The New D&D Vestige Patron Warlock (Subclass Deep Dive)

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Wizards of the Coast has finally released Arcana Unleashed, a new D&D 5.5E supplement with a focus on high magic. The book introduces new spells, magic items and monsters, along with eight new subclasses. Of these, the Vestige Patron Warlock is one that seems to have generated the most buzz, thanks to its unique narrative and mechanical potential.

That’s because unlike traditional Warlocks who make pacts with powerful entities like Fiends, Archfey or Great Old Ones, a Vestige Warlock draws their power from dying and forgotten gods that have been erased from history but still retain power for those willing to serve them.

So is this new Warlock subclass worth remembering? Below, we dig up all the details.

What are the new Vestige Patron Warlock features?

The subclass first debuted in the January 2026 Mystic Subclasses Unearthed Arcana playtest before being officially released in the Arcana Unleashed sourcebook in August 2026.

A Vestige Patron Warlock draws on the power of a dying god who was once worshipped by countless followers but is now long abandoned and forgotten. This dying god, known as a vestige, is willing to share its remaining power with a Warlock pact servant in exchange for ushering in its return to glory.

Like all subclasses in the 2024 D&D 5.5e rules, a Vestige Patron Warlock is selected at Level 3. Their features are as follows:

Level 3: Vestige Companion

The vestige takes on a physical form, drawing strength from your pact. It uses the Vestige Companion stat block and is a Celestial, Fiend, or Undead (choose when you gain this feature). You determine what the vestige looks like, but regardless of its form, the vestige bears features indicating its supernatural origin. For example, you might decide your vestige is an oversize floating skull etched with sigils, a circle of glowing runes, or a constantly shifting abstract shape. The vestige is Friendly to you and your allies and obeys your commands. It vanishes if you die.

• The Vestige in Combat: In combat, the vestige acts during your turn. It can move and use its Reaction on its own, but the only action it takes is the Dodge action unless you take a Bonus Action to command it to take an action in its stat block or some other action. You can also sacrifice one of your attacks when you take the Attack action to command the vestige to take the Vestige’s Strike action. If you have the Incapacitated condition, the vestige acts on its own and isn’t limited to the Dodge action.
• Disappearance of the Vestige: When the vestige drops to 0 Hit Points, it disappears. You can spend 1 minute performing a magic ceremony to manifest the vestige again; it reappears with its maximum Hit Points in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. As a Magic action, you can temporarily dismiss the vestige to a pocket dimension. As a Magic action while it is temporarily dismissed, you can cause the vestige to reappear in an unoccupied space within 30 feet of you. Whenever the vestige drops to 0 Hit Points or disappears into the pocket dimension, it leaves behind in its space anything it was wearing or carrying.

Whenever you finish a Long Rest, you can summon the vestige in a new form, which appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you. You choose its appearance and whether it is a Celestial, Fiend or Undead. If the vestige is already manifested from this feature, its form changes to the new one.

Vestige Companion Stat Block

Small Celestial, Fiend, or Undead; Neutral

• AC: 13 + your Charisma modifier
• HP: 4 + four times your Warlock level (the vestige has a number of Hit Dice [d6s] equal to your Warlock level)
• Speed: 5 ft., Fly 30 ft. (hover)

Stat	Score	MOD	SAVE	Stat	Score	MOD	SAVE	Stat	Score	MOD	SAVE
STR	1	-5	-5	DEX	14	+2	+2	CON	10	+0	+0
INT	15	+2	+2	WIS	15	+2	+2	CHA	16	+3	+3

• Resistances: Fire (Fiend only), Necrotic (Undead only), Radiant (Celestial only)
• Immunities: Charmed, Frightened, Prone
• Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.; Passive Perception 11
• Languages: Speaks the languages you know
• CR:None (XP 0; PB equals your Proficiency Bonus)

Traits

• Pact Bond: Add your Proficiency Bonus to any ability check or saving throw the vestige makes.

Actions

• Vestige’s Strike: Melee or Ranged Attack Roll: Bonus equals your spell attack modifier, reach 5 ft. or range 60 ft. Hit: 1d6 + 3 plus your Charisma modifier Fire (Fiend), Necrotic (Undead), or Radiant (Celestial) damage.

Bonus Actions

• Divine Power (1/Day): Your vestige manifests a remnant of its divine power in one of the following ways, based on its form:
  • Cursed Invocation (Undead Only): The vestige places a curse on a creature you can see within 30 feet of the vestige for 1 minute. While cursed, the target has Disadvantage on attack rolls against you and the vestige.
  • Fiendish Swap (Fiend Only): If you and the vestige are within 60 feet of each other, you both teleport, swapping places.
  • Healing Touch (Celestial Only): The vestige touches another creature. The target regains Hit Points equal to 2d8 plus your Charisma modifier and ends one condition on it: Blinded, Deafened, or Poisoned.

Level 3: Vestige Spells

The magic of your Vestige Companion ensures you always have certain spells ready. Select one of the following Cleric domains: Life, Light, Trickery, or War. The Domain Spells of your chosen domain are Warlock spells for you. When you reach a Warlock level equal to a Cleric Level listed on the Domain Spells table for the domain you have chosen, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

For example, if you chose the War Domain for this feature, when you reach Warlock level 3, you would have the Guiding Bolt, Magic Weapon, Shield of Faith, and Spiritual Weapon spells prepared.

Level 6: Vestige Power

Your Vestige Companion now regains its use of Divine Power whenever you finish a Short or Long Rest or when you use your Magical Cunning feature. In addition, while within 30 feet of your Vestige Companion, you have Resistance to the same damage types as the vestige.

Level 10: Vestige Recovery

When your Vestige Companion would drop to 0 Hit Points, you can take a Reaction and expend a Pact Magic spell slot to instead change its Hit Points to its Hit Point maximum. The vestige then teleports to an unoccupied space you can see within 30 feet of it. Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

Level 14: Semblance of Life

Your Vestige Companion continues to grow in strength, and with your assistance, it can briefly adopt a more powerful form. Depending on the vestige’s type, you can take a Magic action while the vestige is within 90 feet of you to shape-shift it into one of the following forms: Celestial Spirit (celestial vestige; see the Summon Celestial spell in the Player’s Handbook); Fiendish Spirit (Fiend vestige; see the Summon Fiend spell in the Player’s Handbook); or Undead Spirit (Undead vestige; see the Summon Undead spell in the Player’s Handbook) for 1 hour. The vestige’s game statistics are replaced by the spirit’s stat block, and the spell’s level is equal to half your Warlock level (round down; maximum level 9), but the vestige retains its personality, Divine Power Bonus Action, Hit Points, and Hit Point Dice.

The vestige gains a number of Temporary Hit Points equal to the Hit Points of the spirit form. These Temporary Hit Points vanish if any remain after 1 hour, and the transformation ends early if it has no Temporary Hit Points left.

Once you use this feature, you can’t do so again until you finish a Long Rest.

Is the new Vestige Patron Warlock worth playing?

Thematically, the Vestige Patron Warlock is extremely unique, offering a ton of roleplaying potential. Mechanically, however, it’s really a one-trick pony, leaning entirely into what’s essentially a familiar that grows with you in power. The ability to choose from different creature types and its divine powers, however, add a bit more utility, but also still feels a bit limited. It remains to be seen, however, whether the D&D 5.5E community will embrace this new take on old gods.

You can try the new subclass for yourself by picking up Arcana Unleashed now from your local game store, D&D Beyond and Amazon.

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