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Every new season in Destiny 2 raises the Power level cap by a certain amount. Most seasons will raise the Power cap by 10, but seasons tied to expansions raise this cap by much more. Season of the Plunder follows this trend by increasing Destiny 2's Power level maximum up to 1,580 Power.
In essence, this rather low increase in Power maximums allows you to focus less on grinding Pinnacles and more time playing content you enjoy. With that said, players that skipped a season or two will still have some catching up to do. 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 August 23rd, 2022, by Charles Burgar: A new season means new activities to farm. Season of the Plunder added a few new ways of increasing your Power Level, including a new seasonal activity and the reprised King's Fall raid. We've updated this guide with Season of the Plunder's new Power Level caps and new Powerful/Pinnacle activities.
How Does Power Level Work?
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 season. For Season of the Plunder, the soft cap is 1,520 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 1,570, you have hit the "hard cap" for your character's level. While this sounds counterintuitive, 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 1,580.
The only means of increasing your Power level past 1,580 is by leveling your Seasonal Artifact. Artifact leveling occurs passively as you earn XP in Destiny 2.
Season Of The Plunder Power Level Bands
Season of the Plunder's Power level bands are the following:
- Soft Cap: 1,520
- Hard Cap: 1,570
- Pinnacle Cap: 1,580
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 1,570.
All Power Level Sources
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 Sources
- Seasonal Artifact: This grants Power level based on how much XP you've earned.
- Artifact Power is disabled in contest mode raids, Trials of Osiris, and Iron Banner.
- 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
The sources listed below will grant +3 to +5 Power. Most of these sources are weeklies found on your Director.
| Source | Requirement | Power Boost |
|---|---|---|
| Legendary Campaign (Witch Queen) | Complete every Witch Queen campaign mission on Legendary difficulty. | Gives a full set of 1,520 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 |
| Vendor Weeklies | Complete 8 bounties for a given vendor | +3 |
| Core Playlists | Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit can drop powerful gear on completion | +3 |
| Nightfall Playlist | Clear 3 Nightfalls. Higher difficulties grant more progress | +3 |
| Competitive PvP | Complete 3 Survival games | +3 |
| Glory Rank Ups | Increase your Glory division or subdivision rank | +3 |
| Fynch's Challenge | Gain reputation with Fynch | +3 |
| Altar of Reflection | Complete 2 Altars of Reflection | +3 |
| The Wellspring | Complete 3 runs of the Wellspring | +3 |
| Dares of Eternity | Complete 3 Dares of Eternity runs. Legend difficulty grants additional progress | +3 |
| Weekly Campaign Mission | Complete the weekly campaign mission on any difficulty | +3 |
| H.E.L.M. | Complete 8 bounties from the Crown of Sorrow vendor | +3 |
| H.E.L.M. | Complete 8 bounties from the Star Chart vendor | +3 |
| Expedition | Acquire 125 treasures during the Expedition activity by throwing them into your treasure haul | +3 |
| Hawthorne | Earn 5,000 Clan XP | +4 |
| Trials of Osiris | Win 3 Trials matches on the same card | +4 |
| Trials of Osiris | Win 5 Trials matches on the same card | +5 |
| Ketchcrash | Complete 3 runs of Ketchcrash | +5 |
Some of these activities are tied to the Witch Queen Expansion, Season of the Risen, Haunted, or the 30th Anniversary Pack.
Pinnacle Gear Sources
These sources drop +6 levels higher than your current Power. If you hit the hard cap, these sources will grant gear +1 or +2 higher than your current Power, up to the pinnacle cap.
| Source | Requirement | Power Boost |
|---|---|---|
| Strike Playlist | Complete 3 strikes using the same subclass as the weekly burn | +1 |
| Crucible Playlist | Complete 3 games in any Valor Crucible playlist | +1 |
| Gambit Playlist | Complete 3 Gambit matches | +1 |
| Nightfall Playlist | Clear a Nightfall with a score of 100,000 | +2 |
| Trials of Osiris | Win 7 games on the same card | +2 |
| Trials of Osiris | 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 |
| Weekly Campaign Mission | Get a team score of 100,000 or better | +2 |
| Preservation | Complete the "Preservation" weekly mission | +2 |
| Vox Obscura | Defeat powerful Cabal and Champions in the "Vox Obscura" Exotic quest | +2 |
| The Wellspring | Complete a run of The Wellspring on Master difficulty | +2 |
| Dares of Eternity | Complete Dares of Eternity with a score of 250,000 or higher | +2 |
| Ketchcrash | Complete the Ketchcrash activity on Master difficulty | +2 |
| Duality (Master) | Complete encounters in the Duality dungeon on Master difficulty | +2 |
| King's Fall | Complete encounters in King's Fall | +2 |
| Weekly Raid | Complete the weekly rotating raid (Last Wish, Garden, Deep Stone Crypt, or Vault of Glass) | +2 |
| Weekly Dungeon | Complete the weekly rotating dungeon (Shattered Throne, Pit of Heresy, Prophecy, and Grasp of Avarice) | +2 |
Some of these activities are tied to the Witch Queen Expansion, Season of the Plunder, Risen, Haunted, or the 30th Anniversary Pack.
Activity Sources
If you haven't played Destiny 2 in a bit or don't own all of the game's DLCs, you might be confused about where some of these activities originate from. We've listed the season or DLC tied to each activity in the tables below.
Active DLC
| Free | Season Of The Plunder |
|---|---|
|
|
| Season Of The Haunted | Season Of The Risen |
|
|
| The Witch Queen | 30th Anniversary Pack |
|
|
General Leveling Tips
Complete The Witch Queen Legendary Campaign
The Witch Queen campaign has a Legendary difficulty variant you can start up at any time from Savathun's Throne World. Completing the Witch Queen campaign on Legendary grants a full set of gear at 1,520 Power. This bypasses a massive part of the Power grind. If you own the Witch Queen 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, it is best to level the character you play/like the least. When you're done leveling them, transfer your guns to your second character. Level that character, transfer your weapons once more to your main character, then complete every weekly milestone. This will nearly ensure that you reach the hard cap in the first week of a given season.
Finally, if you want to rush to the hard cap as fast as possible, give the Glory Crucible playlist a shot. If you win most of your games, nearly every match will give you a subdivision or division rank up, granting Powerful Gear as a reward. A few hours of Competitive Crucible is enough to gain nearly a dozen Power.
Reaching 1,570 Power Quickly
Reaching the soft cap in Destiny 2 is easier than ever, mostly thanks to the Gift of Thunder boost introduced in Season of the Plunder. If this offer ever expires, then there is another way you can quickly level your Guardian.
Option #1: Gift Of The Thunder Gods Boost
Make your way to the H.E.L.M. and interact with the nearby glowing chest. This chest contains a full set of 1,540-1,570 gear for you to claim. The gear's minimum Power is 1,540, available for New Lights or players returning from a lengthy break. If you're above 1,540, the chest will be +10 over your maximum Power, up to a cap of 1,570. For example, if your max Power is currently 1,557, the chest will give 1,567 gear. Gear from this chest cannot exceed 1,570 Power.
Anyone can claim this chest, not just veteran players. This chest will be removed in the future, so be sure to claim its offerings as soon as possible.
Option #2: Competitive PvP
Before you obtain any Powerful Gear, make sure that you hit the soft cap first. Clearing the Witch Queen campaign on Legendary difficulty is the fastest way of doing so, as you'll receive a full set of gear at 1,520 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 season 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.
- Play Glory-enabled Crucible to even out your gear.
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 to even out your gear quickly. If you do this right, you can reach the hard cap one or two weeks into a season.
Reaching 1,580 Power Quickly
Reaching 1,580 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 season.
For Season of the Plunder, there isn't any particular order you need to complete these weeklies in. With that said, we do have a few suggestions:
- Level alts first: Alternate characters should be your priority if you're rushing towards this cap. Level your third, least-played character before transferring your weapons to your second character. Complete their Pinnacle weeklies, transfer the guns to your main character, then run every Pinnacle source one more time.
- Complete +2 rewards first: Certain Pinnacle sources drop at +2 Pinnacle instead of +1. These are the activities you should complete first, as they'll allow you to increase your Power level faster.
- 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 or Iron Banner, but those chasing max Power to complete Master Nightfalls or Master Lost Sectors should keep this in mind.
- Clear King's Fall: King's Fall is the current Pinnacle raid of Destiny 2. Each encounter you clear will give a +2 Power upgrade.
