With the Warmind expansion, the maximum level of your character in Destiny 2 has been raised. The path to it has also become more difficult. We show you how to quickly and efficiently reach the max power level of 385.
DLC II brings some changes: With the release of the Warmind DLC, the leveling system of Destiny 2 has changed. The maximum character level has been increased from 25 to 30, and the new power level cap is now 380 (385 with mods).
There have also been changes to the path to the new max level. Bungie has introduced a soft cap at power level 340 (345 with mods) – a kind of limit. Up to this limit, players level up relatively quickly. Upgrades are available at almost every corner.
After that, progress becomes very slow if you just play casually. You can only advance through specific activities. The path from 345 to the new hard cap of 385 is hard work and requires patience.
We will show you what the fastest way to the top looks like and what to keep in mind to use your resources as efficiently as possible.
Why is power level important? The power level not only increases your offensive and defensive capabilities – with a higher level, you can tackle more challenging endgame activities like the Escalation Protocol and the second raid sector, the “Starstream” and earn attractive and valuable loot.
The path to power level 385
The path to the new maximum level is divided into two parts:
- If you are just starting with Warmind, you first need to raise your character to level 30 and then increase your power level to 340 (345 with mods).
- Once you have reached the soft cap, the path to 385 is free.
How to reach power level 345 in Destiny 2
The way to 340 (345 with mods) is relatively simple. Here are some things to keep in mind:
- If you are just starting with Warmind, your power level won’t matter much. So start with the Warmind campaign and play it through to the end. This should bring you quite a bit closer to character level 30 and the new power level soft cap.
- Once you have finished the story, you can close the remaining gap through quests, adventures, lost sectors, crucible matches or public events. This way, you will be supplied sufficiently with rare and legendary engrams and gear to gradually reach 340.
- Important: If you have already completed your weekly milestones on your way, do not redeem them until you reach 340 (345 with mods) or are very close! Otherwise, you would waste valuable resources.
- If you want to level up faster, it is advisable to focus more on public events. They can be completed in just a few minutes and often reward you with gear upgrades before the soft cap – especially in the heroic version.
- Exchange your collected tokens with the respective vendors. They can provide valuable upgrades along the way to the soft cap as you rank up.
- Up to the soft cap, Xur is also a good source for upgrades. His exotics scale with your power level and go up to a maximum of 345. So you can also reinforce yourself there.
- You can raise your weapons and armor by 5 power levels each with legendary mods. Do this only when you are satisfied with your current gear selection.
If you stick to these points, you should quickly reach 345 with mods.
How to reach max power level 385 in Destiny 2
After reaching 340 (345 with mods), your next goal is the maximum power level of 385. For this, you mainly need one thing: patience.
Because progress is now limited to weekly milestones and certain activities. Only in this way will you receive items that are above your average power level and can continue to level up accordingly.
These are the sources for powerful gear that will scale with your progress up to 385:
- Nightfall rewards and the corresponding weekly milestone
- Leviathan raid loot drops and the corresponding weekly milestone
- Vendor rewards in the Trials of the Nine
- Weekly flashpoint milestone
- Weekly milestone for heroic strikes
- Clan XP engram and clan engrams
- “Call to Arms” milestone
- Forge weapons from Curse of Osiris (if you don’t already have them)
- Reset of valor rank in PvP after reaching the highest level
- Exotic engrams (from weekly activities)
I’m stuck at 340. What should I do? There’s an important mechanic you should keep in mind after reaching 340 (345 with mods) – especially if you are stuck due to a single piece of gear. Up to 380, there is an additional cap every five power levels.
If you take power level 340 as an example, rare loot and legendary engrams you receive from normal sources will not drop above 340 (without mods) unless every item in your loadout is at least 340 (without mods). So make sure that you have at least one 340 item without mods in every slot. Then you should be able to overcome this hurdle.
How do I now reach 385? Your primary goal now is to complete the milestones within these weekly limited opportunities and engage in endgame activities. Keep the following in mind to reach the new hard cap as quickly as possible:
- Standard loot and regular legendary engrams will no longer be of much help at 340 (345 with mods) and will only help in cases of extreme loot luck. Although these will continue to scale, they will remain about 10 levels below your power level.
- The raids and the Trials of the Nine provide the biggest boost. The prestige mode of the Leviathan raid, in particular, is a reliable source of high-level gear. Keep in mind that the level requirements for the old raids have not been raised, but the available gear scales to the new max level.
- Initially use rank ups from vendors to close larger gaps and loot drops to push your power level up to the next cap.
- Only then should you open the powerful milestone engrams. This way, the reward should be at a premium over your current power level.
- Now try again to reach the next cap through drops and vendor rank ups (if possible). Then return to the milestone rewards, should any remain. Otherwise, it’s now a wait until the next reset.
- Forge weapons from Curse of Osiris reportedly have no fixed level. They always drop above your current power level. You should thus earn them as late as possible if not completed to ensure the rewards scale high.
- After reaching level 6 in the Quickplay leaderboard in the crucible, it’s worth resetting your valor rank. This can yield up to 4 high-level items that correspond to your power level. These rewards are indeed suitable for upgrading some of your used gear. This option is not restricted to weekly.
- Don’t forget to upgrade your gear with legendary mods. This can raise the power level of the respective item by 5 levels. You can only reach 385 with mods.
- At a power level of 380, you are primarily reliant on loot luck to master the last few levels on the way to the hard cap. Here, patience is often required.
Since the best and most valuable upgrades are found behind group activities, group players will be able to reach the new max level faster. Although it is not impossible for solo players, it will take them significantly longer to reach 385.
Are you high enough in power level and want to take on the new raid sector “Starstream”? Check out our guide. You might be able to pick up some valuable tips:
If you have further valuable tips on the way to power level 385, let us know in the comments.
