Destiny April Update Raises Light Level Cap to 335
By Anthony Taormina 26 March 2016
As part of their first of three livestreams, Destiny developer Bungie reveals that the April update will raise the light level cap from the current cap of 320 to 335.
As promised, Bungie had more to say about their upcoming April update for Destiny in the first of three Twitch streams. The first, titled Things to Do, covered the new activities and missions that will be available with the update, including a revamped version of the Prison of Elders.
In addition to new activities, which will include the Blighted Chalice quest line, Bungie will raise Destiny’s light level cap from 320 to 335. Players will be able to hit the new level cap by completing the Challenge of the Elders and earning both new armor and new weapons.
It’s worth mentioning, though, that like any of Destiny’s major endgame content, there is a weekly lockout on top tier drops. Only once per week will players be able to fill out their Prison of Elders scorecard, called an Elder’s Sigil, in both the ‘High Score’ and ‘Cumulative Score’ categories. Hitting the High Score will unlock a random light level 335 weapon, while hitting the Cumulative Score will unlock an armor piece.
As far as how that light level 335 gear will differ from past gear, Bungie wouldn’t say too much, but they did tease a new set of nodes in the weapon upgrade path. Based on what we could glean, it seems as though weapons may carry a visual modifier that slightly alters their look. In the case of the sniper rifle shown during the livestream, there was a ‘Red Chroma’ option briefly on-screen.
However, while Bungie has raised the light level cap to 335, there doesn’t appear to be a clear path to that cap just yet. While Destiny players can unlock 335 armor and weapons, there was no mention made of either Ghosts or Class Items, meaning most players will likely hover around the 330 mark in a few weeks. Hopefully, Bungie introduces a method for earning Ghosts and Class Items shortly after the April update, like they did with Sparrow Racing League and Crimson Days.
Ultimately, raising the light level cap in Destiny is a small carrot on a stick for players who have been craving new content. The return of Prison of Elders has drawn a mixed response from fans, especially since the mode was never quite as popular as Bungie hoped it would be the first time around.
Nevertheless, new content is new content and it will likely bring the players back in droves regardless. A new light level cap is always an incentive to play more, and the challenges will help facilitate that. The only question is whether or not getting to light level 335 will feel as satisfying as hitting 320 did in The Taken King.
Destiny’s April Update releases April 12, 2016 for PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
