[Top 10] Destiny 2 Best Exotic Armor for Warlocks

Updated:

19 Dec 2022

What are the Best Exotic Armors in Destiny 2?

Exotics are a must-discuss topic when we talk about Destiny 2. These unique armor and weapons have intriguing characteristics that can transform your characters into beasts. In this guide, we will see what are the best exotics that the game has to offer for warlocks in detail and see how you can use them to become almost invincible.

Warlock mains are incredibly fortunate in terms of exotic armor because they have access to some of the greatest in the game. Finding synergy between your weapons and equipment is crucial in Destiny 2, and warlocks can use potent combinations that include exotic armor.

10. The Stag (Best in PvP)

Only bones for your feast. Only death for my victory.

Exotic Perk: "Your Rift provides damage reduction to allied Guardians standing in it. Grants Rift energy when you are critically wounded. On your death, creates a healing rift on your corpse."

Regarding exotics in Destiny 2, the Stag is somewhat of an oddball. The sky's the limit when it comes to creating builds around this Exotic because it can be utilized in a wide variety of builds and subclasses.

Te Stag's advantages in PvE could be more impressive. A 15% damage resistance enhancement is negligible in the big scheme of things, but you can use The Stag to keep higher DR sources like Protective Light. The Bottom Tree Stormcaller's Arc Soul and the Stag's DR bonus combine to form one of Destiny 2's best defensive playstyles, making it an excellent pick for PvP. You can prevail in almost any Primary duel because of constant healing and a 15% damage resistance.

What’s it best for?

The 15% damage buff of the rift and its pairing with all subclasses make this exotic a must-pick for PvP activities.
It is not a good pick for PvE activities as it restricts your movement and doesn't provide enough damage resistance buff for high-end PvE content.

9. Sunbracers (Best in PvE)

"When one can wield the fire of stars, what use is flesh and bone?"

Exotic Perk: "Increases the duration of Solar Grenades. Solar melee kills grant unlimited Solar Grenade energy for a brief time."

Solar is one of their main classes for Warlocks, and Sunbracers are the obvious choice for PVE in Solar 3.0 to add some variety. After a Solar melee kill, the player will temporarily receive infinite grenade energy charges from these bad boys.

Warlocks won't ever have to be concerned about not having their grenade charged up if you combine this with the new Solar grenades that shoot out blobs of lava and Elemental Ordnance modifications. It is excellent for ad-clear in typical mid-tier PVE but won't hold up in PVP or challenging PVE content.

What’s it best for?

Sunbracers are a natural choice for PvE, especially after the launch of solar 3.0. The grenade charge rate is insane if you pair them with the Elemental Ordnance mod.
They are not an excellent choice for PvP activities, but if you want to be the bomber boy, you can go for these bad boys anytime.

8. Karnstein Armlets (Best in PvE and PvP)

“You are mine, you shall be mine, you and I are one for ever.”

Exotic Perk: "Melee kills instantly restore a large amount of health and continue to restore health afterwards for a short duration."

Too many gamers need to pay more attention to the exotic Karnstein Armlets piece of armor. This Exotic focuses on melee kill, giving the player an immediate burst of health and continued health regeneration.

In Destiny 2, health regeneration is a remarkably elusive ability. In addition to making it simple to activate, Karnstein Armlets also provide significant health restoration. This effect is surprisingly simple to activate using Celestial Fire or Ball Lightning, granting you continuous health regeneration for six seconds. You can sustain this effect for a considerable time if you can design your character with short melee cooldowns, making you much more difficult to kill.

Given this, players without access to Ophidian Aspect or Transversive Steps may find Karnstein Armlets are a good PVP option, especially if they enjoy playing at close range with a shotgun.

However, they are also excellent in some PVE activities when enemies frequently surround the player, and there needs to be more area for long-range gameplay.

What’s it best for?

Karnstein Armlets are a perfect choice of exotic for aggressive plays, making them convenient in PvP activities.
They don't have any movement perk, so you have to compromise.
They are a good option for low-end PvE activities but not ideal for high-end PvE content like Master or Grandmaster difficulty activities as they are tough to activate.

7. Contraverse Hold (Best in PvE)

"Nothing is free. I know that. Therefore, he knows it too. If our places were swapped, he would do the same." —Tomek I

Exotic Perk: "Resist incoming damage while charging your Void grenade with Chaos Accelerant, Feed the Void, or Handheld Supernova. Charged Void grenades return an amount of grenade energy on a hit."

Even with the nerf to Vortex grenades, which gain the most from this Exotic, Contraverse Hold Exotic gauntlets are still a mind-blowingly excellent option for the Voidlock lifestyle.

Players can charge their grenades while wearing these gauntlets, giving them damage resistance. It's like a Void version of Sunbracers, where charged grenades give back grenade charge when they hit an enemy, giving you virtually endless grenade charge.

If a warlock can successfully land one of their vortex grenades, they can have an endless supply of grenades, increasing their damage output across all activities. While they are still helpful, these gloves are less effective in PvP than in PvE.

Surprisingly, Voidwalker works well with these gloves, offering you enough protection from harm to withstand a few bullets while you throw a charged bomb.

What’s it best for?

If you pair this exotic with the Void 3.0 aspects like Feed The Void or Chaos Accelerant, it is an absolute beast in PvE and is highly used in end-game PvE activities.
It does not prefer any movement perk, so it is not recommended for any PvP activity.

6. Rain Of Fire (Best in PvE and PvP)

Coming in hot.

Exotic Perk: "Air dodge reloads all of your weapons and improves the airborne effectiveness of Fusion Rifles and Linear Fusion Rifles; final blows with these weapons make you radiant."

Warlocks in PVP might consider Rain of Fire, especially when linear fusion weapons and rifles are still highly potent in the Crucible. There are several impacts of these boots. First, using Icarus Dash to dodge reloads all of the player's weapons and improves the linear fusion rifles' and fusion rifles' in-air accuracy. With either of these weapon archetypes, final landing blows will immediately turn the player Radiant, which is a significant benefit.

With this exotic, you can create some ridiculous DPS combos. You can launch a rocket, dash, find a second rocket, change to your Special weapon, and repeat. The Radiant effect also works on all subclasses, not just Dawnblade, which is more significant. Warlocks now have access to a 25% damage boost for each subclass.

What’s it best for?

This exotic has an absurd DPS potential in PvE activities and is paired with High Energy Fire for best outputs.

It has a great synergy with Vex Mythoclast in PvP, and the perk will allow you to play as aggressively as you want. The only issue is that you have to time your Icarus Dash, as the perks of the exotic activate only by using the ability.

5. Starfire Protocol (Best in PvE)

13.4 billion years ago, the first stars kindled out of darkness, seeding the future of all life.

Exotic Perk: "Fusion Grenades have an additional charge and recharge from empowered weapon damage. Fusion Grenade kills grant Rift energy."

Starfire Protocol has been the complex meta for Warlocks since Solar 3.0, especially in endgame content. It is, without a doubt, the greatest Warlock Exotic armor piece in PVE.

This chest piece allows players to charge their Empowering Rift and fusion grenades rapidly. Grenade kills charge Empowering Rift energy, while damage performed while in an Empowering Rift charges grenade energy.

With such a high charge rate for both cooldowns, it's straightforward to get decent value out of this chest piece. It has incredible damage potential, and when used in conjunction with the Heat Rises feature, players gain some sustain after using their first grenade charge, making up for the absence of a Healing Rift.

What’s it best for?

It is arguably one of the best exotic pieces for PvE end-game activities. The charge rate of abilities is a massive advantage, and it is convenient in PvE.
There are better choices for PvP as it restricts movement, and you have many good exotics available to choose from for PvP.

4. Transversive Steps (Best in PvE and PvP)

Your relationship with consistent spacetime is...tenuous at best.

Exotic Perk: "Sprint speed increased. After a short time sprinting, your currently equipped weapon is automatically reloaded."

Transversive Steps, widely regarded as the greatest Warlock Exotic in PvP, offers advantages that strengthen aggressive players. Transversive Steps improve the wearer's running speed and, after a brief delay, reload the currently equipped weapon from your reserves.

Transversive Steps are a regular occurrence for Warlock PVP players. In the Crucible, speed is essential; therefore, an ability that boosts sprint speed can be highly effective for a class that isn't exactly known for its high mobility. Transversive Steps could be better for PvE, but they're still a good option for players who dislike changing their gear from mission to mission.

What’s it best for?

It is one of the most reliable warlocks exotic in PvP as it fills all the needs of a PvP player. The high mobility and auto-reloading are the best combo for PvP.
Although you can use it in PvE activities, you can also evade enemies and auto-reload weapons. At the same time, most players don't prefer it for PvE activities.

3. Phoenix Protocol (Best in PvE)

Do not grieve the dying star. Its death kindles newer life, and thus the wheel turns again.

Exotic Perk: "Kills and assists you make while standing in your Well of Radiance return Super energy."

Any Warlock specializing in team support should choose the Phoenix Protocol Exotic chest piece. Given that these are significant improvements to the Well of Radiance, which is still one of the most crucial Supers in endgame PVE gameplay, its ranking on this list may easily be tied with Lunafaction Boots.

Nevertheless, the Phoenix Protocol has a slight advantage because obtaining a Well frequently is more advantageous overall, and standing in a Well is less safe than it once was. Its goal is straightforward: players can simultaneously charge their next Well while standing in their Well by recording kills and assists. It's the ideal tool for farming Well of Radiance, but it's vital to remember that after a nerf to Phoenix Protocol, the charge only increases to 50%.

What’s it best for?

Phoenix Protocol is the go-to exotic piece for warlocks entering any high-end PvE activities, as the well of radiance is the basic need of any fireteam.
Bungie has focussed the PvP activities more on the gunplay than abilities like super, so it doesn't impact much in PvP.

2. Boots Of The Assembler (Best in PvE)

The manifestation of pseudophotons and impossible math.

Exotic Perk: "Standing in a healing rift creates Noble Seekers that seek out allies that are not in a rift and heal them. Noble Seekers from Empowering rift grant both you and your ally a damage bonus. Each time a Noble Seeker finds one of your allies, the duration of your rift is briefly extended."

The Assembler's Boots infuse your Rifts with Lumina's Noble Rounds. These orbs behave identically to Lunina's Noble Rounds. When Noble Seekers buff an ally, they activate Ember of Benevolence if you're playing a Dawnblade. Any other buff will activate benevolence.

They are a solid choice for PvE content as they can heal your allies in the middle of the fight, provide you and your allies a damage buff comparable to Weapons of Light, and every time they get a buff, Benevolent Dawn can be activated. These boots are S-tier when combined with the prolonged Rift duration.

What’s it best for?

Boots of the Assembler are Absurdly strong in PvP as it Allows for minute-long Rifts and activates Benevolent Dawn. The only disadvantage is that it restricts movement.

1. Ophidian Aspect (Best in PvP)

"Have I the aspic in my lips?"

Exotic Perk: "Weapons ready and reload very quickly. Melee range is extended."

Transversive Steps and Ophidian Aspect are regarded by many Warlock mains as the best PvP exotics, and for a good reason. Even though auto-reloading isn't a feature, Ophidian Aspect improves your neutral game virtually in every manner.

Quickdraw's nerf has made handling more crucial than ever. You get a significant improvement in handling and reload speed with Ophidian Aspect, two vital characteristics for any pistol. You may easily chain a shotgun fire with your improved melee range with a melee strike. You can also panic switch to your weapons considerably faster.

The Ophidian Aspect is a pretty straightforward Exotic, but since it improves melee and weapons handling, it has swiftly gained popularity among Warlock players. It is unquestionably this Exotic that serious Crucible players should get for their Warlock.

What’s it best for?

It is an S-tier exotic, as it Massively improves the handling and reloads speed of all weapons.
It is arguably the most used exotic piece in PvP for warlocks, as the perk is permanently active.
It is not an excellent choice for PvE activities as you have better options.

How to Get Warlock Exotics

There are three ways of acquiring these exotics.

The first and simplest way is to obtain it from an exotic engram drop. It’s a random roll, so you’ll have to get lucky, and you might find the pair you’re looking to build around your Guardian.
The final way to acquire the Ophidian Aspect is from Xur, and hoping he has them available on his marketplace. Xur usually appears on Friday at a random planet or tower.
The final method to get these exotics is to loot the Legend or Master lost sector. These lost sectors rotate daily changing the location and the reward. Keep an eye on them and you can farm those exotics for your perfect God Roll.

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Fahad S.

You can kill him a lot of times, but Fahad will keep getting re-spawned. As a devoted gamer and full-time writer its hard to keep me out of the game now.

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