Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock Build Guide

The best Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock build can deal with just about anything at any range. This incredibly versatile class can easily fend off foes at range with the amazing Eldritch Blast cantrip, and can even take down foes with magical melee weapons. In this guide we'll walk you through how to build your Warlock to bring them to peak efficiency.

Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock build guide - The Fiend

Our Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock build guide is going to take you down the path that follows The Fiend. This path has a few incredible spells at its command, but most importantly can constantly gain temporary health thanks to an exceptional passive. If you're curious about the other potential options, check out our Warlock class overview.

If you do follow this and end feeling like you'd rather take a different spell, pact boon, or change into a completely different character, remember that you can respec and change class with ease in Baldur's Gate 3.

Warlock Build Summary

The Warlock is a potent and easy-to-understand spellcasting class that can also augment its own melee attacks in a variety of ways, along with taking out enemies using different status effects, and even command enemies to do what you want them to.

• Race: Drow
• Background: Guild Artisan
• Abilities: STR: 8, DEX: 13, CON: 16, INT: 10, WIS: 10: CHA 17
• Weapons and armor: Simple weapons and light armor, although you can use other weapons if you choose Pact of the Blade, but we'll get to that.

Warlocks use Warlock spell slots to cast many of their skills, but you'll also be using the cantrip Eldritch Blast a lot when you're fighting because it's a monstrously powerful ability, especially as it grows stronger as you level up.

Warlock Leveling Progression

Character creation:

• Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Blade Ward. These are our preferred cantrips, but you can basically pair anything with Eldritch Blast to complement your team setup.
• Subclass: The Fiend
• Spells: Command, Arms of Hadar.

Level 2

Level 2 Warlocks get to choose two Eldritch Invocations. These are a range of class features that can alter how the class plays, buff it, or give new skills. Here are the choices for this build.

Agonizing Blast: When you cast Eldritch Blast, ad your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals unless it is negative. This is a straight damage buff, and given that you'll be aiming to max your Charisma, is the gift that keeps on giving.

Beast Speech: While you can take any other option here, we like Beast Speech for the extra options it offers in quests and sidequests in Baldur's Gate 3.

You also get to choose another level 1 spell here, and we recommend the Hex spell, which allows your melee attacks to do additional damage.

Level 3

Level 3 Warlocks get to choose a Pact Boon. You can choose the Pact of the Chain, which allows you to summon familiars, the Pact of the Blade, which will help you become better at melee fighting, or the Pact of the Tome if you want more spells. Here's our choice:

Pact of the Blade: You can Summon a pact weapon, or Bind the one you are wielding, making it magical. Pact weapons use the wielder's Spellcasting Ability Modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity.

While the magical weapons are generally very good, we really like binding a weapon here, especially if you've managed to get a powerful weapon, like the one that Commander Zhalk drops. Nothing feels as cool as being a Warlock with a flaming sword.

You'll also get to choose a level 2 Warlock spell here as well. We recommend taking Blindness here, as it grants you advantage when attacking the inflicted foe and makes them hit with disadvantage too. However, if you want a few more ranged options, then Scorching Ray allows you to shoot three rays of damage out.

Level 4

Level 4 brings with it a feat. The best option here is to choose Ability Improvement, which lets you put two stat points into your Charisma, bringing it within one point of the maximum of 20. You can then grab the final point for doing certain quests, including defeating Auntie Ethel.

You also get to choose another cantrip and another spell as well. We recommend the Bone Chill cantrip to stop pesky healing on enemies, and if you're looking for a good AoE spell, which isn't something we've gotten up until this point in this build, then Cloud of Daggers is an excellent option.

Level 5

Level 5 Warlocks get to depend on the Pact Boon they chose at level 3. Those who chose the Chain get an extra familiar attack, those who chose the Tome get more spells. However, this Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock build guide recommends the Blade, and this upgrade nets you an extra attack with the pact weapon.

You can also choose another Eldritch Invocation here. Along with all of the original options, you can also choose two new ones, and Mire the Mind is an excellent choice, as it allows you to cast Slow using a Warlock Spell Slot.

You also get to choose a level 3 Warlock spell, and Vampiric Touch is a perfect way to get even more survivability. This spell drains hit points from an enemy and can be used again without expending a spell slot, making it good in long fights too.

Level 6

Level 6 brings with it another new spell to choose from. The level 3 spells are all quite tempting, but Fireball is an excellent choice if you want some more AoE damage. Plus, it's flashy, and that's its own reward.

Level 7

Level 7 brings another Eldritch Invocation and your first level four spell too. For the Eldritch Invocation, Book of Ancient Secrets offers a lot of versatility, allowing you to cast Ray of Sickness, Chromatic Orb, and Silence without costing a spell slot.

For the spell itself, Dimension Door is an incredible spell that lets you and up to one adjacent ally teleport to any place you can see. It allows for rapid attacks or retreats, and it's useful for general traversal too.

Level 8

Level 8 offers yet another new spell, and Wall of Fire will allow you to control the battlefield in entirely new ways. This spell creates a huge wall of fire that deals 5d8 worth of damage to anything that comes in contact with it. If you've got teammates who can move enemies around, this can make for some very fun fights.

You also get to choose another feat. If you've not managed to max your Charisma yet you can take the Actor feat to gain a point of Charisma and you'll also get double proficiency bonuses on Deception and Performnace checks. Otherwise, Spell Sniper not only lets you learn a new cantrip, but also makes it so that the number needed to crit on a spell roll is reduced by one.

Level 9

Here we have yet another spell, but this time up to level 5. Cone of Cold is the best choice for this Baldur's Gate 3 Warlock build guide, as it allows you to shoot out cold damage in front of you within a certain range.

You also get another Eldritch Invocation, we recommend the Minions of Chaos option, which allows you to cast Conjure Elemental, and basically adds another member to your party. Many hands make light work, especially if those hands are of an elemental.

Level 10

You get another cantrip at this level, and there's nothing you specifically need, so just choose the one that you feel fits you best. Our recommendation is Friends to make some of the late-game chats a little easier.

You also get another level 5 spell. This time around pick Hold Monster, which is a spell which does exactly what it says, and stops a creature from moving, acting, or reacting. It also guarantees critical hits to that creature when in close range.

Finally, you get the Fiendish Resilience class action here, which allows you to pick a damage type and become Resistant to it, and you can change this whenever you short rest.

Level 11

Level 11 brings with it the Mystic Arcanum, which is the chance to choose one Level 6 spell. Flesh to Stone is a very potent spell that'll atrophy a foe, which holds them still until they turn to stone. It's easy to see why this is powerful.

You also get another spell, so take Flame Strike as it's the final level 5 spell, and you may as well.

Level 12

The last level brings with it another spell, which you can choose as you want, although we do rate Banishment to temporarily get rid of a target of your choice.

You also get another Eldritch Invocation, and the new option here is Lifedrinker, which lets you deal additional melee damage as necrotic damage, and it's equal to your Charisma Modifier. That's the one you want.

You also get another feat too. For this one, you can take Durable, which boosts your Constitution by one point, and allows you to regain all of your HP when you short rest too.