Warlocks have a unique combination of might and magic with an element of intrigue. These mysterious casters make things interesting with their proficiency in the dark arts. The three Warlock subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 come with fascinating backstories on how they made deals with undesirables from beyond who granted them great powers.
Playing as this caster class can be a fun experience primarily because of the unique Warlock subclasses in BG3 and their fascinating traits.
The Fiend
This is the same subclass as that of Baldur’s Gate 3’s origin character, Wyll. This subclass is aptly named as the characters tend to take a more devious route having sold their souls to the devil. It therefore shouldn’t come as a surprise that Fiends have an affinity to fire. Most of the spells and cantrips of this subclass are dedicated to fire. Burning Hands, Scorching Ray and Fireball are among the most powerful spells Warlocks can unlock at earlier levels.
Fiends also receive a unique feature called the ‘Dark One’s Blessing’ which allows you to gain temporary hit points once you’ve destroyed an enemy. These hit points depend on your character level and the charisma modifiers. At level 6 a feature called ‘Dark One’s Own Luck’ is unlocked which gives better odds at saving throws and other checks with the addition of a d10.
After reaching level 10, Fiends gain the ‘Fiendish Resilience’ action which allows you to choose a particular damage type and make your character resistant to it. The damage type can be switched after a short rest, although there is no way to add more than one type. Furthermore, this action does not apply to magical attacks or silver weapons. Essentially, all non-silver melee and ranged weapon attacks can be ignored once per short rest.
Fiend is a reliable subclass for fire combat tactics and it offers many debuff spells as well that can make your attacks all the more effective. Spells such as Command (Halt) and Blindness are available very early in the Fiend path. Overall, this is a great combat subclass that can do a great deal of damage and hinder the enemy’s attacks effectively. An added perk is the fact that this subclass starts becoming quite useful from a very early stage in the game.
The Great Old One
Warlocks choosing this subclass have sold their souls to mysterious eldritch beings in the far realms. This is one of the most mysterious and frightening subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 and naturally earns the power ‘Mortal Reminder’ which, as the name suggests, reminds all enemies of how frightening these warlocks are. The ‘frightened’ status is activated every time a character in your party lands a critical hit and affects all enemies.
This subclass focuses primarily on the enchantment school and has an extensive assortment of manipulation spells. The Great Old Ones are capable of manipulating all creatures, friend and foe alike, to do their bidding much like the Illithids. These psionic abilities can be very useful in determining the outcome of battles as well as real-time checks.
‘Awakened Mind’ is a telepathic ability that allows warlocks to speak to all creatures. That includes grooving with the several species of small furry animals found across the land without the need for a Pict. So, the great ones can also partially fill the role of Druids for real-time gameplay.
Also read: How to multiclass?
The ‘Entropic Ward’ feature unlocked at level 6 is especially useful in combat. It allows you to cast a reaction ward which grants an advantage throw against an opponent that misses your warlock. The opponent in question also comes under the disadvantage effect which makes your next attack roll all the more effective with a pretty good chance of landing a critical hit.
Other features such as the Thought Shield: Psychic Resistance and Thought Shield: Psychic Reflection make your character immune to psychic attacks and telepathic manipulation respectively. These are unlocked at level 10.
According to D&D 5e rules, the Great Old Ones are supposed to gain the spell ‘Create Thrall’ which allows you to control incapacitated humanoids and make them your thralls. But with the BG3 level 12 cap, this feature is yet to be explored.
The Archfey
Archfeys are quite similar to the Great Old Ones in the ability tiers but have more flexible powers of manipulation. Archfeys are able to control the environment as well as all creatures within. This subclass allows you to access to draw from all schools of magic with emphasis on Evocation and Illusion.
Archfeys at level 1 gain the feature ‘Fey Presence’ which can both frighten and charm creatures that fail a wisdom saving throw. This subclass is adept at creating an opportunity in every situation. Spells like ‘Phantasmal Force’ allow you to control the battlefield using psychic energy. Furthermore, illusion and evocation spells in this subclass can complement any party composition.
Transmutation spells like Plant Growth and Blink can alter the terrain to make life difficult for enemies. The Archfey subclass is also blessed with impressive invisibility capabilities. The Misty Escape unlocked at level 6 allows characters to become invisible once they’ve taken damage. This feature can be further bolstered by the Greater Invisibility spell. This spell can be applied on any character and they also stand to gain an advantage throw while the attacker is given a disadvantage.
This concludes our Warlock subclasses guide. You can take a look at our Baldur’s Gate 3 Wizard subclasses and Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter subclasses guide, and also the tier list of the classes in Baldur’s Gate 3.
