Destiny 2’sThe Final Shape expansion allows guardians to now wield both Light and Dark in the form of a new “subclass”, Prismatic. Acquired during The Final Shape campaign, with parts of it unlocked in subsequent activities and missions after it, it’s a subclass centered around new Transcendent grenades and fast ability recharge rates.
It’s still very early to determine exactly what the best builds for Prismatic will be, but this early guide should provide helpful enough tips, ideas, and inspiration for players struggling to figure out what exactly they should build. Bungie has intended Prismatic to work as a playground for Light and Dark subclasses, and while there is no right or wrong way to play Prismatic, some things have a slight edge over others.
How Does Prismatic Work?
Becoming Transcendent
Prismatic is not a traditional subclass that introduces new Supers. Instead, it adds a special grenade for each class, which players can use once they become Transcendent. Transcendence is measured by a new bar beneath the Super bar, which needs to be filled up by dealing both Light and Dark damage (or Kinetic damage, at a reduced rate unless Facet of Grace is equipped).
When Transcendent, Warlocks can cast a special grenade called Freezing Singularity. This is a combination of theDuskfield GrenadeandVortex Grenade, which slows and suppresses any enemies caught within. While Transcendent, players also regenerate abilities at a faster rate, deal more damage, and can break certain shields in the game (enemies with pink health bars).
When making a Prismatic build, always try to find a balance between Light and Dark damage. This includes having a mix of Light and Dark abilities, as well as weapons. If you are only charging either your Light or your Dark meter, you might need to make some changes to your build.
Prismatic Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
Prismatic borrows abilities and aspects from existing Light and Dark subclasses, but it comes with its own, unique fragments. That said, these fragments do provide buffs and features that players might recognize from other subclasses as well.
Prismatic Supers
Four Supers can be chosen:Nova Bomb: Cataclysm, Song of Flame,Needlestorm,Winter’s Wrath, orStormtrance. Three of these are roaming Supers (Solar, Stasis, and Arc), while two are damage Supers (Void and Strand).
Needlestormremains the best DPS Super in the game, with the buffed Nova Bomb close behind. Another very strong option is Song of Flame which makes players radiant as they spam Solar wisps and scorch targets. Any Solar and Kinetic weapons will scorch targets. This also grants allies damage resistance and a better ability charge rate, making it a nice a support Super.
Prismatic Class Abilities
Class abilities remain very self-explanatory for Warlocks, who can choose between a Healing Rift, an Empowering Rift, andPhoenix Dive. Given all the sustain Prismatic Warlocks have access to, Empowering Rift andPhoenix Divehave a slight edge over Healing Rift.
Prismatic Melees
In the melee category, the choice is betweenChain Lightning,Incinerator Snap,Pocket Singularity,Penumbral Blast, andArcane Needle.Arcane Needleis easily the strongest contender here due to it having three charges and very solid damage potential, as it unravels the target. That said, it does have the longest cooldown.
Prismatic Grenades
Grenades are the bread and butter of Warlocks. With Prismatic, Warlocks can go for Storm, Healing, Vortex, Coldsnap, or Threadling grenades. Healing grenades are a very situational pick, granting Cure and Restoration.
For pure damage and mayhem, Vortex and Threadling grenades are good options, but for specific builds that take advantage of Osmiomancy and Getaway Artists, Coldsnap and Storm grenades are amazing for locking down rooms of enemies. There’s a lot of leeway here, and the only “weaker” option really is theHealing Grenade.
Prismatic Aspects
Two aspects can be chosen for Prismatic, from a pool of four:Lightning Surge, Hellion (the new Solar buddy aspect),Feed the Void,Bleak Watcher, andWeaver’s Call. Out of these options,Lightning Surgefeels like the weakest option.
Feed the Voidis a must-have to proc Devourand help players sustain any situation (thus justifying the lack of a Healing Rift).Bleak Watcherand Hellion share a close second spot and are interchangeable depending on what players prefer and the direction their build goes. Hellion deals very good Scorch damage, so it shouldn’t be underestimated.
Prismatic Fragments
The main goal of Prismatic is to charge the Transcendence bar and to cycle abilities smoothly. With that in mind, here are a few recommended fragments for Prismatic Warlock:
Note that this is only five of over 20 fragments. These are all very generalist options and can be slotted into almost any build. For a full breakdown of all the fragments,see this comprehensive list.
Weapons & Gear
Exotics And Legendaries That Work Well With Prismatic Warlock
In terms of Exotic armor, an early favorite for many is Getaway Artists. This is due to the fact that when aStorm GrenadeandBleak Watcheraspect are both equipped, players can consume their grenade to not only receive anArc Soulbut also to drop a Stasis turret. If you have the Hellion aspect equipped as the second one, then using your class ability grants you yet another self-shooting turret.
Those only hopping into the campaign will want to haveOsmiomancy Glovesready, as the starting fragments, aspects, grenades, and melees will work perfectly with aColdsnap Grenadebuild. Direct hits with Coldsnap basically refund grenade energy completely, and you have an extra grenade charge from the get-go. Pair this with theBleak Watcheraspect, and you can have a turret up, while spamming Coldsnap grenades non-stop.
Another good choice before the Exotic class items are introduced isMantle of Battle Harmony. This requires playing around the Super of choice a bit more, and matching your weapon element to your Super element. Mantle was recently buffed, now granting increased Super energy on weapon takedowns matching your Super element without any cooldown. Tougher enemies also grant more energy. Save forStormtrancewhich remains a weak Super, Mantle can be used to spam any of the other four Prismatic Supers over and over again.
Finally, Mataiodoxia also gets a mention as the new Exotic chest piece available for Warlocks, which grants them access to Suspend while on Prismatic (though, it can also be usedin pure Strand builds as well). When usingArcane Needleon a target, when the enemy is defeated, they create a Suspending burst that suspends any nearby enemies. If multipleArcane Needlecharges are used, the effect is stronger. Defeated targets will return some melee energy.
Regarding weapons, there’s no strict rule. The only detail to consider is having a balance of Light and Dark on top of the ability spam. The new Pale Heart weapons are a nice choice due to their Origin Trait that grants Super energy. If players opt for Facet of Grace, they will want a goodLegendary kinetic weapon, or Exotic kinetic like the new Khvostov, to help charge both Light and Dark meters for Transcendence.
Otherwise, having a Strand or Stasis primary to proc the grenade recharge boost from Facet of Balance is a must for grenade-spamming Warlock. Trace rifles have received a buff overall against stronger enemies, so weapons like Appetence are a good option to try.
Mods & Artifact Perk Tips
What To Choose During The Final Shape & The First Episode
As expected, the artifact features several perks that will further boost the power of Prismatic. There are must-have perks from the artifact for any Prismatic Warlock:
