Why Bungie should remove Power Level System in Destiny 2

Power Levels in Destiny 2 determine the strength of a Guardian. This number changes with each season and determines the kind of activities they can participate in.

Many factors influence the power level in Destiny 2. A significant chunk of the Power Level determinants comes from the armor pieces and weapons equipped by Guardians.

Seasonal artifacts also provide a slight boost to this level. However, there's a small issue with the system, which depends entirely on the RNG.

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How does RNG influence Power Levels of Guardians in Destiny 2?

The only way to increase the Power Level in Destiny 2 is by picking up gear with a higher Power Level. Depending on its stats, Guardians may choose to use the piece or infuse it with a lower-powered gear with better stats to bring up the Power Level of that gear.

However, after a point, regular loot drops don't contribute significantly to the Power Level increase, and that's where the Pinnacle Gear comes in. The items classified as Pinnacle Gear usually have a higher Power Level and better stats. But the grind for a Pinnacle Gear can be treacherous.

Moreover, this grind is influenced by the RNG. Pinnacle Gear is a broad classification used for armor and weapons in Destiny 2. If an activity offers Pinnacle Gear as a reward, it could reward Guardians with a weapon or a piece of armor.

The RNG makes things worse because it affects the drop rates. After a couple of Pinnacle Activity runs, one Guardian might get four different pieces of armor, while someone might get four copies of the same armor piece and the same Power Level.

Since the overall Power Level is an average of the Power Levels of all the equipment used by the Guardian, having one really powerful piece of equipment doesn't make much difference. Not only is this unfair, but it makes the grind very frustrating.

Yes, multiple activities drop Pinnacle Gear, but there are very few activities that can be farmed for Pinnacle rewards.

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What could be alternative to current Power Level System in Destiny 2?

A few days back, a leak talked about Bungie's plans to remove the Power Level system as a whole. The idea behind this would be to incorporate the entire Power Level system into the artifacts.

Just like Guardians progress through the Season Pass by accumulating XP, a similar system could also be incorporated into the Seasonal Artifact.

Guardians would have to complete missions to earn XP, which would count towards leveling up the Seasonal Artifact. This would then act as the only determinant for the Power Level of a Guardian in Destiny 2.

If Bungie were to incorporate this type of system, not only would it make the Power Level grind in Destiny 2 a bit easier, but it would give everyone a fair chance at making it to a specific Power Level. They just need to grind the same activities for XP and not equipment.

It's unclear when Bungie plans on removing the Power Level system. More details about this could be available during the Bungie Showcase scheduled for August 23. It will be interesting to see what the developers have planned for Season 18 and Lightfall.