Light still ‘absolutely crucial’ to Destiny

Earlier this week, it was reported that Bungie would be ditching the Light System in Destiny with The Taken King. Well, that's not entirely true. While Bungie is moving away from the complicated system which currently determines a Guardian's level based on the gear equipped, Light is still staying in the game. More importantly, it will still be "absolutely crucial to your survival," Bungie community manager David 'DeeJ' Dague explained in an interview with IGN.

Just to recap, The Taken King will completely overhaul Destiny's leveling system. You simply level to 40 by playing the game. "The things you do, the enemies you kill, the missions you complete, they all earn you experience that contributes to your level," DeeJ said. "So by playing that game, you reach that level."

From what it sounds like, Light Level will now act as more of a Gear Score, like in World of Warcraft.

"Your Light is how powerful you are," DeeJ explained. "It is a combination of the power of the attack and defense ratings of your weapons and armor."

According to DeeJ, certain missions in Destiny will have a "Recommended Light" level of a certain number. So although your Guardian can be max level 40, a lower Light Level might mean you are not properly equipped to tackle end-game content. This ensures that you'll probably still need to spend some time grinding for gear appropriate to the challenge that awaits.

"Light is absolutely crucial to your survival," DeeJ continued. "But in terms of 'how do I reach level 40', again, we're taking a lot of the mystery out of that. Keep playing the game."

In theory, keeping Light Level should also keep Iron Banner relevant. With Iron Banner taking into account level advantages and gear ratings, having everyone be level 40 would remove some of that advantage. However, by keeping Light in the game, power will still matter in Iron Banner.

There are certainly some exciting changes coming to Destiny with The Taken King. And as a former player who took a break because of the frustration with Light Levels, I'm anxious to return to a more traditional leveling system. How do you feel about Destiny's change to leveling?