TL;DR
- Complete Lightfall campaign on Legend difficulty for guaranteed 1,770 power gear and class-specific Exotics
- Focus on Powerful engrams before Pinnacle drops, saving the latter for end-of-week optimization
- Utilize the Ascendant Scepter artifact and fireteam XP bonuses for accelerated leveling
- Transfer high-power weapons between characters to dramatically reduce leveling time
- Decrypt Powerful engrams immediately and plan around Tuesday weekly resets
Lightfall’s power reset creates a unified starting point for all Guardians, setting everyone at 1,600 power regardless of previous experience. This equal footing means both newcomers and veterans must navigate the same progression systems to reach competitive levels.
The numerical value displayed on your Guardian interface represents the cumulative strength derived from your currently equipped weapons, armor pieces, and seasonal artifact bonuses. This composite score directly influences your damage output capabilities and damage resistance thresholds, with additional factors like armor modifications and subclass configurations further affecting combat effectiveness.
Progression unfolds through three distinct phases: soft cap advancement, power cap achievement, and finally pinnacle cap mastery. Each stage requires different approaches to gear acquisition and activity prioritization.
Tackling Lightfall’s campaign on Legend difficulty offers the most direct route to power maximization, though it demands superior combat skills and strategic planning. Successfully completing this challenging mode guarantees 1,770 power level items across all weapon and armor categories.
Legend campaign completion also rewards unique Exotic armor pieces tailored to each class: Warlocks obtain Swarmers leg armor for enhanced threadling capabilities, Hunters receive Cyrtarachne’s Facade for improved grapple mechanics, and Titans acquire Abeyant Leap for superior suspension control.
Beyond campaign rewards, virtually every Destiny 2 activity provides opportunities for power advancement. The fundamental approach involves consistently equipping gear with superior numerical values while strategically investing in your existing equipment through upgrade systems. Enhanced gear energy capacity unlocks additional armor modification slots, providing crucial combat advantages. You can systematically replace inferior armor pieces with superior drops as they become available.

Strategic investment in your seasonal artifact, the Ascendant Scepter, provides dual benefits: access to powerful combat perks and direct contributions to your overall power level. Leveling this artifact requires substantial experience point accumulation through bounty completion and mission objectives.
Fireteam participation significantly accelerates XP acquisition, providing bonuses from all activity sources. For maximum efficiency, coordinate with your squad to redeem completed bounties and seasonal challenges while grouped together.
Upon reaching power level 1,770, shift your focus exclusively to Powerful and Pinnacle engram acquisition. Prioritize Powerful engram collection initially, reserving Pinnacle challenges for the final phase of weekly progression. This systematic approach ensures you reach the hard cap efficiently before utilizing Pinnacle engrams to exceed that threshold. Schedule Pinnacle activities for late-week completion to extract every possible power point before the Tuesday 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET reset.
When Powerful engrams drop during patrol activities, decrypt them immediately at Master Rahool in the Tower. These premium drops maintain fixed power levels regardless of when acquired, making immediate conversion into usable gear the optimal strategy.

Once your primary Guardian reaches their weekly power potential, accelerate alternate character progression by transferring high-level weapons between classes. While armor remains class-specific, weapons function universally across all Guardians, providing immediate power boosts to secondary characters.
Repeat the gear acquisition process with your second Guardian, systematically advancing through power and pinnacle caps. Then replicate this methodology with your third subclass character for comprehensive account optimization.
Common mistakes include hoarding Powerful engrams instead of immediate decryption, neglecting fireteam XP bonuses, and misordering engram acquisition priorities. Avoid these pitfalls by following the systematic approach outlined in our Complete Guide to progression systems.
Advanced players should coordinate weapon transfers before weekly resets and maintain detailed tracking of which characters have completed which pinnacle activities. This Weapons Unlock strategy can be adapted for Destiny 2’s gear systems, focusing on efficient resource allocation across multiple Guardians.
Action Checklist
- Complete Legend campaign for guaranteed 1,770 power gear and class Exotics
- Join fireteam for all bounty redemption and seasonal challenge completion
- Prioritize Powerful engram activities before attempting Pinnacle challenges
- Transfer highest power weapons to alternate characters for accelerated leveling
- Complete remaining Pinnacle activities late-week before Tuesday reset
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