Summary
Dungeons and Dragons' warlock class is a community favorite, even if some consider it to be weaker than other spellcasters. However, the upcoming revision toDungeons and Dragons' core rulebooks may just be boosting the pact-forger’s power into the stratosphere.
D&D 5e’s warlock is a major crowd-pleaser, decked out with more customization options than most. Its unique Pact Magic spellcasting, Faustian flavor, and signature eldritch blast cantrip have also been huge draws for the class. On the other hand, many prefer to dip into the class rather than ride it out; the warlock is incredibly front-loaded—receiving a subclass at first level, Eldritch Invocations at second, and Pact Boons at third. Add to this a Pact Magic system that is only as good as the amount of short rests a party takes, and the warlock can often be sidelined as a power boost for multiclassing.
Every Change Coming With D&D 2024’s Warlock Class
Big Subclass Changes
One of the biggest changesthatD&D 2024has madeto the warlock is putting its subclasses at third level rather than first, a standard that will be shared by all classes in the upcomingPlayer’s Handbook. This nerf is canceled out by other shifted features and some big subclass improvements, which each subclass has received. Included in this assortment of options are all the 2014 warlock subclasses (Archfey, Fiend, and Great Old One) as well as the Celestial warlock found inXanathar’s Guide to Everything.
Minor changes have been made to most of these subclasses, boiling down to quality-of-life fixes that give the player more uses of their subclass features—in addition to making patron spells always prepared, bringing them in-line with the cleric. The exception is the complete rework given to the Great Old One warlock,one ofD&D 5e’s more underwhelming subclasses. Their telepathy is slightly improved, they can change the damage type of spells to psychic, cast certain spells without verbal or somatic components, and force creatures to have disadvantage on attacks against them. Their Create Thrall ability is also changed, now amounting to a buffed casting of Summon Aberration.
Revised Invocations
Invocations are one of the best features found inthe warlock ofD&D 5e, and they’ve gotten some huge benefits in the 2024 revision. Invocations are now available at level 1, and the warlock gains invocations at a faster rate. Furthermore, Pact Boons are now invocations, meaning players can take them at level 1 and gain additional pact boons, rather than the single one that players could take previously. In addition, Invocations that used to only buff eldritch blast can now have their benefits applied to other similar cantrips (such as ray of frost).
Magical Cunning and Contact Patron
One of the new features available to the warlock inD&D 2024’sPlayer’s Handbookis Magical Cunning, a streamlined version of the 2014 warlock’s Eldritch Master trait. At level 2, the warlock can spend a minute to regain half of their spell slots. This can be used once per long rest, and restores all slots at level 20 (just as Eldritch Master did, though the ritual is only 1 minute as opposed to 10). This will effectively give the warlock an additional spell slot per day for most of their career, a small but nice bonus.
Contact Patron is a change that will allow those using therevisedD&D 2024rulesetto gamify interactions with their patron. At level 9, warlocks can contact their patron for free once per long rest; though this is something most DMs allow players to access (in one way or another) for free, guaranteeing this roleplay interaction is a nifty bonus.
Dungeons and Dragons
Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.
