Baldurs Gate 3: Warlock guide BG3

Warlocks are spellcasters who have made a pact with a powerful entity to gain their powers. Wielding many powerful spells and abilities, they make for very helpful companions. From this page of the guide, you will learn, among other things, what the best races and spells for this class are in Baldur's Gate 3.

• Best race for Warlock
• Ability Points
• Best background for Warlock
• Eldritch Invocations
• Pact boon
• Best spells for Warlock
• Best subclass for Warlock
• Best build for Warlock

Best race for Warlock

The primary Warlock spellcasting stat is Charisma. When choosing your race, keep in mind some options grant a Charisma bonus. Here are a few examples:

1. Tiefling - both subraces give a solid +2 Charisma and have useful racial abilities.
2. Dragonborn - this race grants +1 Charisma and +2 Strength.
3. Drow - Dark Elves receive +1 Charisma, +2 Dexterity and many useful racial abilities.
4. Human - a versatile option granting +1 to each stat, including Charisma.

You can find more on this topic on the Best Race page in the section dedicated to the Warlock.

Ability Points

When distributing stat points for a Warlock, prioritize Charisma. Your secondary stats should be:

1. Constitution - it will grant some extra hit points and help with passing concentration checks.
2. Dexterity - high Dex will increase your Armor Class when wearing light armor.

Best background for Warlock

Among all available backgrounds, Warlocks can especially benefit from:

1. Charlatan - grants proficiency in Deception and Sleight of Hand, nicely complementing a high Dexterity build.
2. Criminal - just as useful as Charlatan, though granting Stealth instead of Sleight of Hand.

Eldritch Invocations

The Warlock's class ability, available from Level 2 onwards. They gain bonuses thanks to the pact they made. Among available invocations we especially recommend:

1. Agonizing Blast - Damage dealt by the Eldritch Blast cantrip is increased by the Warlock's Charisma modifier.
2. Repelling Blast - creatures hit with Eldritch Blast are pushed back by 3 meters. Nicely synergises with the previous invocation.
3. Mask of Many Faces - lets you cast Disguise Self without using a spell slot.
4. Devil's Sight - lets the Warlock see up to 24 meters in regular or magical darkness. Especially useful for races that don't have a natural ability to see in the dark (e.g. humans).

Pact boon

At Level 3, the Warlock receives a boon from their benefactor, granting additional abilities.

1. Pact of the Chain - the Warlock gains the ability to summon a Familiar, which can take one of several forms: an imp, a quasit or an animal. Each has different traits and can help you in combat. The familiar's form can be freely modified.

Best spells for Warlock

The Warlock has few spell slots, though it's compensated by how these slots are always the highest available level. Additionally, Warlocks restore their spell slots on short rests, while most other casters require long rests.

Here are a few interesting cantrips and spells worth considering:

Cantrips:

1. Eldritch Blast - the Warlock's signature cantrip, dealing a huge 1d10 damage. The damage scales as you level up, while the Agonizing Blast invocation makes it an extremely formidable attack.
2. Chill Touch - 1d8 damage and an additional effect preventing your foes from restoring health.
3. Minor Illusion - creates an illusory object to distract nearby creatures.

Spells:

1. Armor of Agathys - the Warlock gains +5 AC and deals 5 cold damage to each enemy who attacks them in melee.
2. Hex - the target receives 1d6 damage, takes bonus damage on subsequent attacks and has disadvantage on selected ability rolls.
3. Arms of Hadar - the target takes 2d6 necrotic damage and can no longer use reactions.
4. Expeditious Retreat - the caster can Dash as a bonus action.
5. Protection from Evil and Good - protects the target from fiends, fey, celestials, aberrations and elementals. These types of enemies can no longer charm, frighten or possess the target. They also have disadvantage on attacks against the target.
6. Witch Bolt - the target takes 1d12 damage. Every turn, the caster can remotely trigger the arc connecting them to the target to deal 1d12 damage again.
7. Misty Step - a Level 2 spell which lets the caster teleport to a chosen, visible location.
8. Hold Person - paralyzes a humanoid target, preventing them from moving or taking actions.
9. Hunger of Hadar - a Level 3 spell which creates a nightmarish sphere. Creatures inside the sphere take 2d6 damage. Ending a turn inside the sphere deals another 2d6 damage. The sphere counts as difficult terrain and all creatures within are blinded until they leave it.

Best subclass for Warlock

Warlock Subclasses are defined by the being they've made a pact with. Each mighty patron grants other abilities and exclusive spells.

The Fiend - the character has made a pact with an evil Fiend from another plane of existence. The Dark One's Blessing ability lets the Warlock restore hit points, equal to their Charisma modifier, whenever they reduce an enemy to 0 HP. The spells that this subclass provides progress to are, for example:

1. Burning Hands - deals 3d6 fire damage.
2. Command - forces the target to stop, get closer, run away, go prone or drop their weapon.

The Great Old One - the character has made a pact with an ancient eldritch being. The Mortal Reminder ability frightens nearby enemies for a turn whenever the Warlock crits. This subclass' exclusive spells include:

1. Dissonant Whispers - frightens the target for 2 turns and deals 3d6 damage.
2. Phantasmal Force - a Level 2 spell which creates an illusion in the target's mind, dealing 1d6 damage every turn for 10 turns.

Archfey - the character has made a pact with a powerful Fey, gaining abilities revolving around crowd control and status ailments.

Best build for Warlock

Here's an example of a Warlock build, to sum up all knowledge provided on this page:

1. Race: Drow
2. Subclass: The Great Old One
3. Background: Charlatan
4. Ability Scores: Charisma around 16, Constitution and Dexterity around 14, Intelligence around 13/12, Wisdom and Strength around 10/8.

You can read more about the Warlock build on a different page dedicated to this topic in our guide.

Baldur's Gate 3

August 3, 2023

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