Destiny 2 players seeking to tackle the new Spire of Stars raid lair, or any endgame content for that matter, are going to want to raise their power level as efficiently as possible. For Warmind, Bungie has made the climb to max power level a lot steeper and limited the number of sources that can help players achieve big jumps.

Hit Power Level 340 Without Mods

Still, there are plenty of good ways to get to max power level, but the first plateau players will hit is power level 340. This is the soft cap (without mods) for Destiny 2 now that Warmind is available. Players will see their rare (blue) engrams and items increase in power level up to 335 and legendary items will cap out at 340.

We highly recommend that players reach power level 340 before cashing in any milestones or powerful rewards. Clan engrams from Nightfall, Raid, Crucible, and Trials of the Nine are okay to redeem since those now cap out at 340, but the activities associated with unlocking those engrams do not.

Powerful Rewards Above Power Level 340

Our best recommendation for those that want to efficiently raise their power level is to hit level 30 and power level 340 before even starting the Warmind campaign. That way, every unlock will be an increase in power level above the soft cap.

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Now that you are power level 340, complete the campaign. Most of the rewards from completing the campaign and quests, including the Sleeper Simulant exotic quest, will still be 340, but there is one reward that scales with the player. It is a random item from Ana Bray and will most likely be in the high 340 range.

With the campaign now complete, it’s time to consider all of the sources of powerful rewards. There are quite a few of them in Warmind, including:

  • Weekly Flashpoint
  • Nightfall Strike Completion Drop
  • Nightfall Strike Milestone
  • Prestige Nightfall Strike Completion Drop (Engram)
  • Complete 3 Heroic Strikes Milestone
  • Call to Arms Crucible Milestone
  • Leviathan Raid Encounter Drops
  • Eater of Worlds Raid Lair Drops
  • Raid Chests (Opening Castellum, Keys, Secret)
  • Clan XP Engram (Currently bugged)
  • Escalation Protocol Decrypted Cache Chest
  • Escalation Protocol Weapon Drop

How to Maximize Rewards

Every source is different, but the Milestones are going to be the most valuable since these engrams decrypt into two items. The other sources, like the Nightfall Strike completion drop and Prestige Nightfall completion, are single items so those are the most attractive to start. The same goes for the raid and raid lair rewards, including the engrams that drop from opening the Castellum area and those that drop from the locked chests.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the Prestige Leviathan raid can only drop armor; it does not feature any weapon drops. So, if a player has high power level weapons and is looking specifically for armor, it’s a good idea to complete the Prestige raid first. This rule also applies to leveling up a second character, since the high power level weapons can carry over to any class but armor does not.

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Eventually, it will become about balancing powerful reward sources. Cashing in a Milestone might be the best course of action if every piece of gear is around the same power level, while a Nightfall or Prestige Nightfall is more likely to reward a weapon upon its completion.

Luck will also come into play, but players should be able to raise their power level pretty considerably if they use all of the sources. And before too long they will be ready to tackle the Spire of Stars raid and add yet another source of powerful rewards to the weekly rotation.

Destiny 2: Warmind is available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.