Following the release ofBeyond Light, the Stasis subclasses have taken overDestiny 2. For some time, it was clear that stasis was themost powerful class inDestiny. Not surprisingly, the best Warlock build will be a stasis build, at least in PVE. However, there are a few other options for gamers that have grown tired of the stasis abilities. Guardians will be impressed by how good the alternatives are.
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Players will want to have the best abilities, mods, and gear when attempting the new PVE activities this season. The warlock is a jack of all trades, and the classes outlined in this article will maximize the utility of each warlock’s ability. Below are the twobest PVE Warlock buildsfor players attempting tocomplete challenging PVE contentsuch as Grandmaster Nightfalls, raids, and dungeons.
Updated on May 27, 2025, by Anastasia Maillot:Season 18 has arrived, and with it, all three original subclasses have received their 3.0 updates. This means that buildcrafting in Destiny 2 has changed significantly from before, giving players more flexibility and more choices when it comes to their gameplay. It has also democratized a bunch of abilities between the classes and introduced new Exotics into the game. With all this in mind, it was clear thisWarlock endgame PVE build guideneeded a full revamp to reflect the flexibility and options of the 3.0 subclasses. Each subclass is featured here, from worst to best, with recommended abilities, aspects, fragments, Exotic gear, and mods.
The most important thing to focus on with any build as of right now is to have Tier 10 Resilience, or Resilience 100. This provides players with a 40% damage negation without having to use any mods or abilities.
Stormcaller Endgame Build
Arc is by far the weakest subclass for Warlocks to run in endgame PVE content. This is because the Arc Warlock Supers are extremely weak compared to many other damage-focused or ad-clear Supers in the game, and generally not worth a player’s time.
That said, Arc Warlocks excel in quick ability regeneration. Arc is one of the spammiest subclasses for Warlocks, so players looking to quickly clear ads, blind and jolt targets for maximum chaos can turn to the Arc subclass for just that. Credit for this early Arc build featuring the Fallen Sunstar and Delicate Tombgoes to Aztecross.
Arc 3.0 Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
In terms of the weak Supers, it doesn’t matter much which one the player chooses.Chaos Reachwill force the player to remain stationary in the air, whileStormtranceis a mobile roaming Super. It really boils down to personal preference.Healing Riftis a must-have for Arc since it doesn’t deal with health regeneration, similar to Stasis. For melee,Ball Lightning has the best range. Interms of Warlock grenades, players can pick betweenStorm grenades or Pulse grenades, both being excellent choices with decent damage.
Fragments:
Mods & Gear
This build can function well with Crown of Tempest, but it will be at its strongest if players put onthe Fallen Sunstar helmet. This brand-new Exotic is quite a powerhouse, and will significantly improve Arc Warlock gameplay, especially when Ionic Traces are involved.
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Fallen Sunstar buffs Ionic Traces, which now grant even more ability energy and move quickly towards the player. When players collect an Ionic Trace, allies near them will also get increased ability energy.
Arc special weapons are a must-have for this build. Players will have the option betweenthe Forbearance grenade launcherfrom the Vow of the Disciple raid, orthe Delicate Tomb fusion riflefrom the season 18 season pass. The latter will have greater synergy with this build since the Delicate Tomb gets overcharged when players collect and Ionic Trace. Its next shot will jolt a target. With Font of Might applied,Stormchaser is a natural choice for a DPS weaponor The Hothead.
Elemental Well modsare once again a player’s best friend when it comes to this Arc build. The primary way players will make Wells with this build is by using their charged melee, so havingMelee Wellmakerat least twice, as well asBountiful Wellsto up that to three Wells, will be incredibly beneficial.Font of Mightis a natural choice here as well, for better damage on heavy and special weapons that should be Arc.
This means players will need to have their melee ready at all times. On the class item, applyOutreachmods and aWell of Strikingmod to ensure players have the longest melee uptime possible.
Voidwalker Endgame Build
Void is an extremely powerful subclass for Warlocks. In fact, it is the one subclass closest to the Warlock identity. Void 3.0 brought about many great changes that turned this subclass into a powerhouse for Warlock mains.
Void specializes in weakening targets, so having weakening grenades that will have bosses take more damage, the Child of the Old Gods which will weaken ads in an area-of-effect, and having Volatile Rounds for ad-clear makes this great for dealing with rank-and-file enemies, as well as tougher opponents. Moreover, Devour provides the Void subclass with excellent sustain as well.
Void 3.0 Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
Warlocks have three Void Supers to choose from, but for most hardcore PVE,the Nova Bomb: Cataclysmis the best choice for its slowness and high damage output. Since this build will focus on activating the Devour buff, confident players can go forEmpowering Riftfor even more damage. Otherwise, pick Healing Rift. For grenades,Vortex Grenadeis the best for its damage and suction when paired with the enhancing aspect as well.
In terms of the Exotic of choice, this build will workbest around Contraverse Holds. Contraverse Holds allow players to charge their Void grenades. While charging, they gain damage resistance. Any direct hits with the grenade will refund grenade energy. The purpose of this build is to basically have infinite Vortex grenades that charge up grenade energy and constantly activate Devour and Volatile Rounds for the player.
Other Exotics for Void includeNezarec’s Sin, which buffs ability regeneration, andSecant Filaments, which allows players to gain Devour whenever they cast their Rift.
For weapons, players will absolutely want to have Void weapons available.A Void primary is a must-have, and one of the best ones is still theFunnelweb SMGwith Subsistence and Frenzy. For longer range,the Aisha’s Embrace scout riflewith perks like Vorpal Weapons, Triple Tap, and Fourth Time’s the Charm works well.
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This Void build is practically made for Elemental Well mods. For damage resistance, slot inWell of Tenacity, which will make the player into an unbeatable tank on top of Devour.Font of Mightwill buff the player’s Void primary damage and help with ad-clearing.Bountiful Wellsis great for getting even more bang for a buck, by increasing the number of Elemental Wells dropped. For the rest, just slot inElemental OrdnanceorMelee Wellmaker, depending on which ones the player prefers.
Shadebinder Endgame Build
Stasis excels above all in controlling rather than clearing ads and champions. Keeping dangerous targets frozen permanently is a huge boon for a fireteam, which is why Stasis ranks up so high on this list. It’s one of the best subclasses to run in just aboutany Grandmaster Nightfall.
Stasis builds will mostly function on having excellent ability uptime, since Stasis abilities and Supers have the longest cooldowns in the game.
Stasis Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
Stasis only has one Super option,but Winter’s Wrathis quite decent as it freezes targets and does good damage when ad-clearing. Since Stasis doesn’t deal with health regeneration and sustain, Healing Rift is the best option for class ability. For grenades, gofor Coldsnap Grenade, as it will play into the Exotic perfect for this build.
The core of this entire build isthe Osmiomancy Gloves, which are Exotic gauntlets. These gauntlets will give the player a second Coldsnap grenade charge, which is replenished immediately if players land a direct hit with their Coldsnap grenade. Moreover, Coldsnap grenades will now travel further and freeze more enemies, making it brilliant against larger groups of ads.
For weapons, players will want to havea primary Kinetic weapon with Stasis.Eyaslunais an option for hand cannon enthusiasts, but other possibilities includethe KraitStasis auto rifle available from Legendary engrams, theForensic NightmareSMG fromSavathun’s Throne World, andSyncopation-53Suros pulse rifle. Look for the Headstone perk, and Enhance it on any weapons that are crafted.
Stasis Elemental Well mods will be the player’s best friend here, to ensure that they get their long cooldowns back quickly.Elemental Shardswill actually make Stasis Crystals count as Elemental Wells, so it’s an absolute must-have for this build.Melee Kickstartis great for making sure players will get their melee back quickly no matter how long the cooldown is.
On the class item,Utility Kickstartis a fantastic and versatile mod that will increase the class ability recharge rate when the cooldown is at its lowest. FinallyWell of Restorationwill grant players ability energy for their lowest charged ability.
Dawnblade Endgame Build
Solar 3.0 for Warlocksreceived mixed opinions and feelings, but overall, Warlocks remain extremely powerful in this subclass. Warlocks can not only be great damage dealers in this subclass, provided the right gear and weapons are paired with one another, but they are also excellent supports for their fireteams thanks to the Well of Radiance.
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This subclass is still one of the strongest and most versatile picks for Grandmaster Nightfalls. There are several options for players to choose from when it comes to gear, but for Supers, the pick will always be the Well of Radiance due to its damage resistance.
Solar 3.0 Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
The obvious choice forSuper will be Well of Radiance, to support the fireteam. The Well provides damage boost and moderate healing and resistance to damage. For class ability, Phoenix Dive isn’t ideal, soHealing Rift is bestfor moments of panic when health regeneration is needed.Celestial Fire is still the best meleedue to its superior range, over Incinerator Snap. For grenades,Fusion Grenades are absolutely the bestdue to their incredible damage.
For the Exotic armor piece of choice, players have a few options to choose from. Toenhance their Well of Radiance, they can go forThe Stagfor additional damage resistance,Lunafaction Bootsfor improved reload speed, orPhoenix Protocolto constantly be able to farm Well of Radiance back with kills.
If players can afford to do damage instead of focusing on buffing their Well of Radiance, they should go forStarfire Protocol, though this requires players to use Empowering Rifts over Healing Rifts, which removes some healing from them but provides them with increased fusion grenades and damage.Verity’s Browis the ultimate choice for players who want the most out of their fusion grenades, as kills with weapon damage matching the player’s subclass buff grenade damage.
This Solar build pairs bestwith Solar weapons and Solar Elemental Well mods. Some great Solar primary weaponsinclude theCalus Mini-Tool SMGwith Incandescentand theStaccato-46 scout rifle, also with the Incandescent perk. Incandescent will help players spread scorch and clear ads quicker. For heavy weapons and damage,Cataclysmicis the best choice, with Bait and Switch and Fourth Time’s the Charm.
For Elemental Well mods,Well of Lifelets players regenerate health when picking up a Solar Elemental Well.Bountiful Wellsincreases the number of Elemental Wells created, the more Well-making mods players have equipped.Well of Ordnanceis a nice addition as well for players who are concerned about getting their grenade energy back as soon as possible.Font of Mightis also necessary for players who plan on using a heavy Solar weapon to do DPS, such as Cataclysmic, as the damage buff is significant.
Destiny 2was released on June 03, 2025, and is available on PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Google Stadia.
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