Best Warlock Spells In Baldur’s Gate 3

Summary

• The Warlock class in Baldur’s Gate 3 specializes in darker magic and can inflict curses and deal a ton of AOE damage.
• The Eldritch Blast cantrip is the most frequently used “spell” by Warlocks, but it doesn’t consume a spell slot.
• There are other powerful spells for Warlocks that do consume a spell slot, including Vampiric Touch and Hex, that all BG3 players interested in playing this class should consider.

While there is almost an overwhelming amount of choice within Baldur’s Gate 3, one of the most important decisions you will make throughout your playthrough is deciding which class you want to play. If you are a fan of slinging powerful spells at your enemies then you are in luck, as there are several different magic casters found throughout the game, but none are quite as fun as the Warlock.

This class specializes in using darker forms of magic, such as inflicting curses on their opponents and dealing large bursts of AOE (Area of Effect) damage that persist over multiple rounds. If you are curious about which Warlock-specific spell you should equip during your playthrough, then look no further.

Updated on December 14, 2024 by Britt Poteet: Baldur’s Gate 3 has continued to release new content with various patches. This article reflects the most up-to-date information about the Warlock class as the game continues to grow.

15

Armour Of Agathys

One of the earliest spells available to Warlocks, the Armour of Agthyths, is a must-have in your spell arsenal. As a Warlock, you can be a bit squishy, so the abjuration spell helps protect you while you’re in combat.

It’s always beneficial to have extra Hit Points, and the Cold Damage the armor dishes out to attack enemies is a nice bonus. It’s a simple but reliable option for your spellcaster.

14

Eldritch Blast

Arguably the most consistent cantrip in a Warlock’s arsenal is Eldritch Blast, as it’s another instance of quick damage that can be heavily modified as you level up. Specifically, this cantrip causes you to roll one D10 dice, meaning that the maximum damage of the beam will only reach ten when you first start out.

However, as you level up the spell itself also upgrades, automatically causing you to shoot up to two more blasts of energy, thus bringing the maximum damage of Eldritch Blast up to 30. Finally, the spell can also be augmented with your charisma modifier, increasing the damage to exponentially high levels all while never consuming a spell slot.

13

Vampiric Touch

Vampiric Touch is a dastardly spell that inflicts a sizable amount of damage to your opponents, while also healing you for half of the dealt damage. Specifically, you’ll roll three D6 dice, meaning that this spell will deal between 3-18 damage to a single target.

While this is a great spell if you need to recover some health in a pinch, the range of the ability severely limits the spell’s effectiveness. Since you need to cast this spell in melee range, you will be leaving yourself exposed to attacks after you cast the spell, thus mitigating the effectiveness of the healing.

12

Gaseous Form

One of the best perks of playing as a Warlock is having a large repertoire of movement spells that provide protection during the heat of combat. Gaseous Form is one of these abilities, as it turns you or one of your chosen companions into a literal cloud of gas that is immune to fall damage and can even squeeze into tight, locked spaces.

Furthermore, while you have taken the form of a gas cloud, all enemies will find it extremely hard to damage you, effectively making yourself resistant to even the most dangerous of enemies.

11

Scorching Ray

If you need to deal some quick damage to multiple enemies at once, then the Scorching Ray spell is the perfect attack to keep in your repertoire. Specifically, this spell causes you to shoot out three beams of fire that can be aimed at different enemies or just one opponent.

As you cast the spell, you’ll roll six D6 dice, dealing up to 36 damage if you cast all the bursts on one target. While this is a great ability for single-target damage, we recommend using different AOE spells if you need to damage a larger group of enemies.

10

Hellish Rebuke

Hellish Rebuke is a spell that can be unlocked at the very start of the game, and should probably stay equipped for the rest of your playthrough. This specific spell is a reaction, meaning it can only be cast after you take damage from an enemy.

At the spell’s lowest level, it rolls two D10 dice to calculate the fire damage, meaning you will deal anywhere between two and 20 damage to whoever is foolish enough to strike you. Most importantly, since this spell is only a reaction, it will not affect your movement in the following turn.

9

Hex

Casting the Hex spell causes you to roll one D6 die, thus inflicting up to six damage on any opponent of your choosing. While this is certainly helpful, the true power of Hex is the various amount of debuffs that you can apply during combat, making it almost impossible for enemies to successfully complete their ability checks.

As a bonus, if the enemy inflicted by the Hex dies before the curse ends, you can cast Hex on a fresh victim without expending a spell slot. Overall, while this ability does not deal massive amounts of damage, the utility this spell brings to combat should not be overlooked.

8

Cloud Of Daggers

Cloud of Daggers is one of the aforementioned AOE spells, as it summons a swirling storm of spectral blades in a designated area. When you first cast this spell, you’ll roll four D4 dice, meaning that the storm can deal up to 16 damage every turn.

While this spell can seriously dish out massive amounts of damage every turn, you should equip this ability if you have other members in your party that can cast some serious crowd-controlling abilities. By combining these types of spells together, your opponents will be trapped in the sharp storm, forcing them to take damage.

7

Cone Of Cold

Warlocks can use powerful AOE spells in battle, like the Cone of Cold, an evocation spell unlocked at Level 5. Allowing the caster to blast icy air in a cone that can go up to nine meters, the medium-area spell harms the target creatures and turns any existing water into ice.

Foes in the icy area need to succeed a saving throw to avoid falling on the slippery surface. Just make sure no allies are within the cone’s blast radius to avoid harming your party.

6

Hunger Of Hadar

While Cloud of Daggers is certainly a nice, but rather small source of AOE damage, Hunger of Hadar causes a massive cloud of darkness to shroud the battlefield. This cloud will cause you to roll two D6 dice that calculate frost damage, as well as two other D6 dice that calculate the amount of acid damage the storm will cause.

While other AOE spells have one instance of damage per turn, the dark clouds formed by this spell will inflict damage at the start and end of each round to anyone trapped within the mist. Furthermore, enemies within the Hunger of Hadar are blinded, meaning they will not be able to attack you with ranged abilities.

5

Fireball

As one of the most consistent damage sources in the game, Fireball is a damaging spell that you should have equipped during every combat scenario. By initiating this spell, you’ll roll eight D6 dice, then hurl a ball of fire that deals up to 48 damage in a large area.

Furthermore, the flames from the spell can cause the terrain and items in the area of impact to catch on fire, thus dealing even more burn damage over time.

4

Dominate Person

Unlocked later in the game is the Dominate Person spell, which can only be cast on humanoid enemies. This spell instantly makes the person fight for your team, which can be incredibly advantageous during large-scale battles with multiple characters.

Keep in mind that the dominated target will take a Wisdom saving throw any time they take damage, and if they successfully pass this throw, they will break out of your psychic powers. This means that the spell is best used on enemies who are less likely to get hit, such as ranged archers or spellcasters at the back of the battlefield.

3

Counterspell

As you progress through the game, you’ll face off against powerful magical enemies that can cast devastating abilities. Luckily, Counterspell is an ability that you cast on yourself during the heat of combat, that automatically activates just before you are attacked.

Specifically, this spell negates the effects of one other spell, completely nullifying an opponent’s attack. To best utilize this ability, we recommend casting it on yourself before you enter combat, as the protections from the spell will persist for some time.

2

Circle Of Death

A Level 6 necromancy spell, Circle of Death allows your Warlock to create a sphere of energy that will damage enemies. With a nine-meter radius, this AOE spell devastates your targets with necrotic damage.

Even better, you can cast it at a distance of 18 meters, making it an impressive, long-range option. While it isn’t available until Level 11, it’s worth having in your arsenal as a solid end-game Warlock spell.

1

Misty Step

While there are a plethora of movement abilities found throughout Baldur’s Gate 3, none of them give the absolute freedom of Misty Step. This spell causes you to teleport to a desired location within 60 feet of your character, a surprisingly large distance.

This spell is best utilized during combat, as you can teleport to a safe distance to avoid melee attacks, or even gain a height advantage over your opponents. Furthermore, you can even use Misty Step to teleport past locked doors, meaning you will never have to invest your time into lock picking.