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.
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PostsIn 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 May 9, 2025, by Charles Burgar: We've updated this guide to include the new Gift of the Nine chest added in the Rite of the Nine event. This chest will give you a full set of 2,020 Power gear, allowing you to bypass the entire Power grind this season.
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 expansion. For Episode: Heresy, the soft cap is 1,960 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 2,010, you have hit the 'hard cap' for your character's level. Unfortunately, that isnot 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 2,020 is by leveling your Seasonal Artifact. Artifact leveling occurs passively as you earn XP in Destiny 2.
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PostsEpisode: Heresy Power Level Bands
Episode: Heresy's Power level bands are the following:
- Soft Cap: 1,960
- Hard Cap: 2,010
- Pinnacle Cap: 2,020
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 to increase your gear's Power past 2,010.
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PostsAll 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 Source
- 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
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 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
Eido
Complete bounties for Eido in the Last City.
+3
Episode: Echoes Content
Open 3 chests in Echoes content.
+3
Encore
Complete the Encore Exotic mission.
+3
Kell's Fall
Complete the Kell's Fall 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
Micah-10
Complete a Cyst 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
Shaping Slab
Increase your reputation with the Shaping Slab in the Last City.
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
Kell's Fall
Complete Kell's Fall on any difficulty.
+5
Onslaught: Salvation
Complete 50 waves in the Onslaught: Salvation playlist.
+5
Pinnacle Gear Sources
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.
Limited to 3 clears each week.
+2
The Nether
Complete 3 runs of The Nether.
Harder difficulties grant bonus progress.
+2
Court of Blades
Complete 3 runs of Court of Blades.
Harder difficulties grant bonus progress.
+2
Heresy Content
Complete Heresy content on difficulties above Standard.
Harder difficulties grant bonus progress.
+2
Kell's Fall
Complete Kell's Fall on Master difficulty.
+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
Newest Dungeon
Complete encounters in the Sundered Doctrine 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, Ghosts, Warlord's, or Vesper's Host)
+2
*Despite being listed as Powerful T2, this actually gives Pinnacle Gear.
Activity Sources
via BungieIf 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
Episode: Heresy
- Gift of the Nine
- 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
- The Nether
- Court of Blades
- Sundered Doctrine
- Derealize Exotic Mission
Episode: Revenant
Episode: Echoes
- Onslaught: Salvation
- Tomb of Elders
- Kell's Fall
- 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
- Vesper's Host (Dungeon Key)
- 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)
- Grasp of Avarice
Shadowkeep
Forsaken Pack
- Garden of Salvation
- Pit of Heresy
- Last Wish
- Shattered Throne
Gift Of The Nine Bundle
CloseDuring the Rite of the Nine event, all players can get a full set of 2,020 Power gear from the Rite of the Nine hub. You'll find the chest within the Rite of the Nine hub that's tied to Eternity, a destination located on the Director map. Load into the zone, run to The Emissary, then interact with the chest beside her to claim your gear.
Since 2,020 is the Pinnacle cap this season, you'll effectively bypass the entire Power grind by claiming the rewards in this chest. Rewards are character-bound, not account-bound. If you don't have alternate characters already, we encourage you to make some and boost their Power Level this way.
General Leveling Tips
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 2,010 Power Quickly
Gift Of The Nine
From now until July 15, you can claim a full set of 2,020 gear from the Rite of the Nine hub, located in the Eternity section of the Director map. This is accessible to all players, including free-to-play Guardians.
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.
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 2,020 Power Quickly
Gift Of The Nine
From now until July 15, you can claim a full set of 2,020 gear from the Rite of the Nine hub, located in the Eternity section of the Director map. This is accessible to all players, including free-to-play Guardians.
Reaching 2,020 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 Expert 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.
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