With the cinematic campaigns concluded, the Renegades expansion now reveals its true self: a relentless, challenging PvE endgame designed to push Guardians to their absolute limit. Bungie has delivered a complete overhaul of the progression loop, debuting a massive new Raid alongside a streamlined, yet demanding, journey to the new Power Level apex.

ascend the stars: A Power Level Paradigm Shift

The first step in the endgame is the inevitable grind. Renegades has ushered in a substantial increase, raising the Power Level cap by 200 points—the largest single jump in recent memory. This resets the entire economy of gear and forces all players, veterans and newcomers alike, to embark on the demanding climb.

  • The Journey: The journey to the soft cap is rapid, fueled by the new campaign and seasonal activities. However, the true difficulty lies in the pinnacle grind to the hard cap, demanding mastery of all new activities.

New Activities: Temporal Incursions

Beyond the standard seasonal missions, Renegades introduces Temporal Incursions, a highly replayable patrol zone activity set within the chaotic, fragmented timeline of the Aether Nexus.

  • Activity Focus: These public events are designed to be dynamic, requiring fireteams to correct timeline anomalies and defeat Chrono-Shifted bosses, offering unique mods and gear. Its success lies in being an engaging, flexible alternative to fixed weekly bounties.

The Ultimate Test: Vault of Stars Raid

The centerpiece of the PvE content is the new six-player Raid, Vault of Stars. Initial World First attempts confirmed this is Bungie at its most mechanically challenging.

  • Mechanics Focus: Unlike previous raids focusing purely on DPS checks, Vault of Stars heavily relies on the innovative use of the new Chrono-Shift subclass and deep puzzle-solving. Teams must coordinate temporal abilities to manipulate environmental phases, demanding synchronized execution and communication.
  • The Gear: The Raid introduces a unique set of armor that grants enhanced synergy with the Chrono-Shift subclass, making it mandatory for top-tier build crafting.

Loot Redefined: The Aether Resonance System

Bungie has overhauled how pinnacle loot drops, attempting to make progression feel less like a weekly checklist and more like a consequence of general engagement. This is achieved via the new Aether Resonance system.

  • Resonance Gain: Players gain Resonance from virtually every high-level activity (Legendary Lost Sectors, Nightfalls, Trials, etc.). Collecting enough Resonance automatically triggers a guaranteed Pinnacle gear drop, decoupling high-level progression from specific, fixed activities.
  • Focusing Gear: Furthermore, Resonance allows players to use a new system at the Tower to Focus their pinnacle drops toward a specific slot, significantly reducing the frustration of repeated drops in unwanted armor slots.

The endgame of Renegades is ruthless but rewarding. The new Power Level hike, the demanding Raid, and the intelligent progression changes ensure that only the most dedicated Guardians will ascend to the new peak.