We’ve learned a lot about Destiny: The Taken King this week, but perhaps the biggest announcement was that EXP progression will be replacing armor based Light Level. You’ll be able to level up just by completing activities and missions just as you did pre-level 20 in vanilla Destiny. Some of us here at Twinfinite are fans of the change.
However just because EXP is how you level up doesn’t mean that light level is going away. Bungie’s Community Manager David “Deej” Dague recently spoke to IGN at Gamescom and shed some more “light” (sorry) on how what light level will be used for when Destiny: The Taken King launches in September.
According to Deej in the IGN interview, light level will now be used as a measure of how strong your guardian is based on attack and defense statistics. Meaning just because you have reached the new max level cap, doesn’t mean you’re ready to tackle some of the hardest content such as the new raid King’s Fall. For example, you could reach the new level cap by grinding through strikes but not have a high light level because your equipment is potentially un-upgraded or lackluster.
Activities will have recommended light levels just as they did before to give you an idea of how strong your character should be before entering. Meaning, light level is still important, but it isn’t the end all be all as it was. It’s also now a more meaningful measure of strength as it takes into account the actual stats of your equipment rather than just how much light is on it. Currently in Destiny, armor could have max light level or weapons could have the max year one cap enabled but lack the upgrades that actually make them useful.
Destiny: The Taken King is seeking to dramatically change the way player’s experience the game. Bungie is so excited about The Taken King in fact, that they are offering a boost that quickly promotes one of your classes to the level needed to take on the new content.
Destiny: The Taken King will be released on Sept. 15 for all of the currently supported platforms.
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