Best Warlock builds for Onslaught in Destiny 2

No, it's not all about Well of Radiance.

A Warlock and a Titan do battle with a Heavy Shank in Destiny 2's Onslaught mode.
Image via Bungie

Onslaught has taken Destiny 2 by storm, and guardians are scrambling to perfect their builds in the hopes of lasting all 50 waves and claiming those sweet BRAVE weapons.

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We’re looking at Warlocks here, with a few of the best builds for the horde mode below. Yes, you’ve probably guessed Solar Well of Radiance is here, but we’ve also thrown up curveballs for something a little different. Titans and Hunters, we’ve got you covered already! Here are the best Warlock builds for Onslaught in Destiny 2.

What are the best Warlock builds for Onslaught in Destiny 2?

Solar with Phoenix Protocol

The class menu for a Solar Warlock in Destiny 2
The most popular (and boring) subclass for Warlocks. Image via Bungie
  • Subclass: Solar – Dawnblade (Well of Radiance)
  • Aspects: Touch of Flame, Icarus Dash
  • Fragments: Ember of Wonder, Ember of Ashes, Ember of Empyrean, Ember of Torches
  • Mods: Solar Siphon (Helmet), Hands-On (Helmet), Heavy Handed (Arms), Charged Up (Chest), Innervation (Legs), Invigoration (Legs), Outreach (Bond).
  • Weapons: Any Solar (Incandescent perk recommended).

The obvious pick and a build every Warlock should have on standby. Phoenix Protocol lets you recharge that all-important Well of Radiance Super faster, which is the bread-and-butter of the build. Running with a Void Hunter for Orb generation will ensure you have a Rift almost every wave if needed.

Pair the build with a solid add-clearing Solar weapon. My personal favorite is Sunshot, but if you’d rather leave your Exotic slot open, go for something with Incandescent. Try to max out your Intellect and Strength stats to keep your melee ability and rift uptime high and your Super cooldown low.

Strand with Necrotic Grip

The Osteo Striga SMG with its Weapons of Sorrow theme, as shown in a promotional image
Remember this bad boy? It works great with Threadlings. Image via Bungie
  • Subclass: Strand – Broodweaver
  • Grenade: Shackle Grenade
  • Aspects: Mindspun Invocation, Weaver’s Call
  • Fragments: Thread of Fury, Thread of Generation, Thread of Warding, Thread of Mind
  • Mods: Kinetic Siphon (Head), Momentum Transfer (Arms), Heavy Handed (Arms), two Innervation Mods (Legs), Recuperation (Legs), Bomber (Mark), Horde Shuttle (Artifact Mod).
  • Weapons: Osteo Striga (Exotic Primary SMG)

Already running a Well of Radiance Warlock or comfortable with Onslaught? Give this Strand “Poison” Warlock build a go. It combines the area-of-effect poison abilities from Necrotic Grip and Osteo Striga to spread Threadlings, suspend numerous targets at once, and wipe out entire waves at once.

Throwing on Thread of Warding gets you Woven Mail for damage reduction which, when combined with Recuperation mods, gives a burst of health regeneration. Consuming your grenade via the Mindspun Invocation Aspect grants Weaver’s Trance, which lets us suspend everything near a dying enemy. Follow up with a few charges of Arcane Needle to spread Unraveling and regenerate your grenade.

It’s a simple but effective loop but requires a little strategy and ideally 100 Resilience and Discipline as consuming your grenade for the Weaver’s Trance buff is key.

Stasis with Osmiomancy Gloves

A Warlock wearing the Osmiomancy Gloves in Destiny 2.
A second grenade, or a second freezing turret? Image via Bungie
  • Subclass: Stasis – Shadebinder
  • Aspects: Bleak Watcher, Glacial Harvest
  • Fragments: Whisper of Shards, Whisper of Rime, Whisper of Refraction, Whisper of Torment
  • Mods: Harmonic Siphon (Head), Impact Induction (Arms), Melee Damage Resistance (Chest), Innervation (Legs), Recuperation (Legs), Bomber (Mark), Reaper (Mark).
  • Weapons: Any Stasis weapon with the Headstone perk.

Freeze the field with this Stasis Shadebinder build that uses Osmiomancy Gloves, which grant an extra Coldsnap Grenade charge. We’ll rarely be using the Coldsnap Grenade, however, as we’ll want to consume it to create freezing Bleak Watchers that will slow the enemy’s advance.

Once enemies are frozen, Stasis shards are created thanks to Glacial Harvest which, when collected, refills your melee energy and grants an overshield. Creating Stasis crystals via Headstone will also be handy, as shattering these boosts our grenade recharge and damages enemies nearby. Let your Bleak Watchers do the heavy lifting while focusing your Special ammo weapon of choice on the largest target you see.

Author
Image of Nicholas Taifalos
Nicholas Taifalos
Weekend Editor
Weekend editor for Dot Esports. Nick, better known as Taffy, began his esports career in commentary, switching to journalism with a focus on Oceanic esports, particularly Counter-Strike and Dota. Email: nicholas@dotesports.com