Updated on the 25th of April, 2024, by Thomas Hawkins: With the release of Baldur's Gate 3's long-awaited Patch 8, every class has gained a new subclass. In the case of the Barbarian class, they may now choose the Path of Giants subclass, allowing them to channel the elemental strength of giants to grow in size and throw their enemies around in various ways. They may also empower their weapons with elemental damage and the thrown property, allowing them to easily hurl greatswords and other two-handed weapons. This guide has been updated to discuss the new subclass, multiclassing options that pair well with it, and equipment that works particularly well with this subclass.
Finally, ninth level Death Domain Clerics gain Cloudkill and Contagion as Domain Spells. Taken all together, Death Domain Clerics excel in weakening enemies with status effects before finishing them off at close quarters. Once the enemy is dead, they can use Animate Dead to turn their fallen foes into more problems for their next opponent. Their ability to ignore resistance to Necrotic damage allows them to use their main damage type against enemies that would otherwise resist it, giving them an edge compared to other users of necrotic damage.
The Staff of Interruption (which can be acquired in Act 3 if Mayrina is still alive) is also useful, providing a free level 5 counterspell every long rest. The Robe of Supreme Defenses (purchased during Act 3 near the Requisitioned Barn in Rivington) will provide a +1 boost to AC while concentrating on a spell, so it's worth looking for this too. If you took levels in Fighter, you should consider Viconia's Walking Fortress as a powerful shield that can reflect spells back onto their casters once per long rest. It can be looted from Viconia DeVir during Shadowheart's Companion quest. You can also make use of the Helldusk Armor acquired from the House of Hope to really amp up your defenses and punish anyone who tries to use spells on you.
At level six, they gain Misty Escape, letting them turn invisible after taking damage once per short rest. Once invisible they can choose to cast Misty Step on their next turn, though doing so breaks the invisibility effect.
Updated on November 24, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: With Hotfix #29 giving console players of Baldur’s Gate 3 better mod stability and a 100-mod limit, fans of the acclaimed RPG will have a lot of room to tinker with new additions such as effects, weapons, customizations, and other features to add much-needed spice to their experience. However, before players even venture into adding numerous new effects to their gameplay experience, they may want to equip their characters with the best weapons possible - among which include some of the game’s best ranged weapons. These include upgraded versions of weapons, as well as one that would help characters move furt
Updated on April 15th, 2025, by Thomas Hawkins: With the release of Patch 8, players now have access to a new subclass for every class in the video Game voice actors. In the case of the Warlock, this is the Hexblade, whose pact with sentient magical weapons forged from shadow makes them masters of melee magic. This new subclass opens up all kinds of new playstyles for the Warlock, including some secret synergies with the Shadow Sorcerer, so this guide has been updated accordingly.
Ranged weaponry is preferable for this since the turns remaining will decrease by 2 whenever damage is taken. The Darkfire Shortbow (Sold by Dammon in Act 2 at the Last-Light Inn) is a great choice for this since it offers access to the Haste Spell and resistance to fire and cold damage. Make sure to pick up the Ring of Arcane Synergy in Act 1 at the Githyanki Creche (Inquisitor's Chamber) to gain turns of the Arcane Synergy buff whenever you deal damage with a cantrip, which will add extra damage to weapon attacks based on the wearer's spellcasting modifier.
Finally, level 10 Hexblade Warlocks gain "Armour of Hexes," which lets them spend a reaction when attacked for a 50% chance of entirely negating that attack. This can be a lifesaver against powerful foes, though it's inherently luck-driven.
Where multiclassing is concerned, Warlock pairs excellently with the other Charisma Caster classes: Paladin, Bard, and Sorcerer. A Paladin with Pact of the Blade can dump their strength stat entirely and focus on Charisma, gaining better spellcasting with no loss in their melee combat capabilities, while also using the Warlock's spell slots (which recharge on a short rest) to dish out Divine Smites more often. Access to Metamagic from the Sorcerer can allow some incredibly busted combos through the use of quickened spell and distant spell, including the ability to rapid-fire 6 eldritch blasts in a single turn at level 10. Bards with the College of Swords subclass can make excellent use of the Pact of the Blade to reduce the number of attributes they need to worry about, while also gaining access to a much wider range of damage and support spells from the Bard spell list and Magical Secrets.
