Another day, another destiny 2 leak.
Fans of Bungie’s much-loved online shooter are no strangers to purported leaks about changes that may be coming to the game in the future. Many of these rumors amount to nothing, but every now and then you’ll hear one that strikes a chord.
This time, the destiny 2 rumor in question has to do with Power Level, the game’s metric for a player character’s overall in-game strength; specifically, that Bungie has plans to do away with it.
The rumor comes from DestinyTwoLeaks on Twitter, an account that has proven to be one of the more reliable sources of D2 leaks in the past. One of its most recent called shots was that Bungie would introduce three new Battlegrounds during the recent witch-queen expansion, a leak that struck the nail cleanly on the head.
From what I heard way back in Splicer, the team planned on removing power levels and making it all one big Artifact level. Except the main way to rank up would be activities and not bounties.
— Destiny Leaks (@DestinyTwoLeaks) August 4, 2022
Effectively, DTL suggests that Bungie is looking at removing destiny 2‘s long-running Power Level system in favor of one more reliant on Artifact Level. This won’t be a new rumor to most who follow the game on social media — several rumors about Power Level changes have been rattling around for over a year. What makes this one different is that it comes from a source with a fairly strong hit rate.
Currently, Artifact Levels are seasonal buffs that can help boost your character’s abilities beyond the current power cap. If you hover the cursor over your Power Level in the menu you can get an idea of your true PL and how much your Artifact Level is helping you out. Your Power Level, as granted by the gear you have equipped, will be represented by a number in white. Your Artifact Level sits alongside this, represented by a number in blue. Because Artifact Levels have no cap, dedicated players can effectively grind them upward indefinitely. As things stand, Artifact Levels are a fast and convenient way for players to quickly hit Recommended Power Levels for attempting certain events.
So, if they’re currently a secondary system designed to appeal to the rise-and-grinders, why would Bungie want to put them in the driver’s seat? One reason could be that Power Level has, over time and multiple destiny 2 expansions, become rather vestigial. Every recent expansion pack has included an automatic Power Level buff that brings players up to around the level required to start the new content. Bungie has been doing this so no player gets left behind the pack for long. Bungie also introduced Legend, Master, and Grandmaster difficulty tiers in most of its endgame content, like Strikes and Raids, and these get bumped up each season.
Therefore, if no one’s getting left behind, and no one’s really on the standard loot treadmill anymore, does your Power Level still mean anything?
DTL’s leak suggests Bungie would pivot the current total Power Level system to one built around seasonal progression with interstitial resets. The thinking in the community is that this would streamline the seasonal grind and make things simpler for returning players, who are often overwhelmed by the total tonnage of destiny 2‘s systems.
I pass this one off to you, Kotaku readers. Thoughts on a change like this? Would prefer Artifact grinding over the day-to-day loot grind that’s been a staple since launch? Sound off in the comments, I’d like to hear your take.