Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build guide – spells, subclass, ability score

Would you sell your soul for power? You can with our Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build guide. This class is unique to Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, meaning it hasn’t made an appearance in the series so far. If you’re not sure where to start with playing or building a Warlock, this guide has everything you need.

Like in the tabletop version of D&D, Warlocks in Baldur’s Gate 3 get their powers from forming a pact with an otherworldly, possibly sinister figure. This gives them a unique place in Baldur’s Gate 3 lore, tying them to some of the most powerful creatures in existence. Unlike Sorcerers, who are born with their magic abilities, Warlocks rely on their patrons for power. In addition to picking the best spells in Baldur’s Gate 3, there are several important choices to make as you level up your Warlock which can define your party role and influence your dialogue options. Here’s what we consider to be one of the best Warlock builds.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Best Build 

Warlocks are arcane spellcasters like Sorcerers and Wizards, but they function very differently. They get access to fewer spells and spell slots, but they regain their expended spell slots after a short or long rest. In exchange for these limitations, Warlocks have access to unique spells that can pack a serious punch.

When building your Warlock, make sure that Charisma is your highest ability stat. This will make your spells harder to resist and will boost your damage for many of your spells. Because the full build of the game moved Ability Score bonuses to classes rather than to race, your race is less important to your build. Still, both Tieflings and Drow both have bonus spells that make them well-suited to a Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build.

Until you pick a Pact Boon at Level 3, equipment won’t play a huge role in your Warlock build, so focus on items that boost your Charisma and wearing Light Armour that won’t interfere with your spellcasting abilities.

Best Warlock Ability Score

Here is the Ability Score distribution we recommend when you first create your Warlock character:

Ability	Score
Strength (Str)	8
Dexterity (Dex)	13
Constitution (Con)	16
Wisdom (Wis)	10
Intelligence (Int)	10
Charisma (Cha)	17

Your first priority should be to raise your Charisma to the 20 limit using either items or your level up bonuses. Once that is done, focus on either Dexterity to raise your Armour Class and Initiative score or Constitution to make yourself more difficult to kill. This can be done whenever you have access to Baldur’s Gate 3 feats. Using the Ability Improvement feat at level 4, level 8, and level 12 can give your stats a solid boost with 2 ability points per feat.

Warlock Class Proficiencies

Here’s a list of the skills that the Warlock is proficient in with respect to Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Warlock Armor Proficiencies: Light Armor
• Warlock Saving Throws: Charisma & Wisdom
• Warlock Skill Proficiencies: Choose from Arcana, Deception, History, Intimidation, Investigation, Nature, & Religion
• Warlock Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Weapons

Best Warlock race to pick

While all BG3 races have their own advantages, some of them are particularly suited to becoming Warlocks. While the Early Access build of baldur’s Gate 3 assigned some ability points based on race, that is no longer the case. So it’s only the racial traits that you need to keep your eye on. With that, here are the best Warlock races in Baldur’s Gate 3:

• Asmodeus Tiefling: Hellish Resistance against Fire damage and Hellish Rebuke to damage attackers are great traits for a magic user up against elemental or human forces. Extra spells and a cantrip let you build your Warlock for more situations while Darkvision ensures that the dark isn’t a threat but an ally.
• Drow: This option also has extra spells and a cantrip to maximize your spell-wielding potential. Superior Darkvision gives you a leg up on other races and so do their weapon proficiencies. Fey Ancestry also grants an advantage on saving throws against being Charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep. This is great against other spells that test your Charisma.

Best Warlock Spells in Baldur’s Gate 3

With such limited spell slots, it’s important to ensure that each one you pick serves a purpose. Which spells you choose will depend on the role you want your character to play in the party. With only four party members available at a time, your Warlock must be able to deal arcane damage, so we suggest including the following spells:

• Eldritch Blast – This is easily the most powerful cantrip in Baldur’s Gate 3. It deals good damage that scales as you level up and has an impressive range. No Warlock build is complete without it.
• Scorching Ray – Another powerful spell that gets stronger as you level up.
• Hex – You should take Hex as your main Level 1 spell, which allows you to deal extra damage against a specific enemy and move it to another enemy when they die.
• Misty Step – This spell allows you to move between points on the map quickly, which is perfect for a spellcaster who is low on hit points and needs to get themselves out of danger.

Warlock Subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3

As soon as you create your Warlock, you have to pick a patron for your Warlock. This is the being that imbibes your character with a fraction of their power. There are three options to choose from at Level 1:

• The Fiend – You have made a deal with a greater demon or devil. While you might not be evil in nature, they certainly will try to twist you toward their dark ways. This pact excels at dealing damage, both in melee and through spellcasting.
• The Great Old One – Your patron is a being from beyond space and time, with motivations and desires that are alien and unknowable. The powers they provide make them great at both buffing allies and debuffing enemies in combat. These Warlocks gain the Mortal Reminder passive which makes enemies Frightened on critical hits. Tasha’s Hideous Laughter and Dissonant Whispers are great ways to temporarily disable threats in the game.
• The Archfey – You caught the attention of a Lord or Lady of the Fey. They exist outside of human morality and can be both cruel and benevolent in equal measure. Choose this pact if you want access to powerful crowd-control abilities.

We recommend picking the Fiend Pact, as it gives you access to Dark One’s Blessing. This feature grants you temporary hit points every time you kill an enemy, which can make your Warlock significantly more durable as a battle rages on.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock Eldritch Invocations

The second choice you have to make when building your Warlock is which Eldritch Invocations to pick. These can boost your existing spells or give you access to new abilities altogether starting at Level 2. You are generally free to choose whichever Invocation you like, depending on how you want your Warlock to play in a party, but we highly recommend including Agonizing Blast. This allows you to boost the damage of the already powerful Eldritch Blast with the Charisma modifier and is a necessity for any damage-dealing Warlock build in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Warlock Pact Boon in Baldur’s Gate 3

The final decision you need to make in your Baldur’s Gate 3 Warlock build is your Pact Boon at Level 3. There are three of them to choose from and they massively change how your Warlock plays at higher levels.

• Pact of the Chain – This pact gives you access to a Familiar – a subservient being that you can cast spells through.
• Pact of the Tome – Picking this pact lets you choose several new spells from any spell list, which can make your Warlock far more adaptable in combat.
• Pact of the Blade – Your Warlock gains a powerful pact weapon, which acts as a unique magic weapon that can be summoned and dismissed at will.

While each of the Pacts have their strengths, the most versatile and powerful of these Warlock options is Pact of the Blade. You still have all your spellcasting options while gaining a significant upgrade in combat.

If you are looking for more info on the different classes in the game, we have an overview of all the Baldur’s Gate 3 classes and subclasses for you to check out. For another spellcasting option, we have detailed best Baldur’s Gate 3 Sorcerer build and best Baldur’s Gate 3 Bard build guides. Finally, fans of simply hitting things with a weapon will find plenty of info in our Baldur’s Gate 3 Barbarian build guide, which can help you create the perfect feral warrior.

Does Baldur’s Gate 3 have warlocks?

Yes, Baldur’s Gate 3 has the Warlock class.

What is the best Warlock Cantrip in Baldur’s Gate 3?

Eldritch Blast is the best Warlock cantrip in Baldur’s Gate 3.