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Destiny 2 has seen some radical changes since it was released back in 2017. Multiple expansions and updates later, Bungie has turned this simple FPS title into a much deeper action MMO with a focus on buildcrafting and customization.
Most of this is thanks to the inclusion of Combat Style mods in Year 3, allowing players to creatively tune their builds around niche mechanics for some devastating results. Arguably the easiest mechanic to understand is Warmind Cells, glowing orbs that newer players can't resist shooting. As frustrating as that might be, the reward for creating a Warmind Cell build is a character that can clear dungeons with ease and provide invaluable support in GM Nightfalls and raids. These mods are definitely worth your time. Let's go over how Warmind Cells work.
This guide discusses how Warmind Cells behave as a mechanic. For information about specific Warmind Cell mods, consult this guide.
Updated January 26th, 2022, by Charles Burgar: Warmind Cells saw a massive nerf towards the end of Year 4, making this mechanic fall into obscurity. While they can't single-handedly clear dungeon encounters for you now, Warmind Cells provide excellent utility and add-clear for Destiny's hardest content. If you hate juggling the Charged with Light mechanic and hate picking up Elemental Wells, you might want to give Warmind Cells a try. We've updated this article to reflect recent nerfs.
What Are Warmind Cells?
Warmind Cells are orange orbs that can be damaged, creating a massive explosion when destroyed. Seventh Seraph and IKELOS weapons can spawn Warmind Cells, so long as you have a Warmind Cell mod equipped on any armor piece. You can only spawn Warmind Cells in PvE content and Gambit.
Warmind Cell Effects
We'll give a brief synopsis of what Warmind Cells do:
| Effect | When they take enough damage from Guardian weapons, Warmind Cells will explode, dealing massive damage across a wide area. |
|---|---|
| Damage | 50-250 damage (suffers from damage falloff) |
| Radius | 6 meters |
| Duration | 20 seconds or until detonated. |
Certain Warmind Cell mods will add or alter your Cells' functionality, ranging from blinding nearby enemies to healing allies whenever you detonate one. We cover some interesting ways you can use Warmind Cells at the end of the guide. For now, just know that Warmind Cells aren't restricted to solely killing enemies.
How Do You Spawn Warmind Cells?
You will need two items to spawn Warmind Cells:
- Any Seventh Seraph or IKELOS weapon
- Any Warmind Cell mod equipped in the Combat Style mod slot in your armor.
If you fulfill both conditions, every enemy you kill will contribute progress towards your next Warmind Cell. Most players think it's random, but you can tally your progress by paying attention to enemies you kill. In general, you'll spawn a Warmind Cell after every five kills. Specific values per enemy type are covered below:
| Explosive Targets | 10% |
| Rank And File Enemies | 25-50%* |
| Majors | 100% |
| Bosses | 100% |
*Tougher enemies are worth more
Thanks to Soleceon for the numbers listed above.
Once you reach 100% progress towards a Warmind Cell, your next kill will spawn a Warmind Cell on that enemy's corpse, resetting your progress back to 0%. This progress isn't shown anywhere in-game, so keep a mental note of how many enemies you've killed.
What Can Spawn Warmind Cells?
Every weapon listed below can spawn Warmind Cells, so long as you have a Warmind Cell mod installed on your armor:
| Weapon | Archetype |
|---|---|
| IKELOS_HC_v1.0.2 | Hand Cannon |
| IKELOS_SG_v1.0.2 | Shotgun |
| IKELOS_SMG_v1.0.2 | SMG |
| IKELOS_SR_v1.0.2 | Sniper Rifle |
| Seventh Seraph Carbine | Auto Rifle |
| Seventh Seraph CQC-12 | Shotgun |
| Seventh Seraph Officer Revolver | Hand Cannon |
| Seventh Seraph SAW | Machine Gun |
| Seventh Seraph SI-2 | Sidearm |
| Seventh Seraph VY-7 | SMG |
The weapons listed above can be obtained as random loot from world drops or from Banshee-44 in the Tower. If you have the Wrath of Rasputin mod installed, every weapon and ability that deals Solar splash damage can also spawn Warmind Cells. We'll cover this in more detail when discussing the Wrath of Rasputin mod itself.
Anarchy, Witherhoard, and other AoE weapons can spawn Warmind Cells if you swap to a compatible weapon before they kill something. The game only checks if you have a Warmind Cell-generating weapon in hand when something dies, not if the weapon itself landed the kill. It's a hair-splitting distinction on the surface, but this loophole allows AoE weapons to spawn Warmind Cells if you can swap weapons fast enough.
Can You Spawn Warmind Cells In PvP?
No. However, they can spawn in Gambit. Invaders can potentially die to a Warmind Cell if near the blast radius and at a low enough health threshold.
Are Warmind Cells Instanced?
No. If you spawn one, everyone in your fireteam can shoot and detonate your Warmind Cells, using their armor mods to influence what the Cell does. If a fireteam member has no Warmind Cell mods and detonates one, the Warmind Cell will do nothing.
Do Warmind Cells Have A Cooldown?
Yes, albeit it's extremely short (1-2 seconds). There's no limit to the number of active Warmind Cells on the ground at once. As long as there are enemies to kill, there are Warmind Cells to be made.
How To Obtain Warmind Cell Mods
You can obtain Combat Style mods from Ada-1 in the Tower. She will sell up to two random Combat Style mod each day for 10,000 Glimmer. Since Warmind Cells use Combat Style mods, there's a good chance she'll be selling a Warmind Cell mod. Keep an eye on her inventory each day to see if she has a Warmind Cell mod in stock that you don't own.
All Warmind Cell Mods
There are 19 Warmind Cell mods that enhance or alter the way that your Warmind Cells behave. Due to how complex some of these mods are, all 19 aren't covered in this guide. For a full breakdown of every mod, check out our Warmind Cell mod guide.
Warmind Cell Builds
Since most Arc Warmind Cell mods are lackluster, there are two core builds that most players run: an offensive build and a support build. Let's go over both of them.
Warmind's Wrath
Warmind's Wrath is a build focused on turning your Warmind Cells into devastating orbs that can single-handedly clear rooms for you. You'll need three mods for this to work:
| Mod Name | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wrath of Rasputin | Solar splash damage final blows have a chance to create Warmind Cells. | Allows Solar AoE weapons like Xenophage and Sunshot to spawn Warmind Cells. |
| Rage of the Warmind | Adds additional Solar damage to the explosions of Warmind Cells you destroy. | With Wrath of Rasputin, your Warmind Cells can spawn Warmind Cells. |
| Global Reach | Warmind Cells now cover a 16-meter radius. | Makes Warmind Cells cover most combat arenas. |
The next two perks make this build even stronger, although they aren't needed:
| Mod Name | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grasp of the Warmind | You can pick up, carry, and throw Warmind Cells. Once thrown, a Warmind Cell cannot be picked up again. | Warmind Cells stick to enemies if thrown at them. You cannot melee while holding a cell. |
| Power of Rasputin | You gain a bonus to weapon damage against enemies that are near Warmind Cells. | Enemies take 10% increased damage. This stacks with other debuffs. |
Alternatively, if you play a Titan, you can replace Power of Rasputin with Burning Cells to create Sunspots whenever a Warmind Cell kills an enemy. We cover this build more in-depth in our Titan PvP and PvE build guide.
Overall, this build is focused on spawning and detonating as many Warmind Cells as possible. Rage of the Warmind and Wrath of Rasputin allow you to create Warmind Cells from Warmind Cell explosions, giving you a great way to clear out rank and file enemies in casual content. When combat ends, grab a spare Warmind Cell and continue the chaos in the next combat arena. Running a Solar subclass, Xenophage, or Ticcu's Divination shows the true strength of this build.
Warmind's Suppression
Alternatively, you can make a build that focuses on utilizing Warmind Cells as utility items, suppressing and debuffing targets. This build is a live-saver for Master-tier PvE content and solo flawless dungeons.
| Mod Name | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Cellular Suppression | Damaging a Warmind Cell creates a burst of suppressing Void energy. Additionally, you deal less damage to Warmind Cells. | Effectively disables enemy AI. Doesn't work on bosses. |
| Global Reach | Warmind Cells now cover a 16-meter radius. | Extends the effective range of Cellular Suppression, Warmind's Protection, and Power of Rasputin. |
| Warmind's Protection | You take reduced damage from enemies that are near Warmind Cells. | Enemies deal 50% less damage while near a cell. |
| Grasp of the Warmind | You can pick up, carry, and throw Warmind Cells. Once thrown, a Warmind Cell cannot be picked up again. | Power of Rasputin and Warmind's Protection still work while carrying a cell. |
| Power of Rasputin | You gain a bonus to weapon damage against enemies that are near Warmind Cells. | Enemies take 10% increased damage while near a cell. Stacks with other debuffs. |
You can replace Grasp of the Warmind with Warmind's Longevity if you want longer-lasting cells instead of the ability to throw them.
This build is capable of shutting down entire rooms of enemies with a single Warmind Cell. Having issues completing a Grandmaster Nightfall? Fire your Warmind Cell once to disable most enemy AI while making them much weaker. Note that you can't suppress Champions or bosses, but the ability to turn most arenas into a shooting gallery makes this an S-tier build for GM Nightfalls and solo flawless dungeons.
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