5 Destiny 2 Exotics that changed the Warlock meta (and 5 that are useless even today)

Mastered with books and sorcery in Destiny 2, Warlock wields the power of light and combines them with modern weapons. Though they might not be as offensive as Hunters or as tanky as Titans, Warlocks strike the perfect balance between supporting their allies and dominating the battlefield with their skills.

Warlocks can fill any role, be it a tank, a healer, or a DPS, with the class's amount of range in the game. Any Exotic gear can bring out the full potential of a Guardian, especially the correct one. The following article lists the five best Warlock Exotics in Destiny 2 and five that do not have any use.

Disclaimer: This article is subjective and relies solely on the writer's opinion.

Five most useful Warlock Exotics in Destiny 2 (2022)

1) Ophidian Aspect

The Ophidian Aspect is one of the most potent Exotic armor pieces in the game, granting a "Quickdraw" perk to all weapons. Additionally, any melee ability will have a greater lunge, be it Void, Solar, or Arc.

This allows any Warlock to switch between all three weapons in quick succession, which comes in handy during close-range Shotgun fights. Think of it like this: A Shotgun with Slideshot and Opening Shot will also have a Quickdraw if players have the Ophidian Aspect Exotic equipped.

2) Nezarec's Sin

Nezarec's Sin has been in the game since day 1, granting the ability of regeneration to the wearer on Void kills. It used to have a great deal of synergy with The Recluse but lost popularity after the weapon was vaulted. However, with the implementation of Void 3.0 and the introduction of Funnelweb SMG, Nezarec's Sin is back on the radar.

Players can quickly regain their ability after rapid multi-kills using the Funnelweb.

3) Contraverse Hold

Contraverse Hold gauntlets (Image via Destiny 2)

Contraverse Hold from year 2 redefined the way Warlocks approached Grenade builds. Damaging or defeating combatants with Void Grenades while holding refunds Grenade energy. While this was a very powerful Exotic from the start, it became even better with the Void 3.0 aspect, Chaos Accelerant.

Players also tend to use this Exotic in Grandmasters, as it allows them to spam whatever Grenade they want as long as it's Void.

4) Geomag Stabilizers

Chaos Reach ability in the Arc subclass can clear adds and deal damage to the boss. However, the ability itself lasts for only 4 seconds. Geomag Stabilizer can extend the duration of Chaos Reach by an extra 3 seconds, granting players more sustained damage output to bosses.

This is great for Raids, Dungeons, and Grandmaster, as it dishes out enough damage to defeat the main boss. The only trick behind this is that players will have to keep damaging enemies with the super.

5) Osmiomancy Gloves

Osmiomancy Gloves was introduced with The Witch Queen expansion that allows players to cast two Stasis turrets. While these turrets freeze the entire room, the wearer gains Grenade ability energy. Each Stasis projectile from the turret travels significantly faster, making it one of the essential picks for high-tier activities.

Players can get this armor by completing Lost Sector solo at high difficulty.

Five Destiny 2 Warlock Exotics that are useless (2022)

1) Vesper of Radius

The Vesper of Radius is an Exotic chest piece that grants rift energy whenever enemies surround a player. It also releases an Arc shockwave after a rift gets cast. Players often use it for more rift energy, but it has already been power-crept by the likes of Nezarec's Sin with its ability to regenerate with Void kills.

The Eye of Another World is another Exotic that can grant energy to Grenades and melee alongside rifts, which is more valuable than Vesper.

2) Felwinter's Helm

Using Felwinter's Helm alongside Osmiomancy Gloves and Contraverse Hold does not make sense, as it can grant debuffs to enemies from miles away. Felwinter's Helm requires players to apply a finisher or final blow to create a burst of energy, further weakening targets.

While it does make sense in high-tier activities, the weakening effect grants players 30% more damage to enemies. This can be achieved using other Exotics with far greater value.

3) Karnstein Armlets

There is so much cheese in the game right now that players do not bother going for the long route. The same applies to Karnstein Armlets Exotic gauntlets, which can restore the wearer's health after a melee kill. Warlocks, however, are suited for either skill-based or weapon-based builds.

Karnstein applies to neither of those two, making their usage minimal in Destiny 2.

4) Winter's Guile

As mentioned before, melee is not Warlock's strong point. Winter's Guile applies a melee damage buff to the wearer after a melee kill, lasting only five seconds. Even if players go for melee kills using the celestial fire ability, it is nearly impossible to get it back in 5 seconds.

Winter's Guile stacks up to 5 times, which is suitable for low-tier content such as Strikes or Gambit. But other Exotics can perform way better, which completely shuts down any chance of this being in the inventory.

5) Skull of Dire Ahamkara

Skull of Dire Ahamkara (Image via Destiny 2)

Time has not been kind on Skull of Dire Ahamkara, as Bungie has released a lot of super-regeneration perks that work far better than this old-school helmet. The Nezarec's Sin can provide a bit of super energy, while the Void fragment, Echo of Reprisal, can also grant super energy while surrounded by targets.

Any weapon with a Thresh perk can grant 1% super energy on top of the Intellect stat of the player. So using any one of those makes more sense than using the Skull of Dire Ahamkara.