Channel might and magic with our Baldur’s Gate 3 best Warlock build
What is a strong Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build?InBaldur’s Gate 3, Warlocks are a solid Class choice that can leverage an array of powerful Spells. Although they may not have the inherent power of melee masters such as Fighters or Barbarians, they can be, in many ways, much more powerful. InBaldur’s Gate 3, your companion Wyll is a Warlock, so if you don’t plan to build your own Warlock character, you can look to ourBaldur’s Gate 3 respec guideand respec your party mate to make him as mighty as possible.
A Warlock can be an asset to almost any party composition, dealing significant damage against enemies that might resist more common melee and ranged weapon attacks. If you’re looking for the best Warlock build ideas in Baldur’s Gate 3, here’s everything you need to know, including the best Race, Subclass, Background,EldritchInvocations, Pact, and Spells.
Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build basics
Warlocks can use unique magic and supernatural abilities to achieve their desired objectives, which generally means wiping out enemies. The Warlock’s primary attribute isCharisma, which confers benefits to their spellcasting abilities.
At Level 1, Warlocks can choose from the following Subclasses:
At Levels 2, 5, 7, 9, and 12, Warlocks can choose from severalEldritch Invocations, with your choice of two at Level 2 and one at all other listed levels. The following Eldritch Invocations are available as you progress:
At Level 3, your Warlock character can select a Pact.
Your Race, Background, and Skills are relevant to your Class as they can enhance and strengthen your character. Although your choices may vary based on your team composition, these are our picks for the best Warlock build.
The best Warlock Race is Githyanki.
TheGithyankiRace grants Proficiency in all Skills of a chosen Ability. In this case, we recommendDexterity, as our pick for the strongest Warlock build has a melee focus. Githyanki also receive Armor Proficiency with light and medium armor and Weapon Proficiency with shortswords, longswords, and greatswords. The additional proficiencies you gain from this Race are particularly helpful in the early game, as Warlocks can benefit from higher damage-dealing melee weapons that they could not use effectively otherwise. The Race also gains theMage HandCantrip at Level 1, an improvedJumpat Level 3, and theMisty Stepteleportation Spell at Level 5.
The best Warlock Background is Charlatan.
CharlatansgainDeceptionandSleight of HandProficiency Bonuses.Deceptionhelps the character to hide the truth about various matters in your interactions, whileSleight of Handgrants checks on manual trickery such as lockpicking, pickpocketing, and hiding items.
The best Warlock Skill Proficiencies are Arcana and Intimidation.
Arcanameasures an ability to tap into knowledge about Spells, magical items, and entities, whileIntimidationis geared toward using the threat of force to get what you want and ensure others conform to your will.
The best Warlock Subclass isThe Fiend. The Fiend grants theDark One’s Blessingpassive at Level 1, which, upon killing an enemy, grants temporary hit points equal to your Charisma modifier and your level. At Level 6, you’ll earnDark One’s Own Luckfor a 1d10 to an Ability Check once per Short Rest. At Level 10, you’ll earnFiendish Resilience, an Action that allows you to become resistant to a chosen damage type, which you can change after each Short Rest.
The best Warlock Eldritch Invocations by each level are:
Agonizing BlastandRepelling Blastadd damage and a knockback effect to yourEldritch Blast, which is your powerful Warlock damage-dealing Spell.Book of Ancient SecretsandArmor of Shadowsadd Spells to your Spellbook that do not take up Warlock Spell Slots.Minions of ChaosaddsConjure Elementalto your Spell list, whileLifedrinkeris a must-have because it adds Necrotic Damage to your melee.
The best Warlock Pact is Pact of the Blade.
Pact of the Bladewill allow you to summon a melee weapon and automatically gain Proficiency with it while you have it equipped. Because the weapon is considered magical, the Warlock can use its Charisma modifier for Attack and Damage rolls when the player wields it. With this Pact, Warlocks can also use an Action to convert a weapon they are holding into a Pact weapon until their next Long Rest, conferring the same benefits. Ultimately, this provides more versatility in combat when not using Spells.
At Level 5, Pact of the Blade Warlocks gain an Extra Attack with the Pact weapon. This makes the Warlock an exceptionally powerful damage dealer at Level 10, should the player choose the Lifedrinker Eldritch Invocation.
Warlocks start the game with two known Cantrips and one Spell Slot in addition to any granted by the Race, Subclass, and other variable options.
The best Warlock Cantrips are:
Level 1 Cantrips:Eldritch Blast, Friends
Level 4 Cantrip:Blade Ward
Level 4 Cantrip:Mage Hand
Note that Spell Levels do not correspond with character levels. Typically, Spell Levels increase with every other character level.
These are the best Warlock Spells by Spell Level:
Level 1:Burning Hands (The Fiend), Hex
Level 2:Scorching Ray (The Fiend), Blindness (The Fiend)
Level 3:Fireball (The Fiend), Hold Person
Level 4:Blight, Hunger of Hadar
Level 5:Hold Monster, Banishment
Level 6:Circle of Death
Warlock can choose Feats at Levels 4, 8, and 12. The best Warlock Feats are:
War Casteris a powerful first pick because it gives Advantage on Saving Throws to hold Concentration, giving you a better opportunity to maintain Concentration when taking damage.Resilientsimply allows you to increase an Ability by +1, and we suggest adding this toConstitutionto increase your Proficiency Bonus because, when paired with War Caster, you are much more likely to win your Saving Throws when an enemy Action attempts to break your Concentration. Finally,Luckygrants three Luck Points per Long Rest, which you can use to gain Advantage on Attack Rolls, Ability Checks, or Saving Throws. You can also use them to make an enemy reroll their Attack Rolls.
That’s everything you need to know to make a powerful melee Warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3. Be sure to also check out our guide tomulticlassing, or, if you’re looking to take your relationship to the next level with one of your companions, you can also see ourBaldur’s Gate 3 romance guide. And, as you’re building your companion group in the newest game from Larian Studios, you’ll also want to take a look at ourbest builds guidefor a breakdown of all of the Classes in a nutshell.
Disclosure: Former RPS deputy editor Adam Smith (RPS in peace) now works at Larian and is the lead writer for Baldur’s Gate 3. Former contributor Emily Gera also works on it.
