will not be available at launch, so you don’t need to try and clear your schedule to get in immediately during the work week. The activity will be going live on Friday, Sept. 23, and only the normal mode will be available with the hard mode releasing at a later, undisclosed date.

This gives players time to increase their light as they try to approach the new 385 limit. Bungie has already stated that Light will play a much larger role in Wrath of the Machine than it did in any other Destiny raid and that it will focus on a theme of “collision,” instead of the more puzzle-like nature of the King’s Fall raid from the last expansion.

So, when Sept. 20 hits, you have three days to get your Guardian into raid condition. Have fun and safe travels, Guardian.