Destiny 2: How to Get Past 265 Light (Power)

How to Get Past 265 Light (Power) in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 is finally out and guardians all over the world are fighting tooth and nail to level up and prepare for the Leviathan raid, as well as any other challenge that Bungie may throw at us in the future. Part of getting stronger in the game is to raise your Power level (something veterans will always remember as Light level). This is done by obtaining new gear and infusion. Unfortunately, once you reach around 265, your upward progress starts to become quite the crawl. Don’t worry, though. There are ways to push past this wall in Destiny 2 and become even stronger.

We have a few things for you to focus on to really help you get over that hump. We’ve broken them down by categories for you to run through, and in time you’ll see your Power (Light) increase as you move ever closer to that cap. 

Weekly Milestones

Milestones are essentially missions in Destiny 2. There are weekly Milestones which offer up a reward called Powerful Gear. This is basically a package that provides legendaries (and, rarely, exotics) that drop higher than 265, and usually higher than whatever your current Light level is. Each one focuses on a different part of the gameplay experience:

Flashpoint – A weekly exploration Milestone. Simply complete public events (doing Heroic ones makes this go by quicker) and you’ll earn some sweet loot.

Call to Arms – This is a weekly crucible objective. Just create a fireteam and complete a bunch of matches.

Nightfall – Not for the faint of heart. Take on a strike with some soul-crushing modifiers.

Clan XP – Weekly challenges for clans.

Doing all of these will have you rolling in high-level gear that will see your legend truly become something to remember. 

Level Up Vanguard Reps

While you can level up all vendors, they tend to have a very strict cap on the legendary gear they give you (usually five points less than your current light level). However, Ikora Rey and Commander Zavala tend to be a bit more lenient with their packages. Especially Zavalla.

If you have the time, run through some Vanguard Strike Playlist and collect as many Vanguard Tactician Tokens as you can. You can then turn these into Zavala in exchange for a gift. More often than not he’ll give you two items, one that follows the cap, and one that’s higher thanks to a legendary mod. Use that new item, or infuse it into something else, to steadily increase your Power in Destiny 2. If you really want to push it higher, farm Nightfall. While you can only get the Powerful Gear reward once, the drops within still have chance to be better than your typical strike.

For Ikora, complete any random Milestones you get from her (you get a new Milestone daily, though not always from the same vendor). Also, each week make sure to complete her Meditations for some Tokens. Turn them in for some rewards. 

Farm for Exotic Engrams With a Fireteam Medallion

Upon beating the main part of Destiny 2’s story, you get a Fireteam Medallion. This is a nifty little item that increases your XP gains as well as your chances for some loot while you play any activity in the game. You can also buy extras from the Eververse store for 50 Silver Dust.

Pop one and start to do Public Events or Strikes to farm for Exotic Engrams. While they can drop from any activity, I’ve personally had the best luck with just these two. You can also use this as an opportunity to earn tons of Tokens and Gunsmith Materials to level up various vendors which also gives you a chance to earn an exotic.

Exotics tend to drop higher than your current Light level in Destiny 2, so they’re a really good way to increase your overall power. 

Legendary Mods

Destiny 2 uses a mod mechanic for weapons and armor. They add different buffs and perks, such as higher defense, better healing, or even more proficiency with certain weapon types or elements. However, legendary mods in Destiny 2 also increase the Power of whatever they’re equipped to by five whole points. That’s a huge jump, especially if you can get some into multiple items since Destiny 2 averages out the levels of all your equipped gear.

You can get legendary mods as random rewards from any of the vendors or chests. You can also fuse blues to create purples or craft random ones once you reach Power level 280. So once you get access to them, make sure to make use of them.

For more on Destiny 2, be sure to check out our wiki.