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The Deep Stone Crypt is finally open. Want to get up to power as fast as possible? Get ready to unlock the secrets of the Exo with this guide.
A new year of Destiny content means a new raid, and it’s been the longest we’ve ever had to wait between Bungie's end-game experiences. Some lovely dungeons have tried to fill the void, but nothing really beats a Destiny Raid: the mix of platforming, gunplay, and fiendish puzzles is like catnip for eager Guardians, and the latest effort is no exception.
With Beyond Light, we finally gain access to The Deep Stone Crypt. But to have a chance at clearing this Raid, you need to have a power level of 1250. How do you achieve this dizzying power level as fast as possible to get into the Raid as early as you can? We're here to make it clear for you.
Powerful and Pinnacle
There are two major caps to power level in Destiny 2. The soft cap for this Season is 1200 and, at this point, blue items will no longer drop at a higher power level. Getting to this power level is relatively quick and easy, and can be achieved as you chip your way through the campaign and other available content. If you aren’t at 1200 by the time you've wrapped up the new content, then doing any activities will speed you through quickly enough. For the most efficient progress, you should try to hit 1200 without completing any powerful or pinnacle activities – you'll want these to boost you past the soft cap.
Powerful Sources
The main sources for Powerful engrams are from weekly activities such as Strikes, Crucible, and Gambit. Some items from the season pass will drop at the same power level as a powerful reward would, too, if you've bought into the Beyond Light ecosystem.
Shaxx, Zavalla, and The Drifter will all give you a powerful reward if you complete eight bounties for them in one week. If you are lucky enough to get a Prime engram (which should drop at roughly one per day, but it's weighted by a dubious algorithm), this will give you an item at a Powerful reward level, unlike other engrams. The only exception is exotic engrams which also count as Powerful rewards. There is also a weekly story mission that can be completed for another Powerful reward drop, so keep an eye out for that.
Pinnacle Sources
The main sources for Pinnacle engrams are from the Strike, Gambit, and Crucible playlists. Make sure that you check which playlists unlock Pinnacle so that you get your Pinnacle rewards only when you are ready for them – getting them too soon will waste time and you'll have to wait until the Weekly Reset (5pm on Tuesday) to try again.
Pinnacle rewards can also drop from the Nightfall playlist if you can score more than 100,000 points, so you might want a fireteam to give you a hand with this. The final way to earn Pinnacle gear is by earning clan XP, so make sure you have a group. Just be aware that your own XP is the only part that matters here – other clan mates won’t contribute to your engram progress.
Leveling Routine
After you claw your way to 1200, the next cap is the hard cap. This is the point at which you can only gain power by completing Pinnacle activity rewards. For this Season, that cap is 1250. The recommended power level for the Raid is only 1230, though, so do not worry about getting to the hard cap for the sake of the Raid alone... though the higher your level, the easier you will find each encounter in the Deep Stone Crypt.
The routine you should follow for getting to the highest power level possible? Complete anything that gives you Powerful rewards until all your gear is at the same power level. At this point, you should do one Pinnacle activity to maximise your gains from the Pinnacle reward – a Pinnacle tier reward should get you higher than Powerful rewards, but there are a limited number of Pinnacle rewards, so you do not want to use them to bring all of your gear up, as Powerful rewards can do this for you.
Making the absolute most of your Pinnacle rewards is a good way to gain power, but not everyone has time for this, and all Pinnacle rewards reset every Tuesday. If you’re running low on time, then it is better to get the Pinnacle rewards done to avoid missing out on them; they always provide the biggest jumps to your power.
Artifact Power
Now that Contest Mode has ended and the world's first completion of the Raid has been claimed, Artifact power will now count towards your power level in the Raid. Your mysterious held item can give you a nice boost of a few power levels. To earn power levels from the artifact you need to earn XP by any means.
The best way to do this is to complete bounties for the various vendors around the tower, as well as the new ones from The Exo Stranger and Variks. A lot of these bounties will be easy to complete as you are working through your Powerful and Pinnacle rewards. Make sure you load up on whichever bounties are relevant for the activity you are doing to make the most efficient progress. For example, grab all Shaxx’s bounties if your planning on doing the crucible, or grab Zavalla’s if you’re heading into Strikes.
Crucible Power
Currently, the ranked modes in the Crucible have a high chance of dropping Powerful rewards, so it can be a good source of drops if you can stomach the sweat levels of Survival. This mode is generally reserved for those who really want to go hard with their time in the Crucible, however, now that survival has an associated Powerful activity, the player pool is a lot more dilute than it used to be.
This does not mean the intense game mode makes for an easy time, but it certainly has a better chance to be a fair fight than it used to. Stasis is an absolute powerhouse in the Crucible (and can be very annoying when you're on the receiving end of it) so learn to read and evade your opponents when they look like they are coming in for a big freeze. Each time you increase your Glory rank or win a match, you may get a Powerful tier reward.
Now that you know how to maximise your progress while climbing the power ladder, you should be able to head into the Raid with as much of a power advantage as possible. Make sure you manage your time well and focus on doing the activities you enjoy before you drop into the ones you’d rather not do, as chances are you won’t be able to chew through absolutely everything in one week, so prioritise fun before the grind and it will fly by in no time at all.
