Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is out soon and in keeping with every major expansion, Bungie is significantly revamping the progression and economy systems. Armor 2.0 is one of the bigger new additions, allowing players to totally customize their armor with mods. With Shadowkeep, how players will level up is also changing.
Instead of 15 to 20 points below, non-Powerful Rewards will now drop at 0 to 3 points below one’s highest potential Power Level. All Powerful Reward sources in Year 2 now only provide Legendary items and won’t have a chance for random Exotics. It is possible to obtain bonus Exotics from Nightfall: The Ordeal, though that carries its own set of challenges (Eriana’s Vow, the new Exotic handcannon, will become a must for the activity).
And though the new Seasonal Artifact will add to a player’s Power Level as they progress, it will not affect the Power level of loot drops. All new characters in Destiny 2 will start at 750 Power, which is the new minimum. The soft cap for Power is 900 – past that, you’ll need Powerful and Pinnacle rewards to hit the new 950 Powerful cap. If you want to hit the hard cap, which is 960 Power, only Pinnacle rewards will get you there.
Check out the full progression and economy changes here, which also detail where Bright Dust for Eververse will drop. Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is out tomorrow for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.
Rewards Power and Progression
- All non-powerful rewards now drop 3 to 0 points below your highest equippable Power level, up from 15 to 20 below
- Year 2 powerful reward sources have changed to Legendary rewards
- These sources no longer have a chance to drop a random Exotic instead of the Legendary gear
- Bonus Exotics that drop from Nightfall: The Ordeal will drop at the character’s highest equippable Power level.
- Under- and over-leveling activities no longer adjust how much Power is received from the rewards
- Experience no longer fuels a player’s character level, which has been changed to be level 50 for all characters
- Experience instead progresses the Season Pass, Seasonal Artifact mod, and Power progressions, as well as the unlocking of destinations for new characters
- Experience rewards have been rebalanced with the introduction of the Season Pass and Seasonal Artifact progressions
- The Power granted from the Seasonal Artifact is additive with the Power of the player’s equippable gear, but does not increase the Power of gear drops
- All existing gear has had its Power increased to a minimum of 750; new characters will begin Destiny 2 at Power 750 as well
The Power bands for Season 8 are as follows:
Floor: 750
Soft Cap: 900
- All drops up to this point will be upgrades to the most powerful item in your inventory or vault
- Beyond this point, only powerful and pinnacle rewards will increase a player’s Power
Powerful Cap: 950
- All non-powerful/pinnacle rewards are capped at 950
- Pinnacle rewards are the only way to raise Power above this point
- Powerful rewards are equivalent to the character’s highest-equippable Power beyond this point
Pinnacle Cap: 960
- This is the highest Power at which gear drops; also known as the “hard cap”
- The Seasonal Artifact bonus Power allows characters to attain values above this level
Prime Engrams
- Prime Engrams now gain charges more quickly, drop more frequently, and have a higher maximum charge cap (nine charges, up from six during Year 2)
- The Power gains have been rebalanced for the increased frequency, providing +3 Power, down from a range of +4 to +7
- Players who have completed the “Prime Example” quest prior to Shadowkeep’s release will earn charges, but those charges won’t drop until the character has reached 900 Power
- This will help players avoid spending charges early for gains that are most beneficial during the Soft Cap to Powerful Cap range
