Destiny: The Taken King - How to Reach Level 40

With the release of Destiny: The Taken King on September 15, 2015, the maximum level that you can reach will be increased to 40, and the method to hit that mark will be changed from earning Light to gaining XP. For players who installed the Update 2.0 on September 8, 2015, they will see that a progress bar at the bottom of their HUD shows how close they are to the next level. If you are currently below level 34, you should be able to gain XP. If you are at 34, however, you will notice that even as you earn XP and turn in bounties, the progress bar doesn’t move.

There are some steps you can take to make sure that you’re hitting level 40 as quickly as possible on September 15, though. All those bounties that you complete, plus public even packages and XP boosts can be used in a strategic way, rather than wasted. Today, we’re going to help you get out in front of the pack, being one of the first to hit level 40.

• Destiny: The Taken King - How to Get the Sword
• Destiny: The Taken King - Hunter Subclass Quests Guide
• Destiny: The Taken King - Titan Subclass Quests Guide
• Destiny: The Taken King - Warlock Subclass Quests Guide

Save Your Bounties

With Update 2.0, players can now hold a total of 16 bounties in their inventory. That goes for active or complete, or any combination in between. What we’re suggesting is that you spend the next several days completing as many Vanguard and Crucible bounties that you can, but rather than turn them in, save them in your inventory. The goal here is to have 16 bounties ready to turn in the moment that The Taken King drops on September 15. Since turning in bounties right now only allows you to level up weapons and armor, you might as well save it to power level your favorite guardian as quickly as possible.

Save Your Public Event Packages

A Destiny day goes from 5:00 AM EST until 4:59 AM EST. During that time, the first public even you take part in (on each character) will earn you a public event package. You have likely seen these at the Postmaster from time to time, and they normally only give you some materials that you can use to upgrade your armor and weapons.

These public event packages also give you a bit of XP. We aren’t going to tell you how much, mostly because we don’t have the exact answer, and even if we did, it might change with The Taken King. In any case, you can use this XP in the same way you did the bounties in the previous tip. Save these packages at the Postmaster, letting them accumulate until September 15. That’s when you’ll want to turn them in so you can rank up even faster.

Just keep in mind, the first public event you participate in each day (with each character) will give you a package, but any events after that will not result in more packages. You cannot farm this one, which is a bit of a shame for those looking to cheese their way to level 40.

Drink More Red Bull?

Consider this tip an add-on that only really applies to those in the U.S., and maybe some folks in Canada who have friends drinking Red Bull in the U.S. We’re not even sure if the Red Bull codes work in Europe, but we’ve heard that they don’t.

As many know, Red Bull is giving away codes that provide an XP boost. If you have codes, redeem them, and then activate the boost that you get from the Postmaster just before you turn in your bounties and claim your public event packages on September 15. As soon as you do, load up any story missions you might have for The Taken King, and bang those out before the boost dies off. That should give you a major head start in hitting level 40 as quickly as possible.

The best advice that we can give you is to earn XP in any way that you can. If you’re level 34 right now, wait until September 15. If you are below level 34, start now, but focus on story missions that you might have left over. If you hit level 34 before The Taken King drops, start saving those bounties and public event packages as we mentioned.