How to level to raid ready & beyond.
A. You can hit level 500 through blues, vendors and world engrams then you’re at the soft cap for these drops. This soft cap increases by one power when you’re around 15 levels or so higher.
B. You can hit level 520 by doing the weekly challenges (the gold star activities in the director) and the daily challenges. These activities will give you loot up to +5 of your current maximum power. Once you hit level 520, you’re at the soft cap for these activities. They will no longer drop +5 loot. You will only get +1 from them when you’re higher than 520. This has been confirmed by multiple players who hit 520.
C. The nightfall’s recommended level is 540. This means you’ll still be able to get +5 drops from it up to level 540. Beyond 540, it will only drop +1 loot.
D. The Dreaming City is the end game area. It’ll be more apparent why this is so once people hit 540. It’ll be the only source of +5 loot until the raid comes out. The cap for this area is supposedly 560.
E. The normal raid will drop +5 loot up to 580 and the prestige raid will drop loot up to 600. This is only speculation but it makes sense consdiering the info we have so far.