Are you a Warlock main and want to take your game to the next level? These are the best Warlock Stasis builds in Destiny 2 for PvE and PvP. And by the way, as any great Warlock build, these will guide you every step of the way, including essential Exotics, Mods, and more.
Updated as of Episode 1: Echoes.
Top Stasis Warlock builds
-- | Name | Class | Area | Subclass | Excels in | Element | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stasis Engineer | Warlock | PvE | Stasis | Grandmasters | Stasis | Best in Class | |
Frostmaker | Warlock | PvE | Stasis | Solo Content | Stasis |
Best Warlock Stasis builds for PvE
Stasis Engineer
Excels In: Grandmaster Content
Goal of the Build: Slow and freeze large groups of enemies using countless Bleak Watcher turrets.
Mandatory Gear: Osmiomancy Gloves and a Primary or Special weapon with Demolitionist.
Name: Osmiomancy Gloves | Class: WarlockSlot: Arms | Source: Lost SectorsRequires: The Witch Queen | Exotic Perk: Your Coldsnap grenades have an additional charge that recharges quicker on direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades travels further. |
Deliverance | Fusion Rifle | Special | Stasis | Vow of the Disciple Raid | Bait and Switch |
- Aspects: Iceflare Bolts and Bleak Watcher.
- Fragments: Whisper of Refraction, Whisper of Durance, Whisper of Torment, and Whisper of Fissures.
- Abilities: Coldsnap Grenade.
- Stats: Discipline 🡒 Resilience.
- Mods:
- Helmet: Harmonic Siphon
- Arms: 2x Grenade Kickstart, Bolstering Detonation
- Chest: Charged Up
- Legs: x2 Innervation
- Class Item: Bomber
Gameplay Loop
The primary loop of this build is just to throw turrets onto the field whenever you get them. Whisper of Torment and max Discipline will hopefully carry you to your next grenade charge without a problem.
If you do end up experiencing downtime, be sure to take full advantage of your Demolitionist weapon. Once you gain another grenade charge, continue through turrets for as long as enemies survive!
Frostmaker
Excels In: Solo Content
Goal of the Build: Slow and freeze everything in sight, giving you tons of super energy and, eventually, a weapon damage boost.
Mandatory Gear: Mantle of Battle Harmony and Ager’s Scepter.
Name: Mantle of Battle Harmony | Class: WarlockSlot: Chest | Source: Lost SectorsRequires: Beyond Light | Exotic Perk: Takedowns with weapons that have a damage type matching your subclass element grant you Super energy. While your Super energy is full, you instead gain a temporary bonus to weapon damage of the type matching your subclass element. |
Ager's Scepter | Trace Rifle | Special | Stasis | Exotic Kiosk |
- Aspects: Iceflare Bolts and Glacial Harvest.
- Fragments: Whisper of Chill, Whisper of Fissures, Whisper of Rime, and Whisper of Conduction.
- Abilities: No specific abilities are required.
- Stats: Discipline 🡒 Resilience 🡒 Recovery.
- Mods:
- Helmet: Harmonic Siphon, Special Ammo Finder
- Arms: Stat, reload, and dexterity mods
- Chest: Charged Up
- Legs: Stacks on Stacks, Innervation
- Class Item: Special Finisher, Empowered Finisher
Gameplay Loop
There isn’t a specific gameplay loop here; just use Ager’s Scepter and your abilities to freeze and kill as many enemies as possible. Mantle of Battle Harmony will provide super ability energy from said kills, while Glacial Harvest and our selected fragments will grant Frost Armor through Stasis Shards.
Once you reach full super energy, you have three options that are all very strong. The first is to use your super to kill a large group of ads (or even damage a boss!). Assuming you have excess Ager’s ammo, a second option is to use the firing mode from Ager’s Scepter’s catalyst, making the weapon freeze everything and do more damage. The third and final option is not to use either and instead take advantage of Mantle of Battle Harmony’s second perk, giving you extra Stasis weapon damage after a Stasis weapon kill (as long as you keep full super energy).
Unlike other builds, the Frostmaker is extremely potent while not having a super specific gameplay loop, meaning it can be effective anywhere.
Don’t miss our: Top Destiny 2 Warlock Strand Builds
Warlock Stasis PvP build
Because of its competitive nature, stats are significantly more critical in the Crucible than in PVE. For Warlocks, high Recovery is a must as it is tied to your health and rift regeneration speeds. Additionally, because of Destiny’s ability-focused nature, high Discipline is irreplaceable too. Lastly, while it’s more important on Titan, mid-high Resilience can also be helpful. Some things (such as two-shot kills with Thorn) depend on the enemy’s Resilience stat, so having around Tier 6 or 7 is always useful.
Generally speaking, the most potent PvP mods come in the form of stat, unflinching, targeting, and dexterity mods. These all provide passive buffs that are strong enough to notice in moment-to-moment gameplay.
Subclasses
While there is usually a meta Warlock subclass or general setup to run for the Crucible, every element has unique strengths and weaknesses.
Shadebinder
Shadebinder is primarily used to counter your enemies by slowing or freezing them.
All three grenades have some slowing or freezing capability, and the Iceflare Bolts and Frostpulse aspects can grant more opportunities.Fragments are simple here; most simply buff your abilities or give you stat boosts. Whisper of Hedrons and Whisper of Chains are some of the more popular picks, but you can easily build into unique ones like Whisper of Rime as well.
With the addition of the Light 3.0 subclasses, Stasis has slightly fallen out of the meta. However, it’s still potent and is sometimes unfairly disregarded by the community.
Pros:
- Excels in close quarters combat
- Various shutdown and area control abilities
- Amazing dueling super
- Exceptional fragments and debuffs (Freeze/Slow)
Cons:
- Extreme lack of movement
- Less Grenade, Melee, and Super ability choices
- Mediocre grenade options at base
- Little to no intrinsic buffs (compared to Devour, Restoration, etc.)
Best PvP Warlock Exotics
General Exotics
Armor | Class | Type | Requirements | Source | Released | Requires | Exotic Perk |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ophidian Aspect | Warlock | Arms | Free-to-Play | Exotic Engrams | Season 2 | Free-to-Play | Weapons ready and reload very quickly. Provides a small benefit to the airborne effectiveness stat of all weapons. |
Transversive Steps | Warlock | Legs | Free-to-Play | Exotic Engrams | Season 1 | Free-to-Play | Sprint speed increased. After a short time sprinting, your currently equipped weapon is automatically reloaded. |
Because of their ease of use and 24/7 activation, neutral exotics are the most common for general PVP. Ophidian Aspect has always been an S-Tier pick, passively boosting the snappiness of your weapons. Transversive Steps excels for a similar reason, providing quicker and more fluid movement (plus the ability to get a free reload).
Stasis-focused Exotics
Armor | Class | Type | Requirements | Source | Released | Requires | Exotic Perk |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Osmiomancy Gloves | Warlock | Arms | The Witch Queen | Lost Sectors | Season 16 | The Witch Queen | Your Coldsnap grenades have an additional charge that recharges quicker on direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades travels further. |
As for subclass-specific exotics that you can build into, Osmiomancy Gloves are one of the stand-outs. Coldsnap Grenades are already extremely strong, and the increased travel distance and extra charge make for an unparalleled shutdown option.
Before you go…
You can find all our favorite builds for Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters here.