Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto may be echoes of Sanctuary’s past, but Season 15 gives us the opportunity to carry a piece of their power ourselves.
Soul Splinters turn that power into something we can use throughout the season, with each Prime Evil offering a different ability and progression path.
Choosing which one to bear is only the beginning, as their powers continue growing stronger while unlocking additional benefits across several endgame activities.
What Are Soul Splinters?
Prime Evil Soul Splinters allow your character to bear the power of Diablo, Baal, or Mephisto, causing an Iconic Power to periodically activate during combat.
These powers work across every class, so the ability you receive is determined by your chosen Splinter rather than the class you are currently playing.
Each Prime Evil also has a separate reputation track containing upgrades for its power alongside modifiers that provide additional benefits for specific activities.
How To Get Soul Splinters?
The three Prime Evil Soul Splinters are obtained by progressing through the Season of Hell’s Legacy questline and confronting Diablo, Baal, and Mephisto.
You will collect the Splinter of Destruction, Splinter of Hatred, and Splinter of Terror before eventually reaching the final seasonal quest, Legacy of Hope.
During Legacy of Hope, Deckard Cain has you choose one of the three Splinters to bear, determining which Prime Evil Power you initially receive.
All Soul Splinters & Prime Evil Powers
There are three Prime Evil Soul Splinters available during Season 15, with each granting a different Iconic Power that periodically activates automatically during combat.
Each power also receives six upgrades as you increase its reputation, gradually improving its combat effects while providing additional benefits for activities associated with that Prime Evil.
Splinter of Terror – Diablo
The Splinter of Terror grants Flames of Metus, periodically unleashing lines of Fire that damage enemies immediately before dealing additional damage over four seconds.
Its upgrades primarily benefit Helltides and Infernal Hordes while adding Primary Resource generation, Vulnerable, Maximum Life damage, and more frequent activations.
Flames of Metus Upgrades:
- Rank 2 – Flaring Cinders: Flames of Metus spawns Aberrant Cinders while participating in Helltides.
- Rank 6 – Pounding Heart: Flames of Metus generates 50 Primary Resource whenever the power activates.
- Rank 10 – Primeval Essence: Flames of Metus spawns Aether while participating in Infernal Hordes.
- Rank 16 – Dread Presence: Flames of Metus Slows enemies by 30% and makes them Vulnerable.
- Rank 21 – Consuming Blaze: The first hit deals additional damage equal to 20% of the enemy’s Maximum Life over four seconds, which cannot be increased.
- Rank 24 – Rapture of Fear: Killing enemies can activate Rapture of Fear for five seconds, dramatically increasing the number of Flames of Metus you unleash.
Splinter of Destruction – Baal
The Splinter of Destruction grants Ice of Excidium, periodically releasing a powerful Cold blast accompanied by smaller projectiles that spread outward and damage surrounding enemies.
Its upgrades benefit Kurast Undercity and Lair Bosses while adding Primary Resource generation, Chill, Vulnerable, Maximum Life damage, and more frequent ice blasts.
Ice of Excidium Upgrades:
- Rank 2 – Siege Engine: Ice of Excidium has a chance to grant additional Attunement while completing Kurast Undercity.
- Rank 6 – Cold Blood: Ice of Excidium generates 50 Primary Resource whenever the power activates.
- Rank 10 – Grisly Trophies: Ice of Excidium causes Bosses to have a 30% chance to drop an additional Boss Trophy when killed.
- Rank 16 – Seizing Frost: Ice of Excidium Chills enemies by 10% and makes them Vulnerable for five seconds, while smaller projectiles apply half the Chill.
- Rank 21 – Shattered Flesh: The first hit deals additional damage equal to 20% of the enemy’s Maximum Life over four seconds, which cannot be increased.
- Rank 24 – Thrill of Ruin: Killing enemies can activate Thrill of Ruin for five seconds, dramatically increasing the number of Ice of Excidium blasts you unleash.
Splinter of Hatred – Mephisto
The Splinter of Hatred grants Ghosts of Odium, periodically releasing Mephisto’s spectral ghosts to attack surrounding enemies and deal Physical damage.
Its upgrades benefit Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit while adding Primary Resource generation, Vulnerable, Immobilize, Maximum Life damage, and considerably more ghosts.
Ghosts of Odium Upgrades:
- Rank 2 – Undying Rage: Ghosts of Odium activates 50% more frequently and deals 200% increased damage while inside Nightmare Dungeons.
- Rank 6 – Flush of Bile: Ghosts of Odium generates 50 Primary Resource whenever the power activates.
- Rank 10 – Death Collector: Enemies damaged by Ghosts of Odium have a chance to drop Progress Orbs when killed inside The Pit.
- Rank 16 – Strangling Grip: Ghosts make enemies Vulnerable for five seconds and have a 15% chance to Immobilize them for two seconds.
- Rank 21 – Vengeful Soul: The first hit deals additional damage equal to 20% of the enemy’s Maximum Life over four seconds, which cannot be increased.
- Rank 24 – Fever of Malice: Killing enemies can activate Fever of Malice for five seconds, dramatically increasing the number of Ghosts of Odium you unleash.
How To Increase Soul Splinter Reputation?
Each Prime Evil has its own reputation track, with progress earned by entering Waking Nightmares and slaying Remnants associated with the Splinter you currently bear.
The Iconic Power begins at Rank 1, while its six upgrades become available at Ranks 2, 6, 10, 16, 21, and 24 as you earn more reputation.
Reaching Rank 24 requires 20,000 reputation and unlocks the final upgrade, while progressing these tracks also provides additional modifiers and seasonal rewards.
Soul Splinter Activity Bonuses
The three reputation paths modify different activities, making your choice useful for more than simply changing which Iconic Power appears during combat.
Terror focuses on Helltides and Infernal Hordes, Destruction benefits Kurast Undercity and Lair Bosses, while Hatred provides bonuses for Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit.
All three paths also include modifiers for the Tree of Whispers, giving you additional benefits while completing Whispers regardless of the Prime Evil you choose.
Soul Splinter Drawback
Bearing the power of a Prime Evil comes with a downside, as your character becomes more vulnerable when fighting the Prime Evil associated with your chosen Splinter.
This means carrying Diablo’s Terror, Baal’s Destruction, or Mephisto’s Hatred also increases the danger when you eventually confront that same Prime Evil.
The additional risk is worth keeping in mind when taking on their harder encounters, especially once you begin progressing through the higher Torment difficulties.
How To Change Soul Splinters?
The Soul Splinter you choose during Legacy of Hope becomes bound to your character for a while, meaning you cannot immediately switch to another Prime Evil Power.
You can change your choice later through the largest Waking Nightmares, where another Splinter can be obtained to replace the Prime Evil you currently bear.
Your reputation is tracked separately for each Splinter, allowing you to change paths and continue progressing another Prime Evil without replacing the progress already earned.
Which Soul Splinter Should You Choose?
Your first choice mainly depends on the activities you plan on completing, since each Prime Evil provides bonuses for different parts of Season 15.
Terror works well for Helltides and Infernal Hordes, Destruction benefits Undercity and Lair Boss farming, while Hatred supports Nightmare Dungeons and The Pit.
Since another Splinter can eventually be acquired, your first choice does not permanently prevent you from progressing the other Prime Evil reputation tracks later.
Are Soul Splinters Class Specific?
Prime Evil Powers are not restricted to individual classes, allowing the same Splinter and its corresponding power to be used regardless of which class you play.
A Barbarian bearing Terror receives the same Flames of Metus power as another class, with Destruction and Hatred similarly providing their respective Iconic Powers.
This makes your preferred activities, power effects, and current progression more important when choosing a Splinter than the class your character happens to be using.
Verdict
Soul Splinters provide useful combat effects throughout Season 15 while giving us additional bonuses for many activities we will already be completing along the way.
Their powers work across every class, so choosing between Terror, Destruction, and Hatred mainly depends on their effects and the content you currently want to focus on.
Since we can eventually change between them and progress every reputation path, there is no need to worry about being permanently locked into our first choice.
