[Top 15] Destiny 2 Best Warlock Exotics

Updated:

26 May 2021

You have a lot of options when it comes to Exotic armor on your Warlock, let's help you choose what to ride with.

With Season of the Splicer finally here, Destiny 2 is going to have a slew of new activities to dive into - including new Exotics. Right now there are 32 pieces of Exotic Armor available to Warlocks, all of which can be acquired by good ol’ fashioned looting and shooting. If you’re looking for an overview of the best pieces available before you jump into the new season you came to the right place. Use this guide to help you find the armor you need to take on the Vex in the new Override activity, and other threats to humanity across the Sol System.

15) Astrocyte Verse

Now you see me, now you don't.

Astrocyte Verse is a bonafide sneaky play. I’ve been caught off guard by it more than I’d care to admit, but the truth is this thing can be a headache in The Crucible. Move to Survive is this helmet’s intrinsic perk and it is super useful in PvP, but has some flexibility in PvE as well. It improves Blink, the Voidwalker movement option that turns your second jump into a short-distance warp.

Move to Survive makes this warp go further, more frequently, and boosts ready-speed for weapons coming out of Blink all while your radar stays up so you’re always aware of your surroundings. Equip this to give you the upper hand in firefights against Guardians by disappearing/reappearing, and effectively always having the first shot with a more reliable Blink ability.

Here’s how to bring Nightcrawler from X-Men into the Destiny 2 universe -

Equip a Voidwalker subclass you like and make sure Blink is activated.
You can get Astrocyte Verse from extremely rare world drops, Exotic Engrams, or check to see if Xur is selling it for Legendary Shards over the weekend.
Consider investing in Mobility to make your Warlock wicked quick and keep enemies guessing in any activity.

Check it out here -

There's something really satisfying about Blink, probably because it masks my abysmal K/D.

14) Getaway Artist

One of the most passive agressive gestures towards your teammates is just replacing them with your own gear.

It’s dangerous to go alone, so why not take an Arc Soul with you? These little friends have no problem introducing themselves by shooting Arc projectiles alongside you for about 20 seconds. When you have Getaway Artist equipped, you can consume your Arc grenade to proc Dynamic Duo. This spawns an aforementioned Arc Soul and it acts like a turret, unloading into enemies around you automatically.

This gives you some really fun options, as long as you have a Stormcaller subclass equipped. Pair it with No Time To Explain and you’ll basically become a one person Fireteam. You’ll probably want to use something else for endgame activities like Raids or Dungeons, but for general gameplay in Strikes or Crucible this exotic is a lot of fun.

Here’s a few notes before you punch your ticket on the (Arc)Soul Train -

Equip a Stormcaller subclass. Any will do, you just need to have an Arc grenade to consume to proc Dynamic Duo.
You can get these gauntlets from extremely rare world drops, Exotic Engrams, or checking to see if Xur is selling it over the weekend.
You’ll also want to invest in Discipline to get your grenade back quickly, or any other Armor Mods that cool down your grenade.

See it in action here -

When defending your Ghost while it hacks a computer for the thousandth time gets old, give this a try.

13) Verity’s Brow

There's high brow, there's low brow, and then there's Verity's Brow.

An oldie but a goodie, as they say. Verity's Brow was introduced to us back in the Warmind campaign after we deleted Xol from Mars. It’s intrinsic perk, Fourth Magic, sounds confusing but couldn’t be easier. By using any Energy Weapon you will generate Death Throes which grant grenade energy, but also buff your grenade. When you have Death Throes and throw your grenade, nearby allies gain a substantial boost to their grenade cooldowns for a short time. All in all, this is a very viable option for lots of activities in Destiny 2, as long as you’re using an Energy Weapon, maybe even use one with Demolitionist for more access to grenades and equip the Ashes To Assets armor mod to generate Super energy from grenade kills. Also, this works with both Light and Stasis subclasses making it relevant in today’s meta.

Make sure you check these notes before you start dropping bombs -

Verity’s Brow can be found from extremely rare world drops, Exotic Engrams, or checking in with Xur over the weekend.
Make sure you’re maining an Energy Weapon, otherwise this helm is useless. You need one to generate Death Throes, which buff you and your friend’s grenades.
Use whatever armor mods you want, but I suggest investing in Discipline and equipping Ashes To Assets to get your Super back quickly.

See for yourself here -

For fans of blowing things up ... a lot.

12) Necrotic Grip

Poison, with a little less Brett Michaels but a whole lot more space magic.

These little handheld nightmares are some of the best add-clear in the game, designed by Clovis Bray himself. Sometimes it’s good to be bad, right? Necrotic Grip poisons enemies by damaging them with a melee attack and when defeated will spread the poison to anything nearby. This can be fun with a ranged melee like Celestial Fire or Penumbral Blast.

Reminiscent of Thorn, the notorious Weapon of Sorrow, it was actually confirmed by Bungie to be paired with Necrotic Grip. If you have the famed hand cannon you’re in luck, using it will cause Grasp of the Devourer without having to use a melee, therefore not causing you to rely too heavily on getting up in someone’s grill. This armor piece is great on it’s own in PvE for clearing rooms, when paired with Thorn it’s lethal in PvP.

Before you go off poisoning the watering hole take a look at these quick notes -

Getting Necrotic Grip is a bit of a drag. You have to do some grinding, but if you say a little prayer to RNGsus and solo a Legendary or Master Lost Sector you can get it to drop upon completion. It rotates daily, just double check to make sure the reward is Exotic Armor (Arms) that day.
Pairing it with Thorn was an intentional design by Bungie. Mark of the Devourer and Grasp of the Devourer are two perks cut from the same cloth, try it out and see for yourself.
Regardless of what you do weapons wise, make sure you invest in Strength to get your melee back early and often to keep a steady barrage of venom flowing around your enemies.

You can get an idea of how to use it here -

Grip it & rip it, baby.

11) Geomag Stabilizers

You're gonna be running for your life anyway, might as well get something out of it.

If you’ve been studying the PvP meta over the past month or so then you’ve probably heard someone mention Geomag Stabilizers once or twice. Stasis runs rampant in all parts of Crucible right now, but these might be the answer everyone’s been looking for. It’s perk Close Enough is exclusive to Chaos Reach, the Super tied to Middle Tree Stormcaller. When your Super is at about 85%, merely sprinting will top it off so you can get it back quicker than anyone else on the field. On top of that, causing damage with Chaos Reach extends it’s duration.

This is great for just about any activity because, well, being Supercharged more often than not is good no matter the situation. It truly does shine in PvP though, you could potentially have four Supers a match if you play your cards right. Chaos Reach can also be stopped prematurely, therefore conserving Super energy. So, theoretically, you could pop your Super to take out someone spamming Stasis, cancel it, run around to top it back off, do it again, and repeat the process over and over until revenge is served. Max out your Intellect to stay ahead of the curve.

Some quick notes before you go full on Charles Bronson in Crucible -

Geomag Stabilizers can be found from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or can be purchased for Legendary Shards if Xur has them in his inventory that weekend.
Make sure you are using Attunement of Control, otherwise this piece of armor will simply be a piece of junk. It only works with Chaos Reach, but it elevates it to an entirely new level so pairing the two is mandatory. Plus, Ionic Traces will cool your abilities down in general making this a great subclass anyway.
Invest everything you can into Intellect, this will keep your Super cooldown to a minimum to make sure it’s available as often as possible - especially since you only need it to charge about 85% and then simply running (something you do all the time anyway) will top it off.

Check it out in action here -

Honestly, they probably deserve it.

10) Chromatic Fire

Okay, boomer.

If you’re familiar with the Dragonfly perk you’re going to love this one. Chromatic Fire causes elemental damage explosions whenever you get a precision kill with a Kinetic Weapon based on whatever Light subclass you’re using. While Stasis doesn’t work with this piece, you can cause splash damage by equipping this with Arc, Solar, or Void subclasses. It’s a really fun curveball to throw around, especially if you’re using a hand cannon or a pulse rifle in your Kinetic slot to really nail your shots and leave a trail of destruction behind you.

It’s also worth mentioning that this gives you flexibility when paired with a Solar subclass or a Void subclass. Equip Wrath of Rasputin or Warmind’s Decree, two Warmind Cell Mods, to spawn cells from Solar or Void splash damage final blows.

A few notes before you put “demolitions expert” on your resume -

Chromatic Fire can be found from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or you can buy it for Legendary Shards from Xur over the weekend if it's in his inventory.
Use a Kinetic Weapon that you feel comfortable with, something that shoots relatively quick but is also accurate will give you the best results.
You can use this in tandem with either Warmind’s Decree or Wrath of Rasputin. The former causes Warmind Cells to spawn from Void splash damage final blows and the latter from Solar ones. Energy Accelerant is a new Seasonal Artifact Mod that substantially buffs the Dragonfly perk as well.

Check out this fireworks display of a chest piece here -

Because honestly why the hell not?

9) Claws of Ahamkara

No chocobos were harmed in the making of this exotic piece.

These gauntlets are some of the most reliable pieces of armor Warlocks can find. Also, they were made out of wish-granting dragons if you’re into that. It has one simple perk but it’s a good one that allows you to get creative. The Whispers grants you one additional melee charge. This might not sound like something to be excited about, but when you consider that Devour procs from melee kills, Guiding Flame buffs your allies, and Penumbral Blast wreaks havoc all across Crucible, you start to see how having two melee charges keeps these abilities locked and loaded throughout every activity.

Before you start cracking skulls, take a look at these notes -

Claws of Ahamkara can be found from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or take a look at Xur’s inventory over the weekend and see if he’s selling it.
Invest mightily into Strength to keep your melee topped off at all times and use a subclass that encourages use of it’s melee through buffs or status effects.
If you’d rather invest in one of your other stats try pairing this with Monte Carlo, causing damage with this weapon gives back melee energy and a kill has a chance to fill it back up immediately.

Check out an easy build featuring this armor here -

This feels like it shouldn't be allowed, but here we are anyway.

8) Sunbracers

Somewhere in the distance you can hear Lord Shaxx celebrating.

Honestly, if it’s good enough for Osiris, it’s good enough for me. Things weren’t always great for Sunbracers, they were reworked about three years ago to make them a literal and figurative blast to play with. Helium Spirals is a flashy perk that extends the duration of your Solar Grenades for more damage over time. The big addition to that is Solar melee kills grant unlimited grenades for a short duration. Yes, you read that right. This is effective in PvE and PvP - equip your Attunement of Sky subclass, use Celestial Fire on a group of enemies while you float around in the air, and then unleash as many grenades as you can to single handedly clear rooms and capture points.

While this is exclusive to a Solar subclass, you have flexibility in your build potential as long as you equip Wrath of Rasputin in one of your mod slots. As mentioned before, this will spawn Warmind Cells on Solar splash damage final blows and can do anything from heal your teammates to destroying a ton of adds at once depending on what mods you have equipped. Invest in Strength to get your melee back at a higher rate and fast track your way to throwing a ton of grenades. Equip Ashes to Assets to get your Super back faster from grenade kills.

A few notes before you unleash the fury -

Sunbracers are available from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or you can check to see if Xur is selling them over the weekend.
Solar Grenades can be misleading - this exotic will not work with Firebolt or Fusion Grenades. It has to be Solar Grenades, so go into your Solar subclass menu and make sure you have those equipped.
You might think you want to invest in Discipline to get your grenades back faster but Helium Spirals only procs on melee kills. That being said, invest in Strength to get it back quick and start chuckin’em.

Check it out in all of its glory here -

The only thing better than having a grenade is having a lot of them.

7) Felwinter’s Helm

Look, let's just say Lord Felwinter isn't gonna miss his helmet.

Lord Felwinter is one of the more famous characters in the Destiny universe, an Iron Lord who even went toe to toe with Lord Shaxx at one point. Aside from his helm’s iconic design, it has a great perk in Warlord’s End. When using a Light subclass, melee kills from any source creates an area of effect debuff that blinds and weakens your enemies. In the instance of using a Finisher or a melee kill against a strong enemy, like bosses or majors, it actually increases the radius and the length of the debuff effect. This is huge to pull out in team activities, like Strikes or 6v6 Crucible, as it will give you and your allies a significant boost over whatever threats are in your way, especially if you’re on the verge of being overrun or taking down Champions.

Here’s a quick overview for you m’lord -

Felwinter’s Helm is available from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or check in with Xur and see if it’s available for Legendary Shards
This is an all around good exotic, invest in Strength to get your melee back fast and stack debuffs against your enemies so you always have the upper hand.
Use this when you’re in the thick of a fight as opposed to one on one battles. Your allies will be able to help you take down wave after wave as well as give you an edge individually, but since it relies on kills you’re going to want to make sure you're stringing them together to get the most out of Warlord’s End.

See how it works in-depth here -

This is the ultimate power move to establish dominance as a Warlock.

6) Nezarec’s Sin

When done right, you will never run out of ability energy with this equipped.

Few exotic armor pieces for Warlocks turn them into a one-person army, however Nezarec's Sin does just that. It’s perk, Abyssal Extractors, boosts your ability recharge rate across the board as long as you’re getting kills with Void damage. This extends to weapons, not just subclasses. While you will probably want to use a Voidwalker subclass to really maximize returns, you have the flexibility to use other subclasses as long as you have an influx of Void damage coming from somewhere, like Gnawing Hunger. This is a great option in PvP and PvE, when used right it will make sure you’re always dishing out grenades, melees, and rifts to keep you ahead of your enemies.

No need to repent ye sinner, just go over these notes first -

Nezarec’s Sin is available from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or check out Xur’s inventory and see if he’s selling it for Legendary Shards.
Make sure you have a source of Void damage coming from somewhere, whether it’s your subclass or weapons. Ideally it would be both, but depending on the activity you have some wiggle room.
Attunement of Hunger is a good call here, Devour is a great perk that heals you constantly. Give it a look in your Void subclass menu and try it out.

Check out a great explanation for this armor piece here -

It's the raw power behind this Exotic for me, pal.

5) Phoenix Protocol

"Like a phoenix ignition, like a crematorium, like the swelling volition from the barrel of a gun" ...

Phoenix Protocol came into the game back during the Forsaken campaign and still has a ton of use in today’s meta. It’s a class specific perk, but it takes that class and makes it one of the best in the game. Attunement of Grace, or Middle Tree Dawnblade, gives you access to Well of Radiance as your Super. It’s one of the few purebred support roles in Destiny 2 and is a welcomed sight in every activity in the game due to its ability to heal you and your friends at an accelerated rate and boosts weapon output to melt bosses. Phoenix Protocol has a perk called Battle Hearth that returns Super energy whenever you get kills or assists while standing in Well of Radiance - the more often you can pull this Super out the better as it will literally help you solo Raid encounters as well as turn the tide in Crucible matches.

Before you go off melting baddies take a look at these notes -

Phoenix Protocol can be found from extremely rare world drops, Exotic Engrams, or from Xur if it’s in his inventory that weekend.
This piece of gear only works with Well of Radiance, so make sure you have Attunement of Grace equipped in your subclass menu before you use it.
Simple move here is to invest in Intellect to get your Super back as fast as possible. Also worth mentioning is you can equip Wrath of Rasputin to get Warmind Cells to spawn from Solar splash damage kills and Fireteam Medic to heal your friends to make your build both offensive and defensive.

Check out it’s full potential here -

No regrets, just rebirth.

4) Contraverse Hold

I got the whooooole world, in my haaaaands.

A supremely underrated exotic, Contraverse Hold is one of the best pieces of armor for your Warlock to use when tackling end-game PvE content or countering a one on one gunfight in Crucible. Contraverse Hold is tailored to go in tandem with a Voidwalker subclass and it’s perk, Chaotic Exchanger, buffs Feed The Void, Chaos Accelerant, and Handheld Supernova by resisting incoming damage by 20% while you’re in the charging phase and return a random amount of grenade energy when you hit something with your charged grenade.

That might sound wordy, but it is very simple when you set it up right. Go into your Void subclass menu and pick one that caters to your playstyle, as each one has a grenade that you can opt to charge up. After that, choose the Vortex Grenade from your grenade options to take advantage of a hidden detail in Chaotic Exchanger. Every tick of damage procs a return on grenade energy, so instead of a quick burst of splash damage from your other options be sure to use Vortex Grenades since they cause damage over time thus giving you an unlimited supply.

Get a grip on this exotic with these notes -

Contraverse Hold can be found from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or paying Xur a visit and seeing if he’s selling it that weekend.
Use Vortex Grenades to keep a steady stream of grenade energy coming your way and always having a deep supply on deck to make a mockery of tough encounters.
Consider investing in Discipline to get your grenade back sooner in general and Ashes to Assets to get your Super back faster when you get grenade kills.
If you'd rather use one of the other grenades, consider equipping Warmind's Decree on your Seasonal Artifact to spawn Warmind Cells from Void splash-damage.

Check ‘em out in action here -

These will make you look like a pro throughout the game of Destiny 2.

3) Ophidian Aspect

Once you start using these it's going to be hard to go back to anything else.

Making it’s return from the original Destiny is Ophidian Aspect, one of my personal favorites and one of the more universal choices to use in any and all activities across Destiny 2. While it might come off as boring, it isn’t reliant on a specific subclass or weapon choice and can be slid into just about any build you want without messing it up. Ophidian Aspect boasts a perk called Cobra Totemic, which significantly boosts your reload and ready speed for all weapons.

This saves you time and time again when you’re caught at the tail end of your magazine and gives you a huge edge in Crucible by all but guaranteeing the first shot, especially if you’re rolling around with a shotgun. It’s great with Power Weapons as well, or even cancelling out the painfully slow reload speed of meta-weapons like Dead Man’s Tale. As a bonus, this exotic also extends the range of your melee ability which can catch other Guardians off guard or just give you some flexibility in PvE content.

Speaking of aspects, check out these notes -

Ophidian Aspect can be found from extremely rare world drops, Exotic Engrams, or find out where Xur is on the weekends and see if he’s selling it for Legendary Shards.
Don’t think too hard about this - it’s a neutral-game exotic that just makes you faster on your side of the barrel. This frees up mental real estate when it comes to concerns about using guns that are slow loading or just flat out making sure you draw first everytime.
This boosts the lunging range of your melee, not the projectile’s range. I learned the hard way, admittedly. It seems like a throw-in but you would be surprised how useful this can be, especially in the event of your melee being a last resort in a one on one fight.

Check out a cool build featuring this exotic here -

Just telling you now, everything will feel like it is in slow-motion when you take these off.

2) Transversive Steps

"You've taken your first steps into a larger world." - Obi-Wan Kenobi

It doesn’t get much better than the beloved Transversive Steps. Another super simple, well rounded exotic armor piece that can be used in legitimately any situation and give you an edge. On top of boosting your Mobility, it’s intrinsic perk Strange Protractor fully reloads your weapons while you’re sprinting. It’s insane, you virtually never have to go through the reload animation as long as you’re running around - which is exactly what you’re doing anyway. This includes Power Weapons as well as Energy and Kinetic, so you can unapologetically unload on swarms and Guardians alike. Mobility is a useful stat to invest in for Crucible, but honestly it helps you get in and out of danger in every activity in general.

Take a look at these notes to keep you a step ahead -

Transversive Steps can be found from Exotic Engrams, extremely rare world drops, or go see Xur on a weekend and see if he’s selling it for Legendary Shards.
This is a neutral game exotic, basically giving you the freedom to build your character however you see fit around it. No specific loadouts or subclasses required. Try it with guns you would normally think leave you too exposed during the reload animation.
You can invest in anything you want stat-wise, but leaning into Mobility might be a lot of fun and make you one of the fastest players on the field.

Check out ol’ reliable here -

Legitimate game changer, every Warlock needs a pair of these to build with.

1) Mantle of Battle Harmony

We really love to see it, folks.

Last, but most certainly not least, we arrive at the Mantle of Battle Harmony. This exotic chest piece is one of the newest additions to Destiny 2, coming to us in Season of the Chosen. This thing is a monster in PvE, combining subclass flexibility with inarguable power. It’s great in PvP too, thanks to its always-useful intrinsic perk, Absorption Cells. This perk constantly returns Super energy to you as long as you’re getting kills with weapon damage that matches your subclass. If that wasn’t enough, you get a 20% buff to damage output when your Super is maxed out.

This makes soloing content like Dungeons a breeze and, as long as you’re getting kills, gives you a huge advantage in Crucible. You can craft some pretty wild builds with this, one that comes to mind is centering it around Attunement of Hunger for the Devour effect. However, as long as you are using the same weapon damage type as your subclass it’s going to be hard to get this one wrong.

Check these notes before you take up the mantle -

Mantle of Battle Harmony has to be earned from soloing a Legendary or Master Lost Sector. These rotate daily, just make sure you’re doing one where the reward is Exotic Armor (Chest). Be patient, it might take you a while to get it to drop.
It is imperative that you’re dishing out damage that matches your subclass. If you’re a Solar subclass you’re going to want to use a Solar weapon, got it? There are a ton of options, just check your Energy and Power Weapon slots to make sure they match your subclass.
Go crazy with mods, you have a lot of freedom here depending on your subclass. You’ll probably want to invest in Intellect though just to secure getting your Super back as often as possible.

Check out a cool build featuring this piece here -

Every new exotic introduced in the past three seasons has been a home run so far, be sure to pick this up.

So there you go - I tried to make this list to fit around the constantly shifting sandbox of Destiny 2. While something like Geomag Stabilizers might be a huge hit in the game right now, for example, other pieces are more universal and have worked well over the years ranking them higher. That being said, it’s always fun to see how people rank these exotics due to there being so many ways to play Destiny 2. What did I miss? What are some of your favorites? Let me know down in the comments, but until then, happy hunting.