Destiny 2‘s convoluted leveling system brings players a nearly constant need to obtain drops to level their gear each season, and each expansion launch means a fresh reset on Power Level across the galaxy.
Because most important activities have a Power Level cap, keeping up with the leveling system is vital for players who want to make the most out of Destiny 2. The system has several moving parts, though, and players can get stuck navigating the several caps and drop sources available. Here’s a comprehensive guide to leveling in Destiny 2.
All level caps in Destiny 2‘s Season of the Seraph
If you want to reach max rank in Destiny 2, knowing the level caps is essential. Level caps determine how players can level up, with drop sources becoming more and more scarce as the levels go by.
- Minimum cap (floor): 1350
- Soft cap: 1530
- Powerful cap: 1580
- Pinnacle cap/hard cap: 1590
Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph leveling guide
The floor is the minimum level that a non-sunset item with a Power Level can drop. If you pull such an item from Collections, for instance, it will always be at least 1350. This is the minimum level, and most activities—including most raids—will be capped to the minimum.
If you’re below the soft cap, any item drop and activity will award you with gear that raises your Power Level. Even blue drops will raise your level a bit, so don’t dismantle them just yet. This worldly gear will only boost your power once you reach the soft cap, though it will still drop at your level for some time.
The soft cap is the first time players will encounter restrictions on how they can level. After reaching the soft cap, they can only level with Powerful and Pinnacle drops, meaning players will have to engage with specific activities if they want to level to max.
Likewise, once players reach the Powerful cap, the only way to raise their Power Level is by obtaining Pinnacle drops. Powerful drops continue to be useful, though, since they will continue to drop at your level (but not beyond). For instance, if you’re 1587 but you have a piece of gear that’s below your level, you can try to score a Powerful drop for that slot, which will drop at 1587.
You can’t level your gear anymore after reaching the Pinnacle cap, though you can still improve your Power Level through the seasonal Artifact.
With so many moving parts in the system, here’s how you can level through each cap and finally reach max level.
How to level to the Powerful cap in Destiny 2‘s Season of the Seraph
After you reach the Powerful cap, you’ll need to obtain both Powerful and Pinnacle drops. Powerful drops are plentiful, but Pinnacles are a bit more scarce. Until you reach the Pinnacle cap, though, treat Pinnacle drops as extra Powerful drops.
Powerfuls and Pinnacles drop from a myriad of activities, so there is plenty of options when it comes to leveling your character. If you’re running multiple characters, you should get several Powerfuls on one character to boost their Power Level, then take advantage of the level boost to raise your other characters. Since the Destiny 2 leveling takes into account the maximum equippable item level, your alts can piggyback on a main character’s higher-level guns.
Getting to the Powerful cap doesn’t really require an order, so players should knock out as many Powerfuls as they can. Having multiple characters helps with the leveling process, but it’s not entirely necessary.
How to level to the Pinnacle cap/max level in Destiny 2‘s Season of the Seraph
Once you get past the Powerful cap, though, you’ll notice your options for leveling will be far more scarce. Pinnacles have fewer sources than Powerful and they only drop one or two levels above your level.
Powerful drops continue to be useful despite them not directly increasing your level. They will drop at your max level, meaning you can use them to put a dent in armor slots that have fallen behind your level. For instance, if you’re one piece shy of advancing a level, finding a Powerful drop for an outdated slot could push you past the threshold.
Some third-party tools can help you know when to hunt down Powerful drops to equal your gear, and even show you all sources you haven’t obtained yet. Destiny Item Manager (DIM) has a Progress tab that shows you drops you haven’t obtained yet, and Destiny Recipes has a dedicated Power Level helper tool that tells you when to pursue Powerfuls instead.
Regardless of how you choose to keep track of your drops, though, it’s important to find Pinnacles, use Powerfuls to even out your gear, and grab drops on multiple characters if you’re looking to level to max quickly.
