Last Updated on March 26, 2024 by Asfa Rasheed
As of October 25, 2018, the maximum Power Level in Destiny 2 is 535 (535 Attack/Defense for weapons and armor).
This article will explain how you can increase your Power level to get more damage out of your gear.
Table of Contents
What is a power level?
Your “power level” dictates how much attack and defense your weapons and armor have. Increasing your power level allows you to do more damage, take less damage, and kill things faster.
When you first begin the game, only a few pieces of equipment will be available to you.
As you play through the story missions or Strikes or Crucible matches, you will find new weapons and armor to replace the ones you currently have.
As this happens, your power level will increase.
Your current power level is displayed at the top right-hand corner of your screen next to the engram icon .
When shopping for new equipment, there are two different numbers shown under each item – one number is for if that weapon or armor is equipped, and the other number is for if it’s in your inventory. Understanding these numbers can help you get rank up cheap, ensuring you make cost-effective decisions that enhance your gameplay without breaking the bank.
A bigger number equals more damage or defense.
Note: You can quickly check your power level on all of your gear by accessing the weapons screen (hold ) and then scrolling right to see what powers they are at.
What equipment raises my power level?
Weapon and armor drops in Destiny 2 can be of three different types:
* Legendary (purple) – usually the highest power level, but it varies by weapon/armor type
* Exotic (gold) – always a high power level, but not as much as legendaries
* Rare (blue) – very low power levels; usually around 10-20
As you play the game and continue to increase your power level, it’s important to remember that you will need weapons and armor of a higher power level than what you currently have equipped. If they are not the highest possible power level for their type, then they will be ineffective at increasing your overall power level.
For example, if you’re currently wearing rare (blue) boots that are at power level 10, it would be of no use to equip new blue boots of the same type. You should instead look for legendary or exotic boots that are of a higher power level than your current ones (if possible).
The soft cap
Your power level will stop increasing at some point. This is called “the soft cap.”
Currently, the maximum possible power level in Destiny 2 is 535. As of October 25, 2018, the softcap for seasons 1-4 are as follows:
* Season of Opulence – Power level 600
There are different ways to increase your power level past what’s shown in your equipment.
* Infusion – using a more powerful piece of gear to bring up and increase the power level of a weaker item by sacrificing the weaker item and some Glimmer, Legendary Shards, or Masterwork Cores
* Transmogrification – turning an unwanted piece of armor into another piece of armor for free (all stats are carried over, but you lose the old armor)
* Equipping legendary mods – Legendary mods are different from normal mods because they increase your power level by 5 per mod equipped
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