Increasing your Light Level is the number one priority for every new player in Destiny 2. Knowing how to do so efficiently will make your time in the game much more enjoyable.
In this guide, we go over the different ways you can increase your Light Level, as well as what your Light Level does for you in-game.
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To increase your Light Level in Destiny 2, complete activities that reward Powerful Gear or Pinnacle Gear. Increasing your Seasonal Artifact Level will also increase your maximum Light Level.
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How to Increase Light Level in Destiny 2
Your Light Level, also known as your Power Level, is similar to the gear score from traditional MMO games. It displays your average Power Level for the gear that you currently have equipped.
Your Light Level determines how powerful your character is, increasing your damage output and damage resistance. It is important to try and maintain as high of a Light Level as possible in Destiny 2.
There are two ways you can increase your Light Level. You will need to either equip gear that is a higher Power Level than your current gear or level up your Seasonal Artifact.
When you begin the game at Light Level 1600, any piece of gear that you find will raise your Light Level. It doesn’t matter if it is Common, Rare, Legendary, or Exotic, everything will drop at a higher Light Level than your current gear set.
This will remain true until you reach Light Level 1750, also known as the Soft Cap. From here on out, you can’t rely on just any type of gear to raise your Light Level.
To speed up the process of hitting the 1750 Light Level cap, you can complete the Lightfall Campaign. Doing so will reward you with a complete set of 1770 Light Level gear to jumpstart your leveling experience.
To get higher Power Level gear that will get you past the Soft Cap, you will need to complete activities that reward you with Powerful Gear. Powerful Gear is capable of increasing your Power Level up to 1800.
Every piece of Powerful Gear you obtain will drop at anywhere between a +3 to a +5 Power Level higher than your current Light Level. The Power Level of the gear dropped will depend on what Tier the reward is, with Tier I being the lowest and Tier III being the highest reward possible for Powerful Gear.
Powerful Gear is rewarded for many weekly activities in Destiny 2. Tower Vendors, playlist activities, and Seasonal activities all reward you with Powerful Gear.
Eventually, you will reach the Power Cap. This is the point where Powerful Gear will no longer increase your Light Level.
The current Power Cap is set to 1800. After reaching the Power Cap, you will need to rely on Pinnacle Gear to raise your Light Level to the Pinnacle Cap of 1810.
Every piece of Pinnacle Gear will potentially increase your Light Level by +1. This is meant to be the end-game grind that will take significantly longer than reaching the Power Cap.
To reach the Pinnacle Cap, the maximum Light Level possible with gear, you will need to complete end-game activities such as Raids, Dungeons, Nightfalls, Trials of Osiris, and Seasonal activities for Pinnacle Gear rewards. Note that not every piece of Pinnacle gear you receive will be an upgrade to your Light Level.
If you happen to get unlucky, you can get Pinnacle gear drops that are the same Light Level as your current gear. Remember that your Light Level is determined by the average Light Level of all of your gear.
If you have one piece of gear that is a few Light Levels higher or lower than the rest of your gear, it can sway your average and affect your Pinnacle drops. It is important to try and make sure that all of your gear is as close to the same Light Level as possible before obtaining any Pinnacle drops as this will maximize your chances of actually receiving an upgrade.
You can learn more about how to reach the maximum Light Level fast in our Leveling Guide. It goes in-depth on all of the ways you can increase your Light Level as well as the most efficient methods for reaching the Pinnacle Cap.
It is also important to remember that you can Infuse your gear to increase its Light Level and keep it relevant. This can be done by consuming an Upgrade Module and a piece of gear that is a higher Light Level than your current gear.
Along with gear affecting your Light Level, your Seasonal Artifact level will also increase your total Light Level, though in a different way. Your Seasonal Artifact gains levels strictly through XP.
Increasing your Seasonal Artifact’s level will unlock access to additional Seasonal Perks while also increasing your maximum Light Level by 1. This increase is not taken into account for gear drops, meaning the Season Artifact will not help you reach the Powerful or Pinnacle Cap any sooner than you normally would.
While this Seasonal Artifact bonus doesn’t affect your gear, it does still increase your damage output and damage resistance. This bonus won’t come into play in most of the casual activities you play, as many of them contain some sort of Light Level cap.
This bonus is only really necessary for the absolute end-game activities such as Grandmaster Nightfalls, as these activities have a much higher Light Level Cap that isn’t obtainable through Pinnacle Gear alone.
You can learn more about how the Seasonal Artifact works as well as how to level it up in our guide on How to Get Seasonal Artifact.
Now you are ready to go and increase your Light Level. We wish you luck in your Pinnacle Gear drops!
Is there any aspect of your Light Level that still confuses you? Feel free to let me know by leaving a comment!
