Healers in Bungie's Destiny 2 take the form of Warlocks. As mainline support, Warlocks need to pay close attention to their party dynamics to ensure survival. After all, unlike MMOs, a shooter like Destiny 2 has multiple things happening at the same time. Thankfully, Warlocks and their abilities ensure players have means of buffing, protecting, and healing their teammates should the need arise. Interestingly, these special abilities also mix up the healing dynamics in the game, as Warlocks tend to be hard-hitters in their own right.
As a result, Warlocks in Destiny 2 often have different approaches when playing the support role. Some Warlocks focus on buffing the party before entering the firefight. Likewise, others specialize in healing teammates in the middle of the action. However, almost all Warlocks might want to follow some must-try principles to ensure party survival in the long run.
10 Don't Miss The Need For Speed
Despite Hunters reigning supreme in the speed and DPS department, Warlocks have Glides and subclass-specific Blinks and Warps that enable them to dominate as mobile support.
Essentially, Warlocks navigate the battlefield the fastest with Burst Glide, which gives Warlocks a short burst of speed. Warlocks should use Burst Glide pointing downward, right before they hit the ground after a normal jump. That way, the Warlock hits the ground as soon as the Glide ends, prompting a quick recharge and room for spamming the Glide.
In turn, Warlocks can pair this movement style with Icarus Dash (Dawnblade) and Blink (Voidwalker) to reach crucial corners of the battlefield much faster.
9 Don't Forget To Secure Directionality
While Warlocks can capitalize on their speed, it often comes with the steep cost of being hard to control. After all, the short bursts of speed with Burst Glide, Icarus Dash, or even Blink don't give Warlocks enough horizontal control. Unfortunately, Warlocks have difficulty safely strafing and switching directions. However, players can circumvent this caveat by knowing exactly what to do to switch directions without leaving their back in front of enemies.
Essentially, Warlocks who need to switch directions should immediately cancel their current movement and instead opt for a slide as soon as possible. Unlike airborne targets, it's much harder to aim down sights on a player near the ground. As the Warlock undergoes the slide animation, players can move the camera to change where they're facing. That way, Warlocks end up facing left, right, or even a complete 180-degree turn.
8 Don't Forget To Hug Covers
Unlike the heavily-armored Titan and damage-dealing Hunter, Warlock abilities often work best from cover. Aside from covers synergizing well with their AOE Grenades, Warlocks can easily dominate the battlefield if they use their Rifts near the edge of covers. That way, the Rift covers both parts of the cover and a part outside of it. Thanks to this positioning, Warlocks and their allies can safely peek outside and still return to cover without ever losing their Rift benefits.
Moreover, a Warlock's access to Glides, Dashes, and Blinks lets them shift from one cover to the next without having to risk exposure. Warlocks who depend on cover can fare better in firefights, especially since they only have middling DPS and middling damage mitigation.
7 Don't Start Firefights Without Rifts
Warlocks take pride in their access to Rifts, as they use the Light to heal or empower their allies. In turn, tank setups likely expect Warlocks to setup their Rifts before they rush into battle. However, Warlocks shouldn't forget deploying Rifts as part of their setup, especially if the team is about to enter a firefight.
In turn, Warlocks should best deploy their Rifts in covers near contested points. That way, Warlocks and the team can anticipate enemies approaching on the offensive and have their buffs prepared.
Likewise, Warlocks on the offensive should take note of defensive points near contested areas. That way, they can set up their Rifts there and be on equal ground with defenders, despite being in their territory.
6 Don't Start Combat Without Grenades
Warlocks shouldn't just rely on their buffs to boost their team performance in combat. Sometimes, Warlocks have to play dirty and maximize the debuffs and pesky effects of their Grenades.
For instance, Warlocks should use Solar Grenades (Dawnblade) and Vortex Grenades (Voidwalker) to temporarily disable the enemy's health generation. This caveat should give Titan and Hunter allies enough time to turn the tide of battle.
Likewise, AOE Grenades such as Fusion Grenade (Dawnblade), Axion Bolt (Voidwalker), and Firebolt Grenade (Dawnblade) can pepper through enemy health should they insist on launching a direct assault to the Warlock.
5 Don't Neglect Strategic Rifts
Interestingly, Warlocks can get more out of their Rifts than just using them inside cover for healing or in the middle of a firefight for buffs. Moreover, Warlocks who use Rifts strategically can almost always dictate the flow of the firefight.
For instance, Warlocks who trigger Rifts will have a short third-person animation. This should give Warlocks enough time to view the battlefield and assess immediate threats. As such, it's encouraged to trigger Empowering Rifts inside cover as much as possible to assess enemy positions.
Likewise, Warlocks can use Rifts as a feinting strategy. After all, enemies can have the impression of a team staying where a Rift is placed, enabling the Warlocks and their allies to circle around for an ambush.
4 Don't Hesitate To Use Verticality
Players who depend too much on vertical movement become easy pickings for pros. However, Warlocks can take full advantage of verticality with the right strategy.
For instance, Warlocks can catch enemies off-guard by Blinking at an upwards angle to end up in mid-air. Interestingly, the window of time it takes for enemies below to aim upwards can be enough time for a counter-offensive with the ever-reliable scout rifle.
Likewise, Warlocks with intimate map knowledge can Glide upwards to reach the top of doorways. With the right timing, Warlocks who do this can end up on top of unsuspecting enemies.
3 Don't Ignore Ledges And Open Edges
Chances are, players will want to avoid edges of maps as falling to one's death can easily become an embarrassment. Interestingly, Warlocks can take advantage of these open ledges to have a more offensive approach to battlefield exploration.
For instance, Attunement of Sky (Dawnblade) allows the Warlock to use Icarus Dash to reach further distances. However, Heat Rises allows them to consume their Grenade energy to boost their Glide time. In turn, this gives Warlocks more than enough time to circle ledges and end up on a ledge on another part of the map, often surprising enemies.
Warlocks should try to take advantage of their Glide abilities to circle around ledges and unimposing spaces to surprise enemy defenders. After all, disorienting them enough with a good auto rifle burst can give allies enough time to retaliate.
2 Don't Forget To Work With The Team
Despite their solo potential, Warlocks perform best when they have allies to boost and support. However, aside from being the glorified healer, Warlocks can synergize their tactics with other class abilities.
For instance, a Titan's Barricade can extend cover for the entire team to have better defenses. However, Warlocks can extend this extension further with an Empowering Rift, allowing the team to increase their overall DPS.
Likewise, Warlocks and Titans can coordinate to take charge of fighting foes from a melee standpoint. That way, Hunters can easily zoom in for the kill from afar with their auto rifles.
1 Don't Neglect Weapon Synergies
Interestingly, the fast-paced nature of Warlock movement doesn't mean they only work for moving around and escaping opponents. In fact, Warlocks can use their speed in tandem with weapon synergies to make the most out of their damage output.
For instance, Warlocks who need to retreat from close calls should immediately switch to long-ranged weapons such as sniper rifles to maximize damage over a distance. Likewise, more aggressive Warlocks should switch to a shotgun as soon as they end their Glide in close range. That way, Warlocks can always bounce back for a brutal counter-offensive.