How to Get Transcendence Fast for All Classes in Destiny 2: The Final Shape

At the core of the Prismatic subclass in Destiny 2: The Final Shape is Transcendence, a heightened state of power and ability regeneration that you ideally have active as often as possible. As doing so requires that you deal copious amounts of both Light and Dark damage, the right setup is key, from weapons to abilities. Here’s how to get Transcendence fast and easy in Destiny 2.

How to Activate Transcendence with Every Class in Destiny 2

Again, the simple answer to “how to activate Transcendence” is to use a combination of Light and Dark weapons and abilities to deal damage to enemies. And while you can technically leave it at that, there’s so much more to the equation if you take the time to do it. Note: This isn’t a build guide but rather a general explainer of what kinds of weapons and abilities to use and in which slots you can get Transcendence up fast. There are too many potential combinations for all three classes to list even a fraction of them, so use the information in this article as a guide to make your perfect Prismatic setup.

Best Abilities to Get Transcendence Fast in Destiny 2

The combination of abilities you equip will, like the rest of Prismatic, depend on the build you want to use, but I’ve found that there are a few specific pairings that work wonders whether you’ve unlocked the entire subclass or are just getting started with it.

Best Warlock Abilities to Get Transcendence Fast in Destiny 2

Warlock has some of the safest abilities for getting Transcendence fast, as they provide healing, damage from afar, and massive debuffs.

• Grenade: Vortex or Coldsnap Grenades (specifically with the Osmiomancy Exotic gauntlets).
• Melee: Incinerator Snap or Arcane Needle (specifically with the new Exotic that buffs it).
• Aspects: Feed the Void and Hellion, or trade one for Bleak Watcher.

I love the combination of Feed the Void and Hellion alongside Bleak Watcher Coldsnap Grenades and Incinerator Snap. The amount of crowd control you can get out of a Stasis turret, especially with the Osmiomancy Exotic, is unfair. If you want a bit more Light damage in your budget, trade Coldsnap for Vortex Nades and Incinerator Snap for Arcane Needle. Bring on Hellion and a solid Strand or Stasis Primary, and you’ll be in business.

Best Titan Abilities to Get Transcendence Fast in Destiny 2

Titans got a huge buff with Prismatic in The Final Shape, and I found getting to Transcendence fast with them was incredibly easy. Here are my favorite abilities to use:

• Grenade: Pulse or Thermite Grenades.
• Melee: Frenzied Blade, Hammer Strike.
• Aspects: Knockout, Consecration, Diamond Lance.

Some of the best Titan Aspects and abilities make Prismatic and Transcendence so much fun. Knockout has long been one of my favorite abilities, as it’s always turned Titan into the true “punch the class.” Adding Consecration with the increased melee damage you can build around is just so much better. And Frenzied Blade is still fantastic as well. Pulse and Thermite Grenades are great, too.

Best Hunter Abilities to Get Transcendence Fast in Destiny 2

With the combination of Still Hunt and Golden Gun, plus some amazing ability synergies, Prismatic easily puts Hunter back on top of the neverending Destiny 2 class hierarchy war. They have some of the easiest and best DPS in the game, incredible power in their abilities, and they’re just plain fun to play.

• Grenade: Duskfield Grenade, Grapple, Magnetic Grenade.
• Melee: Knife Trick, Combination Blow.
• Aspects: Stylish Executioner, Gunpowder Gamble, Winter’s Shroud.

Frankly, there are a few Prismatic Hunter combinations that don’t work toward getting Transcendence fast but Combine the survivability of Stylish Executioner with the synergy of Winter’s Shroud and Combination Blow as things get nutty. I’ve also found Duskfield Grenades to be fantastic passive Darkness damage builders, and Magnetic Grenades are there for weaken. Gunpowder Gamble is risky, as it can easily blow you up, but it’s essentially a free grenade if you play your cards right.

Best Weapons to Get Transcendence Fast in Destiny 2

We have a whole other guide on the best weapons to use with Prismatic, but I’ll review some of them here, as well as a few that have more general usage regardless of your build.

Primary Weapon

There are two ways to think about the weapon in your primary slot: going with your favorite Strand or Stasis primary or using the slot for a Darkness-damage Special Weapon. Here are my favorite options for both.

• Primary: Breachlight, Better Devils, Quicksilver Storm.
• Special: Swordbreaker or Conditional Finality Shotgun, Cold Call Rocket Sidearm, Deliverance or Riptide Fusion Rifle.

Personally, I find that having a Primary weapon that deals with Darkness Damage is more comfortable, as most Darkness abilities are more about crowd control and status effects than pure damage potential (Banner of War Titan aside). And yes, I know that Darkness Supers make quick work of the Prismatic Darkness gauge; a good Primary can do just as much in not much more time. Obviously, use whichever works best for your build and playstyle.

Energy Weapon

Like your Kinetic, what you put in your Energy slot is heavily dependent on what your build needs and what you enjoy. Here are some of my top picks:

• Primary: Kindled Orchid, Zaoli’s Bane, Epochal Integration, or Sunshot Hand Cannons, No Hesitation Auto Rifle, Graviton Lance Pulse Rifle, Calus Mini-tool or The Recluse SMGs.
• Special: Still Hunt Exotic Sniper, Null Composure or Cartesian Coordinate Fusion Rifle, Forbearance Grenade Launcher, Without Remorse Shotgun.

If I do have a Light-damage energy weapon equipped, I’m oddly more inclined to use it than if it were in my Primary slot. If you’re not like me, you can easily swap between having a Special ammo weapon in your Primary and Energy slots, and any combination of the above options would do fine.

Heavy

Your best Transcendence Heavy weapon is probably one you can use for a longer period of time. In other words, one with a better ammo economy. These include:

• Machine Guns, specifically Commemoration and Hammerhead, but also 21% Delirum (no longer sunset), Avalanche, Corrective Measure, and Thunderlord.

You can, of course, use more DPS-focused options, including:

• Rocket Launchers: Gjallarhorn and Apex Predator or, in the absence of those, Hothead or even Two-Tailed Fox.
• Grenade Launchers: Edge Transit is best in slot, but Wendigo GL3 and Prospector are also fine choices
• Linear Fusion Rifles: Cataclysmic is always good, as is Doomed Petitioner, Stormchaser, and Briar’s Contempt.

Those are all my best tips for getting Transcendent fast on the Prismatic subclass in Destiny 2: The Final Shape. If I’m honest, the wackiness of it has me enjoying Destiny 2 more than I have in a long time, and I hope it’s the same for you. For more content on The Final Shape and the base game, check out our Destiny 2 guides hub.