This article is part of a directory: Destiny 2: Lightfall - Complete Guide
Table of contents

Quick Links

Ever since the release of Destiny 2 back in 2017, players have been increasing their Power level. Power level is important, as it allows players to complete higher difficulty activities. The lower the Power level in relation to enemies, the more damage players take while also doing less damage. So for that reason, it is important to be as high a Power level as possible.

With every Expansion, the Power level cap increases substantially in Destiny 2. While the Power Cap at the end of The Witch Queen was 1590, it is now 1810 at the start of Lightfall. Here is how players can reach 1810 as quickly as possible.

RELATED: Destiny 2: 10 Best Changes in Lightfall

How to Reach Soft Cap (1750)

destiny-2-how-to-get-to-power-cap-quickly-1810-1

The first thing that players will need to do to reach 1810 is to first hit the Soft Cap for Power level. With the release of Lightfall, the base Power level that everyone starts at is 1600. When below the Soft Cap, every armor and weapon drop that players come across will be a significant upgrade regardless of the rarity of the item. That said, the best possible (and most efficient) method of reaching Soft Cap right out the gate is to complete the Lightfall campaign on Legendary difficulty.

Not only do players get double rewards when doing Legendary first, but also they get a full set of weapons and armor at 1770 Power with eight Upgrade Modules to infuse that gear into whatever players already have equipped. Without doing Legendary campaign, it is a significantly slower climb to Soft Cap. Not only that, but it puts players 20 points above the Soft Cap which gives them a head start toward the Powerful Cap.

How to Reach Powerful Cap (1800)

destiny-2-how-to-get-to-power-cap-quickly-1810-2

Once at Soft Cap, the only way to go any higher with Power level is to go after rewards that are either Powerful or Pinnacle drops. On the Director, look around each destination and complete any activity or challenge that rewards Powerful or Pinnacle Drops. Examples of this are as follows.

  • Vendor Challenges (Doing eight Bounties for Zavala, Drifter, Lord Shaxx, Banshee-44)
  • Completing 3 matches in Gambit and Crucible (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Completing 5 activities in the Vanguard Ops playlist at minimum, higher difficulty Nightfalls will grant additional progress. (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Earn Reputation with Nimbus on Neomuna (Powerful Gear Tier 1)
  • Give 20 Commendations to other players (Powerful Gear Tier 2)
  • Spire of the Watcher dungeon (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Rotational weekly dungeon/raid (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Complete the Weekly Lightfall Campaign mission with a score of 100,000 (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Complete the Weekly Partition activity (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Complete eight Bounties at the War Table in the HELM (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Complete 3 Defiant Battlegrounds in the playlist (Pinnacle Gear)
  • Complete The Root of Nightmares Raid (Pinnacle Gear, once it is unlocked on March 10th)

Each reward that is either a Powerful or Pinnacle drop will be a several point upgrade for players, but Pinnacles will typically be higher. Unfortunately, players are at the mercy of RNG when it comes to what slot their Power or Pinnacle drop will be in. As a result, it can potentially take several weeks to reach Powerful Cap since it takes 50 points (or 30 points if players completed the Legendary Campaign). Aside from weekly sources, players can also obtain Prime Engrams randomly. Prime Engrams are essentially the same as Powerful drop since they are typically a three point upgrade.

How to Reach Pinnacle Cap (1810)

destiny-2-how-to-get-to-power-cap-quickly-1810-3

Once players reach Powerful Cap, the only way for them to go any higher is by completing activities that reward Pinnacle drops like the ones listed above. One important thing to know is that not all Pinnacles reward the same level of Power. Pinnacle drops from basic core playlists like Gambit, Crucible, and Vanguard Ops are only one point upgrades. On the other hand, Pinnacle drops from endgame activities like dungeons and raids reward are two point upgrades.

For example, if a player is at 1801 Power Level (excluding any bonus Power from the Artifact) and they get a Pinnacle drop from Gambit, that drop will be 1802 Power. However, if that drop was from a dungeon or raid it would drop at 1803 Power instead. So the best way to reach 1810 Power efficiently when at Powerful Cap is to focus on endgame activities like dungeons, raids, and Nightfalls as they all give two point upgrades.

Just like with the Powerful Cap, players will still be at the mercy of RNG when it comes to what armor/weapon slot that the Pinnacle reward drops for. It is entirely possible to go weeks (if not months) without getting an upgrade for one or more slots.

Destiny 2 is available now on Epic Games Store, PS4, PS5, Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.