The New DnD 2024 Hexblade Warlock (Subclass Deep Dive)

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Wielding sentient magical weapons and dark eldritch powers, the Hexblade Warlock has been a fan-favorite subclass since first appearing in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything back in 2017. It’s a unique martial take on the more traditional DnD 5e Warlock and has often been considered one of the more powerful subclasses in terms of sheer damage output.

Now, the Hexblade has returned with a vengeance in the DnD 2024 rules. It’s one of eight new options featured in the latest Unearthed Arcana Horror Subclasses playtest, all of which will be appearing in an as-yet-unannounced product (with some speculating it may be a new Ravenloft sourcebook).

So is this reforged Warlock still as sharp as ever? Below, we conjure up all the details.

What’s changed in the new Hexblade Warlock?

Below are all the changes to the new Hexblade Warlock using the DnD 2024 rules. For ease of reference we’ve included the level of each feature and whether or not it’s changed from the previous Legacy Hexblade that was featured back in 2017 in Xanathar’s Guide to Everything.

Bladesinger Feature	Level	Changed from 2017?	Changes to the 2024 DnD Hexblade Warlock
Subclass Access	3	Yes	In the 2014 rules, Warlocks could access subclasses (known as “Otherworldly Patron”) at Level 1. In the DnD 2024 rules, all subclasses for all classes (including Warlocks) are now granted at Level 3.
Hexblade’s Curse	1	Yes	This 2014 feature has been removed. It previously allowed you to cast a curse as a bonus action on a visible creature within 30 feet of you. You were then granted bonus damage, the ability to land crits with a 19 or 20 and the ability to regain hit points if you killed the creature.
Hex Warrior	1	Yes	This 2014 feature has been removed. It previously granted proficiency with medium armor, shields and martial weapons. It also allowed you touch a weapon you’re proficient with and use your Charisma modifier for its attack and damage rolls.
Hexblade Spells	3	Yes	This replaces the 2014 “Expanded Spell List” feature which granted you a list of additional spells to choose from. The new “Hexblade Spells” feature now gives you a list of always-prepared spells.
Hexblade Manifest	3	Yes	This is a new feature, allowing you to cast Hex a number of times without a spell slot. It also grants you unique ways to interact with your cursed target.
Accursed Spectre	6	Yes	This 2014 feature has been removed. It previously allowed you to curse the soul of a person you slay as a spectre, temporarily binding it in your service.
Life Stealer	6	Yes	This is a new feature that interacts with the Hex spell to provide healing and deliver damage.
Armor of Hexes	10	Yes	This has been changed from the 2014 version. Previously, if you were hit by a target affected by your Hexblade’s Curse you could use a reaction to roll a d6. On a 4 or higher, the attack instead missed. In the new 2024 version, if you take damage from a creature affected by your Hex, you can take a Reaction to reduce the damage by 2d8 plus your Charisma modifier.
Master of Hexes	14	Yes	This 2024 feature has been removed. It previously allowed you to transferyour Hexblade’s Curse from a slain creature to another visible creature within 30 feet of you.
Masterful Hex	14	Yes	This is a new feature that lets you target additional creatures with Hexblade’s Maneuvers and allows you to maintain concentration on your Hex after taking damage.

What are the new Hexblade Warlock features?

You’ve made a pact with a sentient magic weapon and the cursed forces contained within its blade. Such a weapon could be the sword sheathed at a Warlock’s side, or it could be an infamous magic weapon stored elsewhere, projecting its power across the multiverse to further its cunning plans. To those who are willing to follow this weapon’s whims, these inscrutable patrons offer the power to bestow malignant curses, deliver punishing blows and bolster the wielder.

Level 3: Hexblade Spells

The magic of your patron ensures you always have certain spells ready. When you reach a Warlock level specified in the Hexblade Spells table, you thereafter always have the listed spells prepared.

Warlock Level	Spells
3	Arcane Vigor, Hex, Magic Weapon, Shield, Wrathful Smite
5	Conjure Barrage, Dispel Magic
7	Freedom of Movement, Staggering Smite
9	Animate Objects, Steel Wind Strike

Level 3: Hexblade Manifest

Your patron grants you the power to summon cursed echoes of its blade to hinder your foes. You gain the following benefits:

Hexblade’s Curse: You can cast Hex without expending a spell slot a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of once), and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest. When you cast Hex, a spectral weapon resembling your patron orbits the cursed target.

Hexblade’s Maneuvers: Once per turn, when you hit a target cursed by your Hex with an attack roll, you can cause one of these additional effects:

• Draining Slash: The target makes a Constitution saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the target can’t make Opportunity Attacks and its speed is halved until the start of your next turn.
• Harrowing Blade: The target makes a Wisdom saving throw against your spell save DC. On a failed save, the next time the target makes an attack roll against a creature other than you before the start of your next turn, the target takes Necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier.
• Stymying Mark: The target has Disadvantage on the next saving throw it makes before the start of your next turn.

Level 6: Life Stealer

Your patron’s might allows you to drain vitality from those you curse, granting you the following benefits:

Hungering Hex: Whenever the target cursed by your Hex drops to 0 Hit Points, you regain Hit Points equal to 1d8 plus your Charisma modifier.

Inevitable Blade: Once per turn, if you make an attack roll against the target cursed by your Hex and miss, you can deal Necrotic damage to that creature equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 Necrotic damage).

Level 10: Armor of Hexes

When you take damage from the cursed target of your Hex, you can take a Reaction to reduce the damage taken by an amount equal to 2d8 plus your Charisma modifier. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a Long Rest.

Level 14: Masterful Hex

Your patron’s accursed might flows even more strongly through you, granting the following benefits:

Accursed Critical: Any attack roll you make against the target cursed by your Hex scores a Critical Hit on a roll of a 19 or 20 on the d20.

Infectious Hex: When you use one of your Hexblade’s Maneuvers, you can target one additional creature within 30 feet of the cursed target. The additional target takes 1d6 Necrotic damage.

Resilient Hex: Taking damage can’t break your Concentration on Hex.

Is the new Hexblade Warlock worth playing?

The new Hexblade Warlock feels like a step backwards for the subclass. In fact, it feels like Wizards of the Coast has effectively stripped the “blade” out of the name by dropping key 2014 features like Hex Warrior. Instead, the focus now is almost entirely on the Hex spell, removing a lot of the flavor and power that made the subclass so effective and popular in the first place. In short, it feels like it really misses the mark for the new 2024 Warlock class and is a move that’s likely to annoy longtime fans of the subclass.

That being said, we won’t actually see the final Hexblade Warlock until it’s officially released (in whatever format and book that might be). In the meantime, if you want to check out the subclass for yourself, you can download it directly from the Unearthed Arcana Horror Subclasses playtest.

Below is also a video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel with DnD lead designer Makenzie De Armas. For ease of referenced, we’ve timestamped to where she discusses the new Hexblade Warlock.

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