Top 10 Warlock exotic armor items in Destiny 2

Exotic items in Destiny 2 can change the build of a class, and Warlock has some of the best exotic armor items in the game. Here are the top 10 Warlock exotic armor items in Destiny 2, pieces that can turn your Guardian from good into great.

Much like previous top 10 lists, we’re going in descending order, from 10 all the way down to the best Warlock exotic armor item.

#10: Karnstein Armlets

The Karnstein Armlets are the first exotic item on this list. For a quick rundown: the unique ability that the Karnstein Armlets provide is that melee kills instantly restore a lot of health and continue to heal afterwards for a short duration. For both PvP and PvE, this ability has its uses but is much handier for PvE play. If times get hectic and you lose health, just getting one melee kill can put you in a much better spot.

To top it all off, it works for any Warlock subclass. That’s why the Karnstein Armlets make it into the top 10.

#9: Nezarec’s Sin

Where the number 10 pick is good for both PvP and PvE, the Nezarec’s Sin helm is a great PvE item. Its exotic ability is relatively simple: Void-damage kills increase ability recharge rate. This applies to all kinds of Void damage, so from weapons or abilities. With or without the Void Warlock subclass, this helm can help clustered fights a breeze.

Just being able to use grenades and melee abilities faster by getting kills with a Void weapon can lead to much easier PvE fights.

#8: Mantle of Battle Harmony

Another great exotic armor item for PvE play, the Mantle of Battle Harmony is great because of how flexible its exotic ability is. What it does is that if your weapon matches the damage type of your subclass, kills with it grant more Super energy. On top of that, when your Super is charged up, those weapon types gain a buff.

While it does take some time to get used to and a specific kit to set up, this item can be very strong.

#7: Transversive Steps

Out of all the exotics on the list, the Transversive Steps might be the easiest to just equip and learn. Their exotic ability is very simple: increased sprint speed and automatic reload on equipped weapon after a short time spent sprinting. This is a great ability to have in any mode in Destiny 2, as reloading guns that take a while is as simple as running away from your opponents.

While it doesn’t have the same tremendous upside as other exotic armor items further down in this list, Transversive Steps are super handy.

#6: Ophidian Aspect

In a similar vein to the above armor item, Ophidian Aspect is great because it’s always useful for both PvP and PvE play. The exotic ability it provides is a ready and reload speed buff, with an extended melee range. This is usually more commonly used in PvP play, but the best aspect of this item is that there are no requirements to keep the ability up.

Plus, instead of just movement speed and an auto-reload feature, this item features more buffs than the previous item on this list.

#5: Starfire Protocol

The only reason this item is so low on the list is that it forces you to make your build a specific way, but it is a strong one. Starfire Protocol’s exotic ability is that Fusion Grenades have an extra charge and recharge from empowered weapon damage. On top of that, Fusion Grenade kills grant Rift energy.

So, combo this Solar subclass item with abilities like Well of Radiance and the Touch of Flame aspect and you have yourself a great way to spam grenades at enemies in PvE play.

#4: Rain of Fire

When it comes to both PvP and PvE play, there isn’t a better offensive item than the Rain of Fire boots. The perk it offers is that your air dodge reloads all of your weapons and improves the airborne effectiveness of Fusion Rifles and Linear Fusion Rifles. On top of that, final blows with these weapons make you radiant.

Combo this with the Vex Mythoclast exotic fusion rifle and burn your enemies to dust on top of great overall buffs.

#3: Lunafaction Boots

Lunafaction Boots are one of the most chosen Warlock exotic items for a reason. This item’s exotic ability allows anyone who enters your Rift to gain increased weapon reload speed, on top of giving people who enter your Empowering Rift to have increased weapon range. The reason these boots are so good is how they combo with specific Rifts in the Warlock subclasses, specifically the Well of Radiance rift.

When you have this item equipped, your Rifts can be the saving grace to many problems, especially in PvE.

#2: Phoenix Protocol

Yet another very powerful Solar exotic item, Phoenix Protocol is great due to its ability to build Super energy. Its exotic perk gives you Super energy if you get kills or assists inside your Well of Radiance.

This item isn’t complex, it just makes your Super ability up more often, which is crucial in PvE play.

#1: Boots of the Assembler

The top spot in this Warlock exotic armor list in Destiny 2 goes to the Boots of the Assembler, one of the best PvE exotics in the game. The exotic perk it offers is that standing in a healing rift creates Noble Seekers that seek out allies that are not in a rift and heal them. From the Empowering Rift, these seekers give both you and your ally a damage bonus. Plus, for each seeker that hits an ally, the rift is extended by a small amount. Not only does this make all rifts great because it doesn’t need them to be in it to get its benefits, but it works for all subclasses.

While it is much better in PvE than PvP, this is the best Warlock exotic armor item in Destiny 2.

Related: Learn how to create the best void warlock build on Gamer Journalist.