Eldritch Blast. That is the name of the spell that serves to identify the very existence of the Warlock class in Dungeons and Dragons and, by extension, Baldur's Gate 3. However, despite their identity revolving around the powerful Cantrip, Warlocks can be built in many ways that work with and without it. The build I present to you is meant to serve as a versatile, jack-of-all-trades role in a party.
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Best Warlock Build in BG3
Warlocks are a versatile class by nature, and this build is one that takes full advantage of that, abusing their unique ability to form Pacts with their martial weapons. With it, you'll be a frontlining off-tank with the ability to fire off powerful Eldritch Blasts, and Fireballs should the need arise. Let's jump straight into it.
Best Stats and Race for Warlock in BG3
Due to Pact of the Blade's ability to allow for melee scaling with Charisma, Charisma is your single most important stat, followed by Constitution. As a frontliner, you'll need a very healthy amount of Armor Class (AC), but we won't use the Dexterity stat for that. Instead, you'll be wearing heavy armor for this build because it provides the highest possible AC in the game without additional stat investment.
Because you'll be swinging blades in melee and blasting foes with magic at a range, I found Drow to be one of the best races for the Warlock class. The Drow race gives you access to Superior Darkvision for free, which allows you to counter poorly illuminated areas that may prevent you from casting at a distance. They also, like the other elf races, have access to Fey Ancestry, a strong counter to Charm effects, and total immunity to the Sleep status.
- Race - Drow/Any Elf Race
- Strength - 8
- Dexterity - 10
- Constitution - 16
- Intelligence - 8
- Wisdom - 10
- Charisma - 17
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3 Bard Build Guide – Best Stats and Subclass
Best Subclass for Warlock Baldur's Gate 3
With this build, you'll want to abuse the bonuses gained from The Fiend subclass. The Fiend's core feature Dark One's Blessing lets you get temporary life points when you score a killing blow on an enemy. This is very strong for a frontline that is meant to be taking blows in the first place. Dark One's Blessing takes effect no matter how you kill a target; even throwing enemies to their doom will cause it to activate.
The other two Warlock subclasses, The Great Old One and The Archfey are too focused on singular benefits to make use of this in this build. However, if you do have a way to force a Critical Hit through, then the Great Old One's Mortal Reminder becomes a viable option for this build. Otherwise, I recommend sticking with The Fiend due to consistency.
Best Skills for Warlock in Baldur's Gate 3
As for the Skills you should take, I recommend Arcana, Perception, and Intimidation due to the Warlock's Charisma stat being the focus. These three skills will also help you during conversations, making them doubly worth taking.
Related: Baldur’s Gate 3: Patch Notes (August 2023)
Best Multiclass for Warlock in Baldur's Gate 3
For this build, you'll be taking one level in Fighter and one level in Sorcerer(Storm Sorcery) to take advantage of their early-level bonuses and proficiencies. Fighter is taken so that you can choose Fighting Stance: Defense for the additional AC bonus while wearing armor. One level of Stormy Sorcery is taken to take advantage of Tempestuous Magic, which allows you to Fly as a Bonus Action if you cast a level one spell or higher. This is strictly for mobility and repositioning, but more on this shortly.
Best Warlock Features, Feats, and Spells - Baldur's Gate 3
The end result of the multi-classing I mentioned leaves you as a Level 5 Warlock, Level 1 Sorcerer, Level 1 Fighter.
| Level | Class | Class Features/Spells |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Fighter | Fighter Proficiencies Fighting Style: Defense Second Wind |
| Level 2 | Warlock (The Fiend) | Eldritch Blast, Blade Ward Hex, Hellish Rebuke |
| Level 3 | Warlock | Agonising Blast, Repelling Blast, Command |
| Level 4 | Warlock | Pact of the Blade Hold Person |
| Level 5 | Warlock | Bone Chill Invisibility Dual Wielder |
| Level 6 | Warlock | Fiendish Vigour Fireball |
| Level 7 | Sorcerer (Storm Sorcery) | Tempestuous Magic Light, Ray of Frost, Shocking Grasp, Mage Hand Enhance Leap, Shield |
The Warlock Invocations used in my build are meant to support a frontlining, support playstyle with Eldritch Blast. Your most powerful attacks will come from your melee weapons. Fiendish Vigour allows you to cast the level one Necromancy spell, False Life, on yourself for free. This is important because by casting False Life, you meet the requirements to invoke the bonus action, Fly, from Tempestouous Magic. This means that you can fly at any time you desire, at no consumable cost.
The Feat, Dual Wielder, is taken primarily so that a strong main-hand weapon is used with the Spellsparker staff in order to take advantage of Eldritch Blast's double cast to quickly gain Lightning Charges from its effect. If you do not have the Spellsparker, then I recommend pairing your main hand weapon with a strong off-hand that has secondary damage beyond Physical and combining your melee assaults with the Hex Warlock spell.
For more build guides and helpful information relating to Baldur's Gate 3, check out Baldur’s Gate 3 Rogue Build Guide – Best Stats and Subclasses
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