History of Flame Refraction

Overview

Flame Refraction is the exotic intrinsic trait on Prometheus Lens, an exotic Trace Rifle that fires a Solar beam. The trait returns a portion of ammo spent to the magazine from reserves on kills, effectively extending the weapon's firing duration and maintaining uptime during extended engagements.

Mechanics

Kills with Prometheus Lens restore some of the ammunition consumed during the kill back into the magazine from the weapon's reserves. This ammo regeneration mechanic allows for sustained firing against multiple enemies without requiring a reload, making it particularly effective in strike and patrol activities where you face waves of enemies.

Acquisition

Prometheus Lens can be obtained through:

• Exotic engrams (rare world drop)
• Xûr's inventory (sold occasionally)
• The weapon's Catalyst, which adds 18 points to Stability and Handling when Masterworked

The catalyst is obtained by completing Heroic or Nightfall Strikes.

Release and Balance History

Prometheus Lens was introduced in Season 2 of Destiny 2 as part of the exotic weapon pool. Shortly after release, the weapon experienced a significant bug that granted "extreme amounts of damage to PvP combatants," particularly in the Crucible. This issue was fixed on December 12, 2017. Since the fix, the weapon has remained largely stable in the sandbox, though specific balance adjustments have been minimal.

Combat Application

Flame Refraction's ammo return mechanic makes Prometheus Lens valuable for PvE activities where sustaining fire against grouped enemies is important. In PvP, the weapon's beam mechanics and Flame Refraction's effect provide a unique playstyle focused on chaining kills to maintain pressure.