Warlock subclasses can be confusing in Destiny 2. We have the Destiny 2 Warlock Subclasses explained below in this guide for you.
The Warlock class in Destiny 2 is known for its unique movement options and aspects that allow for unmatched mobility and aggression. Players can take advantage of these abilities to support allies as a Dawnblade or absorb bullets with Devour. Warlocks are a valuable addition to any fireteam, whether in Crucible battles or PvE missions.
However, some of the Warlock subclasses are not as powerful as others, so players should choose wisely. In this guide, you will find the Destiny 2 Warlock Subclasses explained. It will help you to choose the right one.
Destiny 2 Warlock Subclasses Explained: Dawnblade
Dawnblade Warlocks are a top choice for those looking to play a support role in Destiny 2. They have access to several abilities, such as Cure, Restoration, and Radiant, making them a powerful choice for endgame PvE content. Their Super is also considered to be one of the strongest in the game. Dawnblades excel in PvP as well, thanks to their Aspects that emphasize movement options.
However, the Dawnblade lacks build diversity and often relies on Exotics like Starfire Protocol or Sunbracers to enhance their game. Without these Exotics, their abilities have limited uptime and require specific builds to reach their full potential. Still, with the right build and Exotics, the Dawnblade is a force to be reckoned with in PvE. For Crucible players who prefer a highly mobile Warlock subclass, the Dawnblade is an excellent choice.
The Dawnblade’s Icarus Dash is a powerful PvP Aspect that provides a Hunter-like dodge that can be used every four seconds while in the air. It gives you a small speed boost and doubles your dodge uses if Heat Rises is active. In PvE, kills while airborne provide Cure to nearby allies, but it’s not as good as other available options.
Touch of flame and Heat Rises
Touch of Flame is great for improving Solar grenades. You have two Fragment slots to work with and you don’t need to overcharge your grenades like Voidwalkers do. Healing Grenades provide better Cure and Restoration, while Fusion Grenades detonate twice, making them powerful with Ember of Ashes equipped. Solar Grenades also spawn magma blobs that work great with Sunbracers. If you like using grenades, use Touch of Flame.
Heat Rises lets you take the fight to the sky. You can shoot while gliding, use your grenade to increase your air time and effectiveness, and aerial kills provide melee energy. It’s not the best for PvE unless you have Sunbracers, but Heat Rises is a great PvP Aspect for unconventional angles.
Destiny 2 Warlock Subclasses Explained: Shadebinder
The Shadebinder subclass is unmatched when it comes to crowd control. With Stasis, Warlocks can freeze anything that moves, whether it’s in PvE or PvP. This makes Shadebinders incredibly useful in endgame content like GM Nightfalls, and a force to be reckoned with in the Crucible if you build them correctly.
Bleak Watcher is the Aspect that really gives Shadebinders their power. It allows them to create ice turrets that slow everything in sight. This is great for keeping enemies at bay in PvE, and for controlling areas in PvP. With the Osmiomancy Gloves Exotic, Shadebinders can freeze enemies with ease thanks to short cooldowns.
How to use Bleak Watcher to control enemies
Bleak Watcher is an Aspect that transforms a Warlock’s grenade into an ice turret, slowing down anything that comes close. To make the most of this Aspect, players can pair it with the Osmiomancy Gloves Exotic to create multiple turrets and gain superior crowd control in PvE activities. It can also be useful in PvP to defend objectives or pressure specific areas.
Freezing enemies with Iceflare Bolts
With Iceflare Bolts, Shadebinders can create miniature Coldsnap Grenades upon freezing an enemy. This can be a powerful combo for both PvE and PvP activities, allowing players to freeze entire rooms of enemies and shatter them with well-placed attacks.
Using Frostpulse to counter shotguns
Frostpulse is freezes enemies within a Warlock’s Rift, making it an excellent counter to shotguns in PvP activities. It can be used to freeze enemies around corners, leading to easy kills. However, it’s not very useful in PvE activities, except when paired with the Vesper of Radius Exotic.
Destiny 2 Warlock Subclasses Explained: Stormcaller
Players who choose the Stormcaller subclass in Destiny 2 will find themselves focusing on ability uptime, which generates ample Ionic Trace and allows them to spam grenades and melee abilities. However, this same playstyle can be achieved with less setup on Voidwalker and Shadebinder subclasses.
For PvE missions, Stormcallers can use the Fallen Sunstar Exotic to become pseudo-supports, providing ability energy to allies. In PvP, players can use the Lightning Surge melee to one-shot Guardians in tight spaces and Arc Soul turrets to gain an advantage in 1v1 duels. Although Stormcallers can be effective in both environments, their limited build variety and damage output may prevent them from being a fireteam staple.
When playing as a Stormcaller in Destiny 2, players can take advantage of the Electrostatic Mind Aspect, which generates Ionic Traces upon defeating Arc-debuffed targets. These traces grant 12.5% ability energy when collected, making it easier to recharge abilities by applying Jolt or Blind. Pairing this Aspect with the Fallen Sunstar Exotic helmet allows players to quickly recharge abilities with four Ionic Traces, while also granting ability energy to allies. This Aspect is highly recommended for nearly every Stormcaller build.
Arc Soul
Arc Soul is another Aspect that players can use to infuse their Rifts with Arc energy, creating a temporary Arc turret that fires in short bursts and deals minor damage. This Aspect is a solid choice for PvE missions, especially if players aren’t using Getaway Artist. In PvP, Arc Soul can alter the TTK of weapons and is a fantastic option for the Crucible.
Finally, the Lightning Surge Aspect grants players a slide melee that turns them into a Storm Grenade capable of one-tapping Guardians in tight spaces. However, this Aspect is mediocre at best, as the teleport distance is short, the damage in PvE isn’t great, and it doesn’t offer any neutral game benefits. This Aspect is only recommended for use in a PvP build.
Destiny 2 Warlock Subclasses Explained: Voidwalker
When playing as a Voidwalker subclass in Destiny 2, players can use powerful grenades and debuff tools to assist their team. The Devour keyword is available to all Voidwalkers, making it arguably the strongest keyword for Void 3.0 in PvE. Killing enemies will refill players’ HP and grant grenade energy, making it easier to overcharge grenades using Chaos Accelerant. For tougher enemies, players can use Child of the Old Gods to weaken them from a safe distance. Voidwalkers are the ultimate solo class in PvE and a great PvP subclass for aggressive play.
Most Voidwalker builds focus heavily on their grenades, with Verity’s Brow or Contraverse Hold being used to increase grenade uptime and damage output. Chaos Accelerant is great for Void Grenade users, while Devour setups tend to use other grenades. For general utility, Child of the Old Gods is a staple Aspect that acts as a pocket Nightstalker tether, debuffing enemies from the safety of players’ Rifts.
Warlocks can use Child of the Old Gods to create a tether upon casting a Rift, which can weaken enemies and grant either HP or ability energy. This Aspect is useful in both PvE and PvP builds, allowing players to deal chip damage from safety and increase their DPS and ability uptime.
Void ability
Devour is granted upon landing a Void ability kill with Feed the Void, making it a solid pick for Voidwalkers. With two Fragment slots, it’s easier to create a Voidwalker build using this Aspect, although it may be considered a boring choice.
Chaos Accelerant grants overcharged grenades to the Voidwalker, enhancing their damage, size, and duration. While this Aspect is frequently paired with Contraverse Hold for constant grenades, it’s only recommended for certain endgame PvE builds as its raw power doesn’t justify the one Fragment slot it provides. Vortex Grenades are the most compatible with this Aspect, while all other overcharged grenades are not worth using.
Which one to choose?
You can go for any depending on your gameplay. It is totally your decision. However, if you want some opinion then it would be great if you choose between Voidwalker and Dawnblade.
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