Bungie appears to be intensifying its efforts to potentially remove the long-rumored Power Level system from Destiny 2, according to recent gameplay discoveries. The idea of abandoning the game's core leveling component in favor of a more traditional scaling difficulty selector has been circulating for some time, and the new activity introduced in Season of the Deep seems to support these claims.
The initial leaks suggesting the removal of Power Levels in Destiny 2 date back to 2022, with sources indicating that Bungie had already been considering this idea for quite some time. Instead of relying on players' Power Levels, the game would introduce a seasonal Artifact Level, as suggested by the leaker. This change would allow Bungie to streamline the game's content and ensure that everyone experiences the same level of difficulty.
Destiny 2's Season of the Deep's Deep Dive activity has added credibility to the leaks, indicating that they are more likely to be true. A Twitter user named MossyMax discovered that adjusting the character's Power Level affects the numbers displayed when damaging enemies, while the actual damage remains consistent. Interestingly, the fixed Power Level in Deep Dives did not significantly impact Destiny's combat experience, as the activity has received praise for its challenging difficulty and progression.
What's even more intriguing is that Bungie has openly disclosed this information. MossyMax pointed out that the description of Destiny 2's Deep Dives clearly states that players' Power Levels are fixed during the activity. Despite not being widely discussed within the community, Bungie has cleverly implemented one of the most significant changes to Destiny's difficulty scaling, albeit with a limited scope for now.
The fixed Power Level in Deep Dives was not released in isolation. Destiny 2's Season of the Deep Pinnacle Level remained unchanged, allowing players who had already reached the highest Power Level in the previous season to not repeat the grind. These Power Level adjustments, when considered together, indicate significant upcoming changes and suggest that the previous leaks may have been accurate.
Although it has its flaws, Destiny 2's Season of the Deep significantly enhanced build crafting by introducing a wide range of important new gear, mods, and gameplay options for players to experiment with. This is a promising indication of things to come, but it remains uncertain whether some of these changes will remain permanent or if Bungie will reconsider them after the season concludes.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
