Destiny 2: Warlock Onslaught builds for day one

With the new Onslaught mode hitting Destiny 2 on April 9 alongside the Into the Light update, players may want to head into the activity prepared. To that end, players can tailor their Warlocks to deal with almost any situation in countless ways. Considering Onslaught’s unique challenges, some Warlock builds will perform better than others. Here are the basics for a few builds to help keep the Last City safe.

Onslaught is a new horde mode activity debuting with the Into the Light content update. While Onslaught is just one piece of content with a new social space, returning sunset weapons, and long-lost Exotic missions, it is the most substantial Into the Light addition. Onslaught can go on for up to 50 rounds and includes boss encounters, too. Of course, a few bosses and their minions have never made Guardians falter, but we’re on the backfoot playing defense this time. As such, players must adapt their tactics to meet the enemy offensive on the front lines of the Last City.

Arc Soul Stormcaller

Guardians can deploy turrets in Onslaught, but what if everyone in the Fireteam always had their own personal turret following them? This is where Arc Warlocks can shine. While there are a few ways to create Arc Souls, one Aspect allows Warlocks to dole them out to friends on a whim. Combine that with a few other handy Fragments and an unlikely choice in a grenade, and Warlocks already have a strong chassis for a build.

Abilities:

• Class ability: Healing Rift
• Jump ability: Any
• Melee ability: Ball Lightning
• Grenade ability: Flashbang Grenade
• Super ability: Chaos Reach

Aspects:

• Electrostatic Mind
• Arc Soul

Fragments:

• Spark of Resistance
• Spark of Shock
• Spark of Discharge
• Spark of Beacons

The idea behind this build is to function as a heavy-hitting saboteur with high ability uptime, thanks to the potential to create an absurd amount of Ionic Traces. When dropping a Healing Rift, Warlocks will grant an Arc Soul to any Fireteam member who passes through it. In addition, Flashbang Grenades offer a near-constant deterrent that jolts enemies. Because of Flashbang Grenades’ quick recharge time, and thanks to all those Ionic Traces, Warlocks will have their grenades back in no time. The same is true for that useful Healing Rift. 

Gear

Many great pieces of gear can complement this setup, but one of the best choices won’t take up that coveted Exotic slot. If players were lucky enough to get an Indebted Kindness sidearm from the Warlord’s Ruin Dungeon with the Voltshot Perk, it really takes this build to a new level. Indebted Kindness not only does respectable damage, but Voltshot plays right the build. After defeating an enemy, reloading a weapon with Voltshot applies Jolt to the next shot. Jolt stuns Overload champions and plays into Spark of Beacons, Spark of Discharge, and the Electrostatic Mind Aspect, rewarding multiple ability-recharging Ionic Traces and creating a blinding explosion on any kill. If Indebted Kindness with Voltshot isn’t in the cards, some Arc Exotic weapons like Coldheart or Delicate Tomb can offer similar performance.

For Exotic armor choice, players have a couple of options. If Warlocks want to prioritize Fireteam support, look no further than the Fallen Sunstar Exotic. This helm buffs Ionic Traces, making them travel faster and award more ability energy. As a bonus, nearby allies also get ability energy back every time the wearer collects an Ionic Trace. Alternatively, if players want to lean into that destructive saboteur fantasy, the right call could be Geomag Stabilizers. These Exotic boots ensure you get the most out of Ionic Traces, allowing them to grant Super energy. As if that wasn’t sweet enough, Geomag Stabilizers double down on destructive potential, extending Chaos Reach as long as Warlocks use it to damage enemies.

Mods and stat priority

Mods are where players will have the most wiggle room depending on the final loadout chosen and playstyle. That said, there are still a few options worth considering, no matter what.

Head:

• Special Ammo Finder
• Harmonic Siphon

Arms:

• Bolstering Detonation

Chest:

• Damage Resistance
• Harmonic Reserves

Feet:

• Arc Weapon Surge
• Absolution
• Recuperation

Class Item:

• Bomber
• Reaper

Stat-wise, this build benefits most from capped Discipline and high Recovery to get Healing Rift and Flashbang Grenade back as quickly as possible. Of course, the top priority before any other stat is always Resilience, as that offers a flat 30% damage resistance at 100. Once Resilience is topped off, players will want to focus on growing Discipline as close to 100 as possible. Recovery doesn’t need to be at 100, but the more, the better. So long as it doesn’t take players under 100 Resilience or result in knocking Discipline down below 80 or so.

Scorching Wellock

While most Warlocks are probably tired of being typecast as a Fireteam’s Well of Radiance user, the Super still stands as one of the most useful tools in Destiny 2. Thankfully, in Onslaught, Well of Radiance builds don’t have to play to the same slow, ranged pace as most Raid, Dungeon, and Nightfall Strikes. Instead, Warlocks can lean into other fun Solar features, like Scorch and Ignitions.

Abilities:

• Class ability: Healing Rift
• Jump ability: Any
• Melee ability: Celestial Fire
• Grenade ability: Solar Grenade or Fusion Grenade
• Super ability: Well of Radiance

Aspects:

• Touch of Flame
• Icarus Dash

Fragments:

• Ember of Blistering
• Ember of Torches
• Ember of Solace
• Ember of Char

This build offers all of the benefits that come with Well of Radiance alongside lots of fiery AOE to help control the battlefield. Half of the Fragments let Warlocks grant Radiant with powered melee attacks and enjoy extended Radiant and Restoration timers. The other two ensure Ignitions grant Grenade energy and spread Scorch to nearby foes. The Aspects buff the chosen grenade, offer a little extra mobility, and present an opportunity for free healing.

Gear

There are a few ways to approach weapons, but it’s hard to beat the simplicity of the Dragon’s Breath Exotic rocket launcher. This weapon was made available as part of Season 23, and it’s a monster. The launcher trails Scorching AOE fire pools along the route to its target, and if you land the hit, the rocket stays embedded, continuously scorching and damaging the unlucky foe. While Dragon’s Breath itself is a beast, Warlocks will need a reliable and ideally punchy Solar primary weapon to back it up.

The Solar part is essential, as several Artifact Mods synergize with Solar weapons, and you won’t be able to fire that Dragon’s Breath all willy-nilly. A personal recommendation goes out to the Zaouli’s Bane hand cannon from the King’s Fall Raid. It’s craftable, and with the right Perks (Explosive Payload and Incandescent), the gun becomes almost as oppressive as the Sunshot Exotic hand cannon. If Dragon’s Breath isn’t an option, or players don’t have a suitable Legendary Solar weapon, Sunshot will still work wonders for horde control. The same applies to other Solar Exotics like the Prometheus Lens trace rifle or the Jotunn fusion rifle but with a much less forgiving ammo economy.

Exotic armor is a little less cut and dry, with several options adding their own spin on the base build. The ever-popular Pheonix Protocol is always a good option for Guardians who want to maximize Well of Radiance uptime. The Exotic fast-tracks Super gains while standing in a Well, easily getting Warlocks back to over 50% charged if all allies are fighting together inside the Well. If Warlocks want to become a true pyro-maniac, another viable option is Dawn Chorus, which buffs the already improved Scorch effects popping off on the battlefield. Finally, if players opt for Solar Grenades, Sunbracers increase their AOE burn time and allow unlimited grenade energy after a kill with Celestial Fire.

Mods and stat priority

As with the Arc build, players will want to use specific Mods to complement their final build. That said, some armor Mods work with just about any build based on these bones.

Head:

• Heavy Ammo Finder (Dragon’s Breath)
• Special Ammo Finder (Jotunn or Prometheus Lens)
• Harmonic Siphon
• Ashes to Assets

Arms:

• Impact Induction
• Bolstering Detonation
• Focusing Strike

Chest:

• Damage Resistance
• Harmonic Reserves

Feet:

• Solar Weapon Surge
• Recuperation
• Insulation

Class Item:

• Bomber
• Time Dilation

For stats, the number one priority is still Resilience. As mentioned with the Arc build, 100 Resilience offers a 30% damage reduction that can’t be turned down. After Resilience, the next focus is Discipline, with the Fusion Grenade dropping down to only a 36-second cooldown if capped. While Recovery isn’t as crucial for this Solar build as it was with Arc, if Guardians manage to hit 100 Discipline, any extra efforts should go toward Recovery to help decrease the cooldown of Healing Rift.