It was the golden age of the Warlock. If you played Destiny 2 during the Lightfall era, you remember the smell of singed hair and the constant thwip-thwip-thwip of Fusion Grenades. You were a god in a bathrobe. Standing in a Well of Radiance, you’d just spam grenades until the boss disintegrated. Then came the nerf. The community mourned. Most people shoved the Starfire Protocol into the deepest corner of their vault, right next to their sunset Edge Transits.
But things changed.
The Edge of Fate update in 2025 quietly breathed life back into this old relic. It isn’t the same "brain-off" DPS monster it used to be, but honestly? It’s arguably more interesting now. If you think this exotic is dead, you're basically missing out on one of the most consistent ability loops left in the game.
The Fall and the Surprising Rise
Let's look at the numbers because they actually matter here. Before the Great Nerf, you got 20% grenade energy back for every single tick of damage while empowered. It was broken. Bungie gutted that down to 2.5% per hit. That’s a 90% reduction. It felt like a personal insult to Warlock mains everywhere.
However, the recent sandbox shifts did something clever. Bungie doubled that 2.5% back up to 5% in the latest patches. More importantly, they uncoupled it from the floor. You don't have to be glued to an Empowering Rift or a Well of Radiance anymore.
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Now, being Radiant triggers the grenade regeneration.
This is huge. Being Radiant is the easiest thing in the world for a Solar Warlock. Hit a melee? Radiant. Use the right fragment? Radiant. This single change moved Starfire Protocol from a stationary "turret" playstyle to a mobile, aggressive loop that actually rewards you for moving around the map.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Build
The biggest mistake players make is trying to use Starfire the way they did in 2023. If you stand in a Well and just hold down the trigger with an SMG, you're going to be disappointed. The 5% return is decent, but it won't give you that infinite-ammo-grenade feeling on its own.
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You need "tick" damage.
The Secret Sauce: Damage Over Time
To make this work in 2026, you have to use weapons that deal damage while you aren't looking at them.
- Witherhoard: Still the king. The blight pool keeps those 5% chunks rolling in while you're busy throwing the next grenade.
- Dragons Breath: The burn ticks count as weapon damage.
- Solar Rocket Pulses: These are the new meta favorites for a reason. They proc Solar fragments and keep the Radiant buff refreshed.
Starfire Protocol vs. Sunbracers: The Real Debate
Every Warlock I talk to says the same thing: "Why wouldn't I just use Sunbracers?"
It’s a fair question. Sunbracers give you literal infinite grenades for five seconds. It looks cooler. It feels more "Warlock-y." But here is the catch—Sunbracers require a powered melee kill. In high-level Grandmaster Nightfalls or when you're fighting a boss with no adds around, getting that melee kill is a nightmare.
Starfire Protocol is the "adult in the room." It doesn't care if there are red-bar enemies to punch. It works on the boss. It works when you're under-leveled. It gives you two grenade charges out of the gate, which is a massive safety net for the "Touch of Flame" aspect.
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The Modern "Edge of Fate" Setup
If you’re pulling this out of your vault today, you need to spec into the new Armor 3.0 stats. Forget just stacking Discipline. You want a mix of Weapon stat and Grenade stat because the new scalars actually reward high weapon damage with faster ability returns.
Essential Fragments
- Ember of Torches: Your melee makes you Radiant. This is your primary engine now.
- Ember of Benevolence: If you're playing with a team, healing them gives you a massive 400% boost to regen.
- Ember of Ashes: More Scorch stacks. More Ignitions. More chaos.
- Ember of Empyrean: Solar kills extend your Radiant and Restoration timers.
I’ve been running this with a Hellion soul. The little Solar turret counts as an ability, but the Scorch it applies helps loop your class ability back faster thanks to Starfire’s secondary perk: grenade kills refill your Rift energy. It’s a perfect circle. You throw a grenade, get your Rift back, pop the Rift to summon a Hellion, and the Hellion helps you get the next grenade.
Is it Meta?
Honestly, it’s "A-Tier." It won't beat a specialized Prismatic Verity’s Brow build for raw, single-hit burst damage. But for "comfort" gameplay—the kind where you want to survive a solo dungeon or carry a team through a messy encounter—it's hard to beat.
The double-burst Fusion Grenades from Touch of Flame still hit like a freight train. Each grenade is basically a mini-rocket. Having two of them in your pocket at all times is a luxury that's hard to give up once you get used to it again.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Session
If you want to see if this still clicks for you, do this:
- Focus on the loop: Don't just throw grenades. Melee first to get Radiant, then start the spam.
- Dust off Witherhoard: It is the single best companion for this exotic. The synergy between the blight ticks and the 5% energy return is the closest you will get to the "old" Starfire feel.
- Prioritize Ember of Benevolence: If you're in a Strike or Raid, use a Solar weapon with Heal Clip or the No Hesitation support frame. Triggering Benevolence for your teammates makes your grenade recharge look like it's glitched.
- Check your mods: Make sure you’re running Ashes to Assets on your helmet. Since you're getting so many grenade kills, you’ll have your Well of Radiance (or Song of Flame) back faster than anyone else in the fireteam.
The Starfire Protocol isn't a museum piece. It’s a tool that requires a little more finesse than it used to, but in the right hands, it’s still one of the most oppressive things a Warlock can wear.