Baldur's Gate 3 warlock class guide: Best choices & options to build your warlock

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By opting for the warlock, know that you must from time to time do your master's bidding. There’s no such thing as a free lunch, and this is especially true when making deals with eldritch beings.

In return, you do get some great spells, such as Mind Control and Mortal Reminder, that can make others fight for you or be too frightened to fight at all.

You’ll also find the warlock to be a natural smooth talker, so if you like manipulating and charming the denizens of Faerūn, the warlock will be well-suited to you.

Of course, if you can’t talk your way out, just blast them with your spells or make them attack their friends. With all that said, read on to unlock your warlock!

Baldur's Gate 3 warlock class guide: Best choices & options to build your warlock

If you want a quick overview of our best Great Old One warlock build then take a gander just below.

• Race – Tiefling
• Subrace – Mephistopheles Tiefling
• Subclass – The Great Old One
• Background – Sage
• Skills – Intelligence and Charisma
• Weapon – Sword of Screams and Infernal Rapier

This will make your warlock a smooth talker who can use their silver tongue to persuade and deceive others into doing their bidding, while also being able to deal a lot of damage with their spells and melee weapons.

We’ve got even more stats, figures and tips for you further down that go into more detail to help you understand how to unlock your warlock’s full potential.

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• Baldur's Gate 3 classes - best class and sub-class
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Best subclass for warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3

The best subclass for the warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3 is The Great Old One. This offers you some pretty powerful spells that keep your enemies in check or, well… dead.

Mortal Reminder – When you land a Critical Hit against a creature, that creature and any nearby enemies are Frightened until the end of their next turn.

This is especially useful for when enemies get too close to your warlock and you need to create a bit of breathing space.

It’s also great when you land a critical hit during an ambush and you can send in the rest of your party for mopping them up.

Best race and subrace for warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3

The best race and subrace for the warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Mephistopheles Tiefling. The Mephistopheles Tiefling offers a few advantages over the other races to eke it out as our top pick, which we’ve listed below.

Hellish Resistance – Your blood protects you from flame, abyssal or otherwise. You have resistance to Fire and take only half damage from it.

Darkvision – This creature can see in the dark out to 12 metres.

You also get +2 to your Charisma, which is hugely important for the warlock as its damage output for spells is determined by a Charisma modifier.

You unlock some pretty spiffy spells too.

Level 1

Mage Hand – Create a spectral hand that can manipulate and interact with objects.

Level 3

Burning Hands – Each flammable target is hit with 3 ~ 18 Fire damage.

Level 5

Flame Blade – Conjure a flaming scimitar in your hand that deals 3d6 Fire damage and sheds bright light in a 3m radius and dim light in a 6m radius. The blade can be unequipped and equipped again, but has to stay on the spellcaster's person.

Best abilities for warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3

• Strength – 8
• Dexterity – 12
• Constitution – 14
• Intelligence – 14
• Wisdom – 10
• Charisma – 17

As we’ve already mentioned, a high Charisma rating is vital as it massively increases the odds of spells being successful, especially for critical hits and when you use the warlock’s powerful mind-control spells which you ideally want to work out of the gate.

It also means you can talk your way out of pretty much anything and roleplaying-wise fits the class well. You might not be the strongest but you sure have the gift of the gab which is sometimes the most important skill to have in a world filled to be brim with tricksters.

Best warlock background in Baldur’s Gate 3

The best background for the warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Sage. This nets you proficiencies in History and Arcana, both of which are Intelligence Checks. A high Intelligence rating means you’ll be able to unlock even more powerful spells, which is ideal for this magic-focused class.

It also means you will be better equipped to deal with your Eldritch Master and do their bidding when it is your time to pay your dues for your powers.

Best Spells and Levelling Up guide for warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3

Below is what you’ll unlock and what to choose for the warlock at every level.

Level 1

• Choose Subclass – The Great Old One.

Level 2

• Agonising Blast – When you cast Eldritch Blast, add your Charisma modifier to the damage it deals, unless it is negative.

• Beast Speech – You can cast Speak with Animals at will, without expending a spell slot.

• Hellish Rebuke – The next time you take damage, you use your reaction to surround your attacker in hellish flames. 2 ~ 20 Damage

Level 3

• • Cloud of Daggers – Conjure a cloud of spinning daggers that attack anyone inside.

• Pact of the Tome – Your patron grants you a grimoire called 'The Book of Shadows', which allows you to cast Guidance, Vicious Mockery, and Thorn Whip (Class Feature)

Level 4

• • Ability Improvement – Choose Charisma.
  • Mage Hand – Create a spectral hand that can manipulate and interact with objects.

• Scorching Ray – Hurl 3 rays of fire. Each ray deals 2 ~ 12 Fire damage.

Level 5

• Fireball – Shoot a bright flame from your fingers that explodes upon contact, torching everything in the vicinity. On Save: Targets still take half damage. 8d6 Fire Damage
• Repelling Blast – When you hit a creature with Eldritch Blast, you can push the creature up to 4.5 m away from you.

Level 6

• Counterspell – Nullify another creature's spell as a reaction. The spell must be 3rd level or lower. If it is higher, you must succed a Check to nullify it, the difficulty of which is based on the spell's Level.

Level 7

• Sculptor of Flesh – Nullify another creature's spell as a reaction. The spell must be 3rd level or lower. If it is higher, you must succed a Check to nullify it, the difficulty of which is based on the spell's Level.
• Wall of Fire – Create a blazing wall of fire, burning anyone who dares stand too close. 5d8 Fire Damage.

Level 8

• Alert – You gain a +5 bonus to Initiative and can't be Surprised. (Feat)
• Hunger of Hadar – Create a sphere of cold blackness, teeming with unknown horrors.
• Creatures starting their turn in the take 2d6 Cold damage. Creatures ending their turn in the area possibly take 2d6 Acid damage. The area is Difficult Terrain and creatures within are Blinded.

Level 9

• Beguiling Influence – You invoke your patron's bewitching charm. You gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion Skills.
• Cone of Cold – Make a flurry of frost, crisp air, and condensed snow crystals erupt from your hands. 8d8 Cold Damage

Level 10

• Grant Flight – Bestow the ability to Fly upon yourself or an ally
• True Strike – Gain Advantage on your next Attack Roll

Level 11

• Blindness – Limit a foes sight range. It is easier to hit, and the creature will miss more often.
• Attack Rolls against it have Advantage and the foe attacks with Disadvantage.
• Circle of Death – Sculpt a massive sphere of entropic energy around a creature. Devastate the target and all surrounding creatures. 8d6 Necrotic Damage

Level 12

• Gaseous Form – Transform yourself or an ally into a tiny gas cloud. It can't fall, and fits through small openings. It is very hard to damage.
• Lifedrinker – Your melee attacks deal additional necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
• Spell Sniper (Ray of Frost) – Reduce target's Movement Speed by 3m. 1 ~ 8 Cold Damage. Spell Sniper reduces the number needed to roll a Critical Hit by 1.

Best equipment for warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3

Here we have the best equipment for the warlock in Baldur’s Gate 3. You can deal immense damage up close when you need to, and crucially, the Executioner's Ring makes your next attack roll a Critical Hit, perfecr to be used in tandem with Mortal Reminder.

Infernal Rapier (Sword)

High Spellcasting – You gain a +1 bonus to Spell Save DC.

Melee Caster – Instead of its Dexterity Modifier, the affected entity add its Spellcasting Ability Modifier to Attack Rolls

Conjuration Spell – Planar Ally: Cambion

• Damage – 5 – 12 Damage. 1d8+2 Piercing, +2 Acid (with Caustic Band ring)

• Weapon Enchantment – (+2)

Sword of Screams

• Damage – 7-17 Damage. 1d8+3 Piercing, +1d4 Psychic, +2 Acid (with Caustic Band ring)

Potent Robe (Light Armour)

Gregarious Caster – Your Cantrips deal additional damage equal to your Charisma Modifier

Well-Liked and Well-Fortified – At the beginning of the wearer’s turn, the robe activates, granting them temporary hit points equal to their Charisma Modifier

• Armour Class – (+1)

Cloak of Protection (Cloak)

• Armour Class – (+1)

• Saving Throw – (+1)

Warped Headband of Intellect (Head)

• Increases the wearer’s Intelligence to 17

Gloves of Dexterity (Gloves)

• • Increases the wearer’s Dexterity score to 18.

• Attack – (+1)

Evasive Shoes (Boots)

• Acrobatics – (+1)

• Armour Class – (+1)

Amulet of Misty Step (Necklace)

• Misty Step – This necklace allows the wearer to cast Misty Step

Killer’s Sweetheart (Ring)

Executioner – When you kill a creature, your next Attack Roll will be a Critical Hit. Once spent, this effect refreshes after a Long Rest.

Caustic Band (Ring)

Malefic Excretion – Your weapon attacks also deal 2 Acid damage.

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