Ultimate Guide To Best XP Farming Methods In Destiny 2

After playing Destiny 2 for 2000+ hours, here are my recommended methods to Farm XP.

New players in 2023 often go diving headfirst into the game and wondering about the best Destiny 2 XP farm, as there are quite a varied amount of ways to farm it efficiently with the latest expansion, Lightfall. While the state of progression might change in the future with more activities to gain XP for your Guardian, even right now, you need XP in high abundance to level up your season pass and, most importantly, your artifact power level.

Key Takeaways
  • While players can just about enough XP playing Destiny 2 normally, the best methods to farm XP can indefinitely help those who can’t invest enough time for it daily.
  • This XP is strictly tied to your character level, increasing artifact and seasonal pass ranks.
  • It is also worth noting that players can increase their Destiny 2 XP gains using enhancements from Ghost Shell mods as well as via the “Well-Rested” buff.
  • Lastly, Seasonal Challenges can also reward a lot of XP for completing them on a timely basis before they’re refreshed in the next season of Destiny 2.

Here are all the best ways to Farm XP in Destiny 2 summarized: 

Method Description
Equip Ghost Shell XP ModsEquip Ghost Shell XP Mods like "Blinding Light" for a 12% XP boost
Complete Daily BountiesComplete Daily Bounties, they refresh daily, providing a substantial amount of XP for your Guardian
Endgame ActivitiesEngaging in Endgame Activities, particularly dungeons and raids, offer substantial XP rewards
Seasonal Pass XP BonusesUtilize Seasonal Pass XP Bonuses, gained at Levels 5, 7 and 16, providing retroactive XP bonuses for you and your fireteam
Well-Rested BuffLeverage the Well-Rested Buff, providing passive XP bonuses at Seasonal Pass Levels 5, 7 and 16

1. Equip Ghost Shell XP Mods

d2 ghost
Ghost shell mods (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)

This may seem the most obvious one, but for most new players or anyone returning to Destiny 2 after a long absence, the XP mods that are available on your Ghost shells are highly beneficial to gain efficient XP.

You simply need to level up your Ghost shell if you haven’t already and then (preferably) select the highest tier mod available here, which is called the following:

  • Blinding Light, which provides a 12% boost to XP gains and requires 6 Ghost energy to equip.

Upgrading your ghost shell to 6 or more energy slots is easy enough and will only require a few basic resources, such as Glimmer and Legendary Shards, which are not too hard to come by, even for a relatively new player. These XP mods are available for any rarity of Ghost shells, Legendary or exotic.

2. Complete Daily Bounties

d2 bounties
Daily Bounties (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
  • Bounties, in general, are one of the main gameplay elements that players use to obtain a hefty chunk of XP for their Guardian in Destiny 2.
  • These are available across multiple vendors in Tower, such as Vanguard bounties from Commander Zavala, Crucible bounties from Lord Shaxx, Gambit from the Drifter, and even destination-exclusive ones such as Neomuna bounties from Nimbus, as shown in the image above.
  • These bounties refresh on a daily basis, so before you attempt any activity, whether it’s Strikes or playing PVP in The Crucible, make sure to always grab the daily ones from each vendor by heading to the Tower.
  • After which, turning them in every other day or so will be your main source of gaining experience and progressing the seasonal pass.

Furthermore, in my personal experience, I end up focusing on bounties mainly from the Gunsmith and Vanguard, as they get quickly completed when given the proper focus and attention.

3. Endgame Activities

destiny 2 best xp farm
Root of Nightmares Raid (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
  • The endgame activities in Destiny 2 end up rewarding a lot more XP than players would initially believe, and these mainly comprise dungeons and raids.
  • Both of these activities feature multiple encounters and tough enemies, which, when defeated, can offer a large sum of experience for your character.
  • New players obviously won’t be able to tackle them immediately, but for everyone else, they are another good source of XP.

In my personal opinion, as a current and veteran player caught with all the recent seasons in Lightfall, I’d strongly suggest running the Root of Nightmares raid as well as the Spire of Watcher dungeon, as they are endgame activities that are quick to finish as long as you have a coordinated and experienced fireteam.

4. Seasonal Pass XP Bonuses

DESTINY 2 BEST XP FARM
Seasonal Pass XP Bonus (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
  • One of the more important factors for the best Destiny 2 XP farm that players need to keep in mind is the passive experience bonuses that the seasonal pass provides during a certain threshold.
  • Such as, at Levels 5, 7, and 16, you will gain a retroactive XP bonus for you and your fireteam, as shown in the image above.

Don’t worry about acquiring these immediately, as you will be rewarded these bonuses with the passage of time as you progress the seasonal pass, whether it’s purchased or not. The best part of this is the fact that the bonus is also applied to your fireteam members, so they can also take advantage of doing activities with you or even collectively claiming bounties on their end.

5. Well-Rested Buff

d2 well rested
The Well Rested buff (Image Credit Copyright: eXputer)
  • The Well-Rested buff is similar to the Seasonal pass XP bonus, but the only difference is that it will only be presented to you once a weekly reset occurs in Destiny 2.
  • Upon that reset, you will gain the Well-Rested buff, which will boost your XP gains by 100% for the first five character levels of the week.
  • So even if you’re not someone who plays Destiny 2 on a daily basis, it is worth it to take advantage of the Well-Rested buff so you can freely gain five quick levels in roughly under an hour using the best sources.

Why Trust My Recommendations Of XP Farming

destiny 2 hours
Destiny 2 hours spent [Image via Time wasted on Destiny]
The following strategies to farm experience in Destiny 2 were written by me (Steam ID: LIONT4MER), and with roughly over 3500+ hours across both Destiny titles, you can remain rest assured that I discussed the up-to-date information regarding the tactics to farm XP in the legitimate way possible.

This brings me to the end of my guide. TL;DR, as someone who’s been playing since launch and is up-to-date with all the current ongoings of Destiny 2 with the Lightfall DLC, bounties, and seasonal challenges, would be the ideal options to level up and gain XP quickly.

Aside from that, just playing normally every day will easily get your character and seasonal pass leveled up, so you shouldn’t worry about XP unless you don’t happen to invest too much time too often. Be sure to check out guides on how to Fish in Destiny 2 and the best Osteo Striga Rolls, as they can indefinitely help any new player jumping in to play Destiny 2 after a long break or even as a newcomer.

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Usama Mehmood is a Games Specialist, and writer on eXputer who's either hunting for the richest loot in Destiny 2 or endlessly playing his favorite games such as Yakuza or Final Fantasy. Usama has been gaming for 15+ years during which he has accumulated 4000+ hours on Destiny 1 & 2. His constant adoration for video games has allowed him to pursue eXputer as a platform to showcase his striving talents in writing helpful articles. Get familiar with Usama's extensive gaming library on his Steam, PSN, and Xbox profiles.

Experience: 2+ Years || Mainly Covers Reviews And Guides || Education: Bachelors in Physiotherapy.

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