Destiny 2 Heresy power level guide: New Pinnacle cap, how to level, and more

Character screen with power level (Image via Bungie)

Destiny 2 Heresy will increase the power cap for all players by 10. This means that regardless of the current power level, anyone must reach the Pinnacle cap of 2020, with the added power bonus from the Artifact level. Bungie confirmed the return of power grind with the launch of Revenant and promised to continue it with Heresy as well.

This article lists the basics of the power change in Episode Heresy, the increase in the power cap, and how to efficiently boost the cap by running different activities.

New power cap in Destiny 2 Heresy

The new power cap in Destiny 2 Heresy is as follows:

Powerful cap: 2010
Pinnacle cap: 2020

The soft cap is still 1940 from The Final Shape expansion. Anyone starting from scratch must earn different rarity of gear pieces to reach the Powerful cap, which is 2010 in Heresy. After hitting the Power cap, your next task is to reach the final Pinnacle cap, 2020.

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Note that only a Pinnacle gear piece can help increase your cap from 2010 to 2020.

Note that these numbers are meant for a player's base level, without taking the Artifact power bonus into account.

How to reach Pinnacle cap in Destiny 2 Heresy

For players looking to reach the Powerful cap first-- any activity that has a golden circle beside it will drop a +1 to +5 gear piece. Readers can refer to our complete guide on power cap in The Final Shape expansion, which is still viable in Heresy. Once the Powerful cap has been hit, the journey of getting to the Pinnacle cap of 2020 begins.

The Pinnacle cap can only be reached with Pinnacle weapons or armor. Here are a few activities that drop Pinnacle gear pieces:

Sundered Doctrine Dungeon
Exotic mission in the weekly rotator
Endgame activity in the weekly rotator
Pathfinder from ritual activities
Salvation's Edge Raid
Kell's Fall Exotic Mission in Expert
Excision mission
Iron Banner challenges
Cooperative-focused Pale Heart campaign missions
Seven Trial wins per week

Pinnacle from Trials of Osiris (Image via Bungie)

Each activity mentioned above undergoes a weekly reset, allowing you to attempt and get guaranteed pinnacle gear pieces every week. However, the gear type is randomized, as the drop can be any armor piece or weapon.

Why should you increase your power cap in Destiny 2?

Reaching the Pinnacle cap in Destiny 2 is important for running endgame activities such as Grandmaster Nightfall, Master Raids, and Master Dungeons. Having a lower power level means the player will receive significantly more damage from enemies, and deal less damage to bosses, elites, and even smaller combatants.