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Destiny 2: Powerful Gear Tiers Explained

Matt Brown
Destiny 2 Season 14 Director

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To take on the late-game content of Destiny 2, you're going to need to learn where to get Powerful gear. Don't worry, we'll show you what to do.

Shadowkeep brought a big change to the way Destiny 2 handed out Powerful rewards, refining and streamlining the process. Now, it's easier than ever for players to know where to go and what to do in order to continue their Guardian's progression.

Related: Everything You Need To Know About Destiny 2 In 2021

For the benefit of new players, though, we'll start at the beginning. Everyone starts Destiny 2 at Power Level 1,110—this provides access to most of the game's content. As you play the game, engrams will drop at or above the player's Power Level until they reach the first soft cap (explained below).

Once you hit the soft cap, the gravy train is over. Most world drops will only be at the player's current base Power Level and not above it like before. For the player to keep getting that constant dose of dopamine from watching their numbers get higher, they'll need to seek out Powerful Gear sources.

Updated August 3rd, 2021, by Charles Burgar: Multiple seasons and an entire expansion have been released since we originally published this guide. For players that are delving back into Destiny 2 and need a refresher on the leveling process, we've given this guide an update to give a clearer idea of how Powerful Gear works, the amount of Power provided from each tier, and some general sources that grant each tier of Powerful Gear. If you're looking for a more comprehensive leveling guide, give our Power Leveling guide a look.

The Grind From The Soft Cap

Powerful Gear is a unique reward type that grants items with a Power Level above the soft cap. These items drop anywhere from +3-5 Power Levels above your current maximum.

Luckily, Destiny 2 is filled with dozens of Powerful Gear sources. The Destinations map will show a small gold coin icon next to destinations where you can source a Powerful-tier reward. Most are obtained from completing weekly challenges, so there’s a limit to how many Powerful rewards you can get and thus a limit to how quickly you can level up, but there are enough separate sources of Powerful Gear that you’ll likely take all week getting them all if that’s what you want to focus on.

All Powerful Gear Tiers

Before we dig into level caps and Powerful Gear sources, let’s go over what these Powerful reward tiers actually mean.

For all Powerful Gear Tiers, the increase your receive is based on your maximum equippable Power Level. The game will calculate your maximum Power Level based on all equipment in your character's inventory and Vault, so don't worry about equipping your highest level gear before redeeming a Powerful Gear reward. Artifact Power Level does not influence the Power Level of items that drop.

Related: Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To Armor 2.0

Since T2 rewards don't impact your Pinnacle Gear sources but give a larger boost than T1, this reward type is more desirable for leveling quickly. There’s also Powerful Gear Tier 3, but tT3 reward sources are incredibly rare. T2 rewards are the most reliable source of large Power Level boosts.

All Powerful Gear sources will stop providing higher-level items once you reach the hard cap, which is typically 50 Power Level above that season's soft cap.

Destiny's Leveling Caps

You've heard us talk about soft and hard caps quite a bit so far. How exactly does Destiny 2 handle its Power Leveling caps?

There are three Power Level caps in Destiny 2:

  1. Soft Cap: The maximum level you can reach through world drops.
    1. Season 14's soft cap is 1,260 Power.
  2. Hard Cap/Powerful Cap: The maximum level you can reach through Powerful Gear sources.
    1. Season 14's powerful cap is 1,310 Power.
  3. Pinnacle Cap: The maximum level you can reach through Pinnacle Gear sources.
    1. Season 14's pinnacle cap is 1,320 Power.

While it seems confusing at first glance, Destiny 2's various Power caps are fairly easy to grasp once you've started the leveling process. The gist is:

Where To Get Powerful Tier Rewards

Almost every activity on the Director gives Powerful Gear. Playing a certain activity multiple times is enough to complete most Powerful Gear weeklies, increasing your character's Power Level. Below, you'll find the most notable examples of where to find Powerful Gear. For a comprehensive list that includes seasonal content, check out our Power Leveling guide.

Tier 1 Powerful Gear Notable Sources

Tier 2 Powerful Gear Notable Sources

Tier 3 Powerful Gear Notable Sources

Pinnacle Gear Notable Sources

Next: Destiny 2: Beyond Light Complete Guide And Walkthrough

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