Just to clear it out of the way and 2ash away most of the salt, I'm 1345 and leveled up for my conqueror title this season which I got with the help of some lovely friends! I wanted to go up to 1346 for trying other higher tier activities but stopped, becuase: - It takes a lot of time - Until I reach 1350, the damage boost is insignificant and non linear so the next 12 million xp will be worthless. Changes introduced in Beyond Light. I've attached an old article which explains how the xp and power level works. The concept is same except that damage logic has changed since then. This just highlights how painful it is to do endgame 1350-1360 activities for people who cannot grind this much xp. Next season, the best of us will start at 1320 and hope to go to 1330 with pinnacle drops. Then it's just an xp grind race to 1360+ The thing I don't get is that that PL bonus (artifact) requirements increases quasi exponentially as we approach higher level. Yes, you can do the master vog at 1335+ with tour a$$ in your hand but that's no fun. Bungie fun police was once exposed for throttling xp but this is a completely vengeful and similar (in the open) logic to replace thay xp throttling. All it shows is that Bungie just want players to so mindless repeat activities to keep the player count up. It is a very no conducive and punishing experience for new players who, once they figure this out, just quit after the first artifact reset. The never experience the top end activities as the carrot is stretched further away every time you level up. I'm not even discussing the power level advantage over here, 1360 NF has no advantage difference between 1361 and 1370+ PL player. Neither do these level mean anything in patrols... you get clapped by a dreg in patrol just like someone who started the game 1 minute ago (unless u have some armour build to prolong ur life but that's a different discussion). Bungie, please stop with xp manipulation tactics and throttling directly or indirectly. It just makes the game inaccessible to everyone. Happy to be corrected but if you think you are the kind of player who can do GMNF and Master VoG solo at 1335 then good for you and you can carry me next time on your flawless run. Edit: Just to clarify, the game experience is completely different when you play at the recommended level vs 15 levels below it. This includes end level activities (GMNF MVoG) but also other tiered activities like regular NF (Adept to Master) and Legend/Master Lost Sectors. My first GMNF at 1335 (which was completed as it was Insight Terminus) I almost ran out of bullets killing ref bar ads. Second one was that Fallen Sqber at 1337, same issue but at later stage. At 1345 even glassway was bearable. At 1340, I farmed most Master NF to collect golf balls to max. Edit: One suggestion would be to make higher level activities like legend or master nf/sectors drop exponential xp on bounties or completion. Currently I think its the same for activity regardless or level.