Fiend Warlock Build and Guide
Do you like running in and causing chaos from both melee and ranged distances? That is exactly what the Baldur’s Gate 3 Fiend Warlock does!
This class focuses on getting into the fight and taking down a specific enemy as quickly as possible.
Although it doesn’t have the utility or spellcasting of its other Warlock subclass counterparts, it is the choice if you want to get up close and personal due to its more tanky nature.
Before getting into the nitty-gritty of the build, let me first explain the pros and cons of this class.
Find out where the Warlock ranks in our Baldur’s Gate 3 class tier list.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Always Cast Spells at Highest Level
- High Single Target Damage
- Tankier Spellcaster
Cons
- Only 2 Spell Slots
- Low Consistent Damage per Round (DPR)
- Not as Frightening or spell-heavy as other subclasses
Let us start with the pros of the class! The Warlock casts all their spells at the highest possible level. Meaning that they get the most bang out of their spells.
If you compare this directly to a Wizard, who needs to spend spell slots of a higher tier to upgrade their spells, then you will see the value of the Warlock! All Wizards are highly envious of this! This ability is specifically good with Hellish Rebuke.
The Warlock can dish out serious single-target damage. This is due to the spell Scorching Ray and the spell Hex. You use these in conjunction with one another! You Hex the target that you want to take out, and then use Scorching Ray! This deals a lot of damage as each individual shot of Scorching Ray deals an extra 1d6 to the hexed target!
On top of this when you kill the target you can reapply the Hex for free, assuming you have not broken concentration. Oh, and as a bonus perk, because we took the Fiend Warlock subclass, we are also granted temporary HP! This is from the Dark One’s Blessing.
Devil’s Sight is an invocation that is unique to the Warlock. While it does not sound terribly impressive, being able to always see in both magical and non-magical darkness, it plays insanely strong.
A Warlock casts the spell Darkness around them, which in short gives them an advantage against most enemies while also giving most enemies a disadvantage against them!
Having this combination is incredibly strong, specifically for melee or close-range units as both the attacker and defender need to be within the darkness.
To sum up all the pros of being a Fiend Warlock, you are a tanky spellcaster who can dish out, and possibly even one-shot, single-target enemies!
After reading some of the cons of the class, what could be the downside of this overpowered unit? Well for starters the Warlock is limited to two spell slots. This means that they need to be careful with their spellcasting. A Warlock can take a short rest to regain their spell slots, but being forced to short rest to regain them is certainly a downside.
Another downside of the class is the low consistent damage per round. The Warlock is limited on spell slots, and their spells are how they deal the high burst damage. After they take out a single target, they often are unable to deal high damage for the remainder of the fight. They still have Eldrich Blast, which scales well and does good damage, but overall, their damage is muted after using their spell slots.
The final downside of the Fiend Warlock, compared to The Great Old One, is that their Critical Strikes do nothing different. The Great Old One has access to Mortal Reminder, which will frighten enemies when you land critical strikes! This allows The Great Old One Warlocks to add more crowd control effects to the battlefield.
Races
Note: This article was written based on Early Access, we will have updates that include the new Racial bonus changes very soon.
For races, we recommend taking the Half-Elf Drow or Tiefling. These two are the recommended races as they both give +2 to Charisma, which is the main stat for the Warlock.
I recommend the Half-Elf Drow as it allows the player to cast Darkness once per day for free, essentially increasing the number of spell slots for the Warlock!
Stats, Background, and Proficiencies
The main stat for this class is Charisma. This is because Charisma is what governs the spells for a Warlock. Maxing this stat is a must. From there a player needs a high Constitution because Warlocks are in the thick of the fight and need to be able to survive a hit.
After that, a player can choose to go into either Strength or Dexterity, depending on the weapon that a player wants to equip. I recommend starting the game with an attribute distribution of 8 STR, 16 DEX, 14 CON, 8 INT, 11 WIS, and 17 CHR.
Note: If you want 16 CON and 14 DEX that is totally fine as well for the little bit extra survivability! I go with 16 DEX and 14 CON for two reasons.
The first is that this build already has a lot of survivability with Darkness, Dark One’s Blessing, and high CON and the little bit of extra DEX will make DEX roles throughout the game that much easier.
Secondly, the extra DEX pairs well with your Pact of the Blade pact weapon if you go that route.
Taking the Noble Background along with the Intimidation and Arcana proficiencies will allow a player to pass skill checks relevant to their class along with the ability to avoid some unnecessary fights.
Spells and Abilities
By the time a Fiend Warlock reaches level 5 they should be feeling strong. They will have access to their main spell and abilities to make this build work. The main spells for this are:
- Hex
- Scorching Ray
- Darkness
- Eldrich Blast
- Hellish Rebuke
- Armor of Agathys
How do all of these spells look in combat?
Before going into a hard combat, the Fiend Warlock will cast Armor of Agathys upon themselves and then short rest. The Armor will not expire during the short rest. The armor will provide both HP and Damage.
Then you enter combat. Cast Hex upon the main target that you want to dispose of. Follow this up with Scorching Ray for maximum damage. If the target is still alive, try to get within melee distance and cast Darkness upon yourself with your racial ability.
This will give you an advantage and it will give them a disadvantage. Proceed to then bash them with your highest proficiency weapon.
This is your main combo. Hellish Rebuke is for the times that you get hit and want to damage them back. Eldrich Blast is your spammable ranged attack.
Equipment
This is a simple, but important section. Always look to equip the best gear possible throughout your journey.
Anything that gives stats is important, especially if those stats are in Charisma, Constitution, or Dexterity for the Fiend Warlock. As for specific items, there are some that will go a long way toward making you feel unstoppable!
From what we knew from Early Access, these items include:
Shortsword of First Blood
Gloves of Flint and Steel
Conclusion
That’s all for now for the level 5 Fiend! Go out there and create hell for those annoying Mind Flayers. Since this guide covered the max level of Early Access, we will of course update in the near future with the higher levels for playing this subclass.
