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Tessellation, Exotic Fusion Rifle - Destiny 2

Is Tessellation good? Here's what this new Exotic Fusion Rifle can do in Destiny 2 and whether it's worth using.

Sam Chandler

August 25, 2023 12:45 AM

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Tessellation is a brand new Exotic Fusion Rifle in Destiny 2 that’s rewarded to those who pre-order The Final Shape + Annual Pass. The gun boasts a combo of perks that makes it able to dish out a whole lot of damage and the ability to adapt its elemental damage type. But players want to know if Tessellation is good. Here are our preliminary thoughts.

Tessellation perks

Tessellation has a duo of Exotic perks that make it a rather unique weapon in Destiny 2. These two work together to enhance the gun’s damage output by consuming your grenade, which it will also help recharge.

• Property: Irreducible – Hold reload to consume your grenade to load a large [projectile|shape|language] that generates an elemental explosion on impact.
• Property: Undecidable – This [weapon|instrument|topology] adapts its damage type to match your equipped subclass. Final blows grant grenade energy.

The second perk there, Property: Undecidable, will cause the gun to change elemental type to match your subclass. If you’re rocking Strand, it will be Strand. This means it can benefit from subclass-specific verbs, like Unraveling Rounds or Volatile Rounds.

This is useful if you want to create a build with Stasis or Strand in every slot, as these Darkness elements were limited to Kinetic and Power weapon slots. Each weapon in your arsenal will then benefit from Surge mods.

As for Property: Irreducible, the projectile is a straight-shot grenade launcher, which deals a ton of damage. Without extensive testing, it’s not yet clear if this is able to outperform some other DPS strategies that rely on grenades.

Is Tessellation good?

The question burning in the heart of a lot of Guardians is whether Tessellation is good. Right now, it’s a bit tough to say. The gun does a whole lot of damage, but it comes at the cost of consuming your grenade. It also matches your subclass elemental damage, which is great if you want an all-Strand or Stasis kit, but there are also so many other phenomenal Energy weapons in the game.

The fact that Tessellation can benefit from any Subclass 3.0 verbs (like Volatile Rounds) makes it quite appealing. You could have it dishing out Volatile Rounds one minute and then have it generating Ionic Traces the next. This is obviously under the caveat that you’ve got the right Fragments slotted into your build.

Some basic testing by myself seems to show one Solar Grenade (with Sunbracers and Touch of Flame) deals at least 144,352 damage, and likely more, as I wasn’t able to test it super accurately. Meanwhile, Tessellation’s grenade shot deals 144,936 (137,053 + 7878) against Shayotet Partisan. The advantage is that you can land this shot easier and it doesn’t rely on the boss standing in your grenade.

Tessellation is a versatile Exotic Fusion Rifle, able to fit into any build thanks to its ability to shift its elemental damage type. Its grenade shot is quite powerful, so depending on precise DPS testing, that could be its make-or-break moment. Be sure to take a look at our Destiny 2 Strategy Guide for an overwhelming number of guides.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler