Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide
Aug. 11, 2023Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide
Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide– In thisBaldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide, I’m going to be covering the Warlock Class, including all 3 Subclasses, and providing you some useful information. I’ll be doing moreBuild GuidesforBaldur’s Gate 3, but for now, let’s just look at how a Warlock functions and its basics.
Warlocksin BG3 are a very unique Class that operates somewhat like a Spellcaster, and somewhat like a martial character. They can learn up to level 5spells, but their claim to fame is theirCantripEldritch Blastthat shoots a beam of Force Damage from very long distances, and can be upgraded to knock enemies backward. They also have very high Charisma, making them great at handling Dialogue.
Warlocks make a Pact with a powerful being in order to obtain their magic, and this grants them Pact Magic Spell Slots that operate a bit differently than all otherSpellcastersin BG3. They gain far fewer Spell Slots than any other Spellcaster, but they can replenish them on Short Rest, which no other Caster can.
UnlikeSorcerersorWizards,Warlockscan actually melee rather effectively thanks to theirPact of the Bladefeature, which not only allows their chosen Pact Weapon to roll using Charisma instead of Strength or Dexterity, but at level 5 they also gain an Extra Attack each turn like most other martial Classes, when using said Weapon. This allows them to play effectively in melee or at range, while still having potent Spellcasting.
In this Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide, we’ll take a look at how to set up your Warlock duringCharacter Creationfor the best results. We’ll begin with Abilities first, since this is arguably the most important part, aside from choosing your Subclass.
Your primaryAbilitiesas a Warlock are Charisma and Constitution, but you may also want some Dexterity for improved Initiative and Armour Class.
For this reason, I strongly recommend that you invest 16 in CHA during Character Creation, and probably 16 in CON. You can set DEX at 14 to gain some extra AC and Initiative, especially if you end up taking Medium Armour Proficiency later on from a Feat or Multiclass, or got it from your Race.
Note I’ve changed this from the recommendations as it more optimizes your Character during the early goings of the game.
The first Race I recommend is Githyanki, since this provides the Warlock withMedium Armour Proficiencyas well as Astral Knowledge, allowing them to gain Proficiency in one Attribute each Long Rest. They will also gain Misty Step at Level 5, which can help with Warlock positioning.
Half-Elfis also a great choice forShield Proficiency, as well as Fey Ancestry, which provides Advantage on Saving Throws against Charmed, and Sleep Immunity. They also gainDarkvision, but this is less useful to Warlocks who can gain this viaEldritch Invocations.
Humans are also a good choice for the same Shield Proficiency as Half-Elf, but they also exchange Fey Ancestry for 1 Skill. If you want more Skills on your Warlock then this may be a better choice than Half-Elf.
AndHalf Orcis also not bad forDarkvision,Relentless Endurance, and higher melee Critical Damage than other Races, especially if you plan to play a melee focused Warlock.
ForSkillsyou’ll minimally wantProficiencyin Intimidation andDeception, since you should be handling the dialogue in your group if playing a Warlock, unless you bringWyllalong. You can use yourBackgroundto take Guild Artisan which will give you Persuasion and Insight, and then use one point to select Intimidation and the other to select Deception.
Eldritch Blast
At level 1, Warlocks will gain access to Eldritch Blast which is a unique Cantrip that deals 1-10 Force Damage to an enemy from incredible range. Eldritch Blast targets the Armour of an enemy, and works much like any other Ranged Attack, except that it uses the Charisma Modifier of the Warlock for its Attack Rolls. This means it is more accurate from elevation, has Disadvantage when used in melee range of an enemy, and gains Advantage when used when Hidden from enemies.
Eldritch Blast can be upgraded at later levels to deal more damage and to knockback enemies struck by it, and will gain additional beams that increase with your character level. This is an important distinction from Class level, because this means Multiclassing will not reduce the effectiveness of Eldritch Blast.
Pact Magic
Warlocks also gain their first Pact Magic Spell Slot at level 1. Pact Magic Spell Slots function differently from all other Spell Slots in the game, and they are a different color to reflect this. Pact Magic Spell Slots replenish after eachShort Rest, instead of Long Rest like normal Spell Slots, allowing them to be used more frequently before needing to Long Rest.
Additionally, each Spell cast with Pact Magic Spell Slots is always cast at the highest level known by the Warlock. Some lower-level Spells in BG3 can be “upcast” using higher-level Spell Slots to greater effect, and Warlocks automatically “upcast” every Spell they know if it can be because of their Pact Magic Spell Slots.
Warlocks gain far fewer Spell Slots than the typical caster, however, and they know far fewer Spells as well, though, they don’t need to prepare their Spells ahead of time, and can cast any Spell they know as long as they have 1 Spell Slot available.
Eldritch Invocations
At level 2 the Warlock will get to pick 2 Eldritch Invocations from a list of Eldritch Invocations, and these all have different effects. More Eldritch Invocations will unlock as the Warlock levels up, and they will get to choose a total of 6 Eldritch Invocations in BG3, giving them a lot of flexibility, and making each Warlock a bit different depending on what they choose.
I highly recommend at this level you selectAgonizing Blastto add your Charisma Modifier to Eldritch Blast’s damage, making it on par with a Weapon Attack. Fiendish Vigor is also good, since it provides you some extra HP before each fight without using a Spell Slot, and it’s much better early on in the game, than later, otherwise I’d recommend Repelling Blast.
Pact Magic
Warlocks gain a second Pact Magic Spell Slot at this level, allowing them to cast 2 Spells before needing to Short Rest.
Pact Boon
At level 3, Warlocks gain 1 of 3 Pact Boons: Pact of the Chain, Pact of the Blade, and Pact of the Tome.
Familiars are nice for another body on the battlefield, and Imps can fly and become invisible, making them great scouts, being able to reach places unseen.
Being able to use your Charisma to melee gives the Warlock the ability to melee effectively, even with low STR and DEX. It also allows them to focus solely on CHA and CON, allowing them to push these Ability Scores high with little divergence.
Being able to use Guidance is great, but only if no one else in your party can cast it. Vicious Mockery is a good pick up, as it allows you prevent dangerous enemies from hitting your tanks when needed, and Thorn Whip allows you to pull enemies to their deaths, though this won’t be that often.
Pact Magic
Both Pact Magic Spell Slots increase to Level 2 Spell Slots at this level as well, allowing you to cast Level 2 Spells with them, as well as upcasting any Level 1 Spell if it can be. This is the last Spell Slot Warlocks gain until Level 11, even though the level of these Spell Slots will continue to increase.
Feat
At Warlock level 4 you’ll get to select 1 Feat from the Feat list. Ability Improvement is not a bad choice here to get your CHA to 18, since this affects your Dialogue, Eldritch Blast, melee attacks if you chose Pact of the Blade, and the Difficulty Class of your Spells.
Alert is also a good choice since it allows you to take your turn earlier in combat, which can help you get off spells like Hypnotic Pattern before enemies take their turn, making some combats much less difficult.
Taking Resilient and selecting Constitution is also not a bad choice, particularly if you use a lot of Spells that require Concentration, since it will greatly increase your chances of passing Concentration Checks if you get hit in combat.
Deepened Pact
At Warlock level 5, Warlocks will deepen their pact with their Patron, allowing them some new capabilities depending on which Pact they chose at level 3.
Pact of the Chain gets an extra attack for their familiar. Pact of the Blade gets an Extra Attack with their Pact Weapon, allowing them to attack twice every turn. And Pact of the Tome learns 3 spells they wouldn’t otherwise be able to learn, really powerful ones at that, that they can cast once per long rest.
Eldritch Invocation
Warlocks will also get to choose a third Eldritch Invocation at this level, including two new ones that let you learn Slow or Bestow Curse. Here I recommend selectingRepelling Blast, which can makeEldritch Blastknock enemies backward. Knocking enemies backwards in BG3 can often kill enemies in one shot, depending on where they are positioned, so it’s more significant than it first appears.
Pact Magic
Warlock Spell Slots also increase to level 3 Spell Slots at this level, and they gain access to level 3 Spells.
Eldritch Blast
Eldritch Blast gains a second beam at this level, allowing you to target the same enemy twice, or two separate enemies in the same turn. Note that this is tied to your character level, so this could be a lower Warlock Level if you Multiclassed.
At Warlock level 6 each Warlock will gain a Subclass feature that changes depending on which Subclass was chosen, and that we will cover in the Warlock subclasses section.
Eldritch Invocation
Warlocks will get to choose a fourth Eldritch Invocation at this level, including 3 new ones that let you learnRay of Sickness,Chromatic OrbandSilenceonce per rest, or let you castConfusion, or let you castPolymorph. I recommend selecting Mire of the Mind here because Slow can really mess with a group of enemies, turning the tides of battle.
Pact Magic
Warlock Spell Slots also increase to level 4 Spell Slots at this level, and they gain access to level 4 Spells.
Feat
At Warlock level 8 you’ll get to select 1 Feat from the Feat list. Ability Improvement is not a bad choice here to get your CHA to 20, since this affects your Dialogue, Eldritch Blast, melee attacks if you chose Pact of the Blade, and the Difficulty Class of your Spells.
Alert is also a good choice, since it allows you to take your turn earlier in combat, which can help you get off spells like Hypnotic Pattern before enemies take their turn, making some combats much less difficult. Or Resilient Constitution for improved Concentration Checks, as I mentioned before.
Pact Magic
At Level 9, the Warlock’s Spell Slots reach their max level of 5, and they will not increase from this point onward.
Eldritch Invocation
Warlocks also gain their fifth Eldritch Invocation at this level including 3 new ones that let you cast Minions of Chaos, Enhance Leap, or Speak with the Dead.Minions of Chaosis a good choice if you want a strong summons, but Enhance Leap lets you cast this as a Ritual Spell, meaning you never use a Spell Slot to use it, and it can just make exploration way easier without having to worry about Spell Slots.
Eldritch Blast
Eldritch Blast gains a third and final beam at Warlock Level 10, allowing you to target the same enemy three times, or three separate enemies in the same turn. Note that this is tied to your character level, so this could be a lower Warlock Level if youMulticlassed.
At Warlock level 10 each Warlock will once again gain aSubclassfeature that changes depending on which Subclass was chosen, and that we will cover in the Warlock subclasses section.
Pact Magic
At Warlock level 11, Warlocks gain access to their 3rd and final Spell Slot.
Mystic Arcanum
They also gain access to some Level 6 Spells, and they can select 1 that they can cast once per Long Rest without consuming a Spell Slot. This drastically increases the firepower of the Warlock, because they can still use their other 3 Spell Slots for other Spells.
Eldritch Invocation
At level 12, Warlocks gain their sixth and final Eldritch Invocation including 1 new one that lets you further increase your melee damage by your Charisma Modifier, which is likely a good choice if you chose Pact of the Blade and you are going the melee route. Otherwise I’d select the Elemental or Enhanced Leap, whichever you didn’t select before.
Feat
Warlocks also gain their 3rd Feat at this level from the Feat List. If you’re not at 20 CHA you should take it to 20 now, and if you are select one of the other 2 Feats suggested.
Equipment-wise, you’ll either wantLightorMedium Armourfor your Warlock, depending on whatProficienciesyou have from yourRace. Focus on gaining the highest AC you can with it, as this will help keep you alive. It’s unlikely you will have more than 14 DEX as a Warlock, so Medium Armour is a better option if you can use it, when compared to Light Armour.
ForWeapon, you will likely be using a Pact Weapon if you play any sort of melee Warlock, so equipping a weapon is not particularly necessary for a Warlock. However, it may be wise to equip aShieldif you have Proficiency with Shields, since this will further boost your AC, and even if you’re ranged you can use the AC.
If you’re not using a Pact Weapon then your Weapon choice isn’t super important since you will like use Eldritch Blast each turn or cast a Spell. Look for Weapons that give you some sort of passive effect.
In this Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide, your choice of Warlock Subclass comes down to a few factors, what type of Patron do you wish to have? What Spells do you want to gain access to? And what Subclass Features do you gain? Let’s have a look at these things before we wrap up the guide with some Multiclassing tips.
Warlocks will choose a Patron type at Level 1, which will determine their Subclass, and these are The Fiend, The Archfey, and The Great Old One. Fiends are evil creatures from the lower planes of existence such as Archdevils and Demogorgons, and want nothing more than to watch the world burn. Archfey are creatures of legend that possess secrets long forgotten by mortals, andGreat Old Ones are mysterious Patrons from far-off planes of existence, such as an elder god that may have motives inconceivable to regular folk.
All Warlocks gain an initial Subclass Feature at level 1 unique to theirSubclass, and also gain more unique Class Features at levels 6 and 10 which I’ve marked with an * above.
Additionally, each Warlock will gain access to 2 Spells based on the Patron they’ve chosen at each odd level through Level 9. This means at levels 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Warlocks don’t automatically learn these Spells, but instead can CHOOSE to learn them if they wish as they level up. The Fiend has mostly Fire oriented Spells, while The Archfey and Great Old one have a lot of Control Spells that allow them to manipulate others both inside and outside of combat.
At Level 1, The Fiend Warlocks gains Temporary Health when they drop an enemy to 0 HP, equal to their Warlock Level + their Charisma Modifier. This is a phenomenal bonus that can help offset some of the Warlock’s lower HP compared other martial classes, particularly when usingPact of the Blade. However, note that the Temporary HP from it will not stack withAmour of Agathys, which most Melee Warlocks will use, so it lends itself better to a ranged Warlock, unless you don’t use that Spell.
At Level 1, Fiend Warlocks also gain access to theBurning Handsand Command Spells, though they needn’t select them if they don’t want. Burning Hands is a good short range conal AoE, and Command is a great way to get theFlaming Swordat the beginning of the game if you want it. Both of these Spells can be upcast for greater effect, so they will only get stronger as your Warlock gains levels.
At level 3, Fiend Warlocks gain access toScorching RayandBlindness. Scorching Ray does excellent damage, and works similarly to Eldritch Blast, and so targets the AC of the enemy. Blindness is phenomenal because it makes the target Attack with Disadvantage, meaning it rolls 2 dice using the lower of the two values, and your party gains Advantage against it, meaning you roll 2 dice and use the higher of the two values. This effect lasts 10 turn, andDOESN’T require Concentration. Both of these Spells can be upcast for greater effect, so they will only get stronger as your Warlock gains levels.
At level 5, Fiend Warlocks gain access toFireballandStinking Cloud. Fireball is a deadly AoE that can wipe out large packs of enemies, or severely weaken them, and Stinking Cloud is a rather large AoE that prevents anyone standing in it from taking Actions. Only Fireball can be Upcast for more damage, Stinking Cloud does not get stronger as you level.
At level 6, Fiend Warlocks can use their Patron to provide them an extra 1-10 roll on an Ability Check once per Short Rest. This is a toggleable feature under their passives tab.
At level 7, Fiend Warlocks gain access to Fire Shield andWall of Fire. Fire Shield gives you resistance to Fire or Cold and let’s your retaliate with the opposite type of damage if struck with a melee attack, and lasts 10 turns with no Concentration needed. Wall of Fire lets you create a huge Wall of Fire that damages anyone caught in it, but requires Concentration to maintain.
At level 9, Fiend Warlocks gainFlame StrikeandCone of Cold. Flame Strike is a ranged AoE that does both Fire and Radiant Damage, and Cone of Cold of a conal AoE that does Cold Damage.
At level 10, Fiend Warlocks gainFiendish Resilience, allowing them to select a damage type to gain Resistance to until their next Short Rest, at which time they can select the same or a different type of Resistance.
At level 1, Archfey Warlocks canCharmor Frighten enemies around them for 2 turns, once every Short Rest. This is useful if surrounded, for instance if you’re using Pact of the Blade, but not generally if you’re playing a ranged Warlock.
At level 1, Archfey Warlocks also gain access to Faerie Fire and Sleep. Faerie Fire makes all attacks against affected enemies have Advantage as long as you maintain Concentration, which is almost like a better version of Bless, except it can be Saved against. Sleep, puts enemies to Sleep but can only do so if the total health of the targets is less than the number shown on Sleep. Sleep can be used more easily as the Warlock levels up, since the amount of HP increases with the level of the Spell Slot.
At level 3, Archfey Warlocks gain access toCalm EmotionsandPhantasmal Force. Calm Emotions prevents humaniods in the area from being Charmed orFrightened, but require Concentration to maintain. Phantasmal Force deals damage each turn to one enemy as long as you maintain Concentration.
At level 5, Archfey Warlocks gain access toBlinkandPlant Growth. Blink allows you to “phase out” if you pass a dice roll, preventing you from being targeted or damaged for 1 turn. Plant Growth hampers movement in a large AoE, but doesn’t prevent line of sight, so is best suited to preventing melee units from reaching you.
At level 6, Archfey Warlocks gain the ability to turnInvisiblewhen struck in combat once per Short Rest. They can then use Misty Step on their following turn if they wish, though it will break Invisibility if they do. The problem with this Reaction is that sometimes enemies attack in “groups” and you will turn Invisible to only be hit by the very next attack anyway, breaking your Invisibility. I highly suggest you takeResilient: Constitutionif selecting this Subclass, since this can help you pass the Concentration Check that occurs when you’re attacked and Invisible.
At level 7, Archfey Warlocks gain access toDominate BeastandGreater Invisibility. Dominate Beast will allow you to gain control of a Beast who will fight alongside you, but requires Concentration to maintain. Greater Invisibility allows you to make a target Invisible as long as you maintain Concentration, and any time the target performs an Action or interacts with an item, they will make a Stealth Check to remain Invisible or not, with progressively harder Checks. This is great for your Rogues, or anyone that has high Stealth.
At level 9, Archfey Warlocks gain access toDominate PersonandSeeming. Dominate Person works like Dominate Beast, but works on Humanoids. Seeming allows you to Disguise up to 4 members of your party at once, allowing you to blend in in places you shouldn’t be able to.
At level 10,ArchfeyWarlocks cannot be Charmed passively. This means Half-Elf or Elf is not a good choice if you plan to take 10 levels of Archfey Warlock, since you already have Advantage on Saving Throws against this effect, nearly nullifying it anyway.
At level 1, Great Old One Warlocks can passively Frighten an enemy and all nearby enemies if they strike it with a Critical Hit.
At level 1, Great Old One Warlocks also gain access toTasha’s Hideous LaughterandDissonant Whispers. Tasha’s Hideous Laughter make a creature Prone that can’t get up as long as you maintain Concentration, though it can try to get up when taking damage. And Dissonant Whispers deals damage to and Frightens an enemy at range. Dissonant Whispers will gain more damage as your Spell Slots increase in level.
At level 3, Great Old One Warlocks gain access to Detect Thoughts andPhantasmal Force. Detect Thoughts is fantastic in dialogues for gaining the outcomes you want, and Phantasmal Force deals damage each turn to one enemy as long as you maintain Concentration.
At level 5, Great Old One Warlocks gain access toBestow CurseandSlow. These can also be obtained by choosing them via Eldritch Invocations, but Great Old One Warlocks can select them as Spells instead when they level up. Bestow Curse allows you to afflict an enemy with a variety of curses from very close range, and Slow allows you to slow down up to 6 enemies, reducing their Movement Speed, lowering their Armour, and reducing their capabilities for as long as you maintain Concentration.
At level 6, Great Old One Warlocks gain a Reaction that allows them to impose Disadvantage on an Attack Roll against them, and if it misses gain Advantage against the target for one turn. This can be used once per Short Rest.
At level 7, Great Old One Warlocks gain access to Dominate Beast andEvard’s Black Tentacles. Dominate Beast will allow you to gain control of a Beast who will fight alongside you, but requires Concentration to maintain. Evard’s Black Tentacles creates a large AoE of tentacles that remove movement and deal damage to creatures within. Attack Rolls made to creatures Smothered by the tentacles have Advantage.
At level 9, Great Old One Warlocks gain access to Dominate Person and Telekinesis. Dominate Person works like Dominate Beast, but works on Humanoids. Telekinesis allows you to move a person or object a certain distance, like off a cliff or into a deadly AoE, and allows you to recast it without consuming an additional Spell Slot as long as you maintain Concentration on it.
At level 10, Great Old One Warlocks gain Resistance to Psychic Damage, and when they take Psychic Damage, the attacker also takes the same amount of damage.
In this section we’ll take a look at Multiclassing a Warlock in BG3, and what other Classes you might Multiclass with. Keep in mind this is not a complete list, but rather helpful suggestions to that make good pairings.
Paladins,SorcerersandBardsall use Charisma to cast their spells so they make solid choices for pairing with a Warlock. Warlock Level 2 is not a bad time to Multiclass a Warlock since they will bring with them Eldritch Blast, 2 Eldritch Invocations, and 2 Pact Magic Spell Slots, along with Light Armour Proficiency which is relevant if you Multiclass into Sorcerer. Level 3 is also not bad, since you gain yourPact Boon, on top of those things, and your Spell Slots upgrade to level 2.
Pact of the Bladeusers will likely want to wait until after Warlock Level 5 in order to gain Extra Attack, so if you’re playing a melee Warlock, 5 is a good level to make the jump.
In my opinion, however, it makes far more sense to take many levels of Warlock and dip into another Class than the other way around, generally. Warlocks are a very unique Class, and they benefit greatly from higher levels of Warlock which make their Spell Slots stronger. Pact Magic Spell Slots do not increase in level when taking other Spellcasting Class levels, so there is a bit more of a focus on Warlock levels than there is with some other Spellcasters.
I like 2 levels of Paladin and then 10 levels of Warlock because you gain Armour Proficiency, you gain Divine Smite, and you can use Divine Smite to great effect with these Spell Slots.
3 Levels of Warlock and 9 levels of Sorcerer will get you a ton of spells, 2 Pact Magic Spell Slots, your Pact Boon and access to Eldritch Blast and 2 Invocations which you can use to buff it.
9 Levels of Warlock and 3 of Bard allows you to pick up Bardic Inspiration, Medium Armour and Shield Proficiency if you go College of Valour, as well as some Skills and Song of Rest which provides you with another Short Rest between Long Rests, which will replenish your Pact Magic Spell Slots.
Warlocks reach their maximum Spell Slot Level (5) at level 9, so it’s not a bad idea to take 9 levels of Warlock when Multiclassing with a martial class. 11 is also a good breakpoint, since you gain 1 more Spell Slot and Mystic Arcanum at this level, so you should aim for 1 of these two.
Multiclassing with 3 levels of Fighter you would gain Armour and Shield Proficiency, along with a Fighting Style and some combat maneuvers if you chose Battle Master. You would also pick up Action Surge, which also replenishes with Short Rest, which is great. 1 level is also another alternative, since you still gain the Proficiencies and Fighting Style, but gain another Spell Slot and Mystic Arcanum.
Assassinis not a bad choice either when paired with the Great Old One since the guaranteed Critical Hits of the Assassin can Frighten groups of enemies at the very beginning of combat. And remember, your Eldritch Blast can hit 3 different enemies at character level 10, which could be a lot of Frightening!
I hope you found these tips helpful, and we’ll have some more Builds out really soon that showoff more of these Multiclassing aspects!
That wraps up our Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Class Guide! Stay tuned for more Baldur’s Gate 3 content as we update the otherBuilds, and be sure to drop by ourTwitch Channelif you have questions about the game. If you need something specific, check out ourBaldur’s Gate 3 Wikiwhich is being worked on night and day, as well as ourBaldur’s Gate 3 Guides.
Castielle
Senior Editor at Fextralife. I enjoy gaming, playing and watching sports, cooking yummy food, watching a good movie and hanging out with Fex.
