How to nuke Destiny 2 enemies with the ultimate 'Warmind Cell' build
If Destiny is about anything, it's blowing shit up and looking cool in the process. And right now there is no better way to deliver on that fantasy than with Warmind Cell mods. Introduced as part of Season of the Worthy, Warmind Cells enable you to nuke rooms of enemies with a single shot. Unlike the Charged with Light mod system, which is also excellent and I wrote a build guide for, Warmind Cells require you to use specific weapons. With one or more of those weapons equipped, plus some Warmind Cell mods slotted into your armour, each kill has a chance of generating a Cell. That chance increases as you notch more kills and is also higher when firing weapons that use Special or Power ammo.
They're so strong, and the AoE is so wide, that stuff off-screen often dies too.
Warmind Cells look like glowing orange beach balls but function like an amped up version of the traditional videogame red barrel. Shoot one and pretty much everything on-screen dies. In fact, they're so strong, and the AoE so wide, that stuff off-screen often dies too. The really crazy thing is that we're just talking about their vanilla form. You can also spec Cells so that exploding (or collecting) them will recharge your abilities, heal your whole team, suppress enemies, and more. As I wrote in my end of year wrap-up, the only reason the Warmind Cells haven't become completely ubiquitous is that they're poorly explained in-game. Also, the associated weapons seemed a little underwhelming—before people realised the Cells themselves were OP.
There are two sets of legendary weapons that have the intrinsic perk that activates Warmind Cell mods: The IKELOS weapons and the Seventh Seraph weapons. The good news is that most of these are now in the world loot drop pool, meaning you'll pick them up just running around on patrol, doing Strike missions etc. The only two exceptions are the IKELOS shotgun and hand cannon, both of which can only be found in the Prophecy dungeon currently. If you check your vault you've probably got several Warmind Cell weapons already. I've bolded the ones I think are best below, and the Light.gg weapon database is a great source when it comes to evaluating the best perks.
Weapons that make Warmind Cells intrinsically
- Seventh Seraph Carbine (kinetic autorifle)
- Seventh Seraph Officer Revolver (kinetic hand cannon)
- Seventh Seraph CQC-12 (energy shotgun)
- Seventh Seraph SI-2 (energy sidearm)
- Seventh Seraph VY-7 (energy submachine gun)
- IKELOS_HC_v1.0.2 (energy hand cannon)
- IKELOS_SG_v1.0.2 (energy shotgun)
- IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2 (energy sniper rifle)
- IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2 (energy submachine gun)
- Seventh Seraph SAW (power machine gun)
Given how Warmind Cells work, the more of these weapons you're using the more cells you'll be spawning. Whatever your precise build, I strongly recommend running a Warmind Cell primary weapon, as that's what you'll be using to clear trash mobs constantly and therefore spawning Cells consistently. Another important note: Using the Wrath of Raputin mod you can also use several powerful Solar exotic weapons to create Cells. I'll get into more detail in the description of that mod, but suffice to say Xenophage is an absolute beast and a staple in my Warmind Cell builds.
Speaking of which, let's get into the five mods which form my go-to everyday build. This set up is good for every sort of PvE encounter (Warmind Cells don't work in PvP), from decimating Lost Sectors to high tier stuff like Grandmaster Nightfalls and the Raid. At the end I'll also provide a couple of alternatives in case you're missing any of these mods or want to experiment. If you've been playing for a while you'll likely already have access to a lot of these mods. Unfortunately, for any you don't have, you'll need to wait for the Gunsmith in The Tower to sell them. He rotates his stock daily so be sure to keep checking.
5 Warmind Cell mods that make a great build
Global Reach
Energy cost: 1
Elemental affinity: None
Description: "Warmind Cells you create affect and damage targets at a greater distance."
No Warmind Cell is complete without Global Reach. The effect is insanely powerful for the energy cost. (As with the Charged with Light system, all Warmind Cell mods use the rightmost slot on your armor and have a cost to socket. Some also have a corresponding elemental affinity, meaning mod and armor need to match.) Global Reach substantially extends both the range of Warmind Cell detonations and the distance at which enemies are affected by debuffs such as Cellular Suppression, Power of Rasputin and Warmind's Protection (the latter two work like auras emanating from the Cell). The short version is if you're running Warmind Cells, you need to be running Global Reach to get the big bangs.
Wrath of Rasputin
Energy cost: 1
Elemental affinity: Solar
Description: "Solar splash damage final blows have a chance to create Warmind Cells."
I love Wrath of Rasputin. As I alluded to earlier, it enables certain exotic weapons to spawn Warmind Cells because it procs off Solar splash damage. Here are some which synergise well, and again I've bolded the standouts: Sunshot, Polaris Lance, Xenophage, Jötunn, Ace of Spades, One Thousand Voices, Eyes of Tomorrow and Twin-Tailed Fox. I particularly like those three power weapons because the only intrinsic Warmind Cell power weapon is the Seventh Seraph SAW, which is solid—especially if you can find one with the Auto-Loading Holster and Vorpal Weapon perks—but still not amazing for boss damage. So my preference is to run regular Warmind weapons in the primary and energy slots, then a Solar exotic as my power weapon.
It's not just exotics either. Certain Solar legendary weapons that cause splash damage, and Solar abilities, will also trigger Wrath of Rasputin. There's a comprehensive list of what works in this Reddit thread. Also pay particular attention to the fact Rocket Launchers are getting a whopping 30 percent damage buff in Season of the Chosen, so keep hold of a well-rolled Apex Predator from the Last Wish raid if you have one because it does Solar damage.
Fireteam Medic
Energy cost: 3
Elemental affinity: Solar
Description: "Destroying a Warmind Cell creates a burst of healing for you and allies near you."
If you've read my Charged with Light guide, you'll know I value healing effects highly. After all, your DPS drops to zero when you're dead. Fireteam Medic is slept on by a lot of players, but the burst of healing it provides (for the whole team) is really substantial. In any activity where you're being swarmed by adds—ie all of Destiny 2 PvE—you'll find yourself desperate for a clutch clear and some life gain. Congratulations! Your Warmind Cell just killed everything and saved your teammates from dying. Once you've played with Fireteam Medic your Warmind Cells will feel naked without it.
Rage of the Warmind
Energy cost: 5
Elemental affinity: Solar
Description: "Adds additional Solar damage to the explosions of Warmind Cells you destroy."
For the substantial cost of 5 energy, you'd expect Rage of the Warmind to be nutty. And it is very good, particularly if you're 'all in' on a Warmind Cell build. The additional Solar damage added to the Cells equates to about a 33% buff overall (more detail here), but the real reason to run Rage of the Warmind is because of the synergy with the Wrath of Rasputin mod. Rage makes all Warmind Cell explosions count as Solar, so the combo effect with Wrath means your Warmind Cells can trigger more Warmind Cells, which sets up stupidly powerful chains of 'splosions.
Sheltering Energy
Energy cost: 5
Elemental affinity: Arc
Description: "Collecting a Warmind Cell grants you an overshield."
My final selection is another expensive choice, and might also be considered a flex spot in that you could swap it for something else without breaking the overall build. Arc-based Warmind Cell mods mostly involve 'collecting'—ie running over—the Cell to trigger an effect. In this case your reward is an overshield that lasts a whopping 20 seconds. Repeat: 20 whole seconds. That Shield will even recharge if it takes damage but doesn't fully deplete. The only point against Sheltering Light is that you mostly want to explode your Cells rather than collect them, but honestly, this build makes so many that there's often one lying around at the end of an encounter that you can grab before heading to the next. You might just have to warn trigger happy teammates not to shoot your Cells unless they need to.
So that's the build. If you're looking to make changes I would probably consider swapping Sheltering Energy and Rage of the Warmind for Power of Rasputin and Warmind's Protection for a build that leaves Cells on the field in order to debuff enemies. This can be particularly useful in really tough content, as can the mod Cellular Suppression, which debuffs large groups of enemies at once. Also consider dropping Wrath of Rasputin if you aren't on a Solar subclass or don't want to use a Solar splash damage exotic weapon in your build. Honestly, go with any of the five above you'll have a great time. The only danger is that enemies will start dying so easily that you'll start to miss the fun of shooting them.
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