Hello and welcome to a comprehensive deep dive into the Warlock class in BG3. I go by "Jevin the Paladin" and I frequent the official Larian Studios Discord as its resident unofficial Paladin aficionado. I recently wrote and released a guide on the Paladin, as well as the Rogue. There was some interest in releasing guides for other BG3 classes in a similar vein and format to those guides, so consider this a continuation to the series.
Warlock is one of the most unique classes in BG3. Most spellcasting classes have an array of spell slots of various levels that recharge on a long rest. Warlock shakes things up with their Pact Magic slots, a small quantity of spell slots that are always cast at the highest level the Warlock has access to. Most notably, these slots recharge on a short rest. This gives the Warlock more high level spells per day than any other class assuming short rests are being utilized, at the expense of having less freedom to spam leveled spells like other casters do. Pact Magic combines with Warlock’s one-of-a-kind Invocation system to form a customizable and flexible gameplay experience. Couple that with the RP of selecting a patron (though I wish patrons had a bigger role in this game), and you’ve got the recipe for a very popular class.
Following Patch 5 and the introduction of Honor Mode rule changes, Warlock’s place in the “meta” was shaken up a bit. It’s no longer splashable in any martial build for 3 attacks, which is a huge blow to Warlock multiclassing as far as straight damage per round (DPR) is concerned. Changes to Haste and Bloodlust Elixir further solidify that simply bonking with your Pact Weapon for every action maybe isn’t the best use of your turn. However, it’s pretty exciting for me as a builder to figure out what some of the new “best uses of a turn” are for this class, and hopefully you will take away some new ideas to try out for yourself. I’d like to use this as an opportunity to discuss Warlock on its own merits, rather than as a 3-attack stick for other notable builds or an Eldritch Blast (EB) spamming bot.
The goals I aim to accomplish in this post are as follows:
To provide commentary on Warlock as a whole.
To discuss the pros and cons of combining Warlock with each of the other classes in a vacuum.
To give prospective Warlock players jumping-off points to begin their journeys in BG3.
I will be discussing them in alphabetical order, beginning with Barbarian/Warlock and ending with Wizard/Warlock. Below are the criteria I will use for each of my discussions:
All builds will assume the player is in HONOR MODE, a new difficulty setting as of Patch 5. In this difficulty, many known bugs and interactions were removed such as Deepened Pact + Extra Attack for 3 attacks per action, riders and DRS related interactions, and more. I will address these changes when relevant for specific builds if necessary.
None of these builds will require specific items, illithid powers, or abilities to be functional. That being said, some good items to look out for might be the Arcane Synergy items (Diadem or Ring, not both) and Robe of Supreme Defences for Bladelocks, and Potent Robe for Eldritch Blast-centered builds. Birthright can also be a good helm slot for this class in a general sense.
A good baseline assumption to make is that you have 20+ in your primary attacking stat, with at least 16+ in whatever secondary stat you pursue. In the case of Warlock, your primary stat will usually be Charisma (CHA), but any exceptions to this will be spelled out in writing when they arise.
These are not meant to be comprehensive builds, complete with items and leveling strategies. These are simply meant to get you started as skeletons for Warlock + X characters. Please feel free to insert your own items into these skeletons to flesh them out and increase their power level or fun level. I would love to hear about your forays into Warlock multiclassing in the comments below.
Before I get going, I'd also like to thank the following people for their help:
Qwerties and Shigeo, whose discussions on the Telekinesis spell in the Larian Studios Discord motivated the Bard/Warlock build in this guide.
Ember, Xgatt, Princeps08, and Pazuzu, whose discussions on Cleric in the Larian Studios Discord motivated the Cleric/Warlock build in this guide.
Ember and u/Prestigious_Juice341, who helped sculpt my Sorcerer/Warlock and Wizard/Warlock fever dreams into reality.
Rookie [Gish Connoisseur], whose discussion on Gloomstalker shaped the Ranger/Warlock build in this guide.
With all of the above in mind, please enjoy!
First off, how do you multiclass a Warlock?
If you'd like to experiment with multiclassing, the primary goal of doing so is to find features/abilities from one or more classes that you would like to combine with another class. There are some important Warlock-specific level breakpoints you should keep in mind when looking to combine it with other classes.
Level 1: Patron selection. Fiend is “usually” safe for the generalist Warlock looking to blast and sustain, but Great Old One has some unique spells and crit synergies, and Archfey can be powerful in Invisibility focused builds.
Level 2: Your first pair of Invocations. Some standouts at this level are Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast for EB builds, Devil’s Sight for Darkness builds, and Armor of Shadows for clothing-wearing builds.
Level 3: Subclass selection. You’ll be selecting between Pact of the Blade, Chain, or Tome here. In order, these benefit melee-focused builds, familiar-focused builds, and caster-focused builds, respectively. Candidly, Blade and Tome are head and shoulders over Chain, which has very niche uses but seems to have been left behind in BG3.
Level 5: Subclass feature and 3rd level Pact Magic slots, along with new patron spells and invocations. Bladelocks gain an extra attack with their Pact Weapon (no longer stacks with other Extra Attack sources in Honor Mode). Tomelocks gain access to three powerful spells, each castable once per long rest. And Chainlocks’ familiars get Extra Attack … lol.
Level 7: 4th level Pact Magic slots, along with new patron spells and invocations. Standout spells include Fiend’s Wall of Fire and Archfey’s Greater Invisibility.
Level 9: 5th level Pact Magic slots, along with new patron spells and invocations. Standout spells include Fiend’s Flame Strike and Great Old One’s Telekinesis.
Level 11: A third 5th level Pact Magic slot to use per short rest, along with Mystic Arcanum. Mystic Arcanum is Warlock’s replacement for 6th level spellcasting, allowing you to cast 1 6th level Warlock spell of your choice once per long rest. It is not really a build-around feature, and none of the spells here will make or break your experience.
Level 12: Lifedrinker. Odds are if you’re getting to 12 Warlock, you’re here for this Invocation. Adding an additional CHA mod necrotic damage to all attacks with your Pact Weapon is a significant passive benefit. Neither Tome nor Chain have equivalent “capstone” Invocations in BG3.
There’s a lot of room to play with Warlock levels. Before Patch 5, it was overall harder to justify going past 5 Warlock on spellsword builds for 3 attacks. But with that interaction removed, there is a lot more of a reason to go the distance with Warlock. Invocations range from utterly useless to build-defining, and you can select them at levels 2, 5, 7, 9, and 12 based on your playstyle. Just based on your choices here, your Warlock could end up as a potent Eldritch Blast spammer, a Darkness-wielding melee warrior, or a versatile leveled spellcaster. Your choices of patron and subclass (Blade/Chain/Tome) are also additional levers by which you can adjust your playstyle further. There are a lot of moving pieces at play here, and even minor adjustments can result in very unique builds.
With the aforementioned breakpoints in mind, here are my thoughts and takes on Warlock + a bunch of other stuff. Whenever relevant, subclasses will be listed; otherwise, just pick your favorites.
Barbarian + Warlock
Once upon a time, going 7/5 “Barblock” was arguably better than baseline BG3 Barbarian, which is notorious for having less impactful features as it levels. Having 3 attacks per action on the Barbarian chassis was a big deal. The build is similar now, but we can dive even further into Warlock. In typical Barbarian fashion, the build is very simple. Cast an upcasted spell as your action, rage as a bonus action, then spend the rest of your combat beating ass with a Pact Weapon. Armor of Agathys is a great spell for this purpose, both providing you with temporary HP (value is increased by rage damage resistance) and retaliatory damage (which will happen more often due to Reckless Attack’s “drawback”). These are the core interactions of the build, which leave the major subclass and patron decisions largely up to you. Fiend has the generally better spell list and the temporary HP is handy, but Great Old One deserves a shout here for Mortal Reminder, which is a little easier to proc due to Reckless Attack. On the Barbarian side, really any of the available subclasses are fair game. Even Wild Magic isn’t awful as it gives you surges to use your bonus actions on while raging, which would otherwise be a weakness of this combo due to low STR (poor at jumping and shoving). If you’d like to throw a little rage into your Bladelock build, this combo is for you.
9/3 Pact Punisher (9 Bladelock, 3 Barbarian)
Pros:
Very easy to play and flexible, pick your preferred Barbarian subclass and Warlock patron
Solid consistent damage when taking into account both Pact Weapon and Armor of Agathys procs (doubled when wet)
Even despite the 3 attacks per action removal, might still be better than pure Barbarian in some respects
Barbarian uses CHA for dialogue options, so taking Warlock helps you do better at Intimidation rolls
Cons:
You can’t cast spells while raging, making you a worse 12 Bladelock if you choose to cast instead of raging and swinging
There is rarely a “better” play than clicking a spell and then raging on turn 1, which can get repetitive after a while
You will likely be dumping STR, meaning your bonus action jumps and shoves will not be as potent as they’d be on a typical Barbarian
Low Barbarian levels means less rages per day (they recharge on a long rest, unlike Warlock’s Pact Magic slots)
Bard + Warlock
Bard is one of the strongest classes in the game. Due to Song of Rest providing an extra short rest, Bard is often paired with a Warlock in order to give the Warlock more gas. When combined into one character, there are a few routes a “Bardlock” could take. Swords Bard + Blade Warlock was okay but not very good in Honor Mode, and 10 Lore Bard + 2 Warlock is just Eldritch Blast Bard. I propose a more entertaining build centered around the Telekinesis spell. The premise of the spell is simple: if the target fails their save, they’re getting tossed into hazards, off cliffs, and anywhere else you’d like them to go. Lore Bard helps contribute with its Cutting Words feature, which can apply a penalty to an enemy’s saving throw against your spells. This is especially important in the case of the first cast of Telekinesis, as if the target saves, the entire spell slot is wasted. Subsequent saves after an initial failure DON’T fizzle the spell the same way. Your goals when playing this build are as follows: obtain Telekinesis (9 Great Old One, Hr’a’cknir Bracers), successfully cast it once in combat (Cutting Words and itemization help with this), and then maintain concentration on it to continue to apply pressure and CC on key targets. If you want an off-the-wall build designed for maximum fun and maximum YEET, this combo may be for you.
9/3 Telekinetic (9 Great Old One Tomelock, 3 Lore Bard)
Pros:
One of the most unique play styles out there, built around one of the most unique spells in the game in Telekinesis
Throwing enemies around is fun AND tacticalLore Bard contributes not only a penalty to enemy saves against Telekinesis, but also Song of Rest to recharge your Pact Magic slots
Can still fall back on Eldritch Blast or other Warlock spells if Telekinesis isn’t a viable option
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Cons:
This is a late bloomer build, as Telekinesis is a 5th level spell, and the only item in the game that gives you the spell earlier can be found in Act 2: your options are getting 9 Warlock ASAP for “natural” Telekinesis, or beelining straight to Hr’a’cknir Bracers to grab Telekinesis a few levels earlier (eventually, you’ll want both)
As currently implemented, Telekinesis is only cast successfully if the first target fails their saving throw, so if they do save successfully, you just used a 5th level Pact Slot to do nothing (if enemies save against your recasts of Telekinesis, the spell doesn’t fizzle in the same way)
Lower damage than a standard DPR-focused Warlock build (which you probably already guessed), is a bit of a gimmick build
Cleric + Warlock
Cleric and Warlock are kind of similar in the sense that they’re both generalist classes that can do a little of everything, but Cleric is really good at the things it does and Warlock sticks out here. If I were minmaxing, I’d just go 11 Bladelock / 1 War Cleric for heavy armor, 1st level Cleric spells, and War Priest charges to swing my Pact Weapon. But in keeping with the spirit of the guide, let’s take a look at what higher levels in Cleric contribute. Spirit Guardians is a great way to increase the DPR of any melee build, so 5 Cleric is a safe bet. While 6 War Cleric would get Guided Strike, you would then lose out on 7 Warlock and 4th level Pact Magic. Cleric’s 4th level spells are primarily buffs, so going 7 Cleric doesn’t do much either. This leaves us with a 7/5 split in favor of Warlock. With heavy armor from War Cleric, we have more freedom to drop DEX and fully invest into CHA primary and WIS secondary, which allows full utilization of both Warlock and Cleric, whatever that means to you. Frankly, there’s not a ton of reason to combine these two classes outside of RP. Warlock doesn’t need much that Cleric offers besides the armor, and Cleric certainly doesn’t need anything that Warlock offers outside of maybe Counterspell. But if you must, give this combo (or something like it) a try.
7/5 Servant of Two Masters (7 Fiend Bladelock, 5 War Cleric)
Pros:
RP as a conflicted individual with two forces pulling them in opposite directions
Spirit Guardians on top of standard Bladelock is pretty solid close-range damage
Having high CHA and WIS covers all your party face needs (Insight + the CHA skills)
Going Light Cleric instead with the Hat of Fire Acuity is a cute tech
Cons:
This combo is pretty forced: it’s a MAD Cleric with Extra Attack at best, and a disjointed unnecessary mess at worst
Cleric doesn’t give Warlock anything it really needs, and the same goes vice versa
This combo will have minimal room for DEX when allocating stats: initiative and DEX saves will suffer
Druid + Warlock
One of Druid’s primary strengths is AOE battlefield control, and Warlock can double down on that strength with its unique Invocations and spell list. The core components of the combo are Hunger of Hadar and Plant Growth, which combine to form a near-inescapable slow cooker field that melts enemies down over time. Warlock’s Repelling Blast allows you to play keep-away, forcing enemies who make it out of the nuclear waste area back into the grinder. 7 levels of Druid provides a bevy of spells to choose from and customize your toolkit outside of the aforementioned spell combo. Specifically, Druid’s access to summons starting at level 7 is a great way to further exert control over large areas. The Dryad summon’s Spike Growth is a great option here, though it should be noted that Spike Growth and Plant Growth will overwrite one another as they are both ground effects. And should you ever need to walk over your own terrain, Land’s Stride at 6 Druid helps you do so. All of these features combine to form a caster who stands back and allows enemies to slowly waste away trying to break themselves against your controlling effects. If you’d like to dominate entire swaths of the battlefield and coat them in radiation, this combo is for you.
7/5 Wasteland Wanderer (7 Land Druid, 5 Archfey Warlock)
Pros:
Excellent area denial and consistent (though low) AOE damage coupled with decent single-target CC and damage
Highly customizable toolkit and spellbook
A healthy level of redundancy in spell list allows you to cast Plant Growth using Pact Magic or normal spell slots
7 Druid for summons adds even more in-combat flexibility
Cons:
Plant Growth and Spike Growth are both “ground” spells, so they cannot stack with each other
May feel limited despite the versatile toolkit, as the combo’s primary purpose is just to dominate a chokehold and cast specific spells to do so
Fighter + Warlock
Action Surge + Eldritch Blast is a popular archetype, albeit basic and uninteresting. As far as Warlock is concerned, 2 levels of Fighter are usually taken for Action Surge and basically nothing else Fighter offers matters to the average Warlock player. I could write about 10/2 Warlock Fighter, but I actually think adding more Fighter levels would result in a more interesting playstyle. Specifically, I’d like to try and build around Eldritch Knight’s War Magic feature, which allows you to perform a weapon attack as a bonus action after casting a cantrip. Eldritch Blast is one of the strongest cantrips in the entire game, so this is a no-brainer. You can now click Eldritch Blasts and weapon attacks in equal measure, which is a much more balanced combat approach than simply standing far away and spamming the same cantrip with no variation whatsoever. However, you can adjust this on the fly depending on the situation, going all in on blasting or bonking. With 7 levels in Fighter, you can hold your own in melee and at range, and your Eldritch Knight spells help you stay in the fight even longer. You could even mix this with an Archery fighting style build, weaving Eldritch Blasts and arrows to keep your distance fully. Moreover, your choice of Warlock subclass can vary here too: Blade is obvious for melee builds, but Tome has some value if you have room to move some stats around as self-casting Haste is valuable. All in all, this combo is for anyone who would like to be a master of magical and physical warfare.
7/5 WARlock (7 Eldritch Knight Fighter, 5 Warlock)
Pros:
The Eldritch Knight spell list provides great defense and utility, and doesn’t require any INT investment (all in on CHA baby)
The War Magic feature enables you to both cast Eldritch Blast and use weapon in the same turn
It’s possible to go Tome instead of Blade for self-cast Haste, which allows you to go even more ballistic
Still has access to 3rd level Pact Magic for decent blasting and control
Can play at melee and at range, with viable options in Eldritch Blast, melee weapons, AND ranged weapons
Cons:
May require the Daredevil Gloves if you’d like to cast ranged attack roll spells while in melee
May require Gloves of Dexterity if you’d like to go equal parts Archery and Eldritch Blast
War Magic requires you to cast the cantrip first before swinging the weapon, so you can’t start by swinging and follow it with Repelling Blast (assuming no Haste)
Is probably worse than 11 Eldritch Knight with 1 Warlock in terms of consistent DPR
Monk + Warlock
Shadow Monk is one of the most unique subclasses in BG3, with its signature Shadow Step ability allowing it to teleport to shadowy places and gain advantage on its next melee attack roll. It is the preeminent ninja subclass, and can even cast Darkness using Ki points that it can duck in and out of. However, there’s just one problem: Shadow Monks are blinded by the Darkness they summon, just like everybody else. This is a bit of a blow to the strength of the subclass in a vacuum, as it now requires specific items to be able to maximize the use of one of its core features ... or does it? Enter Devil’s Sight, a Warlock Invocation that allows the user to see normally through both normal and magical darkness. With just 2 levels in Warlock and 6 levels in Monk for Shadow Step, you are now fully able to weaponize Darkness. You gain advantage when attacking enemies who are blinded, and enemies will struggle to target you as you jump in and out of the dark. If you place Darkness far away, you can even Shadow Step to it if you’re in danger. Your Pact Weapon will deal a majority of your damage, but you can follow up with a Flurry of Blows when needed to really put someone in the dirt. If you’d like to play the closest mechanical equivalent to Batman possible, this combo is for you.
6/6 Shadow Ninja (6 Bladelock, 6 Shadow Monk)
Pros:
The best class combo in the game at utilizing Darkness offensively, defensively, and for mobility
Really fun and engaging to play
Darkness can be cast using Pact Magic or Ki points, freeing the other resource to be used offensively
Could drop Warlock down to 5 to get Evasion from Monk, which would add survivability but gets rid of a Warlock patron feature
Cons:
Outside of being a Warlock themselves or being equipped with specific items, allies will not be able to utilize Darkness like you
Takes more effort to get similar results to more straightforward builds, as far as DPR is concerned
Stat allocation could be a little wonky, CHA comes first for Pact Weapon, followed by DEX for AC and unarmed attacks, but then you’d also like WIS for Monk stuff and maybe even STR if you want to pick Tavern Brawler ... I’d just go with CHA and DEX focus, CON for HP
Paladin + Warlock
Ordinarily, I’d recommend the standard 7/5 Oathbreaker Fiendlock split that dominated every discussion about Paladin builds for months. I originally did so in my previous Paladin guide, linked at the bottom of this post. However, with Honor Mode removing the 3-attacks interaction, I am free to recommend a different spin on the Lockadin. Note that this build will still be 7/5 in favor of Paladin: I view the Paladin’s auras to be more valuable to this build than what 7 Warlock would ultimately provide. For all intents and purposes, you are still a Paladin who maxes out STR or DEX depending on your weapon and armor, followed by CHA for aura value and your relevant spells. On top of this chassis, adding 5 levels of Tome Warlock allow you to gain access to Animate Dead, Call Lightning, and Haste once per day without spending any slots, on top of your already packed Warlock toolkit. Haste and Bloodlust Elixirs were nerfed for martial characters to only allow one attack with that extra action ... However, you are a Warlock, Eldritch Blast is one of the most powerful actions you have access to, and Eldritch Blast is unaffected by these changes. While hasted, you can use your first action to attack with your weapon, and your second action to Eldritch Blast for some good mixed damage. Your Aura of Protection and your Aura of Warding from Oath of the Ancients, help you maintain concentration and mitigate incoming spell damage. There is also a Bladelock variant of this build that goes all in on CHA and takes Potent Robe to maximize EB damage, but you lose out on self-cast Haste and decent AC to do so. If you’d like to play Lockadin in Honor Mode without feeling like you need to lament the loss of 3 attacks per action, this combo might be for you.
7/5 Tomeadin (7 Ancients Paladin, 5 Tomelock)
Pros:
A unique version of an already popular spellsword combo that puts more emphasis on durability and spellcasting
Aura of Protection and Aura of Warding make it easier to absorb hits and concentrate on high-value spells
Functions well at melee due to the Paladin package and at range due to the Warlock package
Haste allows you to swing a weapon 2 times as an action, and Eldritch Blast 3 times as your hasted action for a ton of DPR
No respecs required for Tomelock + medium/heavy armor variant, play with standard starting Paladin ability scores then finish your last 5 levels in Warlock
Can go Bladelock + Potent Robe variant if you’d like to go full CHA gish-blaster mode, but will need to patch up AC with Armor of Shadows or external Mage Armor and miss out on self-cast Haste to do so
Can dump STR and focus entirely on CHA while standing on party members with Aura of Protection and Aura of Warding, utilizing Eldritch Blast as primary damage source (doesn't feel much like a Paladin, but is one of the best ways to protect backline casters)
Cons:
Missing out on 3 attacks per action from the non-Honor Mode version of the combo is a 50%-ish falloff in weapon damage per action, and the Haste nerfs do hurt builds trying to swing weapons a lot
Though Tome gives you more options in combat than Blade would, you may not end up using them all the time as Animate Dead is niche and Call Lightning is rarely optimal over swinging or Eldritch Blasting
Unlike most Warlock builds, this one is not entirely SAD (Single Attribute Dependent) and requires investment in both a primary weapon stat (STR or DEX) and then CHA as a secondary focus
Assuming no respecs, the levels between 7 Paladin and getting to 5 Warlock for Tome’s good spells might feel a little empty
Ranger + Warlock
On the surface, Ranger may not seem like it offers much to Warlock, but this has some surprising potential. On a baseline, Ranger gives this combo some half-caster spell progression as well as fighting styles like Two Weapon Fighting. The Ranger Knight feature also provides heavy armor, which is some of the best damage mitigation in the game. The Gloom Stalker subclass is great at multiclassing and helps fill some holes. Dread Ambusher is obviously a great way to open combat, providing an extra boosted attack and high initiative to ensure takedowns on priority targets. The ever-present Darkness + Devil’s Sight package is also a great addition to this skeleton, providing both defense and offense. Enemies will struggle to hit you in Darkness, and it will in turn enable you to gain advantage on enemies blinded by it. Warlock already gets access to Misty Step, but using 1 of your 2 Pact Magic slots on it feels bad. Gloom Stalker allows you to use Ranger spell slots for it instead, which is handy. Dual wielding your Pact Weapon and something like Harmonic Dueller is a great way to do some insane CHA-scaling damage. We can afford to pump CHA fully for Warlock features as none of Ranger’s important spells require WIS. If you’re looking for a hyper-mobile take on a dual wielding melee build, this combo may be for you.
7/5 Misty Warrior (7 Bladelock, 5 Gloom Stalker Ranger)
Pros:
Variety of potent concentration spells to shape the battlefield, strong melee and ranged damage options in weapons and Eldritch Blast
Still gets 3 attacks per action in lower difficulty levels if you are so inclined
Misty Step is a good spell to have available often
Darkness + Devil’s Sight combines well with Gloom Stalker thematically and mechanically
Cons:
Ranger levels aren’t really here for the naturey Ranger features, mostly just bolsters the Warlock’s capabilities
Will feel weaker overall than a pure Bladelock without specific gear
Not enough levels in Ranger for Land’s Stride or Plant Growth, so your own control spells may hinder or harm you if placed poorly
Rogue + Warlock
Rogue has many strengths, but in my opinion, it shines best as an action economy steroid for builds. All three of Rogue’s subclasses have some way to “cheat” the action economy rules in combat, and we’ll be using Thief’s extra bonus action here to make this spellsword build work. At the start of each adventuring day, you’ll bind your intended Pact Weapon and put it in your off hand (your main hand slot is irrelevant). This means you can use your bonus actions to swing your Pact Weapon, saving your action to cast Eldritch Blast or any of Warlock’s upcasted spells. On an average turn, you’ll potentially be firing off three Eldritch Blast beams and two Pact Weapon swings, all of which scale off of your CHA. Daredevil Gloves are a cute addition to this build, allowing you to cast Eldritch Blast while in melee without suffering disadvantage on the attack rolls. If things go south, you’ve got your Cunning Actions to bail you out and your temporary HP from your Fiend patron as a safety net. Darkness + Devil’s Sight also stands out as a way to gain advantage on all of these spell and sword attacks. This combo is meant for players looking to blast with their right hand and slash with their left, mixing magic and might in equal measure.
9/3 Southpaw Spellsword (9 Fiend Bladelock, 3 Thief Rogue)
Pros:
One of the most balanced spellsword builds out there, able to evenly alternate between casting and melee every turn, or focus on one
Solid DPR at both melee and range
Deceptively hard to pin down with Rogue’s Cunning Actions and Dark One’s Blessing in the back pocket
Can equip stat-sticks in main hand to increase combat efficiency
Could also go Archfey instead to play around Greater Invisibility
Cons:
The whole “Pact Bind + hand swap” thing could be clunky for players
May require the Dual Wielder feat if the weapons you’d like to wield aren’t Light
May require the Daredevil Gloves if you’d like to cast ranged attack roll spells while in melee
Will require at least 6 levels (3 Warlock + 3 Rogue) for this concept to come fully online
Sorcerer + Warlock
The standard 10/2 “Sorlock” build is an Eldritch Blast machine gun, leveraging Metamagic to fire off multiple blast casts per turn. In this build, Warlock is taken purely for Eldritch Blast and its associated Invocations, and has no real purpose otherwise. While I may discuss this in greater detail in an eventual Sorcerer write up, I’d like to take this opportunity to discuss a combo with more Warlock going on. 7 Sorcerer + 5 Warlock is an interesting breakpoint. We get 3rd level Pact Magic slots, as well as access to 4th level Sorcerer spell slots and Metamagic options. It is generally understood that 3rd level spells are a huge power spike for casters of any class, and this combo has the most “potential” 3rd level slots of any combo in the game (Bards help with this, obviously). Depending on the subclass and patron selected, you can elect to mash high-value control or damage spells, with Metamagic increasing that value even further. And if you’re feeling like slinging some cantrips (Warlock habits die hard), you can do that too. Repelling Blast can be used to toss enemies back into Metamagic-boosted Hunger of Hadar, and Ray of Frost + Snowburst Ring is a notable CC in its own right. If you’d like to play Sorlock without feeling like an Eldritch Blast bot, this combo might be for you.
7/5 Swiss Army Spellslinger (7 White Draconic Sorcerer, 5 Tomelock)
Pros:
Super flexible in combat, with powerful leveled spells and cantrips to choose from
Can be a control caster or a damage caster depending on your needs
Metamagic bolsters your already-potent selection of spells
Even if played poorly, this build is a blaster caster with Shield and likely CON save proficiency, which is a great baseline
Cons:
While not necessary, a party Bard would make this build concept feel a lot comfier
It’s less obvious how to get the full value of this level spread compared to 10/2 Sorlock (though more rewarding)
Obviously more resource-intensive than the standard Sorlock
Warlock + Warlock (haha)
Having access to all Invocations, along with 3 5th level spells per short rest and a 6th level Mystic Arcanum to select, a pure Warlock will have a ton of ways to customize their playstyle directly to their needs. It’s tough to recommend one build that would meet all of the needs of every Warlock player. I’ve opted to write about a pure Warlock build that will likely satisfy the majority of average Warlock players, namely folks looking for advice on how to build Wyll. The first decision point is your patron, and Fiend is the best choice for a generalist Warlock. Access to temporary HP on kill via Dark One’s Blessing is a big deal for an otherwise squisher class, and the Fiend spell list is really good for pumping out raw damage to help secure those kills. Arguably your most important decision will be which Pact (subclass) you select. Tome plays like Warlock+ with some more spells and Chain is kind of a joke. Blade is a good choice here as it allows you to freely alternate between melee and range, which is something many newer players are looking for in their builds. Your Invocation choices are up to you, though just a cursory runthrough will tell you which ones are useful for your playstyle. At level 12, however, the Lifedrinker Invocation will be a great bookend to your Bladelock build, adding even more damage to your Pact Weapon. If you’re looking for an easy primer on the Warlock, this build is for you.
12 Warlock (12 Fiend Bladelock)
Pros:
Easy to level (duh), easy to play
A versatile combatant in melee and at range, with a suite of damage and control spells to dictate the pace of the fight
3 5th level Pact Magic slots per short rest equates to 9 5th level spells per day, which is more than any other class can naturally achieve
The Lifedrinker Invocation doubles the value of CHA as a damage modifier on your Pact Weapon attacks, a great capstone at 12
Cons* Many of the Invocations selectable at later levels aren’t really amazing: there are some clear slam-dunk picks and the rest are pretty irrelevant
Tome and Chainlocks don’t have a proper level 12 capstone Invocation to select, disincentivizing those subclasses from going all the way to 12
Pure Warlock is kind of just mid, in the sense that it is alright at everything but doesn’t excel at specific roles harder than other, more dedicated builds
Wizard + Warlock
Oh boy. There is a variant of this that takes 10 Wizard and 2 Warlock, combining Empowered Invocation and Agonizing Blast to add INT + CHA to every Eldritch Blast beam. This is truly the only sensible way to multiclass the two classes as far as DPR is concerned. But I’ll save that for the Wizard guide: here, the Warlock must be a more major part of the build, and thus this abomination was born. The premise is fairly simple: this build aims to make enemies feel as stupid for hitting you as I felt writing this section of the guide. Abjuration Wizard’s Arcane Ward mitigates a ton of damage over the course of a fight, and you can fully stack this out of combat via Armor of Shadows Invocation spamming. Warlock also gives you access to Armor of Agathys, which will be the core of your damage profile. Enemies that hit you will deal massively decreased damage and take greater damage in return. You can also double that cold damage via the Wet condition. If you are looking for an unconventional way to play, this may be the most unconventional combo I present in this entire guide.
7/5 The Jabberwocky Special (7 Abjuration Wizard, 5 Fiend Bladelock)
Pros:
A unique co*ckroach playstyle where you run around like an idiot making enemies hit you intentionally and deal more damage to themselves than they do to you
Can fully stack Arcane Ward by spamming Mage Armor from Armor of Shadows
Can use Projected Ward to spread some damage reduction love to allies
Can dump DEX to 10 to pump INT and CHA
Low AC isn’t a problem: getting hit means you hit the enemy
Cons:
Why are we still here just to suffer
Low DEX means low initiative, which some people don’t like, and low DEX saves
Can be item dependent in the sense that Force Conduit items, Helldusk Armor, Armor of Persistence, and other such damage reduction gear will really increase your eHP
Once you get over how goofy this build is, you’ll realize you could have finished the encounter much quicker if you’d just played the game like a normal person
Conclusion
If you are still here, thank you for your time and interest in this guide. Again, this isn't intended to be a formal build guide, but a baseline jumping-off point for all things Warlock. Warlock is a very popular class and a lot of questions get asked about it regularly on this subreddit, the main BG3 subreddit, and the Discord. From Eldritch Blasting and spellslinging to swinging around a pact-bound blade, Warlock offers a lot of build flexibility with its unique approach to spell slots and customization via invocations. Whether you are a Warlock fan or looking to give the class a spin for the first time, I hope this guide gave you something to chew on. If you have any questions, feel free to reply here or contact me via the Larian Studios Discord. Cheers!
If you are curious about my very subjective, very personal opinions about the strength of these multiclasses that are not at all objective and should not cause any arguments whatsoever, here is how I would personally rank them, in no particular order within each group. Again, this is based on the assumptions I made at the start of the guide, namely the "no specific items or illithid powers" criterion I self-enforced. That being said, I'm positive that those items and powers would only serve to make these builds more powerful and wouldn't drastically swing my feelings about them one way or another.
Expectedly Effective:
Pact Punisher (Barbarian + Warlock)
Tomeadin (Paladin + Warlock)
Swiss Army Spellslinger (Sorcerer + Warlock)
Warlock
Surprisingly Effective:
Wasteland Wanderer (Druid + Warlock)
WARlock (Fighter + Warlock)
Shadow Ninja (Monk + Warlock)
Misty Warrior (Ranger + Warlock)
Southpaw Spellsword (Rogue + Warlock)
Kinda Effective:
Telekinetic (Bard + Warlock)
The Jabberwocky Special (Wizard + Warlock)
Not Very Effective:
- Servant of Two Masters (Cleric + Warlock)
If you would like to vote on which class you'd like me to cover next, you can click on the following link: VOTE HERE
My other guide(s) can be found here:
Paladin
Rogue
Druid
