The New One DnD Warlock for 5e

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Wizards of the Coast reveals the new changes coming to the fifth edition Warlock

The Warlock remains one of the most problematic and underutilized DnD 5e classes. One of the biggest issues is that they have a limited number of spell slots compared to other magic users, and as a result are often overly reliant on taking short rests. This can mean that many Warlock players end up hoarding spells for more difficult combat and encounters that may actually never come.

All that is changing, however, with Wizards of the Coast recently unveiling more information about a new and improved 5e Warlock. It’s all part of the ongoing One DnD playtest, an internal project that will be making a number of significant adjustments to the 5e ruleset, with WotC soliciting player feedback before releasing a new Dungeon Master’s Guide, Player’s Handbook and Monster Manual in 2024.

So just what new abilities and features are included in the new One DnD Warlock? Below, we break out all the details.

What’s changed with the 5e Warlock?

The updates to the Warlock class were unveiled in the most recent Unearthed Arcana, which marks the fifth entry in the ongoing One DnD playtest. This is of course, still early days and we’re likely to see more changes before the official 2024 release of the new Player’s Handbook. That being said, here are the primary changes Wizards of the Coast is playtesting.

• Pact Magic replaced by Spellcasting: One of the biggest issues with the Warlock in the current DnD 5e rules set is simply the limited number of spells due to the fact that Warlocks rely on Pact Magic rather than Spellcasting. The new One DnD Warlock, however, has removed Pact Magic entirely and replaced it with Spellcasting. This means by Level 20 Warlock players will now have access to 15 Spell Slots instead of just 4. While this won’t be the same spell progression as Spellcasters like the Wizard or Sorcerer, this is still a major shift in the way the Warlock functions, essentially making them a new form of “half caster.” Below is a breakdown of this new progression.

• Pact Boon now available at 1st level: With the current 5e Warlock, players receive their Pact Boon at 3rd level. The new One DnD Warlock will now receive this at 1st level, choosing from the three existing options of Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Chain or Pact of the Tome.
• Eldritch Blast & Hex are bonus spells: Players will now have access to the Eldritch Blast cantrip as a bonus spell that scales with the Warlock’s level. Hex is also now a bonus spell for Warlocks that deals its extra damage once per turn. Both spells are also now exclusive only to the Warlock class.
• Medium Armor now available. The current 5e Warlock begins with proficiency in light armor. This has been updated for the One DnD playtest so that Warlocks can now start using medium armor, which supports players that are looking for more of a melee-based flavor to their characters.
• Eldritch Invocations increased: In the existing 5e rules, Warlocks are only entitled to a maximum of eight Eldritch Invocations. This has been updated so that players can now access up to nine invocations by the time they reach Level 20.
• Mystic Arcanum now an Eldritch Invocation: Currently, the Warlock’s Mystic Arcanum spell feature has only been available to characters of Levels 11 or higher. For the new One DnD Warlock, however, Mystrc Arcanum is now an Eldritch Invocation option, with players able to access these spells as early as 5th level.
• New Contact Patron option: This is a completely new feature of the One DnD Warlock that allows 11th-level characters to contact their patron directly. This can only be done once every long rest and doesn’t require expending a spell slot.
• New Hex Master ability: This is also a new feature available to Level 18 Warlocks that allows players to cast Hex without expending a spell slot.
• Eldritch Master removed: In the current DnD 5e rules, Warlocks can access the Eldritch Master ability at Level 20 to regain all expended spell slots as part of their Pact Magic abilities. This feature has been removed from the One DnD Warlock since Pact Magic is no longer available.
• New Epic Boon feature: This is a new 20th-level feature for the One DnD playtest that allows Warlocks to increase an ability score by 1 (up to a maximum of 30) and access either the Epic Boon of the Night Spirit (which essentially allows them to merge with nearby shadows) or another Epic Boon of their choice.

What comes next for the Warlock?

It’s important to note that this is still a playtest, and more changes are likely going to occur to the Warlock in the comings days. In fact, D&D Game Design Architect Jeremy Crawford has said that he expect there will be further iterations based on player feedback. It’s clear, however, that Wizards of the Coast is addressing some of the more fundamental issues with the Warlock class. It remains to be seen if players will agree.

In the meantime, you can check out a full video interview below that discusses the changes to the One DnD Warlock, and you can find the playtest from Unearthed Arcana here.

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