You can also do bounties to level up your Vanguard / Faction rank. The reward packages you get for increasing your standing always include an item that is higher than your current light level.

At your light, don’t worry about legendary gear. Collect and equip blues from the heroic strikes until you hit 365. Once you have everything 365ish, then infuse it into your legendary gear. After 365, forget strikes and do whatever you can to rank up factions for packages. Save all exotic engrams and packages until…