Destiny 2: Warmind DLC - How To Farm Power Level Fast & Unlock Mars Solo

[Want to see more guides like this? Subscribe to GuideRanx for daily new gaming guides.]

If you weren’t interested in Raids, Nightfall Strikes, or any of the other game-extending content found in Destiny 2 after beating the campaign, then you’ll be shocked to find a very, very steep Power Level requirement to play the new solo story missions. The campaign is worth playing, but it’s going to take most of us a long time to earn all the Power Levels required to actually play it. I wasn’t prepared, so I’m going to share a few quick tips to make life a little easier for my fellow solo players out there.

Just to be clear — if you’re an avid Destiny 2 player, this guide isn’t for you. Most everyone that’s interested in the Leviathan Raid already hit PL 290 a long time ago. This is for all of us still sitting in the doldrums of PL 220. After beating the campaign (and doing nothing else) you’re probably sitting around 200-220 Power Level, which isn’t even remotely enough to enjoy all the Warmind DLC has to offer. You’re going to need to hit at least PL 290, but for a truly comfortable experience, I recommend going for the big fat PL 310.

More Destiny 2: Warmind DLC guides on Gameranx:

How To Farm Power Level Fast & Unlock Mars Solo | PL 310+ Guide

I’m a lazy person, and I barely scratched all the content available in Destiny 2 after completing the main game. I skipped Expansion 1 after some not-all-that interesting reviews, but now I’m diving back in full force, and this game doesn’t make that very easy.

To begin experiencing the Warmind DLC content, you’ll need to be Power Level 310+ — that’s the recommended level. Technically, you can actually begin at Power Level 260. Trying that is basically suicide. It’s very, very difficult. I recommend you hit at least Power Level 290 before attempting the first mission of Warmind. Why? Because there’s an Ogre that will seriously ruin your day. The rest of the mission isn’t actually tough — not especially so — it isn’t until that Ogre shows up that you’ll be cursing your lousy equipment and start begging for more.

If you don’t want to wait multiple days / weeks slowly grinding gear, here’s what I recommend.

Get to Level 30 ASAP

The Warmind DLC increases the Level Cap to 30 — whether you own the Curse of Osiris DLC or not. The higher your level, the more likely you’ll get better Power Level gear. A Level 30 Guardian will always get better gear that a Level 20 Guardian, or even a Level 25 Guardian. The faster you get to Level 30, the easier you’ll be able to increase your total PL.

Complete Adventures you haven’t yet completed. Check all the maps — I recommend the Curse of Osiris adventures the most.
Unlock Heroic Adventures by completing all the Adventures on a planet, then talking to the faction leader. These are higher level quests that should (technically) help you gain XP faster.
Use any XP boosting Medallions you might have. You can get these as a gift (check all vendors in the tower) or from a code with promotional products like Pop-Tarts.
- If you’re lucky, you might have a Ghost with a +10% XP boost effect. Equip them!
Play Public Events over and over. You’ll earn a surprising amount of XP just for finishing these events.
Play the ‘Curse of Osiris‘ DLC.

The last one is pretty annoying. Warmind is supposedly a standalone expansion, but the grind is insane without Curse of Osiris as a stepping stone. Let’s talk more about that.

Play The Curse of Osiris DLC

If you skipped Curse of Osiris, I recommend buying it and playing it. The extra cost is worth it, just to give you something more interesting to see while grinding for PL. The quests are low PL, so if you’ve finished the campaign, the missions should be a breeze, and they’ll easily carry you to Level 24 if you start at Level 20.

On top of that, Curse of Osiris includes higher PL content than any of the planets outside the Leviathan raid. You can complete the Public Event for lots of drops and higher rewards, kill the VIP that runs around the small area, grab the treasures, explore the Lost Sector, and play through the tough Adventures. I recommend playing through and completing all three Adventures, then diving into the Heroic Adventures for even more XP.

Milestones Are Your Friend

Milestones are still the best way to improve Power Level, and it still works here. Certain Milestones, when completed, will give you Legendary Engrams. These Engrams are guaranteed to increase your PL slightly higher than your current base Power Level — that means you’ll want to equip gear that gives you the highest possible PL before unlocking a Milestone and earning your Engrams. The PL of gear / weapons is calculated the moment you earn an engram, not when you open it.

Check your milestones by pressing [L2 / LT] on the Director menu. You’ll also find Milestones in individual planets — Curse of Osiris has its own specific milestones. You can repeat milestones after a certain interval of time has passed, and they’re locked to a single character. If you have multiple characters at high level, you can complete the same milestones three times and drop off the items in your vault to share.

With milestones, you can slowly inch your way higher on the Power Level totem pole. I recommend only resorting to milestones after you’ve hit the new Level 30 cap. Weirdly enough, you’re very likely to get to Level 30 before even starting the Warmind DLC.

Do Everything For Legendary Engrams

Legendary Engrams are what you want. They’re what everyone wants. They’re the best way to slightly increase your Power Level, and they’re the only sane engrams to aim for. Here’s a few tips to help you get more engrams and legendary gear.

Dismantle all your useless legendary gear. You’ll get LOTS of legendary junk while working toward Level 30. Dismantling legendary stuff will get you Legendary Shards. You can trade 25 legendary shards for a Legendary Engram at the Cryptarch on the Tower.
- Check the Postmaster — you might have some legendary gear waiting for you. Perfect for dismantling.
- Go to the Bright Engram vendor and unlock your free Season 3 reward. You might get some legendary stuff (like a Ghost) you can dismantle.

Play Heroic Public Events and raid Lost Sectors. Select a planet, preferably one with a higher PL, and start running public events. Aim for Heroic on every event, and when there is no event to chase, stop at Lost Sectors and defeat the end-boss for a loot chest.
- You’re likely to find rare blues (if you’re gaining levels, these are still valuable) and might find legendary drops. Both areas will give you a reward chest.

Trade Tokens to Faction Leaders. This is something I usually forget doing. While shooting up Public Events and Lost Sectors, you’ll collect lots of planet specific tokens.
- These can be traded in at the faction leader located on each planet for a free legendary engram. If you go farming long enough, you’ll generate a pretty good stockpile.

These are the best steps for total beginners that don’t want to play online with others — and you don’t have to! It’s actually fairly simple. A few hours of grinding is enough to increase your Power Level by +80 if you follow these straightforward steps. Things have changed a lot since the Leviathan Raid first landed.

More Destiny 2 guides on Gameranx: