Best Warlock exotics in Destiny 2: Season 21 Tier List Ranking

by | Jun 8, 2023

Exotic armor is a truly unique and essential part of Destiny 2. While weapons get most of the attention, your choice of armor plays a crucial role too. This is especially true for Exotic armor, as that one single piece of equipment can elevate your playstyle and lethality to new levels. Destiny 2 is all about finding synergies within your gear, and Exotic armor is often the first piece of the puzzle.

This guide covers every Warlock Exotic in Destiny 2, including the brand-new Briarbinds Exotic arms. We’ll rank them from best to worst, and explain how to use them for maximum lethality.

Checkmark icon V3 Updated as of Season of the Deep (S21). See Updates.

Destiny 2 Warlock Exotics Tier list

This Tier list features the Top-tier Warlock Exotic armor piece in the game and covers both PvE and PvP:

NameTypeRankExcelsSubclassSourceRequirementsArmorTier rankSubclass?Final VerdictClassBest of?
Felwinter's HelmHelmS › BestPvE + PvPNeutralExotic EngramsShadowkeepFelwinter's Helm Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Felwinter's Helm

Best

S



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Powered melee final blows create a burst of energy that weakens nearby targets. Finishers and final blows against more powerful targets increase the radius of the burst and the length of the weakening effect."

Assuming you have some status effect or ability to protect yourself with, Felwinter's Helm provides a whopping 30% debuff to surrounding enemies with little downside. It can be unsafe to use in higher-level content, but the risk may be worth the reward; the potency of Felwinter's debuff is nearly unmatched and can crowd control like nothing else.
WarlockTop-tier
Karnstein ArmletsArmsS › BestPvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayKarnstein Armlets Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Karnstein Armlets

Best

S



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

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

Best used with projectile melees. Karnstein Armlets are extremely good for any solo PVE content and are even good in PVP. While it's incredible with any subclass or melee you choose, projectile melees are the best option because they make the exotic perk safer and easier to trigger.
WarlockTop-tier
SunbracersArmsS › BestPvESolarExotic EngramsFree-to-PlaySunbracers Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Sunbracers

Best

S



Excels in:
PvE
Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams

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

Best used with Touch of Flame and Heat Rises. Giving you tons of grenades, Sunbracers provides great ad clear. Plus, it has great synergy with Dawnblade's Aspects and Fragments, making it a great option for any low-mid level PVE activity. For a full build, check out our Top Warlock Builds guide!
WarlockTop-tier
Transversive StepsLegsS › BestPvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayTransversive Steps Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Transversive Steps

Best

S



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

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

The movement speed buff that Tranversive Steps gives is super potent, and the reload ability can be useful at times. If you are looking for a great neutral exotic to run in any activity, this exotic is one of the best options out there.
WarlockTop-tier
Osmiomancy GlovesArmsS › BestPvEStasisLost SectorsThe Witch QueenOsmiomancy Gloves Warlock Destiny 2 art

Osmiomancy Gloves

Best

S



Excels in:
PvE
Stasis Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Stasis
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Your Coldsnap grenades have an additional charge that recharges quicker on direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades travels further."

Best used with Bleak Watcher. Even though Coldsnap Grenades aren't currently very good, being able to have two stasis turrets at a time (using Bleak Watcher) makes this exotic an exceptional choice in harder PVE content. And with the ability to constantly freeze opponents in PVP, the Osmiomancy Gloves are one of the best picks in the game.
WarlockTop-tier
Fallen SunstarHelmS › BestPvEArcLost SectorsThe Witch QueenFallen Sunstar Warlock Exotic

Fallen Sunstar

Best

S



Excels in:
PvE
Arc Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Arc
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Ionic traces you create move faster and grant you additional ability energy. Nearby allies also gain ability energy when you collect an ionic trace."

Ever since Fallen Sunstar debuted in Season 18, there has been debate over whether it or Crown of Tempests is better. While it's partially a personal preference, we prefer Fallen Sunstar for its ability to buff nearby allies. Pair this with Arc Soul to help teammates even further or Electrostatic Mind to get a more consistent gameplay loop.
WarlockTop-tier
Boots of the AssemblerLegsA › StrongPvENeutralLost SectorsBeyond LightBoots of the Assembler Destiny 2 art

Boots of the Assembler

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

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."

Best used with Child of the Old Gods or Arc Soul Aspects. This exotic can grant a powerful healing effect or damage buff to your allies, depending on your rift choice. If you add on the Child of the Old Gods Aspect, your rift will also grant you tons of ability energy, health, and even the ability to weaken combatants around you.
WarlockTop-tier
Necrotic GripArmsA › StrongPvENeutralLost SectorsBeyond LightNecrotic Grip Destiny 2 art

Necrotic Grip

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Damaging combatants envenoms them with poison that deals increasing damage over time. Defeating a poisoned combatant spreads the condition to nearby targets."

Best used with projectile melees and Thorn. Necrotic Grip gives great ad clear in easier PVE content, but has little to no place in PVP or harder PVE activities. Projectile melees make this exotic's perk significantly easier to proc, but it still is usually used just for fun.
WarlockTop-tier
Mantle of Battle HarmonyChestA › StrongPvENeutralLost SectorsBeyond LightMantle of Battle Harmony Destiny 2 art

Mantle of Battle Harmony

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Takedowns with weapons that have a damage type matching your subclass element grant you Super energy. While your Super energy is full, you instead gain a temporary bonus to weapon damage of the type matching your subclass element."

Mantle of Battle Harmony grants you super energy (or a damage bonus) just by killing enemies, making it a great part in any build. It does require a bit of planning prior to using it, but after figuring that out, this chest piece is very powerful. If you need some help figuring out a build to use with it, check out our Top Warlock Builds guide!
WarlockTop-tier
Aeon SoulArmsA › StrongPvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayAeon Soul Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Aeon Soul

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Aeon Exotics have an additional mod socket which is used for Aeon Cult mods."

Best used with Shadebinder or Voidwalker. With the three mods you can choose from, Aeon Soul grants as much variety as it does power. While these gauntlets can easily excel in any team-based activity, they're best utilized on subclasses that don't have an excellent subclass-specific exotic.
WarlockTop-tier
Contraverse HoldArmsA › StrongPvEVoidExotic EngramsForsaken PackContraverse Hold Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Contraverse Hold

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Void Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams

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."

Best used with Vortex Grenade and Echo of Undermining. The damage resistance while charging grenades is excellent, but the main focus of this exotic is the returned grenade energy. With all of the easy ways to get bonus damage and extra effects added to your grenade, Contraverse Hold is one of the best PvE exotics out right now.
WarlockTop-tier
Lunafaction BootsLegsA › StrongPvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayLunafaction Boots Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Lunafaction Boots

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Your Rifts gain the additional ability to increase weapon reload speeds. Empowering Rift makes weapons effective over longer ranges."

Because Starfire Protocol was so dominant, Lunafaction Boots have lost much of their popularity. However, now that Starfire was nerfed into the ground, you will likely begin to see these more often. Their powerful buff to reload speed can elevate anything your teammates choose to run, especially with Well of Radiance in a boss encounter.
WarlockTop-tier
Ophidian AspectArmsA › StrongPvE + PvPNeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayOphidian Aspect Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Ophidian Aspect

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Weapons ready and reload very quickly. Provides a small benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons."

Even after the removal of Ophidian Aspect's bonus melee range, it continues to dominate in The Crucible. While more complex options are situationally better, having the passive buff of snappier weapons isn't something you should pass up.
WarlockTop-tier
The StagHelmA › StrongPvE + PvPNeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayThe Stag Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

The Stag

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

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."

An excellent option in PvP, The Stag gives you a free rift reasonably frequently. That said, it isn't anything extraordinary in PVE, and options like Ophidian Aspect will still beat this helmet out.
WarlockTop-tier
Verity's BrowArmsA › StrongPvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayVerity's Brow Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Verity's Brow

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Weapon final blows with a damage type matching your subclass energy grant Death Throes, which provides a grenade damage bonus and grants you grenade energy. When you have Death Throes and throw a grenade, nearby allies gain greatly increased grenade regeneration for a short time."

Verity's Brow takes what Starfire Protocol and Sunbracers do but applies it to all grenades in the game. While it can be hard to keep it up 24/7, the buff Verity's gives is very substantial and can be great for builds.
WarlockTop-tier
Secant FilamentsLegsA › StrongPvEVoidLost SectorsThe Witch QueenSecant Filaments Warlock Destiny 2 art

Secant Filaments

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Void Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Void
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Casting an empowering rift will grant you Devour. Damage dealt by you and your allies from within your empowering rift will disrupt combatants."

Best used with Voidwalker. While on Voidwalker, this exotic allows your Empowering Rift to also grant you Devour, which can be very helpful while trying to survive in harder content. In addition, giving you and your allies the ability to stun Overload Champions with any weapon allows for a wider range of weapons to be used in some activities.
WarlockTop-tier
SwarmersLegsA › StrongPvPStrandLost SectorsLightfallSwarmers Warlock exotic

Swarmers

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvP
Strand logo Destiny 2 art
Strand
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Destroying a Tangle spawns a Threadling. Your Threadlings unravel targets that they damage."

Best used with Threadling Grenade./strong> Swarmers takes the main focus of Broodweaver (Threadlings) and enhances it even more. From unraveling everything in sight to spawning more Threadlings via Tangles, Swarmers is a no-brainer for any Strand Warlock.
WarlockTop-tier
Cenotaph MaskHelmA › StrongPvENeutralLost SectorsLightfallCenotaph Mask Warlock exotic

Cenotaph Mask

Strong

A



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Steadily reloads a portion of your equipped Trace Rifles's magazine from reserves. Damaging a vehicle, boss, or champion with a trace rifle marks them as the target. When an ally defeats the marked target, generate special ammo for yourself and heavy ammo for your allies."

Similar to Aeon Soul, Cenotaph Mask's primary goal is to generate heavy ammo for allies. While you may not directly benefit from it, pairing this helmet with The Navigator or Divinity results in the ultimate support build. Use this with a double special loadout for even better results!
WarlockTop-tier

These are the different Tier levels used for our list:

  • S Tier – Best: Highest ranking weapons in our Tier List.
  • A Tier – Strong: Very strong weapons, but not on the same level as S Tier Choices.
  • B Tier – Average: Decent choices that can be lethal in the hands of a skilled player.
  • C Tier – Weak: The middle of the pack, somewhat mediocre.
  • D Tier – Worst: Lagging behind the competition, these don’t have much to offer.

Alert iconSwaps: You’ll see a couple of armor pieces ranked as “Swap.” Swap refers to those armor pieces that are generally not great but can be excellent in very specific situations, namely when using your Super. For that reason, these deserve a different ranking as they still have a place in your loadout.

Warlock Exotics: The rest of the best

This database includes all the other Warlock Exotics available in Destiny 2:

NameTypeRankExcelsSubclassSourceRequirementsArmorTier rankSubclass?Final VerdictClassBest of?
Dawn ChorusHelmB › AveragePvE + PvPSolarLost SectorsBeyond LightDawn Chorus Destiny 2 art

Dawn Chorus

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Your Daybreak projectiles deal more damage and scorch targets on impact. Your scorch is improved and you gain a small amount of melee energy when your scorch damages a target."

Dawn Chorus has always been in a strange spot in the meta. The buffs it grants to your Daybreak Super are unparalleled, but Sunbracers entirely overshadow its neutral game. Unless you build specifically around Dawn Chorus, it's not worth running in most situations.
WarlockRest
Nothing ManaclesArmsB › AveragePvE + PvPVoidLost SectorsBeyond LightNothing Manacles Destiny 2 art

Nothing Manacles

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Void Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Void
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "You gain an additional Scatter Grenade charge. Enables tracking for Scatter Grenade projectiles."

Best used with Echo of Undermining and the Chaos Accelerant Aspect. Before Void 3.0, when you could use Handheld Supernova with any grenade, this exotic was great. However, now that Supernova can't be used with Scatter Grenade, this exotic feels like a worse version of Contraverse Hold.
WarlockRest
Astrocyte VerseHelmB › AveragePvE + PvPVoidExotic EngramsForsaken PackAstrocyte Verse Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Astrocyte Verse

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Void Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Blink further and more frequently. Weapon readies quickly out of Blink and radar remains up. Provides a moderate benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons."

This exotic makes Blink significantly more user-friendly and is a great option to run while having fun on Voidwalker. Despite this, using Blink usually isn't worth the hassle, and most people settle for a different jump ability and exotic.
WarlockRest
Chromatic FireChestB › AveragePvENeutralExotic EngramsForsaken PackChromatic Fire Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Chromatic Fire

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Precision final blows from Kinetic weapons create an explosion that deals damage in the element of your subclass and applies elemental effects."

Chromatic Fire was treated well with Season of the Deep. Instead of simply adding Dragonfly to your kinetic weapons, this Exotic chest piece now applies status effects to enemies (Scorch, Blind, Weaken, Slow, or Sever). While Chromatic Fire is still in no way top-tier, it is a fun neutral Exotic if you don't know what to run.
WarlockRest
Claws of AhamkaraArmsB › AveragePvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayClaws of Ahamkara Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Claws of Ahamkara

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Gain an additional melee charge. Charged melee final blows spawn an Orb of Power."

Best used with projectile melees. While on a subclass with a strong melee ability, this exotic is pretty good. Despite that, this usually doesn't see too much use, as there are more powerful options out there.
WarlockRest
Eye of Another WorldHelmB › AveragePvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayEye of Another World Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Eye of Another World

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Highlights priority targets and improves the regeneration speed of your grenade, melee, and Rift abilities."

Eye of Another World is a superb passive Exotic for Warlocks who don't know what else to run. While subclass-specific options like Fallen Sunstar and Sunbracers will always be better, pairing this with Shadebinder's potent abilities isn't a horrible idea.
WarlockRest
Crown of TempestsHelmB › AveragePvEArcExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayCrown of Tempests Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Crown of Tempests

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Arc Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Arc ability kills increase the recharge rate of your Arc abilities and extend the duration of Stormtrance."

Crown of Tempests remains a top-tier Exotic for any PvE Stormcaller build. Sure, its popularity has dwindled due to the release of Fallen Sunstar, but Crown of Tempests is an outstanding replacement if it's all you have.
WarlockRest
Getaway ArtistArmsB › AveragePvE + PvPArcExotic EngramsForsaken PackGetaway Artist Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Getaway Artist

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Arc Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Convert your Arc Grenade into a supercharged Arc Soul. The Arc Soul functions as an autonomous turret."

With Season of the Plunder and Arc 3.0, both Getaway Artist and base Arc Souls got a buff. While they still aren't overpowered, pairing the aspect, exotic, and a Demolitionist weapon can produce a fun combo in any activity.
WarlockRest
Nezarec's SinHelmB › AveragePvE + PvPNeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayNezarec's Sin Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Nezarec's Sin

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Void-damage kills increase ability energy recharge rate."

The benefits of Nezarec's Sin are surprisingly potent for having such a general perk trigger. While it's far from what Sunbracers or Fallen Sunstar can do, Nezarec's Sin is the perfect Exotic for easier content (or as the centerpiece for a simplistic build).
WarlockRest
Phoenix ProtocolChestB › Average-SolarExotic EngramsForsaken PackPhoenix Protocol Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Phoenix Protocol

Average

B



Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams

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

Best used with Well of Radiance.While sounding interesting on paper, there's no reason to run Promethium Spur when placing a rift at your feet is more convenient anyway. Unless you're running these for fun, we'd recommend swapping to Boots of the Assembler instead.
WarlockRest
Sanguine AlchemyChestB › AveragePvENeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlaySanguine Alchemy Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Sanguine Alchemy

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "While standing in any rift, gain a bonus to weapons with a damage type matching your subclass damage type. Weapon final blows while standing in any rift pause the rift's countdown, extending its duration."

A recent change now has Sanguine Alchemy providing a weapon damage buff in addition to its rift timer extension benefits. While this significantly increased Sanguine's usability, there's still little reason to run it when you can spec into a low rift cooldown instead.
WarlockRest
Starfire ProtocolChestB › AveragePvESolarExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayStarfire Protocol Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Starfire Protocol

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Fusion Grenades have an additional charge and recharge from empowered weapon damage, with empowered weapon final blows granting more energy. Defeating targets with Fusion Grenades grant Rift energy."

Starfire Protocol's domination over all PvE activities has ended with Season of the Deep. Now, bursts of Fusion Grenade energy primarily come from kills (as opposed to just hits), making this exotic a shadow of the DPS beast it used to be.
WarlockRest
Vesper of RadiusChestB › Average-NeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayVesper of Radius Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Vesper of Radius

Average

B



Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Rifts periodically release Arc shockwaves. Final blows with these shockwaves create an Arc explosion. While an Arc subclass is equipped, the shockwaves and subsequent explosions blind nearby targets. Rift energy recharges faster when you are surrounded by targets."

Vesper of Radius can now blind nearby targets, making it comparable to other top-tier options like Felwinter's Helm. That said, Vesper still puts you at too much risk to be considered worth it in most activities, and other popular options such as Fallen Sunstar are just stronger.
WarlockRest
Rain of FireLegsB › AveragePvESolarLost SectorsThe Witch QueenRain of Fire Warlock Destiny 2 art

Rain of Fire

Average

B



Excels in:
PvE
Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

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."

Best used with Vex Mythoclast. Providing a damage buff, free reloads, exceptional Solar 3.0 synergy and airborne effectiveness, Rain of Fire has nothing to dislike. To elevate this exotic to its max potential, check out our Top Warlock Builds!
WarlockRest
Stormdancer's BraceChestC › Weak-ArcExotic EngramsShadowkeepStormdancer's Brace Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Stormdancer's Brace

Weak

C



Arc Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Each target you defeat with Stormtrance increases the damage you deal with it and refunds Super energy when Stormtrance ends."

While the damage buff you receive from Stormdancer's Brace is substantial, Stormcaller just isn't meant to be a boss damage super. Plus, with Arc 3.0, Getaway Artist, Crown of Tempests, and Fallen Sunstar are tough to beat with their constant uptime and potent effects.
WarlockRest
Winter's GuileArmsC › Weak-NeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayWinter's Guile Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Winter's Guile

Weak

C



Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Defeating targets with melee attacks increases your melee damage. Targets encased by Penumbral Blast automatically shatter."

Best used with a One-Two Punch shotgun. When stacking the buff all the way up to x5 and using a shotgun with One-Two Punch on it, Winter's Guile can deal some pretty good damage. Despite that, it is extremely hard to get to five stacks of the buff and generally isn't worth running into melee range and risking your life for.
WarlockRest
Promethium SpurLegsD › Worst-SolarExotic EngramsShadowkeepPromethium Spur Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Promethium Spur

Worst

D



Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Defeating combatants or Guardians while Daybreak is active creates a healing and empowering rift at their location. While standing in any rift, Solar weapon final blows grant Rift energy. When your Rift energy is full, final blows consume your Rift energy and create a healing and empowering rift at the target's location."

While sounding interesting on paper, there's no reason to run Promethium Spur when placing a rift at your feet is more convenient anyway. Unless you're running these for fun, we'd recommend swapping to Boots of the Assembler instead.
WarlockRest
Wings of Sacred DawnChestD › Worst-SolarExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayWings of Sacred Dawn Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Wings of Sacred Dawn

Worst

D



Solar Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Solar
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "When Dawnblade is equipped, aiming weapons while you're midair suspends you there for a short time, reducing incoming flinch and granting damage resistance. Weapon hits extend this effect's duration, and weapon final blows reload your Solar weapons from reserves. Provides a large benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons."

Best used with Heat Rises and Icarus Dash. While Wings of Sacred Dawn is fun, locking yourself in place midair isn't the best choice and usually leads to your death.
WarlockRest
Apotheosis VeilHelmSwap-NeutralExotic EngramsFree-to-PlayApotheosis Veil Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Apotheosis Veil

Swap

Subclass neutral icon V2
Neutral
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Immediately regenerate health, melee, grenade, and Rift energy upon activating your Super. Nearby allies recharge class abilities faster."

Best used with Well of Radiance or Shadebinder. Giving your abilities back can be nice on some subclasses, but this exotic is very lackluster and is usually considered a swap exotic.
WarlockRest
Geomag StabilizersLegsSwapPvE + PvPArcExotic EngramsForsaken PackGeomag Stabilizers Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Geomag Stabilizers

Swap

Excels in:
PvE + PvP
Arc Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Arc
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Damaging targets with Chaos Reach extends its duration. Collecting Ionic Traces grants you energy for Chaos Reach."

Only extending your Super a slight amount, Geomag Stabilizers are usually just swapped to when Chaos Reach is ready to go.
WarlockRest
Skull of Dire AhamkaraHelmSwapPvEVoidExotic EngramsFree-to-PlaySkull of Dire Ahamkara Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Skull of Dire Ahamkara

Swap

Excels in:
PvE
Void Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Void
Source: Exotic Engrams

Exotic Perk: "Provides additional damage resistance during Nova Bomb. Nova Bomb kills grant Super energy."

Because Nova Bomb usually isn't used as an ad clear super, this exotic sees little use. Those who do run it usually just swap to it once they get their super.
WarlockRest
Ballidorse WrathweaversArmsSwapPvEStasisLost SectorsLightfallBallidorse Wrathweavers Warlock exotic

Ballidorse Wrathweavers

Swap

Excels in:
PvE
Stasis Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Stasis
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Your Winter's Wrath Shockwave deals increased shatter damage. Allies in range of your Shockwave gain an overshield and increased damage with Stasis weapons."

Equivalent to Renewal Grasps on Hunter, the Ballidorse Wrathweavers are an exceptional support pick for Shadebinder. That said, they provide no benefit outside of Winter's Wrath, so swapping from Osmiomancy Gloves to these when you have your Super is the play.
WarlockRest
BriarbindsArmsOngoing-VoidLost SectorsSeason 22Briarbinds art

Briarbinds

Ongoing...

Void Subclass Destiny 2 icon
Void
Source: Legend/Master Lost Sectors

Exotic Perk: "Your Void Souls have a longer duration. They also gain escalating damage and durability as they defeat targets. You can retrieve your Void Souls by interacting with them, allowing them to be redeployed."

WarlockRest

More Destiny 2 Exotic Armor Tier lists:

Best Destiny 2 Warlock Exotic armor this Season

This section not only covers the top Exotic armor pieces for Warlock currently in the game, but it also tells you where you can find them. On top of being top-tier options for PvE and PvP, some of them look great. So much so that they are often seen in Destiny 2 fashion contests.

Overall, these are our Top 10 favorite Warlock Exotics for PvE and PvP.

 

Mantle of Battle Harmony Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 featured

10. Mantle of Battle Harmony

Crucible logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVP

Mantle gives tons of extra super energy and gives a damage buff once your super is full, two extremely valuable things. Plus, it works with any subclass element, making it even more powerful.

This exotic can be a little annoying to set up, but after matching your weapon and subclass elements, all you need to do is get kills to start seeing the effects.

Each kill will grant you super energy (with a cooldown of 3 seconds between kills), allowing you to get your most powerful ability before any of your opponents. In addition, once at full super energy, kills with your matching weapon instead grant a 20% damage increase for 10 seconds. This is useful in any activity and can stack with debuffs to enemies, increasing your damage even more.

Overall, this chestpiece gives you two of the most valuable things in the game for minimal cost. This makes it extremely powerful in both PVE and PVP, and extremely easy to craft builds around.

How to get it: Mantle of Battle Harmony can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Mantle of Battle Harmony Destiny 2 art

Mantle of Battle Harmony

WarlockChestBeyond LightLost SectorsSeason 13Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
Exotic Perk: "Takedowns with weapons that have a damage type matching your subclass element grant you Super energy. While your Super energy is full, you instead gain a temporary bonus to weapon damage of the type matching your subclass element."

 

Contraverse Hold Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 featured

10. Contraverse Hold

Vanguard logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE

Contraverse Hold is a staple Warlock exotic that’s been used for various builds and pairings in its lifetime.

Contraverse Hold always seems to stay relevant, even through nerfs and large-scale changes. Its ability to enhance any Void grenade with Chaos Accelerant is unmatched in terms of build potential and allows for infinite Weaken and Volatile Rounds.

These gloves have also frequently been used in The Crucible, especially pre-Void 3.0 with Handheld Supernova. While they aren’t as strong in PvP now, their ability to return a fair amount of grenade energy still proves useful.

Some builds now utilize Secant Filaments instead, but Contraverse Hold continues to be a popular pick for many Voidwalker setups.

How to get it: Contraverse Hold can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Contraverse Hold Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Contraverse Hold

WarlockArmsForsaken PackExotic EngramsSeason 4Forsaken Destiny 2 icon
Forsaken Pack
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."

 

Boots of the Assembler Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 featured

9. Boots of the Assembler

PVE and PVP logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE and PVP

These exotic boots provide your allies with your rift benefits on the run, making them a key piece of gear in any support player’s arsenal.

While running healing rift, you can stand in your rift to send out small healing orbs that automatically track nearby allies. Once they reach them, it will give them a bump in health to aid them in battle. This is great in PVP to keep your team alive, but is also good in PVE, allowing your fireteam to play more aggressively without a worry of death.

Rather, while running empowering rift, you send out small orbs that buff your teammates’ damage by 35% (20% in PVP), which is higher than supers like Well of Radiance or Ward of Dawn. This is once again a great buff in both PVE and PVP and is usually even more useful than its healing counterpart.

Overall, this is a great exotic that is simple to use and very powerful in both PVE and PVP. Any warlock who enjoys playing a support role while also not wanting to be restricted to Well of Radiance should have this in their kit.

How to get it: Boots of the Assembler can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Boots of the Assembler Destiny 2 art

Boots of the Assembler

WarlockLegsBeyond LightLost SectorsSeason 14Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
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."

 

Fallen Sunstar Warlock Exotic

8. Fallen Sunstar

Vanguard logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE

Fallen Sunstar is the perfect Exotic for any Stormcaller build, granting you and your allies absurd amounts of ability energy.

Fallen Sunstar enhances your Ionic Traces in a variety of ways. With the Exotic equipped, they’ll move quicker, grant you more ability energy, and even share some of that ability regeneration with nearby allies. Pair this with the Electrostatic Mind aspect, and you have a perfect loop; get ability kills to generate Ionic Traces, which then give you energy back. Arc Soul can enhance your support role even further by granting you and your allies extra firepower.

Fallen Sunstar only works with one subclass but is the easy choice for most Stormcaller builds. If you’re looking to support your allies while simultaneously getting something out of it yourself, building into this Exotic is a great idea.

How to get it: Swarmers can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Fallen Sunstar Warlock Exotic

Fallen Sunstar

WarlockHelmThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 18The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "Ionic traces you create move faster and grant you additional ability energy. Nearby allies also gain ability energy when you collect an ionic trace."

 

Ophidian Aspect Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 featured

7. Ophidian Aspect

Crucible logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVP

Ophidian Aspect continues to dominate the PvP neutral game even after a recent nerf.

In addition to its quick weapon ready and reload speeds, Ophidian Aspect previously extended your melee range. Bungie recently removed this extra benefit, but it doesn’t matter—this Exotic’s passive benefits still prove useful in The Crucible. Along with Transversive Steps, Ophidian Aspect is the perfect pick when you don’t know what else to run. Its buffs are easily noticed in moment-to-moment gameplay and can be the difference-maker in 1v1 battles.

How to get it: Ophidian Aspect can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Ophidian Aspect Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Ophidian Aspect

WarlockArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 2Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Weapons ready and reload very quickly. Provides a small benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons."

 

Transwersive Steps Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 featured

6. Transversive Steps

PVE and PVP logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE and PVP

Transversive Steps are the default exotic for most Warlocks. While they don’t do anything fancy, the buff they give is extremely valuable and passive, resulting in it being one of the best exotics to run when nothing else suits what you’re using.

These exotic legs do two simple things: make you move faster and reload your weapon after sprinting for a short time. The movement speed buff is very substantial, allowing you to traverse any PVP map, jumping puzzle, or PVE activity quicker than ever before. In addition, the reload speed buff is a nice cherry on top, giving you one less thing to worry about.

While these boots can mainly be seen in PVP, you can also easily find use in them in PVE if nothing else fits the playstyle/subclass you are running. Transversive Steps are neutral and simplistic, but amazing at what they do, making them a great pick for any Warlock player.

How to get it: Transversive Steps can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Transversive Steps Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Transversive Steps

WarlockLegsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 1Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Sprint speed increased. After a short time sprinting, your currently equipped weapon is automatically reloaded."

 

Osmiomancy Gloves Warlock Exotics

5. Osmiomancy Gloves

PVE and PVP logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE and PVP

Stasis abilities are all powerful at base, but what if you were able to use more of them? Osmiomancy Gloves answers this question in a way that makes it one of the best Exotic armor pieces in the game.

In PVE, you can utilize Bleak Watcher to convert the two Coldsnap Grenade charges into Stasis Turrets. These turrets last a reasonable amount of time and can quickly slow and freeze entire rooms of combatants in higher-level activities.

When stepping into the Crucible, these gloves can excel even further. Able to freeze groups of opposing Guardians with ease, having two Coldsnap Grenades in your pocket is extremely useful. Plus, when used correctly, you can gain some grenade energy back just by throwing them.

While Osmiomancy Gloves and Stasis haven’t been buffed in a while, they still seem to be on the rise. If you’re looking for a reliable option in mid-high level PVE or general Crucible, these gloves are for you.

How to get it: Osmiomancy Gloves can only via acquired via solo Legend/Master Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Osmiomancy Gloves Warlock Destiny 2 art

Osmiomancy Gloves

WarlockArmsThe Witch QueenLost SectorsSeason 16The Witch Queen Destiny 2 icon
The Witch Queen
Exotic Perk: "Your Coldsnap grenades have an additional charge that recharges quicker on direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades travels further."

 

Occisor Draconum Sunbracers ornament Destiny 2

4. Sunbracers

Vanguard logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE

Since the release of Solar 3.0 subclasses in Season of the Haunted, Sunbracers’ popularity has gradually increased. And with recent builds, they’re more than just a fun pick in casual PvE content.

With the Incinerator Snap melee and its ability to Ignite targets, it’s relatively easy to get Sunbracers to trigger. And with new combinations like Touch of Flame, Heat Rises, and Phoenix Dive, you can get good DPS and infinite Restoration out of this build, too.

Sunbracers will always be a top pick for casual content, but it’s also slowly making its way into higher-difficulty scenarios. If you’re looking for something to fill the void that Starfire Protocol’s nerf left, Sunbracers are the way to go.

How to get it: Sunbracers can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Sunbracers Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Sunbracers

WarlockArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 1Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Increases the duration of Solar Grenades. Solar melee kills grant unlimited Solar Grenade energy for a brief time."

 

Felwinter’s Helm Warlock Exotic Destiny 2

3. Felwinter’s Helm

Vanguard logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE

Despite its ability to provide one of the highest debuffs in the game, Felwinter’s Helm has always been an underrated pick.

After getting a finisher or charged melee kill, you’ll instantly blind and weaken nearby enemies. However, it’s important to note that this isn’t your standard 15% weaken—it’s 30%. With that, it’s clear why many Warlocks stand by this Exotic. Paired with Voidwalker’s Echo of Obscurity, you can safely apply potent debuffs to crowds of combatants.

The main downside of Felwinter’s Helm is relatively apparent: triggering it places you in a high-risk situation, especially in high-difficulty content. While some synergies—like Echo of Obscurity, mentioned above—help with this, there’s no perfect solution. It’s a difficult trade-off, but the outcome of a group of disoriented enemies that take 30% more damage is arguably worth it.

Felwinter’s Helm deserves more praise than it receives. Sure, some builds are no doubt stronger, but such a potent debuff shouldn’t be passed up.

How to get it: Felwinter’s Helm can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Felwinter's Helm Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Felwinter's Helm

WarlockHelmShadowkeepExotic EngramsSeason 10Shadowkeep Destiny 2 icon
Shadowkeep
Exotic Perk: "Powered melee final blows create a burst of energy that weakens nearby targets. Finishers and final blows against more powerful targets increase the radius of the burst and the length of the weakening effect."

 

Verita's Brow Warlock Exotic

2. Verity’s Brow

Vanguard logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE

When you know how to use it, Verity’s Brow can be extremely potent in any PvE activity you play.

With its ability to buff both your grenade damage and recharge rate, Verity’s Brow is a great choice when you have nothing else to run. Sunbracers and Starfire Protocol will be more powerful if you’re running the grenades they require, but Verity’s is the play for any other grenade.

This helmet also works exceptionally well with the Armor Charge system, allowing you to generate numerous Orbs of Power with both Firepower and Harmonic Siphon. While it may not be the flashiest exotic Warlock has, Verity’s Brow is a great neutral exotic for those that want to spec into grenades.

How to get it: Verity’s Brow can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Verity's Brow Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Verity's Brow

WarlockArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 3Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Weapon final blows with a damage type matching your subclass energy grant Death Throes, which provides a grenade damage bonus and grants you grenade energy. When you have Death Throes and throw a grenade, nearby allies gain greatly increased grenade regeneration for a short time."

 

Karnstein Armlets Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 featured

1. Karnstein Armlets

PVE and PVP logo Destiny 2 Excels in PVE and PVP

Karnstein Armlets are one of the most powerful exotics in the game, allowing you to get constant healing. While these gloves excel in PVP, they are also amazing in PVE and can keep you alive in moderately challenging content.

When you get a melee kill, you first instantaneously get a large bump in health (around 50-70% from what we’ve seen). In addition, you gain around 8 seconds of health regeneration afterward. This health regeneration is extremely strong and even continues to work while you’re losing health.

In addition, these gauntlets work with projectile melee abilities, making the buff way easier to trigger from significantly further away.
Karnsteins can easily help you win a fight in Crucible, and can even keep you alive in PVE. Overall, these gauntlets are an amazing choice anywhere in the game and provide you with health regeneration that is unrivaled.

How to get it: Karnstein Armlets can be acquired via Exotic engrams, Xûr, or farming Lost Sectors.

ArmorClassTypeRequirementsSourceReleasedRequiresExotic Perk
Karnstein Armlets Warlock Exotic Destiny 2 art

Karnstein Armlets

WarlockArmsFree-to-PlayExotic EngramsSeason 1Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Exotic Perk: "Melee kills instantly restore a large amount of health and continue to restore health afterwards for a short duration."

Honorable mentions

While not among our 10 favorites, Exotics such as Starfire Protocol and Osmiomancy Gloves can be used to create insanely powerful builds.

How to farm Warlock Exotics

Farming specific Exotic armor in Destiny 2 is a notoriously difficult task. Unlike Exotic weapons, which happen to have direct methods of acquisition, Exotic armor can be only farmed indirectly, which means RNG will play a large role in whether you’ll ever find the god roll you’re looking for… Having said that, Bungie has been continuously adding new avenues to make Exotic armor farming easier:

Destiny 2 Exotic Engram

Exotic Engrams

Most Exotic armor can be found within Exotic Engrams: These can be found in the Season pass, they are sold by Xur and can also drop randomly at any time. There isn’t much more to say about Exotic engrams, only that they have a higher chance to drop from end-game activities. If collecting exotics is your priority, Nightfall: The Ordeals are for you. And the higher the difficulty, the higher the chance to get one.

Exotic Armor focusing

Some Exotic engrams won’t automatically decrypt when found. These can be taken to the Tower and can be decrypted into exactly the Exotic you want (it will cost you, though). We cover Exotic armor focusing in detail here.

Lost Sector farming

If you’re looking for new Exotic armor, those can be farmed by completing Legend and Master Lost Sectors solo on specific days (Lost Sector rewards are on a daily rotation, one day will reward Legs pieces, the next day only Arms pieces, etc). You can read more about how to farm Legend and Master Lost Sectors here.

Vex Strike Force Public event

Another option is to participate in Vex Strike Forces, which are unique (and very challenging) Public events that randomly occur in Neomuna. These can drop up to three Exotic armor pieces per completion!

See latest Updates

We keep our content up to date! These are the latest changes made to this guide:
  • May 23, 2023: General updates and the inclusion of Seasons 21 Exotics.
  • March 22, 2023: Inclusion of Lightfall Exotics.
  • November 24, 2023: General updates based on the current meta and the inclusion of Year 4 (The Witch Queen) Exotics.
  • February 28, 2022: The guide is published for the first time.

Stay tuned, and don’t forget to bookmark this page for next season!

About The Author

Andrew Sideris
Andrew Sideris
With my over seven years of game knowledge, six months of writing experience for Blueberries.gg, and hundreds of Blueberries already guided through endgame content, I hope to allow newcomers to have the same great introduction I had all those years ago. You can find Andrew on Twitter.
More from Andrew Sideris
3 Comments
  1. Zach

    No offence but I think you completely missed the mark here with your placement of the Stag which makes me question how much you actually play this game. First of all you get 2/3rds of your rift energy back when you are critically wounded meaning you’ve lost 2/3rds of your health which happens constantly in endgame content allowing for ~80% rift uptime without modifiers. The damage resistance in rifts can make it oppressive in PVP, especially in 3v3 game modes where multiple people on the same team run the Stag. The damage resistance is also great for soloing PVE content. However, where it shines most is in PVE with rift focused builds. One especially potent build includes using it with the new child of the old gods void aspect which allows for virtually 100% rift uptime with insane ability regeneration and constant enemy weaken. The Stag is easily an S-tier exotic in the current meta.

    Reply
    • Larry

      I 100% agree with you! I was shocked to see The Stag as D tier, completely ignoring how useful it is. If you ask me, The Stag and Transversive Steps got their places mixed up.

      Reply
  2. jAY mADISON

    RE: Nothing Manacles – You do not need to use Chaos Accelerant with it, because Nothing Manacles’ perk provided the Empowered Scatter Grenade by default. That is one of the 2 main benefits of the Exotic, the other being the 2nd Grenade Charge.

    Nothing Manacles allows you to run Devour + Child of the Old Gods and still have an empowered grenade.

    Reply
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