Warlocks have a unique playstyle thanks to their lack of traditional Spell Slots, and players have to be a bit more careful about choosing when to consume one to cast a regular spell. But the best Warlock BG3 spells are worth spending a slot for – especially when some effects, like summons, will persist through a Short Rest Warlock spell slot refresh.

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Warlocks excel at CCing enemies and AoE effects, but some spells are just too powerful to pass up, like Misty Step. This guide to the best Warlock spells in BG3 recommends a variety of spells that players should consider picking up as soon as their respective levels are reached.

Hunger of Hadar

• Hunger of Hadar Effect: Creatures within this black sphere are Blinded and take damage at the end of their turn and the start of their turn. Creatures starting their turn in the area take 2d6 Cold damage. Creatures ending their turn in the area possibly take 2d6 Acid damage. The area counts as Difficult Terrain.

The bane of most players' experience at the end of Act 2, Hunger of Hadar is an incredibly strong AoE skill that's exclusive to Warlocks. When cast, an area will turn black and hazy, and anything within its AoE will become Blinded, take damage at the start of every turn, and possibly even take damage at the end of their turn, too.

Because the area is Difficult Terrain, getting out of the AoE of Hunger of Hadar is often easier said than done, especially when combined with other AoE CC effects. The spell can't be learned by Warlocks until Level 5, but it's well worth picking up as soon as possible. Synergize it with the AoE CC effects of a Druid or Wizard for even better control over the battlefield.

Cloud of Daggers

• Cloud of Daggers Effect: Conjure a cloud of spinning daggers that attack anyone inside.

Another AoE spell that Warlocks can use, Cloud of Daggers is useful for some specific situations. In crowded corridors, like the Creche, the buildings of Baldur's Gate, or other indoor or cramped areas, Cloud of Daggers can potentially block off entire enemy pathways. It's great for groups of enemies, too, but its overall damage output leaves one wanting.

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Still, just like Hunger of Hadar, Cloud of Daggers' usefulness is in forcing enemies to take alternative paths, or to trap enemies and force them to take damage to get out. Typically, BG3 enemy AI will attempt to re-route when faced with AoE spells in their way, to use this to your advantage by controlling their movements with Cloud of Daggers and similar spells.

Misty Step

• Misty Step Effect: Surrounded by silver mist, you teleport to an unoccupied space you can see.

Misty Step is the most useful spell in Baldur's Gate 3 by such a large margin that every class it is available to should pick it up. For a Bonus Action, and a spell slot, Warlocks that cast Misty Step can instantly teleport to a nearby location they can see. This doesn't trigger any opportunity attacks or reactions (aside from, possibly, Counterspell), and doesn't consume a Standard Action.

This means that a Warlock can easily get out of almost any melee combat situation, as long as they aren't blinded, and can easily set up in more optimal locations. The spell works for locations both higher and lower than the character's current plane, too, so be sure to look for high spots and take advantage of the High Ground buff.

Hex

• Hex Effect: Make your attacks deal an additional 1d6 Necrotic damage damage to the target and give it Disadvantage on Checks for an Ability of your choosing.

Like Eldritch Blast, Hex is an iconic Warlock ability that every Warlock should pick up from the very start of the game. While Eldritch Blast is so intrinsic to the class that it ought not be mentioned, though, Hex is sometimes passed up by players new to the Warlock playstyle.

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For a Bonus Action (and a Spell Slot), Warlocks can essentially mark an enemy for death, making each of their attacks deal significantly more damage with each hit. At max level, when players can cast three Eldritch Blasts at once, this equates to an extra 3d6 on a single target that has been Hexed. Once the target dies, players can re-Hex another enemy for no cost.

Counterspell

• Counterspell Effect: Nullify another creature's spell as a reaction. The spell must be 3rd Level or lower or the Sorcerer must pass an increasingly difficult Ability Check.

Like Misty Step, Counterspell is a spell that every caster class should pick up as soon as it becomes available. Counterspell essentially lets its caster completely cancel out the effects of an enemy's spell, though its likelihood of succeeding scales with the spell slot lvl of the spell being countered.

A lvl 3 spell, and lower ranks, will be countered every time. But lvl 4 spells and above will require more and more difficult ability checks to succeed. Lvl 4 spells are mostly countered, lvl 5 spells can be countered sometimes, and lvl 6 spells are difficult to counter reliably. Still, this Reaction is an essential part of any caster's toolkit, even if it does take a valuable Warlock Spell Slot to cast.

Conjure Elemental (Eldritch Invocation)

• Conjure Elemental Effect: Bend the barrier between the Planes until they disgorge an elemental ally to follow and fight for you.

Normally, Conjure Elemental would be a spell that Warlocks can't acquire. It's not in their spell list, and can't be granted by unique weapons and equipment, either. Instead, Warlocks must use one of their Eldritch Invocation selections to choose Minions of Chaos. This Eldritch Invocation specifically unlocks the Conjure Elemental ability for Warlocks as though it were in their spell list.

The spell costs one spell slot, of three at the point in the game when it becomes relevant. But having an extra ally, and a fully-powered, practically max-level one at that, is an incredibly boon to the party that provides extra DPS, buffs, or a distraction – depending on what version of Elemental is summoned.

Baldur's Gate 3

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence

See at Playstation Store