For some time now, various leaks and rumors have been circulating in Destiny 2 that Bungie will completely abolish the power level grind for your character’s strength in the future. However, an expert in damage analysis in the loot shooter now claims that this has already happened and power level no longer matters. You just haven’t noticed it yet.
What has Bungie changed about the power level? The power level has been increasingly irrelevant in Destiny 2 for a while now, as it is being removed from more and more activities, while strong builds increasingly make a significant difference in the game.
With the start of Season 21, the power level, that is, the effective strength of your character, seems to have become even less important.
Bungie has apparently made obvious changes to the power level in this season in Destiny 2 that set the power level of all players to a level while participating in activities. However, it is so well done that the removal of individual strength seems to have gone unnoticed by almost everyone.
At least that is what the player and long-time statistics nerd for damage numbers in Destiny 2, MossyMax, claims. MeinMMO tells you how he arrived at this conclusion.
The biggest changes to difficulty scaling so far
This is how MossyMax comes to his claim: Apparently, Bungie has managed to implement one of the biggest changes to the difficulty scaling of Destiny 2 almost unnoticed by the community. Although only initially with a limited scope.
Who is MossyMax?
MossyMax is known to the Destiny 2 community as the creator of the Destiny 2 charts for outgoing damage
and is considered a science-loving expert on the game.
He has made it his mission to conduct in-depth analyses and calculations to explore the damage potential of various weapons and gear in Destiny 2. This helps players better understand the complex damage system and make informed decisions.
On Twitter, the Destiny damage expert recently published his findings, stating: “We are already in an era of Destiny 2 without power level.”
He explains that dives and the legendary Psi-Ops Battlegrounds already have a fixed difficulty level, which makes power level no longer play a significant role.
- Although you can still become stronger in Destiny 2, increasing your power level would only visually change the damage numbers. Nothing more.
- The percentage of damage you inflict on an opponent remains the same.
Furthermore, he notes: Anyone who lowers their power level below 1,600 in the current Season 21 will still remain at 1,600 power level. For him, that’s further proof.
To illustrate this, he showed two screenshots. One from his test with damage numbers, showing that the damage to an opponent is always 36% regardless of the character’s power level. He obtained the values using the exotic sniper rifle D.A.R.C.I.
which allows you to see the HP values of enemies.
Already in Season 19, Bungie introduced the first changes to the power level, which felt like tests. In that season, you were always 5 power levels below the activity requirement in the seasonal activity “Heist Battlegrounds”. Even 10 power levels below on Legendary.
And even in this Season 21, Bungie has not hidden the information about the changes significantly. It says in the game rules of the dive activity:
The player’s power level is fixed. At each depth, a new modifier is activated for the remainder of the activity, and the power level of all fighters is increased above the player’s power level.
Game rule statement for the dive activity in Season 21
This has not significantly changed the gameplay. Quite the contrary. The solid and rising difficulty levels in the dives are even praised by many as a challenging and “real horde mode with overleveled enemies”.
- Although you still have to grind your 20 artifact levels for 1,830 power level. But only if you want to deal maximum damage to the final boss of the new dungeons.
- Otherwise, the change means that you are no longer forced to constantly chase top loot or stay on top of it. You could also just play the dungeons and raids and completely forget about the power level.
The focus would thus shift, as Bungie intended, more towards good builds.
What does the community say about the findings?
Players express hopes but also doubts: MossyMax’s statements were initially surprising for many, as the activity information was not read by some at all.
However, one thing was immediately clear: Sunsetting, the artificial weapon lull in Destiny 2, would also be history.
The player PostBalonè asked MossyMax the specific question of whether one could theoretically use old sunset weapons again in these activities because they would have to deal the same damage (in percentage) as weapons without sunsetting, which are at the current power max level.
MossyMax then replied to him:
Exactly. You could even use the Trials bow “Pfeiffers Laune” with 0 power level, which the 14th Holy dropped [due to a bug in Season 20], and [the bow] would deal the same damage as a weapon with 1,810 power level. (I wish I had it to show).
MossyMax’s answer to the question about old sunset weapons
Other players doubt the damage tests, however: On Twitter, there was also dissent. For example, the Guardian J lee said it was nothing new because: “The displayed damage has been detached from the percentage of health points added in Destiny 2 for ages.”
He bases this on his own weapon tests that he was able to conduct in the tribute hall, the much-missed shooting range, in 2019.
Some Guardians have long feared that the hunt for better equipment and the pursuit of a higher power level would completely lose their significance. Others, however, see it as an opportunity to focus more on the fun of playing rather than just fixating on the power level. And that independently of the current low in Bungie’s loot shooter.
What is your opinion on this? Do you like the challenge in this Season 21 without top loot and with a partially fixed power level for each player? Or would you prefer to return to the old system? Please feel free to share your opinion in the comments.
However, some Guardians also replied under the tweet with a quote from a Bungie employee who called the scaling system in Diablo 4 “lazy.” This turns the tables and replaces Diablo 4 with Destiny 2.
Destiny 2: Developer at Bungie calls the system in Diablo 4 “lazy” – Blizzard boss reacts
