Destiny 2 Ash and Iron overview: Free DLC update for Edge of Fate
Explore Destiny 2’s Ash and Iron update: Iron Banner’s return, Desert Perpetual Epic mode, key balance changes, and a higher power cap.
Table of Contents
Key takeaways
- Ash and Iron launches free on September 9, 2025
- The update raises the Power cap to 550 and aims to improve Power leveling progression.
- Plaguelands returns alongside the new three-player survival mode, Reclaim.
- Iron Banner and dungeon rotation make a comeback.
- Desert Perpetual gets a new Epic raid difficulty with exclusive rewards. The Epic version will be especially hard due to the numerous nerfs.
Destiny 2’s Ash and Iron update is the next big DLC arriving free with the Edge of Fate expansion. Bungie has lined up a major set of features, from balance changes and new mechanics to the long-awaited return of Iron Banner.
Here’s everything you need to know about Ash and Iron.
What is Destiny 2 Ash and Iron
Ash and Iron is an upcoming DLC update for Edge of Fate, included free with the expansion. In this update, the developers promise significant mechanic changes, balance adjustments, the return of fan-favorite activities, the Epic difficulty raid, and more. Below, we’ll go through all the key features you can expect in Ash and Iron. But first, let’s talk release dates.
Ash and Iron release date Destiny 2
Destiny 2 Ash and Iron release date is September 9, 2025.
This is a symbolic date for Bungie, as Destiny 1 was released exactly 11 years ago on this day.
Destiny 2 Ash and Iron features
Destiny 2 Ash and Iron key features:
- New Portal activities
- Including old dungeons, Exotic missions, and more
- Reclaim, a brand-new survival activity
- Plaguelands location, returning from Destiny 1
- Iron Banner returning
- Weekly dungeon rotation in the Portal
- Desert Perpetual with new Epic raid difficulty
- New Exotic mission, two new Exotic weapons, and the Whirling Ovation Catalyst
- Power cap increased to 550 (from 450)
- New Artifact perks
- New weapons and armor sets
- Buffs and nerfs: Class, weapon and armor changes
Note
The developers also promised to address major gameplay concerns, such as the slow Power Level grind and the lack of progression value in older content, where outdated gear and activities offer little incentive. How they intend to resolve this is still uncertain.
Ash and Iron Power Level changes
The biggest topic right now is the Power grind, which many players find painfully slow, repetitive, and uninteresting. The developers have promised to improve it, though there are plenty of concerns about how they plan to do so. Their previous updates haven’t shown a clear direction, or even a good understanding of what the community really needs.
That said, setting the drama aside, here are the developers’ latest intentions for Power Level system as of now:
- General Power Level updates:
- You will be able to gain 500 Power through Portal activities, with the final 50 achievable only from Primal Engrams.
- The Power grind should no longer feel as extreme as before.
- Power Grind fixes:
- Prime Engrams will drop before you reach 500 Power, making the 500–550 progress faster.
- The 200–300 and 300–400 Power grinds will be reconsidered and improved (no further details yet).
- Weapon and Armor tiers
- Tier-5 weapons and armor will drop regularly at 500 Power.
- Difficulties, rewards, and more
- New Ultimate difficulty (starting at Power 451) with 2 new player stakes and Ultimate Fireteam Ops.
- Four Grandmaster Conquests and two Ultimate Conquests.
- Platinum reward ranks (450-499 Power) and Diamond reward ranks (500-550 Power), that makes Tier-5 gear much easier to farm.
Destiny 2 Reclaim activity
Ash and Iron brings a new three-player activity called Reclaim. In this activity, players must work closely as a team since resources are scarce and survival depends on cooperation. Bungie explains it as a challenge where teamwork is not optional but required. Reclaim is introduced through a special event called New Territory, which takes place in the Plaguelands and connects directly to the main Ash and Iron storyline.
Destiny 2 Plaguelands zone
Plaguelands, a fan-favorite zone from Destiny 1, is making its return with the Ash and Iron update. In Edge of Fate, most of the action will take place in this zone.
Here’s what Bungie had to say about the Plaguelands:
“With Ash and Iron, we’re going to be returning to the Plaguelands. That story is going to pick up from where we left off from the Edge of Fate.”
— Robbie Stevens, Bungie
Desert Perpetual Epic difficulty
Desert Perpetual returns in Ash and Iron with the new Epic mode. Players can expect tougher challenges, new quests, fresh loot, more loot drops, the Whirling Ovation Catalyst, and even Tier-5 Legendary weapon drops. More in our Desert Perpetual Epic overview.
Developers are also introducing Contest Mode for the Epic version of Desert Perpetual, although it has already faced criticism from the community for reusing old content for Contest mode.
All the new Desert Perpetual action begins on September 20.
Ash and Iron nerfs and buffs
There are many changes to gear and classes coming with Ash and Iron. Here, we will highlight the most interesting ones, while the full list of changes can be found in Bungie’s official post.
- Weapon buffs: Whirling Ovation, No Land Beyond, Thunderlord, and Hawkmoon.
- Weapon nerfs: Graviton Spike, Tarrabah, Lord of Wolves, Grand Overture, Outbreak Perfected, Barrow Dyad, Hierarchy of Needs, and the Temporal Blast Mod.
- Class changes: massive nerfs to all Titan Stronghold builds, a minor nerf to Hunters, and a buff to Warlocks.
- 10 Exotic weapons and 6 armor pieces added to the Featured Exotic list.
Need help in Ash and Iron? You can always count on our Destiny 2 boost.
Comments
Weapon tiers and Armour 3.0 are WAY too grindy.
I’m sorry; they just are.
Requiring us to pointlessly re-level (yet again) or reacquire every weapon we’ve tirelessly, painstakingly worked to achieve, is a literal game breaker..
Especially for veterans like me that have been loyal and more than patient over the years.
This new tier system is basically Sunsetting 2.0.
It’s seemingly just another way for Bungie to phase out weapons without flat out taking them away.
It’s apparently THEIR way of avoiding admitting the truth in an effort to circumvent the inevitable, justifiable backlash.
..because players don’t like being lied to, and we DEFINITELY don’t want to be lied to repeatedly.
Yet THAT is basically what Bungie has been doing.
It’s manipulative, it’s shady, it’s skeevy, and ultimately it’s an insult to our intelligence.
It’s a full-swing slap in the face to those of us that know better, and understand that this is nothing more than another instance of irresponsibility, and another pathetic attempt to avoid accountability.
..and yes, it’s infuriating.
While we’re on the topic of being irresponsible, let’s not ignore the new misleading, underwhelming ammunition system alterations that were SUPPOSED to be an improvement to the serious existing ammo problems..
Something that I honestly didn’t think could get any worse.
(Boy was I wrong!)
..or what about the lack of content, the unreasonable bullet-sponge add difficulty, or the game and U.I. changes that no one asked for or wanted?
Combined with the ridiculous armour/power grind, the MANY game-breaking issues in this sub-standard expansion have made Destiny 2 nearly unbearable to the vast majority of the guardian community.
It’s on a level never seen before.
A new low, and yet Bungie is STILL dragging their feet.
I don’t..get it.
Either they’re really this arrogant and stubborn, or they’re immensely ignorant to the reality AND the severity of the situation.
I mean, who would EVER want to play a video-game (that isn’t a simulator) that feels like hard, exhausting work?
Why would anyone want to continue to invest in something that’s meant to be fun, but doesn’t fail to fail in the fun department over, and over, and over again?
How can a company hold something with THIS much potential so firmly in the grip of their hands, and still be this disconnected at the same time?
It’s honestly so wildly confusing to me that the things Bungie has implemented lately, and the direction we’re moving as a result would ever make it to a boardroom table, let alone into production.
Not only is this ALL so extremely unnecessary and tedious, AND boring, but combined with “Sunsetting 2.0”, these issues have sadly become the REAL D2 killer imo.
It saddens me deeply that the company/studio that created one of my absolute favourite games, is also responsible for destroying it.
At this point the only thing Bungie SHOULD do, is roll back the content (not the achievements) to The Final Shape.
..because nearly everything in this expansion has been a train wreck.
(Pun intended)
Needless to say, this Expansion/DLC has been a MASSIVE let-down.
..and as said, not just for me, but for most.
Unlike Bungie, the numbers don’t lie.
____
Oh, and let’s not forget to mention the very important fact that Bungie STILL hasn’t adequately addressed or amended the undeniably serious vault space issues.
Issues that are not only mentioned in this blog, but solved here as well.
You have just said it all, thank you!!!!!
While this stuff does look good. I have no intentions of paying 40 dollars to endure a grind thats miserable. Also not paying to be a part of Bungies QA team since they are basically using the players as paid testers, but instead they paid Bungie. Wiiiild
Hopefully this brings me back, edge of fate so far is a let down, haven’t even finished the story and was bored of getting the new stats for the gear changes
Hopefully they will change how fast we power up kind of bull that spending 4 hours a day everyday just to hit 400 the season is already over and cant finish the high end seasonal content or even hit guardian rank 11
yes, there are a lot of people in a similar situation. i doubt they ll fix the powerlevel system that soon, but I’d be happy to be wrong