Don’t rely solely on demonic pacts. These multiclass options make Warlocks even stronger.
Warlocks in Baldur's Gate 3 are one of the game's most versatile spellcasters, capable of dealing great damage, offering great crowd control, all while benefiting from large bonuses to social skills. They can do quite a bit for any party, yet this flexibility comes at the cost of spell slots, the number of spells they know, and their martial capabilities.
While making a pact with a mysterious being offers powerful boons, sometimes a Warlock might be better hedging their bets. Multiclassing gives Warlocks a chance to fix some of the class' biggest issues or double down on what it's good at. We'll show you why multiclassing is worth doing for Warlocks in Baldur's Gate 3, when it's ideal, and cover some great multiclass combinations.
Warlock is a Charisma-based caster class, so virtually any Charisma-biased class works well as a Warlock multiclass. Most Warlock builds focus on blasting targets from a distance with the powerful Eldritch Blast Cantrip, but this does come with a few downsides:
Pumping out huge damage numbers is easy for a Warlock, but most of that is accomplished through Eldritch Blast, Invocations, and upcasting spells like Fireball through the Warlock's Pact Magic. Warlocks hit hard, but they're fairly squishy and struggle to fill martial roles due to their lack of good armor proficiencies. The good news is that multiclassing can fix this quite easily, such as pairing a Warlock with a Paladin to gain smites and heavy armor proficiency.
The answer depends on how invested you are into the Warlock class itself. For players that love Warlock and want it to be their main class, you'll want to ideally multiclass between levels 10-12:
Level ten gives Warlocks a subclass-specific feature, while the next two levels offer a small pool of mediocre sixth-level spells and class features. Multiclassing at this point lets you fix some of the Warlock's weaker points without sacrificing spell progression. If you only like Warlock for Eldritch Blast and its early-level features, you can multiclass as early as level two. Warlock is a front-loaded class, offering its class-defining traits over the first three levels. This makes it a great multiclass option for other classes like Sorcerer or Paladin.
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Paladins are the perfect match for Warlocks looking to increase their survivability. One level in Paladin grants proficiencies with all weapons and armor, two levels unlocks Divine Smite, and a third level unlocks Oath subclass features. Dipping just two levels in this class can be great for improving your Warlock's survivability while expanding their spell list. Smites typically refresh on long rests due to how the Paladin's spell slots work, but you can use Warlock spell slots on Divine Smite. This lets you refresh smite uses every short rest, perfect if you want to play as a melee caster.
Investing at least five levels into Paladin is also fantastic for "gish" builds—a term in the D&D community for a melee/spellcaster hybrid. Pact of the Blade's extra attack at fifth level stacks with the Paladin's extra attack, allowing you to attack three times in a single action. Each attack can benefit from smites, and you can take this even further with added actions gained through Haste or Bloodlust potions. At sixth level, you'll gain Aura of Protection, adding your Charisma modifier to all saving throws. Paired with the defensive spells offered to Warlocks, you can become nigh-unkillable.
While this setup is quite costly in terms of levels, you'll end up with a powerful battlemage character that can don heavy armor, unleash a flurry of Divine Smites, all while having the utility of a mage for tough combat encounters. And for spellcaster builds that just want a boost to their survivability, a single dip into Paladin isn't a bad idea—although Fighter is arguably better at fulfilling that purpose.
Some good Oaths for a Paladin multiclass include Devotion for low-level investment and Vengeance for high-level investment. Devotion's third-level feature lets you cast a healing aura as a bonus action, mending your wounds at the start of every turn. Vengeance is a great pick for gish builds planning to take five or six levels of Paladin, as you'll gain access to Vow of Enmity, Hold Person, and Misty Step. Cast Hold Person, teleport to them with Misty Step, then use your Warlock spell slots to smite their paralyzed corpse into atoms. It's a devastating combo when it works, although this does drain spell slots rather quickly.
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Most multiclass options improve your character's performance in combat, but the Warlock is already a DPS monster with Eldritch Blast and Hex. If you're looking for a multiclass option that brings utility to all encounters, pick a Bard. A single level in Bard will grant access to Bardic Inspiration, which is effectively the Guidance Cantrip upgraded to a d6 die. You can use it on allies up to your Charisma modifier per Long Rest, perfect for buffing allies during social encounters or helping them beat saving throw checks.
A second level will grant the excellent Jack of All Trades feature, allowing you to gain expertise with two skills of your choice. Tag a few social skills, and your Warlock will become the ultimate social character that can talk their way out of any situation. Third level isn't quite as useful due to lackluster College subclasses, but it's not a bad option if your Warlock's tenth-level subclass feature is lackluster. For combat, the Bard's lack of useful armor proficiencies make it a tough pick over other multiclass options.
You only want to invest two levels into Bard as a Warlock, so no subclass is required. If you decide that three levels of Bard would help your build, take the College of Lore subclass. The added proficiencies are great for general exploration and dialogue checks, although we find it a weak incentive for sacrificing your Warlock's tenth level. Valor buffs Bardic Inspiration to affect AC and attack rolls, although you'll quickly run out of charges if it's used every turn. Swords is ill-suited for a Warlock since their martial prowess is subpar. It does add bonus proficiencies to medium armor, yet you can get the same thing from Fighter, Paladin, or the Medium Armor Proficiency feat.
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Fighter is a great multiclass option for every build in Baldur's Gate 3 thanks to Action Surge, a class feature that lets you perform another action during your turn once per Short Rest. A single level in Fighter will also grant proficiency with all weapons and armor, making it possible to wear medium or heavy armor as a Warlock. This can be a massive boost to your survivability if you don't plan on using robes.
At least two levels are recommended since that second level gives you Action Surge. A third level can be taken to unlock a Fighter subclass, although most of them aren't particularly helpful for Warlocks outside of Battle Master for gish builds—a viable alternative to Paladin if you invest five levels into Fighter for extra attack. If you want to wear heavier armor and gain a free action on occasion, Fighter is an amazing pick for any Warlock build.
Fighter has some great subclass options to choose from, although none of them greatly benefit Warlock spellcaster builds. Battle Master is the best subclass if you intend to use your melee weapon. Gaining access to a few more melee and ranged attacks can be useful for debuffing enemies when your spell slots run empty. If you invest five levels into Fighter to gain extra attack, Battle Master is a solid alternative to a Paladin multiclass. Champion effectively doubles your critical chance with attacks, yet Warlocks don't tend to attack much. Even if your build does, Battle Master is typically a better subclass option. Eldritch Knight isn't worth taking since it uses Intelligence for spellcasting, has a pitiful number of spell slots, and requires Long Rests to replenish charges.
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Sorcerers are a devastating class to pair with any Charisma-based caster, Warlock being no exception. Multiclassing as a Sorcerer for three levels will grant three Metamagic options, notably Quickened Spell. This lets you cast any spell as a bonus action, allowing you to blast an enemy with two back-to-back Eldritch Blast casts in a single turn. If buffed by Haste, it's possible to cast three instances of Eldritch Blast to utterly annihilate an enemy. Some other good options include Twinned Spell to duplicate a single concentration spell onto multiple targets and Distant Spell to increase your spell targeting distance.
As strong as Metamagic can be, it's fueled by a class-specific resource called Sorcery Points. You gain one point per level, so you'll need to be at least level three to cast Quickened or Twinned Spell. Sacrificing spell slots to make Sorcery Points is an option, albeit a costly one. High investment into Sorcerer lets you do some downright game-breaking combos like twin-cast Haste or summon three Fireballs in one turn. It's a powerful class with enough levels, but that does come at the cost of Warlock levels. At that rate, you're effectively playing a Sorcerer multiclassing as a Warlock, not the other way around.
All three Sorcerer subclasses in Baldur's Gate 3 are solid options. Draconic is a good choice for all Warlock builds since it adds more HP with every Sorcerer level. Your unarmored AC is also increased to base 13, the same as Mage Armor. Storm is great if you're playing a ranged spellcaster that wants to avoid melee combat. With a single Sorcerer level, you'll be able to cast Fly as a bonus action upon casting any leveled spell, effectively giving you Misty Step every turn that doesn't provoke opportunity attacks. Finally, Wild Magic lets RNG take the wheel. It's simultaneously the best and worst subclass in the game due to its random nature, granting everything from guaranteed melee critical his to morphing your party into cats. It's a good subclass but not ideal for Tactician difficulty or one-party playthroughs.
Charles Burgar is an expert on all things tech and gaming. Graduating from Pikes Peak Community College in 2018 with an Associate of Science, Charles has spent his time dissecting popular video games, movies, and technology. With an understanding of games for as long as he can remember, Charles has a large interest in understanding what makes things fun. He is currently a Freelance writer for TheGamer and Game Rant.