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Warlocks inBaldur’s Gate 3always had melee options available thanks to their Pact of the Blade Boon, but none of the subclasses were fully supportive of the Boon itself. Now, Warlocks have access to the Hexblade subclass, making them masters of the frontline through damage and sustainability.
Here, we will delve on how to best use this subclass, what is different between the other available options, and how to best build your melee Warlock. Whether you are planning a new path for Wyll, or designing an entire original character, we’ve got you covered.
Hexblade Warlock Overview
Hexblade Warlocks areall about the frontline, but their role continues to bethat of a damage dealer. They gain access toa few survival features, such as life-stealing mechanics andspells like Shield, but their main appeal isthe many Smite options they have available.
You still have to contend withvery few spell slots, but you aren’t helpless onceyou’ve dealt your Smite damage. You’ll be dealing some good damage withyour basic attacks, and the passive abilities of the subclass likeHexblade’s Cursemake you more of a menace than any other Warlocks have been in the past.
Best Starting Stats, Species, And Spells For A Hexblade Warlock Character
Here, we will assume thatyou’re making a custom character, although Wyll isa perfectly good choicefor the Hexblade Warlock path. You will, however,need to change his class with Withersso you can pick the Patron at level one.
Species
Since your stats aren’t impacted by your species, choosewhatever you find most fun. However, you don’t really needthe proficiencies in weaponsthat most of them give, so an all-around good choiceis Half-Orc, due to theirsavage attack and relentless endurancefeatures.
Cantrips And Spells
No Warlock can escapethe need to have Eldritch Blaston their build, turning all ranged weapons you find in the game meaningless. Beyond that Cantrip, a Hexblade Warlock can get a lot of mileageout of Booming Blade, although the target needs to move after being struck.
Minor Illusion is another great cantrip to set up traps, in case you don’t think you’ll use Booming Blade too much.
Choosing spells is a bit more complicated since it depends onwhat your party composition is, but gettingShield and Wrathful Smite(both available thanks to the Hexblade path) is a good idea. Shield is a perfect use ofyour reaction to defend yourself, while the Smite is what you usewhen you want to go all out.
Background
You should try to combine bothskill usefulness and overall playstylewhen choosing a background.Guild Artisan and Nobleare recommended backgrounds due to the proficiency in Persuasion they give, butthe Folk Hero background(the one Wyll starts as) isa great source of Inspirationif you’re planning a heroic run.
Stats And Skills
The recommended stats given by the game haveboth Intelligence and Dexterity at 13, something odd sinceyou won’t be using much Intelligence. Remove one point from Intelligence and add it to Dexterity, sinceyou will use that stat for your armor class.
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For skills, it will highly depend onthe character being the face of the partyor not. If it is, look toinvest in all the social skills, such as Persuasion, Intimidation and Intimidation. Beyond that,Stealth is always an important one to havefor many encounters.
Tips To Best Play A Hexblade Warlock
The important thing to remember about playing any kind of Warlock is that their spell slots,while highly limited, are recharged witha simple short rest.This means that you shouldn’t be afraid ofusing all your resources in every fight, since you’re able to get them backtwice before needing a long rest.
At level six,you get the Accursed Spectre reaction, letting you create a Spectre companion fromthe corpse of a cursed enemy. This might feel a bit lackluster when you acquire it sinceyou’ll most likely be at Act Twoby that point (filled with undead that can’t be turned into Spectres), but in Act Three, you’ll easilycommand an army of ghoststhat will tear through your enemies.
Best Spells For A Hexblade Warlock
We’ll go into what spells are best at each level later, but as a Hexblade Warlock, you’ll want to use your spell slots to eithercast the many Smitesorto control the battlefieldwhile standing in melee. It all depends on how offensive or strategic you want to be during combat.
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Best Equipment For A Hexblade Warlock
Best Weapons
Any good weaponis a great weaponin the hands of a Hexblade Warlock since they can be instantly proficient withanything they bind themselves to. A particularly good one, however, isUnseen Menace, sold by A’jak’nir Jeera at the Githyanki Creche.
This invisible weapon can dealcritical hits with a 19 on the dieas well as a 20, butcombine that with the Hexblade’s Curse, and you are now scoring criticals with an 18, 19, and 20. Considering that the weapon hasadvantage on attacksuntil it misses during combat, you’ll be scoring a lot of critical hits with this beauty.
Best Armor And Accessories
Other than items that improve stats, you’ll want things thatcombine your melee damage with your many spells. TheStrange Conduit Ringdeals additional damage while you are concentrating (and you’ll be concentrating on many Smites), whilethe Spidersilk Armourworn by Minthara gives you advantage on Constitution Saving Throws.
You don’t have to kill Minthara to get her equipment, although you do need to be able to loot her equipment.
Every Level Up Choice For A Hexblade Warlock
Don’t be afraid toexperiment with different spells, since you’re able to alwaysrespec your character by talking to Withers. We will recommend the spells and invocations that are often considered the most useful, but they might not be for youdepending on your playstyle.
Cantrips, Spells, Subclass
As mentioned before,Eldritch Blast and Booming Blade are ideal cantrips, while the spells Shield and Wrathful Smite will have you shine on the frontlines.
Eldritch Invocations, Spells
Agonising Blast is the main choice here, while the other invocation is up to preference (Repelling Blast is recommended). Armour of Agathys is an ideal defensive spell, since you can cast it just before a short rest and not lose any resources.
Pact Boon, Spells
Take thePact of the Blade Boon, mostly for the extra attack at level 5.Branding Smite is an ideal spell, particularly for the many encounters with undead.
Feat, Cantrip
TheActor featisperfect for Warlocksthat are the face of the party. For cantrips,Mage Hand or Minor Illusioncan help you solve different puzzles.
Eldritch Invocation, Spell
TheSlow Invocation is perfect for certain tough bosses, whileCounterspell is key for quite a few encounters.
Spell
TheElemental Weapon spell is a great useof your last spell slot (since it requires concentration).
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Dreadful Wordis a great wayto confuse numerous enemies, whileStaggering Smite can nullify a single hard-hitting enemy.
Feat, Spell
Round up your Charisma to 20, andtake Banishment for additional ways to control the battlefield.
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Minions of Chaos is always good to have, since the elementals persist between short rests.Banishing Smite combines all the good thingsfrom Banishment and your many Smites.
Cone of Cold is a great source of area damage, something often lacking on the subclass.
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Spell, Mystic Arcanum
Hold Monster can let you ignore a certain dragonduring the final fight of the game, whileCreate Undead offers a highly valuable minionto round up your squad.
Feat, Eldritch Invocation
Lifedrinkeris a key choice at this point, while the feat can be whatever you want. If unsure, raiseWisdom for future saving throws if your Charismais already at 20.
