The Warlock has always been a class built on a knife’s edge between mortal ambition and cosmic allegiance.
In Dungeons & Dragons 2024, Wizards of the Coast has reworked the Warlock’s mechanics—and more importantly, refined its subclass options to offer tighter identities, cleaner gameplay, and more dramatic flavor at the table.
Today at RPGInquisitor, we’re digging deep into each Warlock Patron—exploring what’s changed, what’s powerful, and what kind of player each subclass is perfect for.
✨ What’s New About the 2024 Warlock?
Before we dissect the subclasses, here’s the quick overview:
- Spellcasting Model: Warlocks now use a blend of Pact Magic (short rest recharge spells) and a limited long-rest spell slot model, making them more durable in long adventuring days.
- Invocation Refinement: More meaningful choices—fewer “mandatory” invocations.
- Expanded Pact Boons: Blade, Tome, and Chain remain, but now with scaling benefits based on level.
- More Synergy: Patron features, spells, and invocations align better, creating tight subclass packages.
In short: the Warlock feels less like a half-caster and more like a weird, pact-bound specialist.
Now let’s meet the patrons.
🪄 The Archfey
Theme: Glamour, illusion, and mind-bending enchantment.
Playstyle: Control, deception, battlefield manipulation.
What’s New:
- Fey Presence (Improved): Your aura of fey magic is more reliable, charming or frightening enemies without relying entirely on saving throws.
- Misty Escape: Refined to trigger on broader conditions, giving more tactical mobility.
Best For:
- Trickster builds
- Crowd control enthusiasts
- Players who want to charm, beguile, and outwit
Signature Spell:
- Misty Step—now smoother with subclass synergy.
Placeholder Link: Grab the Archfey-focused adventures here
RPGInquisitor Verdict:
🧿 “The Archfey Warlock turns every encounter into a stage—and they’re always the one pulling the strings.”
🔥 The Fiend
Theme: Deals with demons, devils, and infernal powers.
Playstyle: Blaster magic, durability, survivability through destruction.
What’s New:
- Dark One’s Blessing: Scales better with level, ensuring that temp HP stay meaningful.
- Expanded Spell List: Now includes additional fiery and necrotic options for those who love to blow things up (and look good doing it).
Best For:
- Players who like big, flashy combat magic
- Self-sufficient casters
- Roleplayers who enjoy Faustian bargains and moral tension
Signature Spell:
- Fireball—yes, still your favorite nuke.
Placeholder Link: Find infernal-themed modules here
RPGInquisitor Verdict:
🔥 “The Fiend Warlock isn’t just about deals with the devil—it’s about outliving the devil.”
🕸️ The Great Old One
Theme: Cosmic horror, alien minds, forbidden secrets.
Playstyle: Psychic magic, battlefield confusion, mind control.
What’s New:
- Awakened Mind: Broadened beyond just telepathy; allows subtle psychic effects woven into conversation.
- Entropic Ward: Now grants better defensive and offensive options when attacked—turning defense into mind-breaking offense.
Best For:
- Lovers of eldritch horror aesthetics
- Players who enjoy manipulating enemy actions
- Roleplayers seeking unsettling, unknowable characters
Signature Spell:
- Dissonant Whispers—fueled by pure existential dread.
Placeholder Link: Explore Great Old One RPG resources here
RPGInquisitor Verdict:
🧠 “If you like your fantasy with a side of existential terror, The Great Old One offers more flavor—and fear—than ever.”
🪓 The Hexblade
Theme: Sentient cursed weapons, martial-magic hybrids.
Playstyle: Melee-focused caster, weapon-based spell duelist.
What’s New:
- Hex Warrior (Expanded): Applies to more weapons, making it easier to create heavy weapon-wielding Warlocks.
- Accursed Specter: Cleaned up summoning rules and stronger thematic ties to the weapon’s curse.
Best For:
- Players who want a melee-focused Warlock
- “Dark knight” fantasy fans
- Roleplayers drawn to cursed relics and tragic destiny
Signature Spell:
- Shield—giving martial Warlocks powerful reactions.
Placeholder Link: Equip your cursed gear here
RPGInquisitor Verdict:
⚔️ “Hexblade Warlocks finally feel like warrior-witches—and their blade isn’t just a weapon, it’s a relationship.”
🩸 New Warlock Patron: The Leviathan (New!)
Theme: Ancient aquatic power, abyssal depth, tidal destruction.
Playstyle: Control, area denial, battlefield manipulation through water and force.
What’s New:
- Tidal Mastery: Spells that manipulate positioning, impose prone, or control enemy movement through aquatic effects.
- Abyssal Grasp: Reach out with spectral watery tendrils to grapple enemies at range.
Best For:
- Players who like terrain-based control
- Fans of ocean horror, deep-sea mythology, abyssal weirdness
- GMs running coastal, pirate, or nautical campaigns
Signature Spell:
- Maelstrom—a literal vortex of watery doom.
Placeholder Link: Sail into Leviathan-themed modules here
RPGInquisitor Verdict:
🌊 “The Leviathan Warlock isn’t about domination through fire or shadow—it’s about swallowing the battlefield whole.”
🧙 Final Thoughts: Warlocks in 2024
The 2024 Warlock is tighter, more thematic, and more fun to build than ever before.
- Subclass identity is sharper and mechanically distinct.
- Invocation builds are more flexible and less “trapped.”
- Pact Boons offer real choices with real mechanical weight.
If you loved the flavor of the Warlock before but sometimes felt limited mechanically—this update is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
Whether you’re bound to fey courts, infernal lords, dead stars, sentient blades, or abyssal horrors—you’ll own that pact like never before.
📜 Ready to Make Your Pact?
Get your Warlock journey started with the new Player’s Handbook 2024 and our hand-picked resources for Warlocks at every level!
Stay tuned for upcoming deep dives:
- 🧿 “Best Warlock Invocations in D&D 2024”
- 🛡️ “How to Build the Ultimate Hexblade Warlock”
- 📜 “Great Old One Expanded: Lovecraftian Magic for DMs and Players”
