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Following the Void 3.0 subclass update, Bungie released the Solar 3.0 update along with the Season of the Haunted in Destiny 2. A lot of changes have fallen on Warlocks in particular, but the overall outlook on the Solar changes is lukewarm at best.
While some parts of the Warlock's kit have been effectively gutted (such as bottom-tree Dawnblade), other parts have been expanded upon and changed. An immense focus has been put on mobility, with a whopping two out of three Warlock Solar aspects dealing with mobility. Here's how Warlocks can build around Solar 3.0 in Destiny 2.
Updated on March 8, 2023, by Anastasia Maillot: Much has changed since the release of Solar 3.0 for Warlocks. Lightfall's balance changes, however, have proven to be extraordinarily good for the subclass, and now if ever is the perfect occasion for Warlock mains to revisit the Solar subclass. Starfire Protocol Warlock, which has been dominating the PVE meta for the last six months or more, has become even more powerful thanks to two new Solar fragments introduced with Lightfall. The end of Elemental Wells has also spawned a new Solar pickup known as Firesprite, which works similarly but requires set fragments to be active. With balance changes to Phoenix Dive and Daybreak as well, the best Solar Warlock builds in Destiny 2 have become even easier to attain.
Solar Abilities, Aspects & Fragments
Much like Void and Stasis, players will now be able to tailor their Solar subclass to fit their wants and needs, whether it be PVE or PVP. As of Lightfall, Bungie has confirmed that new fragments will be introduced in the future to all subclasses, and such was the case in season 20. In Year 6 of Destiny 2, here's what Solar Warlocks have on their menu.
Solar Class Abilities
Players can now access all class abilities regardless of Super, including the special bottom-tree Phoenix Dive. Phoenix Dive also Cures nearby allies, and if Heat Rises is active, it scorches enemies and Restores the player. The Rift abilities remain largely the same.
Phoenix Dive received a slight buff in Lightfall, and its base cooldown decreased significantly to only 55 seconds. It now also pairs better with Daybreak builds: when Daybreak is activated, its cooldown is even more reduced, making it spammable. The damage from the AoE scorch is also increased. If Heat Rises is activated, the Restoration buff from Phoenix Dive is increased to 3 seconds.
Solar Melees
In the melee department, players can choose between the classic Celestial Fire melee, a favorite of top-tree Dawnblade Warlocks, as well as a brand-new melee called the Incinerator Snap. In stylish fashion, Warlocks can snap their fingers and set targets on fire, scorching them.
Celestial Fire still remains the more consistent melee out of the two, with better range, though Incinerator Snap provides far better stacks of scorch and has great synergy with Sunbracer builds.
Solar Grenades
New in this category are Incendiary, Tripmine, Thermite, and Swarm Grenades. The Healing Grenade from middle-tree Dawnblade is also its own grenade now, making it the weakest choice as players will need to trade off their main offensive ability.
The strongest choices remain the good old Solar Grenade and Fusion Grenade, especially when paired with the Touch of Flame aspect.
Solar Aspects
Warlocks can now choose from three different aspects:
- Touch of Flame: Grenades receive additional functionalities. For example, Solar Grenades now emit bursts of lava, and Fusion Grenades explode twice instead of once.
- Heat Rises: Allows Warlocks to consume their grenade to float in the air and remain airborne while using their abilities and weapons. Kills while airborne increase the duration and charge melee ability. Activating Heat Rises also releases a burst of Cure to the player and nearby allies.
- Icarus Dash: Warlocks can dodge while in the air, and if Heat Rises is active, players receive two dodges. While players are airborne, weapon and Super kills Cure the player.
Thanks to the buffs to these aspects shortly after season 17 launched, Heat Rises and Icarus Dash can be interchanged depending on whether players prefer mobility over extra healing. Icarus Dash has a clear preference for PVP, whereas Touch of Flame will usually be solely used for PVE builds.
Solar Fragments
Brand new Solar fragments have been introduced in Lightfall, which in turn have seriously buffed Solar Warlock, particularly any Starfire Protocol players:
- Ember of Mercy: Picking up a Firesprite grants Restoration. Reviving an ally grants a burst of Restoration.
- Ember of Resolve: Solar grenade final blows grant Cure.
Both of these are absolute must-haves for Warlocks, especially if players plan on running Starfire Protocol, which sacrifices the Healing Rift for the Empowering Rift. To extend the time of the Restoration effect, which is currently quite short, Ember of Solace is one option. Firesprites are the new Solar pickups, which players can access easily by choosing the Ember of Searing, which spawns a Firesprite when scorched targets are killed and also grants melee energy.
Firesprites have also been included in the following fragments:
- Ember of Combustion: Solar Super final blows ignite enemies and spawn Firesprites.
- Ember of Tempering: When active, final blows with Solar weapons spawn Firesprites. Also grants increased recovery and airborne effectiveness.
Other good fragments that focus on scorching (and therefore ad-clearing) that Warlocks can try are:
- Ember of Ashes: Players apply increased stacks of scorch to targets.
- Ember of Char: Solar ignitions spread stacks of scorch to nearby enemies.
- Ember of Eruption: Increases the AoE effect of Solar ignitions.
These work fantastically with Dawn Chorus in particular, and any weapons with the Incandescent perk.
Solar Supers
Daybreak and Well of Radiance continue to be the two core Solar Supers for Warlocks. Well of Radiance still remains untouched in terms of balance since last year's overshield removal, but that hasn't stopped it from being among the best endgame Supers in Destiny 2.
Daybreak received a bit of love from Bungie in Lightfall. Each slash of the blade now consumes less of the Super's charge as it did last year, and the Super also grants a maximum of 7 Orbs of Power instead of 5. Daybreak also received a massive PVE damage buff of 25% against enemies and its cooldown went down by roughly a minute. All in all, Daybreak is now a serious contender for roaming damage Supers in PVE, perfect for ad-clearing even in tougher content.
Mods & Artifact Mods
Mods have been completely overhauled in Lightfall, and the system has been greatly simplified. Chances are, most Solar builds won't even require different mods, as Warlocks simply need to choose between melee or grenade equivalents of the same-ish mods. Players can also stack various mods up to three times to make incredibly powerful grenade-centric builds, which is truly what defines the Solar Warlock in every aspect.
- Firepower: Grenade kills now drop Orbs of Power. Orbs of Power now grant Armor Charge, which triggers various Armor Charge mods.
- Bomber: Using class ability grants grenade energy. Again, great for building into any grenade-centric builds.
- Bolstering Detonation: Gain class ability energy when dealing grenade damage. This along with Bomber will let Solar Warlocks keep cycling and recharging their abilities endlessly.
Elemental Wells have now been replaced by Firesprites, which are Solar pick-ups that players can create if they have certain fragments equipped. Warlocks should take advantage of Firesprites regardless of whether they build into an offensive gameplay style or a more support-oriented style.
Weapons & Gear
Solar Warlocks have a variety of builds to choose from, though the Rain of Fire exotic has seen less use due to fusion rifles still being weak. The Dawn Chorus helmet has instead taken its place among the top three Solar Warlock Exotics:
- Starfire Protocol: Fusion Grenades have another charge, and gain charge from empowered weapon damage. Kills with Fusion Grenades grant Rift energy. By far the strongest Warlock Solar Exotic for DPS.
- Sunbracers: The absolute go-to for any Solar grenade-spam build. Solar Grenades last longer, and Solar melee kills give unlimited grenade energy for a short time. Solar Grenades have also received a 20% damage buff in Lightfall.
- Dawn Chorus: Great for scorch-centric builds. Daybreak projectiles track enemies better and scorch them. Scorches deal more damage and scorching grants melee energy.
Other good (but not mind-blowing) Exotics that are staples in Solar Warlock builds are Exotics that pair well with Well of Radiance, such as Lunafaction Boots, Phoenix Protocol, and The Stag.
Lightfall has brought in a lot of weapon changes as well. With seasonal artifact perks changing, it's impossible to tell what weapons will benefit Solar builds the most in the future. That said, any weapons with the Incandescent perk will pair quite well with most Solar Warlock builds. With SMGs so powerful still, the Calus Mini-Tool remains a strong contender.
For heavy, rocket launchers and grenade launchers with the Demolitionist perk are absolutely fantastic, particularly for players who use fusion grenades. The Bump in the Night rocket launcher is the ideal pick for Starfire Warlocks especially as it allows a perfect cycle of rockets and grenades while standing in a Rift or Well during a damage phase.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.