Laser nitriding of iron and other metals is governed by the complicated interplay of the laserplasma-solid interactions which lead to a superposition of several mechanisms. This work reports on the drastic influence of the spatial laser intensity distribution on the nitriding process. The effects of the lateral laser intensity on the nitrogen lateral and depth profiles, the phase formation, the surface topology, and the microhardness are revealed by resonant nuclear reaction analysis, Mössbauer spectroscopy, surface profilometry, and nanoindentation. Homogeneous laser beams lead to a strong reduction or almost the absence of the piston mechanism, thus confining the nitriding and the transport processes to the laser spot and avoiding the fallout. The details are discussed in relation to the results obtained for the raw-beam irradiations. Much higher nitrogen saturation concentrations can be achieved with a homogenized beam, but the surface hardness and the hardening depth are lower than in the case of irradiation with the raw beam. The ⑀ nitride is only found for raw-beam irradiation.