Hello Guardians, I'm here this evening to bring to light something that has been quite bothersome for me for quite some time.
That is, the fact that the Iron Banner Armor and Weapons aren't the same light level and attack values as Trials of Osiris gear.
Currently you have to grind for days in the Iron Banner to get even close to attaining the legendary Iron Banner weapons or armor, in a playlist that is filled with Thorn's, connection issues, and full fire teams ready to stomp your face in. So, why would anyone want to grind for armor and weapons in a PvP game mode that give you sub-par stats and weak gun perks? When compared to Trials of Osiris gear, the current Iron Banner gear doesn't even compare. Trials 42 light level armor gives you decent perks designed for PvP and PvE as well as an extra perk on all pieces of armor, and the weapons come freshly equipped with PvP focused perks and 365 attack values.
In Iron Banner you're generally sold a random piece of legendary armor with crap perks and 36 light level. The weapons given to you are random, and have random perks associated with them. Granted you can reforge said weapons so that you can either focus on PvP or PvE, but few rolls designed for PvP can match the Trials weapons, and no Iron Banner roll designed for PvE is gonna be better than a burn primary. Bungie needs to seriously address this in TTK. Also, the pricing when compared to Trials is absurd. Why is Iron banner gear so damn expensive? Especially when it's inherently crappier? And Etheric Light is way overpriced. I can get Etheric light for free from a silver package I don't even have to buy...wtf Bungie? Make Iron Banner gear WORTH grinding for. Make it a satisfactory option for people who want a competitive experience but would rather go play with more than 2 of their friends at a time.
Before I leave I would like to address some things:
1. Yes I do understand that grinding in IB can be potentially easier due to it having bounties associated with it. But once you complete those bounties your still gonna have to grind to get to the rank necessary to buy armor and weapons.
2. Getting 5-7 wins in trials so that you can get that armor or weapon piece is far easier in trials. In IB you have to win far more games before you even have a shot at getting that specific armor or weapon. Also, IB doesn't have any boons, so it's that much more difficult. All 3 trials Boons together make getting the gear a cakewalk...and if you lose 3 games? Heh, just buy a new passage for a cheap 100 glimmer, buy the boons back, and simply try again until you win.