Character Levels in 1.0 and 2.0... It's Basically the Same. (Destiny)

by Kahzgul, Friday, August 28, 2015, 03:24 (3163 days ago)

This is how I understand TTK leveling to work. If I'm wrong, please let me know, but I feel like I've been seeing so many people acting like everything is changing that I'd like to clear this up.

Here's my understanding of leveling in TTK:

In TTK, Level 40 is the new level 20. It is not the new level 34.

Let's look at Destiny as it stands right now. Everyone can easily level up to 20 with just experience, and as you level up, you unlock the ability to equip more and more powerful gear. The most powerful gear has a light level associated with it, and that level adds to the 20 levels which you earned through experience alone. Rather than calling yourself "level 34" please think of it as "level 20 with a light level of 14 (from 168 light)."

In TTK, they're splitting out those numbers, but the meaning (and basic effect on your character) is - as far as everything I've read - the same.

Everyone can easily level up to 40 with just experience, and as you level up, you unlock the ability to equip more and more powerful gear. The most powerful gear has a light level associated with it, and that level adds to a "light level" value which is a measurement of your readiness for endgame content. That light level is above and beyond the 40 levels which you earned through experience alone. Rather than calling yourself "level 40" please think of it as "level 40 with a light level of X."

The formula is basically the same in both cases:
EXP level + Light level = Total level.

The difference is that TTK does not show you a total level. It just shows your EXP level and Light level as two separate numbers. EXP level is gained through experience and is easy to get through any activity. Light level is gained by equipping more and more powerful items, and is gained in the same way that high light level items are gained today: Raids, Nightfalls, Legendary engrams, crucible rewards, the Lighthouse, etc. etc. etc..

Some activities (such as Nightfall strikes) will list light level recommendations (I'm about to fully make up a number here) such as "Light level 28 recommended". This is the same as the strike saying Level 32 recommended right now, except instead of combining your exp level and light level into a single number, they're only using the value of the light on your gear as the guide. I actually don't know if you'll be prevented from entering if your light level is too low, but I know they mentioned that some activities will show the light level you should have in order to attempt them.

Can anyone confirm that this is right? It's what I took away from the Game Informer bullet points about how leveling will work. Instead of showing you "total level" which is derived from adding exp level and light level together, they're just going to show exp level and light level as separate numbers, but the essence of everything is essentially (see what I did there) the same.