Destiny 2: The Witch Queen levelling guide - How to hit gear cap ASAP
The current caps are 1500 for the soft cap, 1550 as the power cap, and 1560 as the hard cap. Here's how to reach them all quickly
With the release of Destiny 2: The Witch Queen light levels - the scoring system that indicates the power of your weapons and armour - has been increased. As such, whether you’re a new player jumping in for the first time or a longtime veteran of The Tower, you’ll want to know what the new light level cap is, as well as how to hit that cap quickly.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen - what are the light level caps light level cap?
As soon as The Witch Queen went live February 22, the minimum light level cap was raised to 1350. This means that regardless of whether you’re a new player, or one who has been around for years now, the starting point from which you experience the new expansion is the same.
From here, the soft light level cap is set at 1500. What this means is that as you play the game normally, any piece of gear you obtain will be an upgrade on your currently equipped guns and armour up until your you hit that figure.
Once you hit 1500, gearing up becomes a little bit more involved. From here until the power cap at an 1550 light level, only powerful and pinnacle engrams will provide loot upgrades. This means you’ll have to take on challenging content, complete you weeklies, and other endgame content to boost up your performance.
If you manage to hit 1550 overall light level, there’s only one more step before you reach your maximum potential. The hard cap - the light level where you can no longer find upgrades - is 1560. To reach this tier, you’ll have to go on the search for pinnacle engrams which only drop from certain weekly missions and difficult content.
How to level up fast in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
You may be tempted to focus on the story and nothing else, especially with years of narrative threads coming to a close this expansion. However, don't neglect your Tower weeklies! Jumping into a few games of crucible, strikes, or gambit matches are a great way to bump your light level up quickly.
That being said, try to save your pinnacle gear rewards until you hit at least 1500. At that point, upgrades are harder to come by, as you wouldn't want to waste a massive buff to your power when any and all engrams contain a shiny new armour piece or weapon.
If you're looking for more Destiny 2: The Witch Queen guides, check out our articles on the Destiny 2 legendary campaign and its rewards, as well as our guide on how to earn the exotic glaives.