The Warlock is responsible for Space Magic in Destiny 2 and is also a great support class. Find out in our class guide in English how you can dominate in PvE and PvP with the subclasses and focuses Dawnblade, Voidwalker, and Stormcaller.
You have reached level 20 with your Warlock, unlocked all focuses (subclasses) and are not quite sure how to perform well in the raid or the Trials of the Nine? We present all the Warlock’s abilities and how to get the most out of the Space Mage with which build and which super you choose.
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The Warlock’s Class Ability – The Rift
The Warlock’s special class ability is the Rift. This creates an area of effect that grants you and your allies bonuses. What those are depends on which Rift you choose:
- Healing Rift – Creates a Rift that permanently heals you and allies in the area of effect
- Empowering Rift – Creates a Rift that increases weapon damage for you and nearby allies
With the Rift, the Warlock has gained a powerful class ability that will assist you in nearly any situation. Want to quickly take down a boss? Use the Empowering Rift. Are you standing on ground that harms you? Create a Healing Rift!
Anyone raiding with two Warlocks is perfectly set up. Both Warlocks simultaneously create their Rift (one Empowering and one Healing) – and the whole group benefits doubly.
No matter which focus you are using, you always have access to the Rift. It’s even possible to enhance the Rift further, but we’ll get to that point!
The Warlock’s Jump – The Glide
The Warlock’s jump in Destiny 2 is… special. It is less of a jump and more of a glide, allowing the Warlock to cover large distances. The following jumps are available to the Warlock:
- Directional Glide – activates this jump in the air to gain precise maneuverability while airborne
- Boost Glide – activates this jump in the air for a speed boost
- Balance Glide – represents a combination of moderate speed and directional control
- Short Teleport – activates this jump in the air to execute a short teleport (this jump is only unlocked for the Voidwalker and replaces Balance Glide)
If you want to go high, tap the jump button twice in quick succession. If you want to move straight in the air, press the jump button once, and again at the apex of your jump. The Boost Glide will get you out of desperate situations. With Directional Glide, you can navigate better. The Voidwalker has exclusive access to the teleport jump. Choose the jump you feel most comfortable with!
The Warlock’s Focuses at a Glance
The following Warlock focuses will be discussed in detail in the guide:
- The Dawnblade – A new focus in Destiny 2. The Dawnblade favors vertical gameplay, meaning from the air. During your super “Dawn” you can rain flaming swords down upon your enemies. The Dawnblade is associated with the Solar element.
- The Voidwalker – a destructive focus with great grenades that you can either overcharge or convert into health. The Voidwalker has fantastic self-healing potential and is perfect for solo players. The element is – as the name suggests – Void.
- The Stormcaller – The Chancellor Palpatine of the Destiny universe – without the wrinkles. The Stormcaller is likely the best class for eliminating large groups of enemies. The mobile super “Stormtrance” lets you shoot lightning at enemies. The element is Arc.
The skills of each subclass are not fully unlocked upon acquisition. You earn upgrade points with each level-up until level 20. Even after level 20, you can still earn upgrade points; a corresponding bar fills up as you gain experience. A Glimmer Engram is rewarded as well. Some missions also grant you skill upgrade points.
The Dawnblade – The Best Comes from Above
The Dawnblade is an offensive focus that plays particularly well in the air. With its super Dawn you may throw swords at your enemies and watch them burn away.
The Grenades of the Dawnblade
The grenades of the Dawnblade should be familiar to connoisseurs of the Sunsinger focus from Destiny 1:
- Solar Grenade – Flickering Solar Light from this grenade deals damage over time in a certain radius
- Firebolt Grenade – Fires Solar light bolts at enemies near you
- Fusion Grenade – This explosive grenade (sticky) deals bonus damage if it sticks to an enemy
For combat in PvE, Solar Grenades work excellently. Just throw them at a spot where enemies spawn, and you can calmly focus on another location.
Solar Grenades also work well for defensive purposes. Throw a Solar Grenade down in front of you (preferably without hitting yourself) and step right in the middle. Enemies cannot reach you, and you can catch your breath for a moment.
In PvP, Solar Grenades are also effective for zone control. But the Firebolt Grenade is also useful when multiple enemies are tightly grouped.
Use the Fusion Grenade to finish off fleeing enemies!
Celestial Harmony – The Flying Swordmaster
With the focuses, you must choose between two skills trees.
The skill tree Celestial Harmony offers everything for aerial combat enthusiasts. Because the skill tree allows you to hover in the air to shoot at enemies. Successful kills from the air also grant grenade and melee energy. And should you need to return to the ground, you can improve your movement and reload speed with a melee attack. As a special addition, you can also dodge in the air.
- Winged Sun – Hover in the air, and shoot at your enemies with weapons and grenades
- Heat Wave – Killing enemies from the air automatically recharges your grenades and melee energy
- Quick Strike – Burn your opponents with this attack while simultaneously improving your movement and reload speed
- Icarus Dash – Activate the skill in the jump to dodge
Celestial Harmony is strongly focused on aerial combat. This can be quite helpful in an open area. In tight corridors, you should switch to the other skill tree. Also, your Rift isn’t as effective while you’re airborne. The dodging maneuvers in the air, however, are a real bonus!
Flame Harmony – Phoenix Dive and More
Flame Harmony is the second skill tree. Since the flying swords of your super do not fly straight, but are subject to gravity, a homing function is useful. If you kill enemies with Dawn, the duration is extended. Nice! The dive is also handy when your health is critical.
- Fire Strike – Engulfs an enemy in flames with this melee attack and makes him explode.
- Flame Judgment – Your Dawn projectiles fly homing across the battlefield and cause the opponent to burst into deadly flames.
- Endless Fire – If you eliminate an enemy with your super, its duration is extended.
- Phoenix Dive – Activates this ability while in flight to quickly get to the ground and restore your health. If Dawn is active, the dive causes additional explosive damage.
With Flame Harmony, the focus is placed on the super. Homing swords and an extended super when killing enemies are great abilities. The health regeneration is also a good option for getting out of tight situations.
In general, the Dawnblade is an offensively oriented super. However, with your Rift, you have a useful support ability at your disposal.
The Voidwalker – Feast on Yourself
The Voidwalker is the epitome of Space Magic. Its super attack, the Nova Bomb, is a gigantic sphere of pure destruction that pulverizes your enemies. With Destiny 2, the Voidwalker has become even better! Why, you’ll find out now!
The Grenades of the Voidwalker
The grenades of the Voidwalker offer the familiar mix from Destiny 1:
- Vortex Grenade – The created effect zone continuously drains health from your enemies while they are caught in the Vortex.
- Scatter Grenade – Explosive scatter ammunition that spreads after impact, damaging multiple enemies simultaneously.
- Axion Bolt – Smaller, homing light bolts chase across the battlefield.
The Vortex Grenade is great for covering small areas. The Axion Bolt is recommended against agile opponents and in PvP due to its homing feature. The Scatter Grenade is particularly helpful if you have chosen the skill tree Chaos Reach, as killed enemies explode and can trigger a chain reaction.
Chaos Reach – Grenades and Explosions
With the Chaos Accelerant, you increase the explosive power of your grenades at the cost of super energy. The melee attack recharges these grenades. And when you kill enemies with grenades, they explode. A lethal mix for the opponent.
- Chaos Accelerant – Overloads your grenade with super energy and increases the explosive power and effectiveness.
- Entropy Surge – Attacks with this melee recharge your grenades
- Catastrophe – The Nova Bomb becomes a slow, homing projectile that splits into homing projectiles upon impact
- Devour – Void kills cause enemies to explode
This skill tree does not have any support abilities (aside from the Rift) or other skills that assist survival. However, you can at least let off some steam in PvE with the grenades.
This build is not suitable for the Crucible; human opponents are too agile. Particularly, the slow Nova Bomb often misses its target.
Hunger Reach – Endless Life
The Hunger Reach primarily revolves around staying alive. You can convert grenade energy into health (by holding down the grenade button) and gain a buff that regenerates your health on kills while also recharging your grenades. The Nova Bomb additionally provides area control through a Vortex effect.
- Feed the Void – Converts grenade energy into health, unlocking the Devour effect.
- Insatiable – While the Devour effect is active, its duration is extended by eliminating enemies, while simultaneously recharging your grenades.
- Vortex – A singularity activated by Nova Bomb deals damage to enemies trapped within.
- Devour – Recharge your health with this melee style by eliminating opponents. Even after using the skill, your health continues to regenerate through subsequent kills.
The Voidwalker with Hunger Reach is one of the best builds in the game. If you do it right, you can keep the Devour effect active permanently, making you nearly impossible to kill. You just need to convert some grenade energy into health and then kill enemies to maintain the Devour effect. This build is absolutely fantastic, especially for solo players and the toughest content!
The Stormcaller – Plays the Chancellor on Steroids
The Stormcaller has always been responsible for adds. With its super Stormtrance, it takes out large groups of enemies single-handedly. In Destiny 2, the Stormcaller has become even more valuable.
The Grenades of the Stormcaller
The Stormcaller can choose from the following grenades:
- Impulse Grenade – Enemies within the explosion radius take regular damage from this grenade
- Storm Grenade – Summons a local thunderstorm that rains down on your enemies
- Arcbolt Grenade – A chain of lightning connects your enemies and damages them
The Impulse Grenade is excellent for blocking doors or other enemy spawn points. The Arcbolt Grenade is especially effective in the Crucible when several enemies are tightly grouped and you can land team shots (more than one Guardian shooting at a single enemy simultaneously).
Transcendence of Chain Lightning – Chain Lightning and … more Chain Lightning
The skill tree Transcendence of Chain Lightning is designed to send as many enemies to their doom as possible. This is achieved with bouncing chain lightning across multiple enemies and increased super duration when grenades and melee abilities are fully charged.
- Chain Lightning – Unleash a lightning strike that jumps from one enemy to another
- Arc Web – Enemies hit by grenades discharge lightning that jumps to further nearby foes
- Ion Blink – Press sprint during Stormtrance to teleport
- Transcendence – When grenades and melee abilities are fully charged, the duration of Stormtrance is extended and your health is fully regenerated
One of the most offensive builds for the Warlock, which excels against larger groups of enemies. To avoid being hit yourself, you can teleport across the battlefield. Transcendence increases your super duration for even more destruction.
Elemental Harmony – The Ultimate Rift Upgrade
The Elemental Harmony gives your Rift a significant boost. Your Rift recharges faster when allies are nearby. The highlight is the Arc Soul, which grants an Arc spirit that hovers over your shoulders and damages enemies. Here are the skills summarized:
- Landfall – In combination with Stormtrance, you unleash a shockwave that damages nearby foes
- Electrostatic Surge – Your Rift recharges faster when allies are nearby
- Arc Soul – Your Rift grants you or an ally an Arc spirit that aids in combat
- Gathering Storm – Electrifying melee attacks have a larger radius and recharge your super, grenades, and melee abilities
The Elemental Harmony is one of the best support builds in the game. The Arc Soul is incredibly useful and inflicts significant damage. You can also recharge your Rift faster. The super provides the usual area control. Overall, a fantastic setup for the Warlock.
Summary: The Warlock is without a doubt the class in the game closest to a supporter. Want to hit hard offensively? Play the Stormcaller with Transcendence of Chain Lightning. Are you traveling solo and want to stay alive? The Voidwalker with Hunger Reach is your choice!
The best supporter is the Stormcaller with Elemental Harmony. If you want to go all out in the Crucible, try out the Dawnblade and Celestial Harmony. Vertical gameplay in the Crucible is a huge advantage if you play it smart.
Now that you know all the subclasses and abilities, and have found an exotic armor piece for the Warlock? We’ll show you what to do with it and give class and build suggestions!
To all the Warlocks out there: What skills do you play with and why? Let us know in the comments!
