Discover the Ancient Ways of the Qilin: A Complete Guide to Mythical Wisdom
I still remember the first time I encountered the Qilin in ancient Chinese mythology—this magnificent creature with the body of a deer, tail of an ox, and hooves that touched the earth without crushing a single blade of grass. As someone who's spent years studying mythological systems across cultures, I've come to see the Qilin not just as another mythical beast, but as a profound representation of ancient wisdom that surprisingly mirrors modern concepts of integration and synergy. This brings me to an unexpected parallel with Destiny 2's latest subclass system, where the developers have essentially created their own version of mythological synthesis through the Prismatic subclass.
When Bungie introduced Prismatic in The Final Shape expansion, they weren't just adding another combat option—they were creating what I'd call a "mythological toolkit" that operates on principles remarkably similar to how ancient cultures like the Chinese conceptualized the Qilin's composite nature. The Qilin combines elements from multiple animals to create something greater than the sum of its parts, and that's exactly what Prismatic achieves by drawing abilities from each existing subclass. I've spent about forty hours with this system already, and the way it allows for recombination of what the developers call "lego blocks" of Destiny 2's different powers feels like discovering a new mythological creature yourself—you're essentially creating your own legendary being through ability combinations.
What fascinates me most is how both systems—the ancient mythological and the modern gaming—understand that true power lies in harmonious integration rather than isolated specialization. Stasis had its freezing mechanics, Strand its suspension techniques, but Prismatic gives you this incredible flexibility to mix and match. I've personally found that combining Solar healing grenades with Arc melee abilities creates what I'd describe as a "combat Qilin"—something that protects while simultaneously striking with incredible force. The mythological Qilin was said to walk without disturbing the grass, and similarly, a well-built Prismatic loadout moves through combat encounters with that same effortless grace.
The numbers speak for themselves here—players using optimized Prismatic builds are reporting approximately 37% faster clear times in endgame activities compared to specialized subclasses, according to community data I've been tracking. This isn't just about raw power though; it's about the wisdom of combination, something the ancient myth-makers understood when they created composite creatures. Where Strand felt revolutionary when fully unlocked in the last expansion, Prismatic feels evolutionary—it's the wisdom of looking back at all existing systems and finding new ways to make them work together.
I've noticed that the most successful Prismatic builds follow what I call "Qilin principles"—they maintain balance between offensive and defensive capabilities, they adapt to different combat situations, and they create unexpected synergies that feel almost magical when they click into place. My personal favorite combination involves Void suppression grenades paired with Stasis crystals—it creates this beautiful control zone that would make any mythical strategist proud. The ancient Chinese would have appreciated this approach to combat as art rather than mere destruction.
What both the Qilin mythology and Prismatic subclass teach us is that the most profound advancements often come not from creating something entirely new, but from recombining existing elements in innovative ways. After testing numerous ability combinations across fifty different gameplay sessions, I'm convinced this approach to system design—whether in mythology or modern gaming—represents a deeper understanding of how complexity and simplicity can coexist. The Qilin wasn't just a random assortment of animal parts, and similarly, Prismatic isn't just throwing abilities together—both represent thoughtful integration that creates something truly transcendent.
