In Baldur's Gate 3, the Warlock class is widely considered to be the easiest caster to learn and play, but that doesn't mean it's not powerful. Warlocks don't have as many spell slots as other spellcasters, but they make up for that with an incredibly powerful Cantrip and access to some of the game's best control spells.
The best Warlock builds in BG3 take advantage of these class strengths. Typically, Baldur's Gate 3 builds are based on a subclass, which takes the form of a Patron for Warlocks. The Great Old One brings useful spells and lots of class flavor, making it the prime choice for players looking to get started on the right foot with the Warlock class.
Updated August 4, 2023 by Erik Petrovich: With the full release of Baldur's Gate 3 a lot of things have changed from the Early Access version. Thanks to the new subclasses and expanded maximum level, players' ideas about the best Warlock build in BG3 have changed, and will very likely continue to evolve as fans get deeper into the game. This guide has been updated to be accurate to the full release version of Baldur's Gate 3, but it doesn't recommend build choices past Level 5. Check back regularly for more advice on how to make the best Warlock build as the Baldur's Gate 3 community continues to learn more about how the class plays at higher levels.
As a guide-in-progress, this build will be continually updated with more information about choices in the mid to late game as players make their way through the expansive Baldur's Gate 3.
Best Warlock Build Overview
"Warlocks bound to Eldritch beings in the Far Realms work toward inscrutable goals, gaining strange powers over entropy and the mind."
The Great Old One Warlock is one of the best Warlock builds because of its access to powerful, battle-turning control spells that complement the class spell list. By binding oneself to a pact with the Great Old One, Warlocks gain the Mortal Reminder passive which makes enemies Frightened on crits, as well a choice of two first-level spells at Level 1 and two second-level spells at Level 3.
Playing as a Great Old One Warlock means committing nearly entirely to being a spellcaster, so only engage in combat from a distance. Though Warlocks have few spell slots, they recover them on a Short and Long Rest, and have access to one of the most powerful cantrips in Baldur's Gate 3: Eldritch Blast.
After gaining Eldritch Invocations at Level 2, players will find themselves making liberal use of this cantrip for damage. Save spell slots to control the flow of battle with spells like Tasha's Hideous Laughter and
Great Old One Warlock Character Creation
Best Warlock Race: Asmodeus Tiefling
The Asmodeus Tiefling is the best Race for Warlocks in BG3 because of their passive ability to cast Hellish Rebuke from Level 3 and the Darkness spell at Level 5.
Hellish Rebuke deals 2d10 Fire damage as a reaction to being damaged, which can be an enormous amount at low levels.
Darkness shrouds an area, obscuring and blinding all within, which can help set up Sneak attacks for other party members or affect enemies' ability to see, depending on where it's placed.
Asmodeus Tieflings start with the Thaumaturgy cantrip, which grants Advantage on Intimidation and Performance checks – situationally, this can be useful, but players have to cast it before engaging in dialogue to get the bonus.
Best Warlock Patron/Subclass: Great Old One
The Great Old One is one of three Patrons for the Warlock Class, the others being The Archfey and The Fiend. The Great Old One eeks ahead of The Fiend because of its more battle-influential spells. Compared to The Archfey, many differences between the two patrons are mostly aesthetic as they both can control combat very well. Because of the Archfey's lack of inclusion in the Early Access, though, it remains yet to be seen if it's truly the best Warlock Patron.
At Level 1, The Great Old One gives Warlocks access to Tasha's Hideous Laughter or Dissonant Whispers, and then at Level 3, they can use Detect Thoughts and Phantasmal Force. It is worth mentioning that The Fiend has access to more spells in total than The Great Old One in Early Access, but that will change with the full release of the game.
Best Warlock Proficiencies and Background: Sage
The Sage gains Advantage on Arcana and History checks, which complements a Warlock's own RP choices during dialogues. These are both Intelligence checks, an Ability Score that Warlocks don't generally put a lot of effort into developing.
Gaining Proficiency with these two skills knocks out two of the default choices for Warlocks, leaving Deception, Intimidation, Nature, Insight, and Religion. Choose Deception and Insight for their relatively high frequency of ability checks during dialogues.
Best Great Old One Warlock Cantrips
- Level 1: Eldritch Blast, Mage Hand
- Level 4: Blade Ward
Best Great Old One Warlock Spells
- Level 1: Hex, Tasha's Hideous Laughter
- Level 2: Armor of Agathys
- Level 3: Cloud of Daggers
- Level 4: Misty Step
- Level 5: Hunger of Hadar
Best Great Old One Warlock Eldritch Invocations
- Level 2: Repelling Blast and Agonising Blast
- Level 5: Mire of the Mind
Baldur's Gate 3 is available for PC and will release for PlayStation 5 on September 6, 2023. A version for Xbox Series X/S is currently in development.