The point threads like this ignore is that light levels are just gear score. They are not gates to [i]types[/i] of content. The thought pattern is "I haven't beaten the game until I'm 30" which is just incorrect. Level 20 is the cap. Raid gear and exotics are just the gear with the highest item level. This is typical MMORPG mechanics (not saying destiny is mmo, just that this is a standard thing). Therefore with each new raid/content tier introduced (see The Dark Below) the light level max will increase because a new tier of gear is available. Take wow as an example: dungeons at cap level (normal and heroic) give better than questing. You can get to cap lvl by questions or dungeons or pvp or any path but raid gear has the highest item level. Tldr: lvl 20 is the cap. 21-30 is gear score, means nothing for beating the game.