Destiny 2: The Final Shape's Prismatic subclass and Dread faction detailed

eurogamer.net:

As the delayed June launch of Destiny 2's The Final Shape expansion inches ever-closer, developer Bungie has aired a fresh gameplay showcase, this time offering a closer look at the new Prismatic subclass, new Exotic class items, and the new Dread enemy faction.

The Final Shape — which Bungie is describing as a the «culmination of a 10-year journey [but] not the end of Destiny 2 and...definitely not the end of destiny» — takes players into the Traveller for a confrontation with major antagonist The Witness.

As part of this journey, players can take advantage of The Final Shape's new Prismatic subclass, enabling them to combine certain class abilities from different damage types. Once both sides of a new Light and Dark meter are filled by using their respective damage types, Prismatic players can access a new power level known as Transcendence. This gives all classes a unique grenade combining both Light and Dark, while Hunters get an additional Fire and Ice combo, Titans can combine Strand and Arc, while Warlocks can deploy Stasis and Void at the same time.

Additionally, there's a weapon damage bonus that stacks on top of other weapon damage bonuses, and grenades and melee are instantly refunded when Transcendence is cast, meaning it's possible to loop them together one after the other. Bungie describes Prismatic as an «advanced subclass where you have more build-crafting options, more potential combinations, more fragments than you'd normally get, more fragments slots to socket than you'd normally get», adding that it «feels a little game-breaking».

The Final Shape also sees the introduction of new Exotic class items designed to enhance Prismatic builds. These allow players to steal random rolled perks from other Exotics and combine two of these into a single Exotic, letting them do «things that other classes consider their own but now they're