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Baldur's Gate 3: The Unwritten Rules of Playing a Warlock Explained

Published Jan 21, 2024

Shayna Josi is a Features Writer from South Africa. Shayna has always been passionate about stories, and has dedicated her life to learning how to tell them. Aside from writing about her favorite video games on the digital publication The Best War Games, Shayna has taught English in Japan, is a ghostwriter, copywriter, and editor in the publishing industry. Shayna enjoys traveling, and spends most of her time between South Africa, the EU, and Japan. She believes the best of people come out in the stories they tell, and with stories comes the power to connect people across any divide - be it language, geography, culture, or time. To this end, Shayna’s research at university dealt with narrative worlds within video games, and how they use their environments to tell stories. Her hope is that the incredible stories told through video games will be recognized as literary, just as much as traditional storytelling mediums.

Summary

Warlocks in Baldur's Gate 3 make pacts with powerful beings for magic and have specialized skills and spells.
There are three types of pacts to choose from, each with different benefits and abilities.
Warlocks can multiclass with other classes like Paladin, Bard, and Sorcerer to enhance their abilities and playstyle.

Baldur's Gate 3 comes with a wide range of classes to choose from, from spellcasters to warriors. Warlocks are a balance between the two groups, with their skills being highly specialized between a few spells and talents that nonetheless hit hard and fast. Warlocks get their magic from a powerful patron through a deal, which opens the gates for all sorts of roleplaying potential, and the Warlock spell list is delightfully otherworldly.

Warlocks are people who have made a formal contract, or Pact, with a powerful being who grants them power in exchange for something from the Warlock. What the Warlock gives their Patron in exchange for their power isn't stated in Baldur's Gate 3, and is left up to the player's imagination. Warlocks are given limited spell slots, but they always cast their spells at the highest level, they have the powerful Eldritch Blast cantrip, and their spell slots restore on a Short Rest rather than a Long Rest.

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Building a Warlock in Baldur's Gate 3

Choose a Pact

A Warlock chooses their Pact in Level 1 during character creation. There are three types of Pacts to choose from, each with a different being behind the Pact. Warlock Pacts serve as the Warlock's subclass.

The Fiend

The Fiend refers to a being from either the Hells or the Abyss, devils and demons, and the magic provided aligns with magic from these realms. Warlocks with the Pact of the Fiend gain Dark One's Blessing, which confers additional hit points once an enemy is defeated. They also gain Burning Hands and Command at the first level.

The Great Old One

This pact involves unknowable beings and eldritch abominations in the far reaches of the Planes. Some of these beings occasionally reach out from the beyond and make Warlock Pacts in exchange for something unfathomable. The ancient being grants the Warlock entropy magic, and the ability to alter reality. At higher levels, the Warlock's patron shields and reflects Psychic damage back onto attackers.

The Archfey

Fey creatures abound in Faerun and the Realms, with some ranking as supremely powerful beings. A lady or lord of the Archfey's Pact with a Warlock grants magic from their realm, both beguiling and horrifying. Warlocks with a Pact of the Archfey can cast Sleep, can Charm and Frighten enemies, and gain immunity to Charm at higher levels.

Choosing the Direction of the Warlock's Path in Baldur's Gate 3

Unlocking Invocations

Warlocks gain Invocations at Level 2, which grant the Warlock more spells or improve the Warlock's current spells and abilities. Many of the spells gained through Invocations do not use Warlock spell slots, making them incredibly useful. Invocations are best used to upgrade Eldritch Blast with Repelling Blast and Agonizing Blast, while the rest of the Invocations chosen depend on the Warlock's build.

Choose a Pact Boon

There are three Pact Boons in Baldur's Gate 3 to choose from once the Warlock reaches Level 3. Each one has different benefits, and some work well when paired with other classes such as Bard or Paladin.

Pact of the Chain

This boon allows Warlocks to summon a familiar. While players can choose the regular animal form, they also gain access to useful imp or quasit forms.

Pact of the Blade

This boon binds the weapon the Warlock has equipped, making it magical. The damage it deals uses the Warlock's spellcasting ability modifier, Charisma. If the Warlock has no equipped weapon, the Warlock can summon a weapon and become proficient in it. This is incredibly useful for cross-class play, particularly for Paladins to pour their ability points into Charisma instead of splitting them between Strength and Charisma. It also works well with Bards who are a part of the College of Swords.

Pact of the Tome

This boon gives the Warlock the ability to cast Guidance, Vicious Mockery, and Thorn Whip. While not as flexible as the other pacts, these can be useful for a utility warlock build, especially considering the power of Guidance.

Playing a Warlock in Baldur's Gate 3

Master Eldritch Blast

Eldritch Blast is a powerful offensive cantrip that Warlocks of every Pact get from Level 1. Eldritch Blast sends projectiles of magic that deals Force Damage that scales as the Warlock levels. Multiple enemies can be targeted with Eldritch Blast, and it can be upgraded with the Invocations Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast. Eldritch Blast can be used alongside higher level Warlock spells such as Hunger of Hadar to repel enemies back into the AoE, or it can be used simply to push low priority enemies into chasms.

Multiclassing as a Warlock

For some, Warlock as a pure class can be a little too simple, as it is largely built around Eldritch Blast and a few supplementary spells. Multiclassing takes care of this problem, and Warlock fits seamlessly into the other three Charisma-based classes: Paladin, Bard, and Sorcerer. Multiclassing into Paladin gives the Warlock access to Heavy Armor and better weapon attacks, the Bard's College of the Sword integrates perfectly with the Warlock's Pact of the Blade, and Sorcerer spells pair well with the Warlock's spell slots.

Roleplaying a Warlock

Warlocks have some of the greatest potential for roleplaying in Baldur's Gate 3. Players are left to roleplay the reasons behind the circumstances of their Pacts, why their Warlocks would make them, and their relationship with their patrons. For example, a Warlock with a lord or lady of the Archfey as a patron, multiclassed as a Bard, could exchange music, poetry, and stories of their adventure in exchange for their power. There is a lot of space to create interesting stories for Warlock players, and just enough interaction with their Patrons in-game to make them relevant.

Use Darkness and Devil's Sight

Darkness is a spell that Blinds targets in an area. Devil's Sight is a Warlock Invocation that allows the Warlock to see in Darkness, whether natural or magical. This allows the Warlock to cast Darkness move and attack freely with Advantage while their enemies attack with Disadvantage, all while being unable to use ranged attacks.

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Baldur's Gate 3 Tag Page Cover Art

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OpenCritic Reviews: Top Critic Avg: 96 /100 Critics Rec: 97%

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Released: August 3, 2023
ESRB: M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
Developer(s): Larian Studios
Publisher(s): Larian Studios
Engine: Divinity 4.0
Multiplayer: Online Co-Op, Local Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play: Full cross-platform play.

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Franchise: Baldur's Gate
Number of Players: 1-4
Split Screen Orientation: Vertical Only
Platform(s): PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, macOS
Genre(s): RPG
Metascore: 96
How Long To Beat: 100+ Hours
PS Plus Availability: N/A
Local Co-Op Support: 1-2 Players

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