Learn everything you need to know about the Prismatic Subclass, Transcendence, and how it’ll affect the builds in the Destiny 2 Final Shape.
Prismatic is a new Subclass coming to Destiny 2 with the Final Shape expansion on 4th July 2024. It’s unique and something we have never seen before in D2, but it nicely ties the Light and Dark forces in the game. Let’s deep dive into how Transcendence works and what you must know about the prismatic subclass in Destiny 2.
Prismatic Subclass in Destiny 2
Prismatic Subclass will allow all classes to “combine certain class abilities for different damage types.” Additionally, players can wield the powers of Light and Darkness simultaneously. It encourages unique build combinations by making underused abilities more significant and creating new interactions. Consequently, during the preparation before the Final Shape release, developers made many changes to aspects and other game mechanics to fit the prismatic subclass into combat balance.
The Prismatic subclass allows you to utilize abilities from both Light and Darkness. Moreover, your Super, melee, grenade, and Aspect slots can be populated with a blend of abilities from all five damage types: Arc, Solar, Void, Stasis, and Strand.
Prismatic Transcendence in Destiny 2
The new Destiny 2 Prismatic subclass adds two meters located beneath your Super skill bar: a Light meter and a Dark meter. When you deal damage, gain buff, or apply debuff using either Light or Dark abilities, it fills up the corresponding meter. Using Light abilities fills the Light meter, while using Dark abilities fills the Dark meter.
Light Bar (Arc, Solar, and Void damage):
- What Fills It:
- Light-aligned damage (Arc, Solar, Void)
- Light-aligned buffs or debuffs
- Location: Left side of the meter
Darkness Bar (Stasis and Strand damage):
- What Fills It:
- Darkness-aligned damage (Stasis, Strand)
- Darkness-aligned buffs or debuffs
- Location: Right side of the meter
Kinetic Damage:
- Effect on Bars:
- Fills both Light and Darkness bars at a reduced rate
- Increases fill rate when either bar is already partially filled
- It helps balance and catch up with a lagging bar
Once both meters are entirely filled, you achieve a heightened state of power known as “Transcendence.” Also, entering this state grants you enhanced abilities and boosts your performance in battle, aiming to feel like a miniature Super. As a result, you get significant advantages and benefits when your loadout and playstyle effectively blend Light and Darkness with prismatic subclass possibilities.
Transcendence Benefits
During Transcendence, your melee and grenade energy are instantly refreshed and regenerate at an accelerated rate. Damage dealt with a grenade further enhances your melee regeneration and the other way around. Additionally, your weapon damage receives a slight boost, and you become more resistant to incoming damage.
Transcendence also grants the unique ability to break the shields of special enemies bound by The Witness, who are otherwise invulnerable when you travel through The Pale Heart of the Traveler.
Lastly, while Transcendent, you gain access to a new grenade specific to your class, dealing both Light and Darkness damage types, providing versatile offensive abilities:
Hunter – Hailfire Spike
Throw a device charged with Stasis matter and Solar energy that attaches to surfaces or targets and then erupts into a slowing storm. After a short duration, the device ignites, creating a deadly scorching cyclone.
Titan – Electrified Snare
Throw an explosive device energized with Strand matter and Arc energy that detonates in a supercharged suspending burst. The suspended target takes heavy damage over time and chains jolting lightning to any nearby targets.
Warlock – Freezing Singularity
Throw a mass of Void energy and Stasis matter. On impact, it deploys a miniature black hole orbited by a halo of slowing ice. After a short duration, the black hole implodes, suppressing and dealing heavy damage to all nearby targets.
Prismatic Subclass Builds in Destiny 2
From the very first mission of The Final Shape, you’ll have access to a Prismatic build. Also, like in previous expansions, you can test prismatic powers with all unlocked at the tutorial mission to test them out and feel the new robust skills and possibilities the new subclass brings. As a result, this starting build includes a mix of Light and Darkness abilities, Aspects, and a complete set of Fragments for you to experiment with.
- Hunter PvE Prismatic Build
- Titan PvE Prismatic Build
- Warlock PvE Prismatic Build
Prismatic Subclass Progression
After the initial mission, you must unlock or earn more skills and components of the prismatic subclass to use Transcendence to its full potential in Destiny 2.
As you advance through The Final Shape, you’ll unlock additional abilities and customization options, allowing you to refine further and enhance your Prismatic build. Even if those abilities were already part of the subclasses, you MUST unlock them again for a prismatic subclass.
Moreover, the Aspects and Fragments you can unlock when completing the missions in The Pale Heart of the Traveler or post-campaign quests, including as collectibles. However, no new currency will help you earn prismatic skills, abilities, fragments, or aspects. Once you discover a Prismatic chest in the world or after a challenging battle, it is immediately made available for use.
Prismatic Aspects
Aspects that were previously limited to specific damage types are now more flexible with Prismatic. For example:
- Diamond Lance and Feed the Void are now activated from any ability defeat, not just Stasis or Void.
- Stylish Executioner activates when defeating an enemy with any elemental debuff, not just Void.
Prismatic Fragments
Similarly, there are few changes to prismatic fragments compared to other subclasses.
Increased Fragment Slots: Prismatic Fragments allow for powerful synergies by increasing the Fragment slot allotment for most Prismatic Aspects to 3 slots, with some of the most potent options staying at 2 slots. As a result, you can stack powerful synergies even when focusing on multiple elements. When you use a combination of light and dark powers, you will need those extra Fragments slots in some cases to ensure your build is complete, and you can make use of all powers simultaneously without the need to sacrifice buffs or debuffs.
Universal Unlocks: Unlike core damage types, once you unlock a Prismatic Fragment, it becomes available for all your characters. For example, if you finish the campaign on your Hunter and unlock Fragments, those Fragments will also be available when you start playing on your Titan.
All Prismatic Fragments List
In the Final Shape, players can find or earn 21 Fragments, including reimagined combinations of existing Fragments and brand-new ones. Here are all the prismatic fragments in Destiny 2:
- Facet of Awakening:
- Rapid elemental final blows and Super final blows generate an elemental pickup of the matching damage type.
- +10 Resilience
- Facet of Balance
- Rapidly defeating targets with Light damage grants melee energy.
- Rapidly defeating targets with Dark damage grants grenade energy.
- Facet of Bravery
- Defeating targets with grenades grants Volatile Rounds to your Void weapons.
- Defeating targets with powered melee final blows grants Unraveling Rounds to your Strand weapons.
- Facet of Blessing:
- Melee final blows start health regeneration.
- While Transcendent, Melee final blows start health regeneration for you and nearby allies.
- Facet of Command:
- Freezing or Suppressing a target reloads your equipped weapons and increases stability, aim assist, and airborne effectiveness.
- Defeating Frozen or Suppressed targets creates a Stasis Shard or Void Breach.
- Facet of Courage:
- Your Light abilities deal increased damage to targets afflicted with Darkness debuffs.
- +10 Discipline
- Facet of Dawn (*)
- Powered melee hits against targets make you Radiant.
- Powered melee final blows make both you and nearby allies Radiant.
- -10 Strength
- Facet of Defiance
- Finishers create a detonation that either Jolts, Scorches, Slows, Severs, or makes targets Volatile, based on the damage type of your equipped super.
- Facet of Devotion:
- Defeating targets afflicted with a Darkness debuff grants bonus Light Transcendence energy.
- +10 Strength
- Facet of Dominance
- Your Void grenades Weaken, and Arc grenades Jolt targets.
- Facet of Generosity
- Defeating targets while Transcendent creates Orbs of Power for your allies.
- Facet of Grace
- Damaging targets with Kinetic weapons grants you bonus Transcendence energy.
- Defeating targets with your Super grants you and nearby allies bonus Transcendence energy.
- -10 Resilience
- Facet of Honor:
- Collecting an elemental pickup or destroying a Tangle grants Transcendence energy of the same type.
- +10 Strength
- Facet of Hope (*)
- While you have an elemental buff, your class ability regenerates more quickly.
- Facet of Isolation:
- Rapid precision hits emits a severing burst from the target. While Transcendent, this effect is amplified.
- Facet of Justice
- While Transcendent, your ability final blows explode.
- +10 Intellect
- Facet of Mending:
- Grenade final blows Cure you.
- Transcendent grenade final blows increase the strength of this effect.
- Facet of Protection (*)
- While surrounded by enemies, you are more resistant to incoming damage.
- +10 Strength
- Facet of Purpose (*)
- Picking up an Orb of Power grants either Amplified, Restoration, Frost Armor, Woven Mail, or Overshield, based on the damage type of your equipped super.
- -10 Recovery
- Facet of Ruin (*)
- Increases the size and damage of the burst when you shatter a Stasis Crystal or Frozen target.
- Increases the size of Solar Ignitions.
- Facet of Sacrifice:
- While you have a Light buff, ability, final blows grant bonus Darkness Transcendence energy.
- +10 Discipline
* Included in starting Prismatic build during the Final Shape first mission.
Movement and Prismatic Class Abilities
You can access all movement modes and class abilities, including subclass-specific ones such as Phoenix Dive, Acrobat’s Dodge, and Thruster. Consequently, this versatility supports a wide range of build-crafting possibilities.
How to Unlock Prismatic Subclass in Destiny 2?
You will unlock the Prismatic subclass during the first Mission: Transmigration right after you start the Final Shape camping. Consequently, you can test it and see it in action. Moreover, you will get new prismatic melee and grenade skills at the end of the second mission. Remember that you must unlock all skills again for the prismatic subclass before using it with the dark and light combination.
Also, during the Mission 2 Temptation, you will get the new prismatic subclass grenade, which is different for each class. As you progress through the story, you will learn more skills.
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