Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Guide

Warlocks in Baldur's Gate 3 are charismatic spellcasters who make a deal with a powerful Patron. Their choice of Patron and Invocations let you build for a variety of roles in and out of combat. unlike the wizard and cleric, a warlock's spell slots recharge on a short or long rest, potentially giving them more staying power in short bursts. As the only Charisma-based class in Early Access, they make for natural party faces.

Baldur's Gate 3 gives warlocks two options for their Patron: the Fiend, and the Great Old One. This specialization is made at the 1st level, like a cleric. It comes online much earlier than other classes, which is welcome in the low de-facto level cap. Since this is Early Access, all content is subject to change. The basic character creation guide is a good place to start for building any character and be sure to check out our individual class guides for information on a specific class.

Come on you poor unfortunate soul

Go ahead

Make your choice

I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day

It won't cost much

Just your voice!

Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock - Getting Started

For reference, here is your basic chassis as a warlock:

• Hit Die: D8 (8+Con modifier at 1st level, then 5+Con thereafter)
• Primary Stat: Charisma
• Secondary Stats: Constitution, Strength OR Dexterity
• Good Saves: Wisdom, Charisma
• Weapons: Simple
• Armor: Light
• Specializations: The Fiend, The Great Old One (1st)

Unless you pick up proficiency with something heavier, you'll want to stick to Dexterity instead of Strength to go with your Light Armor. Since you'll be throwing out lots of Spell Attacks, pump your Charisma up. This will increase your Saving Throw DCs, your Spell Attack rolls, and your ability to speak with people. As always, don't neglect your Constitution. Try to get a 16 for your Charisma, if at all possible. Your spell slots are more limited than a cleric or wizard and you really, really want them to land.

Intelligence is not very important for a warlock, and wise people generally don't make Faustian deals. You can safely dump Intelligence, and you can play with your Wisdom depending on your character concept. Warlocks otherwise really only need Charisma and a bit of Constitution. Be sure to adjust your numbers based on race and concept. Here's what a decent stat spread might look like:

• Strength: 8
• Dexterity: 14
• Constitution: 14
• Intelligence: 10
• Wisdom: 10
• Charisma: 15

Several skills stand out for a warlock. Thanks to your high Charisma, pick up at least one of Persuasion, Deception, or Intimidation. Insight is a helpful skill to know if people are lying. Arcana is a good pick if you don't have someone else to handle it.

Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Races

Does your race give a Charisma bonus? That's probably a good pick for your warlock. Your weapon proficiencies are simple, and you'll likely spend most of your turns casting Eldritch Blast, so maximizing your Spell Attacks is in your own best interest. That means that there are a few standout options. Drow, tieflings, lightfoot halflings, humans, and half-elves are all able to get that coveted +3 modifier with their bonuses, making any of them good picks.

Both types of Drow are mechanically identical, it's mostly a question of the deity they worship. Darkvision is always fun, and they bring a Dex bonus with a few useful Finesse weapon proficiencies to your warlock. They are hard to Charm and cannot be magically put to sleep. Drow are also a very flavorful option.

All three tieflings gain a +2 to Charisma, making them good at slinging spells. The Asmodeus and Mephistopheles tieflings don't gain much from their bonus Intelligence, but you could put the Zariel variant to use with its innate Strength bonus.

Lightfoot halflings are a bit on the slow side, but you probably won't spend much time moving in combat. The Lucky trait helps you avoid critical misses, and their stat bonuses are perfect for a warlock. Free Stealth proficiency is just gravy. You can sneak with your rogue and provide backup in case things go south.

Half-elves have an innate +2 to Charisma and a flexible +1 to two different Ability Scores. Pick up some Darkvision, resistance to Charm effects, and immunity to sleep magic. Wood elves are sneaky with extra movement speed, high elves gain a free wizard Cantrip that scales with Intelligence, and drow get Dancing Lights for free.

Humans, of course, have a slight bonus to each Ability Score. This lets you do some fun things with the point buy. While they don't have fancy Darkvision or other innate goodies, they can get other interesting things through Invocations.

Any other race can become a warlock, but they will be a bit more niche. Early Access only covers the first four levels, so you won't get an Ability Score Improvement until near the end. A +2 modifier in your main stat for most of that time can make for some rough going thanks to the 5e system's stat squish.

Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Class Features

Warlocks recharge their spell slots on both short and long rests. This gives them some niches in comparison to other spellcasters, who need long rests to refresh. Whenever they cast a spell, it is cast using their highest-level slot. This comes at a price, however, as a warlock's spell slots are much more limited than other casters. At 1st level, you need to pick your Patron, and this Patron will affect your class features and spells. In Early Access, you have either the Fiend or the Great Old One, detailed below.

Your major options are Invocations. Starting at 2nd level,  you select two of these features. They can do a lot of things, from granting Darkvision to skill proficiencies to spells you can cast. Agonizing Blast adds your Charisma modifier to your Eldritch Blast, which makes it a standout option. Beguiling Influence nets you proficiency in Deception and Persuasion if you didn't already have them. Fiendish Vigor is a tiny bit of extra HP if you prefer to melee, and Devil's Sight grants you 18 meters of Darkvision.

The Pact of the Chain you earn at the 3rd level grants you access to a familiar. It's quite helpful and provides some support in both combat and exploration.

Early Access caps out at 4th level, so you may want to pick options that are immediately useful rather than later on.

1. Proficiencies, Patron, Spellcasting (2 Cantrips, 2 Spells Known)
2. Eldritch Invocations (2), Spell Slot (1), Spells Known (1)
3. Spell Slot Upgrade, Pact Boon (Chain), Spells Known (1)
4. Cantrip (1), Spells Known (1), Feat OR Ability Score Improvement

Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Patrons

Two Patrons exist in Baldur's Gate 3's Early Access: the Fiend, and the Great Old One. Each gives you bonus spells to add to your list. you must still select them as spells known, of course, but you can gain some interesting options not normally on the list. your slots come back quickly, but are very limited. Versatile spells are your best bet.

The Fiend is a good default Patron. At least, your companion Wyll seems to think so, and he's right. You gain the Dark One's Blessing, which nets you a few HP when you defeat an enemy. This makes you a bit sturdier than Great Old One, since you can focus down weak enemies for emergency healing. You can also add Burning Hands and Command to your spell list right away, which can grant you AoE damage and control targets, respectively.

In contrast, the Great Old One provides no immediate gift. It also adds Dissonant Whispers and Tasha's Hideous Laughter instead. Dissonant Whispers deals Psychic damage and Frightens a target, which is great for controlling battle. Tasha's Hideous Laughter makes an enemy Prone and Incapacitated, leaving them easy pickings. The caveat is that the target must have an Intelligence of at least 5 to be affected. The target gets another save at the end of its turns and each time it's damaged. These spells are strong but situational. The Great Old One won't have easy access to self-healing like the Fiend, so unless you want some situational spells it's probably better to go Fiend.

Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Spells

Both subclasses benefit from some core warlock spells. Unlike wizards and clerics, however, the spells you know are the only spells you know. You can't exchange them for others by praying or studying a spellbook. You'll only be able to trade them out upon gaining a level, so consider your options carefully. Invocations (above) can expand your spellcasting as well.

Hex is a good option to mix Necrotic damage with debuffing. If an enemy dies, you can reapply it to another one without using another spell slot, which is a nice boost. Protection from Evil and Good is strong when it works, and it works on several types of enemies. in fact, there aren't any outstanding bad picks for your 1st level spells. To get the most coverage and help the most in a fight, try to mix it up when it comes to Saving Throws, damage types, and Spell Attacks. Since your Charisma should be high, your spells should stick reliably if you target an enemy's bad saves (Examine them to see their stats). High AC? Force them to make Saving Throws. High Saves? Eldritch Blast them into pieces instead. It's Force damage, after all, and defenses against Force damage are nearly nonexistent.

Cantrips for your warlock depend on your style. Chill Touch keeps enemies from healing themselves and debuffs undead. Friends is a no-save Advantage to your Charisma-based checks with NPCs, making you even better at something you already should do well. Eldritch Blast is practically essential for several Invocations, so you'll definitely want to pick it up. Picking a race with a bonus Cantrip that doesn't care about Intelligence (namely tieflings and high half-elves) can expand your options a bit.

Which Patrons are you looking forward to? Let us know below or on social media. Be sure to check back with us here at TechRaptor frequently for the latest and greatest warlock and Baldur's Gate 3 news.