Well that didn’t take long did it? It seems that Destiny‘s “level cap” of 20 can be reached well before the end of the story content. Luckily for those that want to stick with the game though, this isn’t the end of your character’s progression.
Now that you’re level 20, you will no longer gain experience points from killing enemies, completing missions, or taking bounties. Instead, your equipment is what will determine your new level, all the way up to a new cap of 30.
Legendary Gear
Specifically, it will come down to equipment with a “Light” stat. Equipping armor that has Light points will enable you to progress past level 20.
The more Light each piece of armor has, the higher it will push your post-20 level. You need around 20 Light to hit level 21, and each entry-level piece of gear gives you 18 or 19 Light each.
These Legendary-tier (purple) items are primarily acquired in two ways. You can earn Vanguard marks by playing Strike playlists, or Crucible marks by playing competitive multiplayer. Both of these currencies can be spent on different sets of Legendary gear, available from different vendors.
Motes of Light
That’s not all though. You can also earn “Motes of Light,” a new currency that is used to purchase Legendary-tier armor and emblems from the Speaker. These are found in chests and as Crucible drops for characters level 20 and above.
Faction Reputation
On your many Tower visits, you might’ve noticed a few of those faction representatives hanging around. Well now you can choose a side and earn reputation with that group. You can choose from Dead Orbit, Future War Cult, or New Monarchy.
To join a faction, you go to their vendor and purchase a piece of level 20 gear from them. If you equip it, you will now earn points for that faction instead of Vanguard and Crucible marks.
These can be redeemed for faction-specific gear.
Strange Coins
The last bit of new currency are the Strange Coins. These are used as currency for Xur, Agent of Nine’s black market. This character appears at the Tower from 9AM on Friday to 9AM on Sunday each weekend.
Xur sells Exotic-class items, and he’s the only one you can get them from.
To earn Strange Coins, you can complete the Weekly Heroic Vanguard mission, or once per day, you can one from completing a Public Event.
Abilities
Lastly, your character itself can continue to advance. You can continue to rank up your skills for your primary or secondary class, which improve with XP as before.
