Destiny 2's AFK timer for Strikes is being shortened, 6v6 Iron Banner delayed

There's good news and bad news in the world of Destiny 2 today, and since the weekend's just about upon us I will begin with the good: Bungie is reducing the amount of time a player can be inactive in a Strike to just three minutes, after which they'll be kicked to orbit. 

Strikes are co-op events for up to three players that run through a pile of enemies and culminate in a big boss fight. They're routine for experienced players, but they're also required for weekly milestones, through which Guardians acquire powerful equipment and loot. They're a core component of the game, in other words, but they're also plagued by people who enter them and then go AFK, leaving the work to others—because as long as they're present when the boss goes down, they reap the rewards regardless of their actual contribution. 

It's irritating as a matter of principle, and complaints about it go back to the original game, so it's good to see Bungie taking steps to clamp down on it. Time to stop riding my coattails, you lazy jerks! Unfortunately, with the good news comes the bad, and here it is: 

The problem, Bungie explained, is that when "certain score and timer conditions" are hit during a 6v6 match, all players are returned to orbit with an Anteater error—"Anteater" being Bungie's cutesy code for a "general networking error." A fix won't be ready in time for the scheduled Iron Banner start on April 10, so Bungie is bringing the free-for-all Rumble mode back, but with a lower player count: six instead of eight.   

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.