Destiny: The Taken King Guide

Following the launch of Destiny: The Taken King, Light has been given a complete overhaul making it much easier for players to progress through the ranks and reach the level cap. With no soft cap, players can continue to earn experience all the way up to level 30, with Light now becoming a calculation of all your weapons and armour, reading as a three-digit number in the upper-right corner of the character screen.

VideoGamer will walk you through how these changes to Light affect the gameplay experience, as well as provide tips and tricks to guide you towards improving your Light level in The Taken King, as it still provides benefits which can prove vital in the endgame.

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In Destiny: The Taken King, how does Light work?

Rather than a number attached to every high-end piece of armour in the game like in Year One, Light is now an average of all attack and defence stats of your currently equipped gear, converted into a three-digit number. Your Light number now provides a buff to your attack and defence, so the higher this is, the greater the benefit.

While there is now a level cap of 40, Light is now a three digit number, up to 300. So missions may have, say a 'Normal' setting of level 34, but there's the 'Impossible' (player level depending) of 240 Light. This is for players who reach the level cap to provide greater challenge through trickier enemies.

Unlike Year One, the difference between levels in Destiny 2.0 is much more gradual. The difference between Light levels 180 and 182, for instance, is much more slight to Character levels 29 and 30 previously. In one of the Taken King livestreams, Destiny designers revealed that the difference between character level 29 and 30 in Year One amounted to a 30% buff to stats, whereas now it's graded on a steadier curve to allow players to enjoy their current equipment sets.

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How do I level up my Light in Destiny: The Taken King?

As your Light level is an average of all your currently equipped weapons and armour, it's important to have a balanced arsenal in order to improve. While the majority of your equipment may average 200 attack or defence, having one or two items with significantly less means that the overall light will be hampered.

The only way to improve your Light level is with better gear, so complete Strikes, the story missions and Crucible matches to try and unlock new Legendary and Exotic equipment to quickly improve your level to the new cap.

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Is my Light level important in Destiny 2.0?

Not initially. When you first start Destiny: The Taken King, your character level is the priority. The Light level is more for players who hit the level 40 cap or are taking on the endgame content. Because many of the story missions require a character in the mid-30s, your Light level is just a bonus.

Because of that, it's better to use weapons and armour that you're comfortable with. Also, you'll be unlocking gear at such a relentless pace that worrying about how your Light is affected is pretty arbitrary. It's better to wait until you're approaching the endgame and have a more consistent armour and weapon set before thinking about your Light level.

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Tricks to quickly improve your Light level in Destiny: The Taken King

In update 2.0, more items have been given value when it comes to Light. Your Ghost, Cloak and Artifacts add towards your Light level now, so try to update these with better gear you unlock along the way.

Artifacts don't unlock until you reach level 40, so don't worry about these when you first start The Taken King.