In the right hands, Warlock can be one of the most funBaldur’s Gate 3classes you can use. Eldritch Blast alone can make a playthrough hilarious, let alone its subclasses and abilities that let you make pacts with weapons and use high-level illusion spells to mess with your enemies.
That’s where Hexblade Warlock comes in. This subclass binds your character to magical weapons, instantly becoming proficient with them and using your charisma to strengthen them rather than strength or dexterity. Let’s dive into how to make the bestBG3Hexblade Warlock build so you can turn simple swords and daggers into hard-hitting weapons.
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Hexblade Warlock build overview
Hexblade Warlock, as the name suggests, focuses on binding magical weapons to your character. Although you can’t drop or throw your weapon, you’ll instantly become proficient with it if you weren’t already and have a chance to apply Hexblade’s Curse to your target. You’re also automatically proficient with Medium Armour, Shields, and Martial Weapons.
Here’s an overview of Hexblade Warlock’s starting class actions and features:
You can also choose from the following Cantrips and spells at level one:
Starting Cantrips
The starting cantrips for this Hexblade Warlock build areEldritch BlastandBooming Blade. Warlock has a ton of Eldritch Blast upgrading capabilities regardless of your build, making it a go-to cantrip except in niche situations. Booming Blade pairs well with Hexblade, in particular, as a melee range attack that inflicts Resonance onto the target, dealing Thunder damage anytime the target moves.
As we’ll discuss later, there are certain races that can grant you an additional Cantrip. If you choose one of these options, you’re able to pick a non-combat option likeFriendsfor Advantage on Charisma Checks against non-hostile creatures or spells likeTrue Strikethat give you Advantage on your next Attack Roll.
Starting Spells
For Hexblade Warlock, in particular, your best spell early on will beWrathful Smite. It’s another melee range spell that deals your weapon’s usual damage alongside 1d6 Psychic damage. It also has a chance to frighten your target, preventing them from moving and giving Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.
Your second option will vary depending on your playstyle, but some worthwhile pickups are Shield, Hellish Rebuke, or Hex. Since we’re focusing on a melee build here,Shieldis usually your best bet early on, letting you raise your Armor Class by five and making you immune to Magic Missile. It isn’t as handy in the late game as you improve your gear, but it can save you in a pinch within Acts One and Two.
Best Hexblade Warlock race and background
The best race for a Hexblade Warlock is theHalf-Orc. From the start, they gain Savage Attacks, giving you an extra dice of weapon damage when you land a Critical Hit with a melee weapon attack. Considering Hexblade Warlock is all about taking advantage of melee attacks with some AoE and illusion spells mixed in, anything that buffs this early on is a win.
An alternative option is the High Elf. Alongside their Fey Ancestry that gives them Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed, you’ll also gain Elven Weapon Training for additional melee and ranged weapon proficiency and an extra Cantrip option. High Elf will always be a solid option regardless of whatWarlock buildyou go.
The best background option for Hexblade Warlock isEntertainer.Entertainer gives you proficiency in Acrobatics and Performance, which scale with Dexterity and Charisma. Alternatively, if you don’t plan on having Astarion as a companion, you’re able to pick upCharlatanto improve your Deception and Sleight of Hands.
Best Hexblade Warlock Ability Scores
Hexblade Warlock is all aboutCharisma. While this build focuses on melee damage with your hexed weapons, your damage directly scales with your Charisma modifier. It’s by far the most important stat to consider when strengthening your character.
That said, we can completely ignore Strength since it won’t impact your melee attack power. Instead, our secondary focus is Dexterity, followed by Constitution. Dexterity influences your Armor Class and Initiative, while Constitution will give you some extra health points so you stay alive on the frontlines.
Here’s a complete breakdown of what your stats should look like after creating your character:
Hexblade Warlock skills and level progression
Here’s a complete breakdown of how you should level up your Hexblade Warlock from level one to twelve inBG3:
Level one
Level two
Picking up spells likeHexandArmour of Agathysis your best bet to start. Since you’ll often be in melee range, Armour of Agathys will grant your temporary hit points and inflict Cold damage to any creature that melee attacks you while it’s active. Hex gives your attacks extra Necrotic damage and provides free recasts if your target dies before the spell ends.
You’ll always want to pickAgonising BlastandRepelling Blastfor your first two Eldritch Invocations. Both options significantly buff Eldritch Blast, adding your Charisma Modifier to its damage and pushing enemies away from you, letting you launch them off cliff edges or into abysses for instakills. These are great options forany Warlock buildeven outside of Hexblade.
Level three
Since Hexblade Warlock already has Bind Hexed Weapon, you would initially believe it isn’t useful to pick upPact of the Blade. Despite this, Pact of the Blade will give you an extra attack later on, making it handy to pick up regardless.
As for spells, your best options areShadow BladeandHold Person. While it’s early to swap out Shield, you’ll likely have other party members by now with shielding and healing capabilities that can improve your survivability. Instead, your job is to hold your enemies in place and knock them down with your Cantrips and Shadow Blade, which only get stronger starting from level four.
Level four
The Toll the Dead Cantrip is a good choice to diversify your damage elements. It deals 1d12 Necrotic damage, with it inflicting less damage if your target is at full health. Using this on weak opponents who are vulnerable to necrotic damage can deal some hefty damage even if you’re generally better off sticking to Booming Blade and Eldritch Blast. With this, you may alsoreplace Hex with Branding Smiteto give you even more melee attack options.
For your spell, we recommend takingDarkness. You’ll blind anyone within its range, preventing your opponents from making ranged attacks. Your Shadow Blade attack rolls also have advantage if used in dim light or darkness, making it much more powerful than it was previously. The only downside is that you and your party will also be affected by this if they’re within its radius, but your Hexblade Warlock will have a counter for this in future levels.
Lastly, your Feat will almost always beAbility Improvement into Charisma, raising it from 16 to 18. There’s no downside to this: everything about your character will be stronger with this buff, making it a go-to for any build.
Level five
Now that you’re level five, you’ll haveDeepened Pact, which buffs your chosen pact from level three. In this case, we now have two attacks with our Pact of the Blade.
Since we picked up Darkness last level, your next best option isHunger of Hadar. Any creature within its radius will be blinded and take damage at the beginning and end of its turn. Overall, its AoE damage and debuffing make it a solid pick for multiple class builds, including this one.
With Darkness in our roster, theDevil’s Sightinvocation is the best choice for seeing in darkness without penalty. While there’s room to debate the out-of-combat benefits of Beguiling Influence, havingcompanions like Astarionaround to do the talking or relying on your high Charisma will usually do the job without the need for this extra invocation.
Level six
Although we’re primarily a melee as a Hexblade Warlock, having some traversal skills is a good way to escape from a sticky situation.Misty Stepwill accomplish exactly that, letting you teleport anywhere within an 18-meter space. This spell is also helpful if you want to appear in the middle of the battlefield and wreak havoc without worrying about spending extra turns running into a room or battle area.
Level seven
Sticking with our melee build, your next best option is grabbingStaggering Smite, letting you stagger your opponents and deal both bludgeoning and psychic damage. While we have several smite attacks by now, you’ll at least have options for just about any enemy type, depending on the situation.
For your invocation, it’s time to pick upDreadful Word. Dreadful Word grants you Confusion, an AoE attack that confuses a group of creatures, causing them to attack randomly and occasionally skip their turn. If you’re lucky, confused enemies will damage their own allies, making most of your fights much easier.
Level eight
Level eight is somewhat of a filler level when it comes to spells. In this case, we recommend takingBlightfor its high damage potential and to diversify our elemental selection. Phantasmal Killer is another viable option for inflicting Psychic damage per turn, preventing your enemy from moving, and giving them Disadvantage on Ability Checks and Attack Rolls.
You’ll also wantAbility Improvementagain for your Feat, bumping your Charisma up to 20. Like before, this strengthens every aspect of your character, from damage output to Persuasion dialogue Checks.
Level nine
The next best Eldritch Invocation to pick up during level nine isMinions of Chaosto conjure an elemental. While invocations like Mire the Mind and Sculptor of Flesh are also viable here, the elemental you get from Minions of Chaos can help act as a meat shield during fights or provide some additional damage output for your party. There are plenty of solid options, but this one is especially fun to use.
As for spells, we’re takingCone of Coldas another massive AoE damage attack. This is a great one to use just before you get into melee range of your foes or if you need to briefly escape but still want to inflict some damage from afar.
Level ten
Level ten is a major level for our Hexblade Warlock, gaining the Armour of Hexes subclass feature that has a chance to nullify attacks as a reaction. For anything you don’t nullify, you’re able to reduce its damage usingBlade Ward, halving damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing attacks. As for spells, we’re pickingBanishing Smitefor its fantastic crowd-control capabilities and damage scaling with your weapon.
Level eleven
Circle of Deathis an extremely powerful ability, inflicting 8d6 Necrotic damage in a massive sphere around the battlefield. Much like Cone of Cold, this one is great if you’ve got a large group you need to deal with quickly. By this point in yourBaldur’s Gate 3playthrough, you’ll have a whole lot of these to tackle.
For your spell, takingPhantasmal Killerwill let you haunt creatures, inflicting high psychic damage per turn and giving them Disadvantage on both Ability Checks and Attack Rolls. It lasts ten turns, making this a great ability as long as no one breaks your concentration.
Level twelve
Last but not least, we have level twelve. A lot happens here, including the introduction ofMaster Hexblade’s Curse, which lets you deal additional damage against your target and heal your health when they die.
For Eldritch Invocation, you’re looking atLifedrinkeras the go-to option for Hexblade Warlock. With this invocation, any attacks you deal with your Pact Weapon deal additional necrotic damage that scales with your Charisma. There’s no competition: this is the best option you’ll have available for this particular build.
For your spell, takingHold Monsterwill grant you another way to paralyze any creatures you encounter. By now, you’ll be able to hold four humanoid creatures with Hold Person or one creature with Hold Monster, giving you multiple options for this spell if the situation calls for it.
You’ll want to takeAlertfor your last feat, giving you a +5 bonus to Initiative. You also can’t be surprised with this feat, ensuring you always get the first attack regardless of the situation. Overall, this is one of the most helpful options for several character builds, with this being among the bunch that benefits greatly from it.
Best Hexblade Warlock weapons and armor
The weapons and armor you use as a Hexblade Warlock inBG3will depend entirely on what stage of the game you’re at. Here’s a breakdown of early and late-game options for this build:
Early-game gear
Late-game gear
While early-game options like the Haste Helm and Disintegrating Night Walkers help your mobility, the Adamantine Scale Mail and Shield are all about reducing incoming damage and preventing critical hits. Early on, one of the most important pieces of equipment is thePhalar Aluve, a longsword that lets you Sing to buff your allies or Shriek to debuff your enemies. It’s also powerful enough to be effective in the late game with this build.
As you progress later in your playthrough, options like Bhaalist Armor and the Helldusk armor pair are fantastic for increasing your overall damage. If you prefer a tankier playstyle, you can swap out the Bhaalist Armor for Armor of Agility or similar chest pieces. Birthright is also a noteworthy option for giving two extra Charisma points, acting as a free Ability Improvement feat.
Similarly, obtaining the Shar’s Spear of Evening is key to making this build work well as it pairs well with Darkness casting and Devil’s Sight. If you choose Shadowheart’s other route during this point inBaldur’s Gate 3’sstory, you can stick with the Phalar Aluve for your playthrough and still be incredibly powerful.
