Nuno Espirito Santo's men ran riot against a Brentford side severely weakened by departures and led by an inexperienced manager in the form of Keith Andrews.
Chris Wood scored the opener as the ball fell to his feet from a corner, and he kept his volley down to send the Forest faithful wild.
A flurry of attacks followed throughout the first half from the home side before Dan Ndoye's header extended their advantage, and Wood executed his finish following Elliot Anderson's contender for pass of the season, splitting The Bees' defence.
Matz Sels - 8
The Belgian goalkeeper shared the Golden Glove last season and showed no signs of showing any frailties with his shot-stopping.
When Forest conceded some chances and The Bees were able to get shots on-target, Sels was on hand, despite being denied a clean sheet due to Thiago Rodrigues' penalty.
Ola Aina - 9
Securing a contract extension for the full-back was a significant piece of business for Forest, and Aina flourished offensively. He unleashed early crosses into dangerous areas and ran beyond Dan Ndoye to threaten Brentford's left side.
As for his work defensively, his athleticism to intercept passes and positional awareness shone through, while his capacity to offload the ball was critical to Forest's sustained passages of possession.
Nikola Milenkovic - 8
There is no doubt that the Serbian's contributions were few and far between as Forest went rampant in-possession.
However, when pressure did begin to mount in spells during the second half, Milenkovic knew when to alleviate that pressure and maintain the defensive unit Forest were renowned for last campaign.
He seemed first to every challenge, which nullified striker Thiago who attempted to effectively replace Yoane Wissa.
Murillo - 8
One of the fan favourites commanded the back line with crucial clearances and exhibited his flair on the ball together with impressive passing range.
Neco Williams - 8
Williams suffered an injury setback on international duty with Wales shortly after the end of last season. He managed to get a solid pre-season under his belt and evidently got himself back to match fitness for the Premier League opener.
He was strong and persistent in duels while ensuring his support for Callum Hudson-Odoi was always there.
His critical intervention to block Thiago's effort to prevent an equaliser before the interval demonstrated his attribute to shut down attacks.
Ibrahim Sangare - 8
Although his handball in the penalty box afforded the visitors a consolation, perhaps Sangare was the unsung hero of the stellar Nottingham Forest performance.
He provided security to the back four with forceful challenges but more importantly, through his cover, he allowed Elliot Anderson to roam forward ahead of him without second thought.
Ryan Yates remains available while Nicolas Dominguez will be sidelined with injury for a few more weeks, so Sangare should not pass up the opportunity of remaining high in Nuno's pecking order.
Elliot Anderson - 10
An England Under-21s European champion, and the midfielder is hungry for more, and likely to prove to England senior boss Thomas Tuchel what he has been missing out on.
Forest's lack of possession and defensively-oriented approach last term denied Anderson to express his traits offensively.
He was very tidy with the ball in tight areas and played with courage, spraying the ball wide and linking intricately with Morgan Gibbs-White.
He operated in a variety of areas centrally with fluidity and had the most touches of anyone in the contest and completed the most passes.
His sumptuous pass for Chris Wood's second goal was the cherry on top of his performance, which was levels above many of his positional peers in the top flight's opening matchday.
Dan Ndoye - 8
The only debutant in Nuno's starting eleven was tasked to fill the boots of Anthony Elanga, and he did so by displaying different qualities.
Rather than bursting past his defender like Elanga would, Ndoye seemed more measured in his attacking advances, often picking out a clever pass.
His movement and anticipation by drifting centrally was a highlight, and he opened his Forest account with a bullet header to ensure his side had a significant cushion heading into half-time.
Morgan Gibbs-White - 9
By all means necessary, it was imperative for The Tricky Trees to fend off suitors and tie down a new deal for Gibbs-White.
He wore the captain's armband and ripped up Brentford's defence who were often simply chasing shadows. He was very sharp in the pockets and exuded confidence throughout the match.
His acrobatic improvisation almost gave him a deserved goal to his name, but his assist for Ndoye's header showed his awareness and intent to progress the play.
Callum Hudson-Odoi - 7
The winger is on the verge of signing a new contract with his current deal expiring next summer. He was quiet in the first half but went toe-to-toe with his full-back several times in the second half, offering Forest a different dynamic to that of Ndoye.
He mixed up his approach by cutting inside or by driving to the byline, and this unpredictability and pace off the mark was a valued asset.
Chris Wood - 9
Claims of Wood being a one-season wonder were emphatically put to bed in this first game. The most clinical striker in the league last term continued his lethal streak of goals after notching a typical marksman's brace.
The ball dropped to his feet from a corner in the 6th minute and he kept his composure to direct his effort into the goal.
Anderson will get the plaudits for his assist, yet Wood's anticipatory run and instinct to round the goalkeeper shows his reliability for goals.
Igor Jesus and Arnaud Kalimuendo will look to disrupt his selection, but Nuno may choose a two-striker system imminently which still favours the New Zealand international who scored the only goal in Forest's pre-season.
Substitutes
Igor Jesus - N/A
Jota Silva - N/A
Ryan Yates - N/A