Destiny 2 Power changes mean you don’t have to level up all your weapons
BungieDestiny 2 introduced fundamental changes to how Power Level functions with The Final Shape. One of these tweaks has specifically affected weapons, and how Power Level contributes to a Guardian’s overall strength.
From their testing of the adjustments in the Crucible, Destiny 2 data analyst MossyMax concluded that “Individual weapon Power level no longer matters,” in most activities, even those that don’t utilize the new Fireteam Power function.
They explained that the reason for this is because “The game now treats every weapon as if it’s the same as your overall gear power,” rather than giving each individual weapon its own power.
While this means players working towards The Final Shape’s Pinnacle cap will still want to infuse weapons to increase their overall Power, there’s no longer any reason to yourself with the process after hitting 2000 Power.
The change doesn’t directly impact gameplay, but it does reduce the amount of resources needed for those already at the power cap.
The big win from this discovery is a relaxation on Upgrade Module consumption. This resource is required to infuse gear whenever the cap is raised, but with individual weapon Power now automatically adjusted up to a Guardian’s overall rating, the process becomes redundant beyond hitting 2000 Power Level in most activities.
As weapons and armor don’t drop at Pinnacle Power (the Powerful cap is 1990) by default, players can save themselves a ton of Glimmer and Enhancement Cores by ignoring the 10 Power deficit.
MossyMax stresses that when all is said and done, the “Math all still works the same way, with one multiplier for your weapon PL, and another multiplier for your overall PL. The equations all assume your weapon PL is equal to your overall PL.”
A minor caveat to this is the loss of minor damage in fringe cases where a weapon’s Power is above that of a Guardian’s Light Level. “Yeah, that’s one sacrifice made in this system,” MossyMax stipulates, adding, “But almost everything is Power capped, so it’s only relevant in Trials and Legend Lost Sectors.”
Are you still exploring everything The Final Shape has to offer? Check out these guides on Overthrow and Episode One: Echoes for more information.