Power Grind To 2010 Guide

Power Grind To 2010 Guide



Every new expansion in Destiny 2 raises the Power level cap by a certain amount. Seasons used to raise the Power cap by a small amount, but the more recent episodic model has opted for less persistent Power grinding. The major spikes in Guardian Power now come from expansion launches, including the likes of Final Shape.

Related

Destiny 2: Every New Weapon In The Final Shape

The Final Shape has dozens of new weapons to chase, including the return of fan favorites like Breachlight, Perfect Paradox, and Hush.

In other words, everyone starts off at the same Power level when the expansion starts. Everyone’s brought up to a new floor, and the new Power max remains relevant for the entire year. To help you reach that cap, we’ll go over how Power level works, the Power increases you can expect from each activity, and some strategies you can use to level your main and alternate characters quickly.

Updated November 19, 2024, by Charles Burgar: Act 2 of Revenant added Tomb of the Elders, a reprised version of Prison of Elders with its own Powerful Gear drops and unique weapons. We’ve updated this guide to include Tomb of Elders in the Powerful Gear section and corrected a few entries.

How Does Power Level Work?

Destiny 2 Prismatic Hunter In Menu

If you’re a seasoned Destiny 2 player, you can skip this section.

Power level determines two key things in Destiny 2:

  • How much damage you deal
  • How much damage you can take

The higher your level is, the greater both of these bonuses are. If your Power level is lower than the activity’s recommended level, you will be taking substantially more damage from enemies and deal less to combatants.

To increase your Power level, you must obtain new weapons and armor with a higher Power level rating. All non-sunset loot you obtain will increase your Power level until you reach the ‘soft cap.’ This cap changes each expansion. For Episode: Revenant, the soft cap is 1,950 Power.

Once you reach the soft cap, you will need to obtain Powerful Gear rewards from weekly milestones and activities to obtain gear with a higher level. Your Director will list every activity that grants Powerful Gear. We’ll list all of these activities later in the guide.

If you reach a Power level of 2,000, you have hit the ‘hard cap‘ for your character’s level. Unfortunately, that is not the actual cap; you can further increase your Power by obtaining Pinnacle Gear from Destiny 2’s most demanding content (raids, Trials of Osiris, et cetera). This is called the ‘pinnacle cap‘ and is currently set to 2,010.

The only means of increasing your Power level past 2,010 is by leveling your Seasonal Artifact. Artifact leveling occurs passively as you earn XP in Destiny 2.

Related

Destiny 2: Every New Weapon In Into The Light

Defend the Last City to get your hands on Luna’s Howl, Recluse, Mountaintop, and much more.

Episode: Revenant Power Level Bands

Destiny 2 Episode Revenant Key Art

Episode: Revenant’s Power level bands are the following:

  • Soft Cap: 1,950
  • Hard Cap: 2,000
  • Pinnacle Cap: 2,010

Soft Cap

The soft cap can be reached by obtaining any non-sunset gear. This includes:

  • Rares
  • Legendaries (non-sunset)
  • Exotics

Obtaining vendor packages is a reliable way to reach the soft cap in a short period of time.

Hard Cap

Powerful Gear rewards from activities are the main method of reaching the hard cap. Prime Engrams can also assist you in achieving this cap.

Pinnacle Cap

Pinnacle Gear rewards are the only way of increasing your gear’s Power past 2,000.

Related

Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To The Whisper Exotic Mission

Learn how to complete The Whisper mission and uncover all hidden Oracle locations with this in-depth walkthrough.

All Power Level Sources

Destiny 2 Director Revenant

You can find every source of Powerful and Pinnacle Gear below. These activities are listed by the reward type. Note that these activities are character-bound. If you have more than one character, you can level your second and third characters to increase your Power level even faster.

General Power Source

Destiny 2 Revenant Artifact Featured
  • Seasonal Artifact: This grants Power level based on how much XP you’ve earned.
    • Artifact Power is disabled in contest mode raids and Trials of Osiris.
  • World Drops (Soft Cap Only): If you aren’t at the soft cap, any items you find will increase your Power level.

Powerful Gear Sources

Destiny 2 Pathfinder System

The sources listed below will grant +3 to +5 Power. Most of these sources are weeklies found on your Director.

Some of these activities are tied to the Witch Queen Expansion, Lightfall, Final Shape, or episodic content.

Source

Requirement

Power Boost

Legendary Campaign (Final Shape)

Complete the entire campaign mission on Legendary difficulty.

Gives a full set of 1,960 Power gear

Prime Engrams

Decrypt Prime Engrams (rarely drops from slain enemies, and certain vendors can give them as part of their respective reward tracks)

+3

Core Playlists

Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit can drop powerful gear on completion.

+3

Onslaught

Complete 50 waves of Onslaught.

+3

Onslaught

Complete 30 waves of Onslaught in a single run.

+3

Gunsmith Bounties

Complete 8 Gunsmith bounties for Banshee-44

+3

Episode: Echoes Content

Open 3 chests in Echoes content.

+3

Encore

Complete the Encore Exotic mission.

+3

Eido Bounties

Complete 8 Eido bounties in The Last City.

+3

Glory Rank Ups

Increase your Glory division or subdivision rank

+3

Pale Heart

Gain reputation in the Pale Heart

+3

Dual Destiny

Clear Dual Destiny.

+3

Trials of Osiris

Win 3 Trials matches on the same card

+4

Failsafe

Increase your reputation with Failsafe in the HELM.

+4

Trials of Osiris

Win 5 Trials matches on the same card

+5

Pathfinder

Claim a Pale Heart Pathfinder completion reward.

+5

Tomb of Elders

Complete 8 laps of Tomb of Elders.

+5

Onslaught: Salvation

Complete 50 waves in the Onslaught: Salvation playlist.

+5

Pinnacle Gear Sources

Destiny 2 Final Shape Pale Heart Landscape With Monolith In Distance

These sources drop +6 levels higher than your current Power. If you hit the hard cap, these sources will grant gear +2 higher than your current Power, up to the pinnacle cap.

Some of these activities are tied to the Witch Queen Expansion, Lightfall, Final Shape, or episodic content.

Source

Requirement

Power Boost

Hawthorne*

Give 5 Commendations to other players at the end of activities

+2

Pathfinder

Complete a full set of ritual Pathfinder tasks.

+2

Seasonal Content

Complete runs of the Episode: Echoes main activity.

+2

Nightfall Playlist

Clear a Nightfall with a score of 200,000

+2

Trials of Osiris

Win 7 games on the same card

+2

Trials of Osiris (Flawless)

Win 7 games with no losses on a Trials Passage

+2

Trials of Osiris

Win 50 rounds

+2

Iron Banner

Complete Iron Banner daily challenges

+2

Exotic Mission Playlist

Complete the weekly Exotic mission 2 times.


Located under the “Legends” tab. Higher difficulties grant more progress.

+2

Coop Focus Campaign

Complete the weekly Final Shape co-op focus campaign mission.

+2

Excision

Complete “Excision” on any difficulty.

+2

Onslaught: Revenant

Complete 50 waves of Onslaught (Episode: Revenant only).

+2

Warlord’s Ruin

Complete encounters in the Warlord’s Ruin dungeon.

+2

Newest Dungeon

Complete encounters in the Vesper’s Host dungeon.

+2

Newest Raid

Complete encounters in the Salvation’s Edge raid.

+2

Weekly Raid

Complete the weekly rotating raid


(Last Wish, Garden, Deep Stone Crypt, Vault of Glass, Root of Nightmares, or Crota’s End)

+2

Weekly Dungeon

Complete the weekly rotating dungeon


(Shattered Throne, Pit of Heresy, Prophecy, Grasp of Avarice, Duality, Spire, or Ghosts)

+2

*Despite being listed as Powerful T2, this actually gives Pinnacle Gear.

Activity Sources

Destiny 2 Dungeon 4 - via Bungie
via Bungie

If you haven’t played Destiny 2 in a bit or don’t own all the game’s DLCs, you might be confused about where some of these activities originate from. We’ve listed the episode or DLC tied to each activity in the tables below.

Active DLC

Free

  • Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit
  • Onslaught
  • Nightfalls
  • Exotic Rotator Playlist
  • Competitive PvP
  • Hawthorne Vendor
  • Dares of Eternity
  • Vault of Glass
  • King’s Fall
  • Crota’s End

Episode: Revenant

Episode: Echoes

  • Onslaught: Salvation
  • Tomb of Elders
  • Contest of Elders
  • Eido Bounties
  • Vesper’s Host (Dungeon Key)
  • Battleground: Echoes
  • Enigma Protocol
  • Arena: Breach Executable
  • Encore Exotic Mission
  • Failsafe Bounties

The Final Shape

Lightfall

  • Final Shape Campaign
  • The Pale Heart
  • Excision
  • Dual Destiny
  • Salvation’s Edge
  • Lightfall Campaign
  • Terminal Override
  • Root of Nightmares
  • Ghosts of the Deep (Dungeon Key)
  • Warlord’s Ruin (Dungeon Key)

The Witch Queen

30th Anniversary Pack

  • Altar of Reflection
  • The Wellspring
  • Witch Queen Campaign
  • Vow Of The Disciple
  • Duality (Dungeon Key)
  • Spire of the Watcher (Dungeon Key)

Shadowkeep

Forsaken Pack

  • Garden of Salvation
  • Pit of Heresy
  • Last Wish
  • Shattered Throne

General Leveling Tips

Destiny 2 Final Shape Pale Heart Landscape With Monolith In Distance

Complete The Final Shape Legendary Campaign

The Final Shape campaign has two difficulty variants: Normal and Legendary. You’ll want to play on Legendary. Completing the Final Shape campaign on Legendary grants a full set of gear at 1,960 Power. This bypasses a large majority of the Power grind. If you own the Final Shape expansion and have the skill and/or friends to clear the campaign on Legendary, we highly encourage you to do so.

Additional Tips

Complete Pinnacle Gear challenges whenever your items have a similar Power level. This will grant a major boost to one slot, making Powerful Gear rewards “even out” your other slots. Be sure to complete bounties while completing weeklies, as the XP they provide can greatly accelerate your Artifact’s progression. The more XP you earn, the more Power level you’ll receive.

If you have more than one character, you have even more sources of Powerful gear you can leverage. Your highest Power is tracked across your entire account. For example, if your Hunter is at 1.960 and your Warlock is at 1,900, your Warlock’s first few items are going to be considerably higher than usual to help them fast track to 1,960. Consult the April 25 TWID for more information.

Reaching 2,000 Power Quickly

Destiny 2 Final Shape Fireteam Patrolling The Pale Heart

Reaching the soft cap in Destiny 2 can be a painful process, but understanding how to mix-max your Powerful drops can make this grind much faster. If you’re new to Destiny 2, you’ll need to do some serious grinding to reach the hard cap this season.

Destiny 2 Crucible

Before you obtain any Powerful Gear, make sure that you hit the soft cap first. Clearing the Final Shape campaign on Legendary difficulty is the fastest way of doing so, as you’ll receive a full set of gear at 1,960 Power when the campaign is finished.

For leveling quickly, you’ll want to obtain Powerful Gear rewards that offer the largest Power level jump. If you haven’t played the episode at all, completing one or two Pinnacle Gear sources isn’t a bad idea, as these will give you a +6 item.

From there, you’ll want to complete weeklies that grant minor Power level increases. These items will almost always drop in your other gear slots and “even out” the Power level distribution on your gear. When obtaining a +3 item becomes less impactful, complete another challenge that grants a massive boost.

The leveling process should look something like this:

  • Claim a Pinnacle Gear reward.
  • Complete three or four Powerful Gear weeklies.
  • Claim a Powerful Gear (+4 or +5) reward.
  • Complete three to four Powerful Gear weeklies.
  • Claim a Powerful Gear (+4 or +5) reward.
  • Complete three or four Powerful Gear weeklies.
  • (Optional) Play the Competitive Crucible Playlist to even out your gear.
    • If you dislike Comp, complete seasonal activity and vendor challenges at the H.E.L.M.

If you’re really far behind on the Power level scale, consider replacing the T2 and T3 Powerful Gear rewards with Pinnacle sources instead.

You can complete whatever content you prefer for the Pinnacle and Powerful rewards, but you should complete them in that order. Obtain a reward that grants a massive Power jump, then level your Crucible Glory rank or complete seasonal weeklies to even out your gear quickly. If you do this right, you can reach the hard cap one or two weeks into the current episode.

Reaching 2,010 Power Quickly

Destiny 2 Final Shape Pale Heart Armor Sets

Reaching 2,000 Power will boil down to RNG. If you are lucky enough to get drops in the slots you need, you can reach the Pinnacle cap three weeks into a new expansion.

For this episode, there isn’t any particular order you need to complete these weeklies. With that said, we do have a few suggestions:

  • Complete the Final Shape Campaign: This bypasses a large chunk of the Powerful grind for you.
  • Complete Seasonal Challenges: Seasonal Challenges grant an absurd amount of XP. That XP directly contributes to your Artifact’s Power level, allowing you to reach the Pinnacle Cap and beyond without grinding for weeks on end. This won’t assist with Trials of Osiris, but those chasing max Power to complete Master Nightfalls or Master Lost Sectors should keep this in mind.
  • Complete Pinnacle Dungeons: Each encounter in the current Pinnacle dungeon drops +2 Power upgrades. Get a fireteam before trying this.
    • An additional dungeon is also chosen as a Pinnacle activity each week, dropping a single +2 Power upgrade when cleared.
  • Clear the Pinnacle Raid: The most recently-released raid will always drop +2 Pinnacle gear per encounter.
    • An additional raid is also chosen as a Pinnacle activity each week, dropping a single +2 Power upgrade when cleared

.

Next

Destiny 2: Revenant – Slayer Baron Apothecary Satchel Artifact Guide

Breach and Clear, Hail the Storm, and global Kinetic Tremors for all GLs are just a few perks available in this season’s Artifact.

Source link