The Iron Banner is one of Destiny 2's more interesting competitive events, popping up periodically each season to reward players with special weapons and armor they can't get anywhere else. Each season has seen new Iron Banner weapons appear, and in the Season of the Lost, you can earn all of them by completing a season-long quest called "For The War To Come," which you can pick up from Lord Saladin in the Tower.
It's a bit of a grind, but with the right approach, it's possible to knock out each of For The War To Come's steps quickly and efficiently. Here's everything you can expect from the quest, plus some tips about how to overcome it in a hurry to earn a bunch of new drops that will increase your character's Power level and get the new weapons into your hands. Even if you don't knock out the quest quickly, though, know that you have all season to complete it, and there will be multiple Iron Banner events before the Season of the Lost comes to an end.
Note that you can also get additional versions of the new Iron Banner guns, Peacebond and Forge's Pledge, by turning in Iron Banner tokens to Lord Saladin. The quest gets you some Pinnacle gear drops, though, so it's worth completing. It's also worth noting that certain requirements, such as capturing Control zones, are cumulative and will count toward later steps, even if you max them out on the step you're currently working on.
The first step is pretty straightforward, although you're going to want to tune your build ahead of time to snag Energy weapon kills to speed this one along. That means you want the gun in your second slot to be your go-to weapon for the time being--hand cannons such as Palindrome or Igneous Hammer are a good bet, for instance. Save yourself some time by placing your primary weapon in the Energy slot or you'll have to earn extra kills to advance.
Reward: Forge's Pledge pulse rifle; Iron Banner class item
As noted, everything you've done before this step will count toward it--so the Iron Banner matches you played in Step 1 will count toward Step 2, as will the captured zones. The sticking point is the pulse rifle kill requirement. You have to get all 15 pulse rifle kills during this requirement, but there are lots of good options, like No Time To Explain. Step 1 will also get you the new Iron Banner pulse rifle, Forge's Pledge, which you can try out for this step.
Reward: Iron Banner leg armor
Guns matter less for this step, as you're going to need ability kills to tick off that last requirement. The best way to do that quickly is to spec your character for high Intellect, so you can get your Super ready as quickly as possible, which can potentially earn you multiple ability kills per match. Obviously having grenades and melee abilities charge quickly will also get you to the mark quickly. As for the other two steps, the minimum of 45 Guardian kills you earned on Steps 1 and 2 will make that 100-kill requirement much less daunting; any kills you've earned up to now will count.
Reward: Peacebond sidearm; Iron Banner gauntlets
Your subclass doesn't matter for this step, so whatever Super you think will earn you kills most quickly is the one you want here. In addition, you're going to need kills with a sidearm; Step 3 will earn you the Peacebond sidearm, so you can bring that to bear here. Other good choices include Traveler's Chosen, especially if you've earned the new Exotic catalyst for it, as that makes the sidearm fully automatic.
Reward: Iron Banner chest armor
Reward: Iron Banner helmet
Source
It's a bit of a grind, but with the right approach, it's possible to knock out each of For The War To Come's steps quickly and efficiently. Here's everything you can expect from the quest, plus some tips about how to overcome it in a hurry to earn a bunch of new drops that will increase your character's Power level and get the new weapons into your hands. Even if you don't knock out the quest quickly, though, know that you have all season to complete it, and there will be multiple Iron Banner events before the Season of the Lost comes to an end.
Note that you can also get additional versions of the new Iron Banner guns, Peacebond and Forge's Pledge, by turning in Iron Banner tokens to Lord Saladin. The quest gets you some Pinnacle gear drops, though, so it's worth completing. It's also worth noting that certain requirements, such as capturing Control zones, are cumulative and will count toward later steps, even if you max them out on the step you're currently working on.
For The War To Come Quest
Step 1
- Defeat 30 Guardians
- Capture 10 Zones
- Get 30 Energy weapon kills
The first step is pretty straightforward, although you're going to want to tune your build ahead of time to snag Energy weapon kills to speed this one along. That means you want the gun in your second slot to be your go-to weapon for the time being--hand cannons such as Palindrome or Igneous Hammer are a good bet, for instance. Save yourself some time by placing your primary weapon in the Energy slot or you'll have to earn extra kills to advance.
Reward: Forge's Pledge pulse rifle; Iron Banner class item
Step 2
- Complete 6 Iron Banner Matches
- Capture 20 Zones
- Get 15 Pulse Rifle kills
As noted, everything you've done before this step will count toward it--so the Iron Banner matches you played in Step 1 will count toward Step 2, as will the captured zones. The sticking point is the pulse rifle kill requirement. You have to get all 15 pulse rifle kills during this requirement, but there are lots of good options, like No Time To Explain. Step 1 will also get you the new Iron Banner pulse rifle, Forge's Pledge, which you can try out for this step.
Reward: Iron Banner leg armor
Step 3
- Defeat 100 Guardians
- Capture 30 Zones
- Score 10 Solar or Stasis ability kills
Guns matter less for this step, as you're going to need ability kills to tick off that last requirement. The best way to do that quickly is to spec your character for high Intellect, so you can get your Super ready as quickly as possible, which can potentially earn you multiple ability kills per match. Obviously having grenades and melee abilities charge quickly will also get you to the mark quickly. As for the other two steps, the minimum of 45 Guardian kills you earned on Steps 1 and 2 will make that 100-kill requirement much less daunting; any kills you've earned up to now will count.
Reward: Peacebond sidearm; Iron Banner gauntlets
Step 4
- Get 15 Super kills
- Capture 40 Zones
- Get 15 sidearm kills
Your subclass doesn't matter for this step, so whatever Super you think will earn you kills most quickly is the one you want here. In addition, you're going to need kills with a sidearm; Step 3 will earn you the Peacebond sidearm, so you can bring that to bear here. Other good choices include Traveler's Chosen, especially if you've earned the new Exotic catalyst for it, as that makes the sidearm fully automatic.
Reward: Iron Banner chest armor
Step 5
- Speak with Lord Saladin to end the quest
Reward: Iron Banner helmet
Source