Best Eldritch Invocations For Warlocks In D&D

Key Takeaways

• Pact of the Blade allows Warlocks to deal more damage and bond with a weapon.
• Thirsting Blade gives Warlocks an extra attack, crucial for melee-focused characters.
• Eldritch Spear increases the range of cantrips, ideal for spellcasting Warlocks.

No matter what patron they serve, a huge part of the Warlock class in Dungeons and Dragons is the Eldritch Invocations. From offering a player the chance to give themselves extra life, to an extra attack, to making their cantrips supercharged, Eldritch Invocations are one of the main identifying features of the class. Warlocks can sometimes struggle at lower levels, feeling limited in their casting ability. However, as these Invocations are unlocked, the class fleshes out massively and becomes one of the most versatile at the table.

This topic goes through a number of the strongest, or most versatile, options for Eldritch Invocations to help players choose what they want to take to complete their character. Whether aiming to hit things hard, casting super-powerful spells, or simply functioning as a well-rounded half-caster, these Invocations will serve any Warlock well, and make every attack feel more impactful.

1 Pact Of The Blade

Allowing Warlocks To Hit Harder

• Can be taken from level 1
• Has no prerequisites, but is a prerequisite for other Invocations

Pact of the Blade is, essentially, a subclass choice for the Warlock. While each Warlock can choose their patron at level 3, which is where the true subclass choice is picked, the three Pact Invocations impact a Warlock’s playstyle just as much as their choice of patron. Pact of the Blade allows a Warlock to bond with a weapon, becoming proficient with said weapon, using their charisma modifier for attack and damage rolls, as well as dealing necrotic, psychic, or radiant damage instead of the weapon’s regular damage.

While this doesn’t sound super powerful outright, this does allow a warlock to make up for their lack of early spell slots and lackluster cantrips. Furthermore, as a Warlock with Pact of the Blade levels, this pact opens new Invocation choices for them, some of which are incredibly strong if they wish to play a more aggressive, melee-focused character.

2 Thirsting Blade

Hit Them Again

• Can be taken from level 5
• Requires Pact of the Blade

Thirsting Blade is the first Invocation on this list that requires Pact of the Blade to be taken. Thirsting Blade allows a Warlock to attack twice with their pact weapon, as opposed to once, upon every use of the attack action. It’s a simple addition to the class.

However, this extra attack opportunity can be the difference between success and failure in an intense fight. This Invocation is perfect for any Warlock looking to embody a front-line role or any multi-class Warlocks with other melee-focused classes.

3 Eldritch Spear

Giving Cantrips More Range

• Can be taken from level 2
• Requires a cantrip that deals damage

Eldritch Spear is another Invocation that offers a very simple addition to the class, simply increasing the range of a chosen cantrip by 30 times the Warlock’s level. This Invocation allows for a passive playstyle, choosing to sit further back in the party over the front-line focus of the previous entries.

The extra range offered by Eldritch Spear is incredibly useful for a Warlock focusing on the spellcasting side of the class and can be chosen multiple times to increase the range of multiple cantrips (although Eldritch Blast is the obvious choice). When combined with a few of the invocations seen later on the list, this becomes even more valuable.

4 Repelling Blast

Creating Distance In The Heat Of Battle

• Can be taken from level 2
• Requires a cantrip that does damage via an attack roll

Similar to Eldritch Spear, Repelling Blast empowers a chosen cantrip, and can be taken multiple times to buff up multiple cantrips. This Invocation allows a cantrip to push a large or smaller creature back 10 feet, on the condition that a successful attack roll is rolled. Repelling Blast can be lifesaving for Warlocks who are less focused on close-range combat, creating a vital 10-foot gap between them and the threat, as long as they can hit their empowered cantrip.

As with Eldritch Spear, many agree that the best cantrip for this invocation is Eldritch Blast, which is not only a powerful Warlock cantrip but also allows for multiple targets as the Warlock levels up, making this invocation a powerful crowd-control resource.

5 Lifedrinker

Hitting Even Harder And Draining Life

• Can be taken from level 9
• Requires Pact of the Blade

Lifedrinker is another Invocation that allows a Warlock to embody the melee-battle caster fantasy. Once per turn, on a successful melee attack, the player may deal an additional 1d6 necrotic, psychic, or radiant damage, as well as expending a hit point die to regain some hit points.

As Warlock is not the tankiest of classes, the ability to consistently regain health in the heat of battle can be invaluable and is made easier if both Lifedrinker and Thirsting Blade are used in combination. Even if the player doesn’t want to sacrifice a hit dice roll, the simple fact that 1d6 additional damage can be done each turn is powerful enough to warrant taking this Invocation.

6 Eldritch Smite

Just Like Paladins, But A Little Less Holy

• Can be taken from level 5
• Requires Pact of the Blade

Eldritch Smite operates similarly to any of the Paladin smites, allowing for a spell slot to be expended upon a successful attack roll, to deal an additional 1d8 force damage. An additional 1d8 is added to this for each level of the spell slot above 1. If the creature is huge or smaller, they are then knocked prone, which allows for easier follow-up attacks and minimizes their movement options when it comes to their next turn.

Similarly to Lifedrinker, this Invocation increases the potency of a melee-based Warlock, dealing even more damage provided they are willing to sacrifice a spell slot. If nothing else, it is incredibly fun to smite enemies as a less-than-holy character.

7 Fiendish Vigor

Free Life On Demand

• Can be taken from level 2

Fiendish Vigor allows for False Life to be cast without expending a spell slot, with guaranteed maximum effectiveness. A simple yet brilliant addition to the Warlock’s bag of tricks, especially considering the lack of constitution and dexterity most Warlocks have.

Simply adding temporary hit points can be invaluable in times of need, especially without needing to sacrifice a spell slot that might need to be saved for another party-saving spell. While not as strong as some other Invocations, it is hard to argue against the simple potency of the ability to increase a player’s hit points on command.

8 Agonizing Blast

Making Cantrips Hurt That Much More

• Can be taken from level 2
• Requires a cantrip that deals damage

Similar to other Invocations mentioned, Agonizing Blast simply bolsters the power of damage-dealing cantrips, and can be chosen multiple times to empower multiple cantrips. This Invocation allows the player to add their Charisma modifier to their chosen cantrip’s damage roll, increasing their potential damage output.

It is this simple line of text that makes Agonizing Blast a must-take option for all Warlocks, no matter what pact, patron, or playstyle they choose. If a player is ever unsure what Invocation to take, there is no better option than simply increasing the damage potential of a spell, especially if it is also being empowered by the other cantrip-boosting Invocations.