Let me tell you about the time I finally got my hands on the Prismatic subclass in Destiny 2. It was 2026, and the buildcrafting scene had been completely turned on its head. This new system felt like Bungie handed me a painter's palette with every color of Light and Darkness, but instead of brushes, I had these strange, mutated Fragments to play with. Twenty-one unique options, each whispering promises of power or... well, let's just say some were more convincing than others. I spent weeks in the Pale Heart and beyond, testing every single one, and let me tell you, it was a wild ride from the absolute meta kings to the, uh, let's call them 'situational surprises.'
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty, let me explain how I'm looking at these. My focus is squarely on PvE—saving the solar system from one existential threat after another. A Fragment might be a Crucible monster, but if it doesn't help me survive a Master raid or a Grandmaster Nightfall, it's getting judged harshly. Here's my personal grading scale:
| Tier | What It Means To Me | Feeling |
|---|---|---|
| S Tier | The absolute staples. If my build doesn't have one of these, I'm probably doing it wrong. | 🏆 Meta-defining |
| A Tier | Powerful and reliable workhorses. I almost always have a slot for one of these. | 💪 Strong & Consistent |
| B Tier | The specialists. They don't fit everywhere, but in the right build? Oh boy, they sing. | 🎯 Niche but Potent |
| C Tier | The 'meh' crowd. They have an idea, but the execution... leaves me wanting. | 🤷♂️ Underwhelming |
| D Tier | Bless their hearts. I tried to make them work. I really did. | 🚫 Avoid Like the Plague |
The S-Tier: The Non-Negotiables
Starting at the top, where the air is thin and the power is undeniable. The S-tier Fragments are the ones that feel like they're doing the heavy lifting before I even fire my gun.
Facet of Purpose is, in my humble opinion, the crown jewel. I mean, come on—it hands you the keys to the kingdom of survivability. Need to feel like an unbreakable wall? Slap on some Restoration from a Solar pickup. Walking into a swarm of Thrall? A quick Strand tango gets you Woven Mail. It's like having a personal bodyguard for every element. This Fragment doesn't just make you strong; it makes you adaptable, which in 2026's endgame is everything.
Then there's Facet of Dawn. Sure, the seasonal artifact in 2026 might be spitting out Radiant Orbs like candy, but I'm a Guardian who plans for the long haul. A powered melee hit for a flat 25% weapon damage buff for ten seconds? That's the kind of simple, brutal efficiency I can build my whole playstyle around. It's straightforward, it's powerful, and it works when the seasonal training wheels come off.
Now, I have to give a special shoutout to the PvP specialists here, because even a PvE main like me gets dragged into the Crucible for pinnacle gear. Facet of Blessing is that clutch friend in a tight spot—a melee kill (even a regular punch!) and your health just starts ticking back up. It turns risky pushes into calculated aggression. And Facet of Solitude? On my Hunter, it's practically cheating. Landing three precision hits with the right Hand Cannon to Sever a target (reducing their damage by 15%) and then going invisible with Stylish Executioner? It's a combo so dirty I almost feel bad. Almost.
The A-Tier: The Reliable Crew
These are the Fragments that are almost always whispering, "You know you have an open slot... put me in, coach." They're the backbone of a good build, providing consistent value without needing a PhD in Destiny mechanics to understand.
Facet of Balance is the quiet MVP. Get a triple kill with a Light weapon? Have some melee energy. Do it with a Darkness weapon? Here's grenade energy. It's always working in the background, fueling my abilities without me having to think about it. It's the epitome of a great neutral game piece.
But the one that really grew on me, the dark horse of the bunch, is Facet of Awakening. People sleep on this one, and I get it—on paper, spawning elemental pickups sounds okay. But in practice, when you're running a build that uses multiple damage types? Holy Toledo, the ability uptime is insane. It turns your battlefield into a buffet of energy. It's criminally underrated, and anyone not using it in a multi-element build is missing out, big time.
The B-Tier: The Specialists
Don't you dare call these weak. This tier is home to some of the most fun and powerful Fragments in the game—if you build for them. They're not plug-and-play; they're the final, perfect piece of a complex puzzle.
Take Facet of Dominance. If I'm running a Void build focused on weakening everything in sight, slapping a 15% Weaken on my grenades is a no-brainer. It takes a good build and makes it great. Same with Facet of Bravery for my Void/Strand weapon spam builds—Unraveling and Volatile Rounds on command? Yes, please.
The real star of the niche show for me has been Facet of Generosity. When I'm running support for my fireteam in a tough dungeon, popping Transcendence and watching Orbs of Power rain down for my allies feels incredible. It turns my super-state into a team-wide battery. Of course, when I'm flying solo, it's as useful as a screen door on a spaceship... but with a team? S-tier support, no question.
The C-Tier: The 'Almost There' Club
We're now in the territory of good ideas with shaky execution. These Fragments make me sigh, because I can see what Bungie was going for, but the numbers or the conditions just aren't there yet.
Facet of Devotion and Sacrifice are the poster children here. Devotion gives you a tiny trickle of Transcendence energy for killing debuffed enemies. It's... fine? But it never feels impactful. And Sacrifice? Needing 50 ability kills while you have a buff active to fill your Darkness meter is a marathon I'm just not willing to run. The reward doesn't match the effort, you know?
Facet of Command is the weirdest one. Freeze or suppress a target for a big stat boost and an auto-reload? Sounds amazing for a weapon-swap DPS phase! But the buff is short, and setting it up is clunky. It's a solution looking for a problem that other, simpler methods already solve.
The D-Tier: The Why-Bother Bunch
And here we are. The bottom of the barrel. The two Fragments that, after extensive testing, I can't find a single good reason to use outside of maybe a self-imposed challenge.
Facet of Justice broke my heart. "Ability kills cause explosions while Transcendent!" I was so excited. The reality? The explosions are about as threatening as a drenched firecracker. The damage is pitiful, the radius is tiny, and it doesn't play nice with any other keywords or effects. It's a party trick, not a tool of war.
Then there's Facet of Defiance. A finisher that applies a debuff based on your Super. In PvE, the debuffs it chooses are rarely the ones you actually want in a finisher situation. In PvP, it does precisely nothing. It's a Fragment that exists, and that's about the highest praise I can give it.
So, that's my journey through the prism. Two years in, and these Fragments have defined how I play. The S-tiers are my trusted companions, the A-tiers my flexible friends, and the B-tiers my secret weapons for specific missions. The others? Well, they're waiting for a buff that might never come. But that's the beauty of Destiny 2 in 2026—the meta shifts, the sandbox changes, and maybe one day, even Justice will have its day in the sun. Until then, I know which Fragments I'll be taking into the next fight.