Here are some common questions and answers about the current routes of progression and how things will change when House of Wolves arrives. Most of this is common knowledge to regular players and this is mainly for new or returning players. For the most part, general leveling principles and progression routes for brand new players are the same especially pre-26 leveling with regard to getting your first legendary.
This is current as of May 5th, 2015 and includes a lot of information about things that are not in the game until the patch on May 19th (which is available whether or not one purchases the House of Wolves expansion itself).
FAQ
Q: How do I reach max level?
A: The current max level is 32, requiring 144 Light, or four armor pieces all with 36 Light each. With HoW, the max level will be 34, requiring 168 light (armor pieces with 42 Light each).
So, to get to 32 you need four Legendaries, or three legendaries and one Exotic, with 36 Light. Currently, just as Vault of Glass and Iron Banner gear were the only way to reach level 30, Crota's End gear (and Iron Banner again) are the only way to reach level 32.
However, when House of Wolves arrives this will change significantly. Instead of requiring certain gear with the max amount of Light,
any Legendary or Exotic gear can be
Ascended to max Light. To do this, Legendaries require a new item called Etheric Light and Exotics require Exotic Shards (obtained from Xur, or by dismantling any Exotic).
Q: How do I get Etheric Light?
A: Etheric Light can Ascend any Legendary item (armor or weapon), and can be obtained from:
- Nightfalls
- Prison of Elders
- Iron Banner (seems as though it will be purchaseable once per event at certain ranks)
- Trials of Osiris
When an item is Ascended, it will be at the Attack/Defense/Light tier of the current top tier gear. However, this gear must still be upgraded (whether before or after Ascension) with materials and XP to be completely maxed.
Q: How do I reach level 28/30/31/32 before that?
A: So many different pieces of gear at so many different Light values are now potentially viable that it can be very confusing in terms of how to reach the significant level thresholds before that. These would be:
-28 to optimally complete VoG Normal
-30 to optimally complete VoG Hard/Nightfalls/Weekly and Daily Heroics at 30
-31/32 to optimally complete CE Normal (Swordbearer should be 32+) and Hard
We can expect the non-raid activities that are currently set at level 30 (Nightfall/Weekly/Daily) to be bumped up to level 32 when the expansion hits, while the raid thresholds are likely to stay the same.
Hitting level 30 as soon as possible is a good idea for all players, and there are many ways to do this. Even if you don't surpass level 30 by the time HoW arrives, you'll be in great position to do so while experiencing at least some of the new content.
I suggest
taking a look at this planner app and seeing how all the different pieces you can acquire (or may already have) will add up when maxed.
While many would have advised against leveling up "old school" gear like VoG raid gear because it would become obsolete, this is no longer the case because all of it can be ascended from here on. So if you obtain (or have vaulted) a piece that you like the look of or has good perks, go for it!
Q: What is the easiest route to 30 for a player who owns The Dark Below?
A: As prescribed in the original guides, new players should still focus on leveling up their Vanguard Rank to 2 and earning marks for their first legendary piece. Additionally, buying a new piece of armor from Xur is a simple way to acquire a piece 36 Light armor- preferably a helm, because these are more expensive to buy from vendors. However, owners of The Dark Below can also obtain a free pair of 33 Light gauntlets as a quest reward for the Urn of Sacrifice quest chain from Eris. Thus it's a good idea to knock that quest out ASAP.
An example of a quick and dirty path to level 30 is as follows:
Helm: Exotic from Xûr
Gauntlets: Eris quest reward
Chest: Whatever blue they find
Boots: Any Legendary vendor boots
Note that you can hit level 30 without even having full Legendary/Exotic gear. Because the Helm, Gauntlets and Boots can be ascended when you acquire your first Etheric Light, you'll be in good position to progress toward max level without even having set foot in a raid. This setup only costs 13 Strange Coins and 75 Vanguard Marks, and no Commendations are required.
Q: Speaking of Commendations, what are they for?
A: For the moment, after Rank 3 in any faction, you are awarded a Vanguard or Crucible Commendation with each further rank.
Currently, one of these is required to purchase any weapon, and certain armor pieces (helm and chest). However, they are being eliminated completely in House of Wolves. After the release, existing Commendations can be consumed for a reputation boost.
Q: I don't want to waste time/energy/glimmer/XP/mats/sanity on upgrading things that will be reset or obsoleted when the patch hits. How do I avoid this?
A: While having investment reset and potentially wasting resources was a substantial concern prior to The Dark Below, most of the systemic changes that are taking hold after the release will respect prior investment and allow you to choose the gear you want to remain relevant with you as you progress. Exotic
perks and XP funneled into weapons and armor will not be reset when an item is Ascended. Some materials costs on items appear to be reduced for upgrades on newer (HoW-drop) gear, so you may wish to wait before spending these currencies as you may get more "bang for your buck" putting them into newer items rather than continuing to upgrade old ones to Ascend. However, on the whole my opinion is that this difference will be mostly negligible. If you are in the middle of upgrading an item that you like, don't feel that you have to stop for fear of getting screwed by the new system.
Q: Is there anything I should make sure to do in advance of the House of Wolves release?
A: The biggest thing to keep an eye out for here would be the vendor inventories.
While old existing gear will be upgradeable, and a large supply of new gear will be up for purchase and obtainable as drops... the
entire current inventory of each vendor in the tower will be replaced. Expect armor pieces to have different visual appearances, stats and perks. Weapons will have different looks, base properties, and perks and the new inventories may not even mirror the exact weapon types in every slot of the old inventory.
Some of the current vendor inventories have very potent weapons with excellent perks for PvP, PvE or both. If there are any that you particularly want, spend the marks and commendations to pick them up as they may never be available again.
Note that while new vendor purchases after the HoW release can be
reforged (rerolled for new perks), older gear cannot- so only make one of these purchases if you do want the vendor configuration of that item.
One other thing: if Xûr has an item you want in particular over the next couple of weeks,
buy it immediately! Do not hold off just because he won't have the "latest version" until after the patch. Xûr can be very fickle with his inventories and you never know how long it'll be til That Thing You Want is available again.
Q: What other aspects of the Post-20 Leveling Guides are outdated?
A: Most of the general principles do still apply. However, these points do need some updating:
- Raiding is emphasized heavily as a critical path toward progressing once you hit a certain level wall, but this won't really be the case anymore with the new patch. Between higher-Light vendor gear and the ability to Ascend any gear, it will be possible and even practical to, for the first time, hit max level without raiding at all. Because there will be an even wider range of entry thresholds in the post-HoW game, don't concentrate on hitting max level so much as on getting to the level you need to be to be effective in the content you want to play.
- Iron Banner isn't really addressed at all, but is and will remain a concrete source of endgame progression, with two high-Light armor pieces available each event as well as the potential to obtain Etheric Light.
- The specific vendor inventories in the build-making section are already out of date, and will be even moreso. However, the general idea of seeking out a varied arsenal of elemental weapons of the types you desire is still good advice. With reforging available on new vendor items this will be more possible than ever even without lucky drops.
- Shards and Energy (both Ascendant and Radiant) are no longer going to be static piles in your inventory; they will be exchangeable for one another, for glimmer, and for Motes of Light. Always consider what your next goal is and how any new mats acquired can best contribute to your progression.
- There are also several changes to the Crucible in general that will affect progression, so I'll list them here:
- Legendary items will be added to post-game reward tables for all Crucible activities
- Your first match in the daily featured Crucible activity will earn you a new reward package each day
- Reputation and Mark gains will double for each completed Crucible match
As with the guides before, this FAQ will be outdated before too long but hopefully it helps some to bridge the gap. If you have any other questions which are completely unanswered here- please quote and ask and (assuming I have an answer
) I'll edit this post to add it in.
