Sorlock or Mystic Arcanum

[gramarye28]

New to DnD. I was thinking of making an Archfey Warlock. Particularly for misty escape, it looks like mainly a misty step that triggers as a reaction in response to damage. Seems pretty strong as it's a patron feature, doesn't require one of my limited spell slots like if I casted misty step myself and it comes back on short rest. Not really into the fey presence, but maybe it might be useful. And the last otherworldly patron feature we'll have access to in 1.0 doesn't really interest me because it seems to only activate in response to an enemy charm. Maybe 1.0 will have enemies flinging charm left and right, but I can't remember that happening in any of my early access playthroughs.

Long story short, I was thinking Warlock 9 to get to 5th level spells, then Sorcerer 3 to get access to metamagic. Maybe use my metamagic to empower some eldritch blasts. What concerns me however is to the best of my knowledge I'll miss out on that 6th level spell from Mystic Arcanum. So veteran Dnd players, I'm calling on you. Does this seem like a viable build for BG3? And do the benefits of Sorlock outweigh that 6th level spell from Mystic Arcanum?

Also, based on my googling, it seems my main damage will come from Hex and Eldritch Blast. And luckily Eldritch blast, like all cantrips, scale off of character level and not levels in a particular class. So I'll be able to get 3 Eldritch Blasts per turn in 1.0 even if I multiclass. Also aware this is pretty late game build because if I wait til I get 5th level spells in Warlock, I won't get Metamagic from Sorcerer until level 12, the max in 1.0

[The Real Revan]

I believe Larian changed metamagic to lvl 2 so youd get it at 11. Youll only get your mystic arcanum once per long rest but there are alot of very strong spells there.

[Zangetsu]

I think a proper sorlock is stronger then pure sorc or warlock, but do what you want. If your going warlock 9 I wouldnt bother multiclassing just finish it off on warlock.

[katzenkrimis]

That Misty Escape is only a one-shot deal, then you have to rest.

Which kinda sucks, because it'll have to be used sparingly. Only in critical situations.

Which means you may not use it much at all.

[medicinezombie]

Which metamagic were you considering? level 6 Warlock spells are definitely nice but there could be some good combos worth losing that over.

Long term, or on "average", most of your damage is from Eldritch Blasts, but being able to hit a 60ft radius sphere with 8d6 necrotic damage (Circle of Death) is a way bigger burst than hexed Eldritch Blasts can output, especially to a group.

[gramarye28]

Originally posted by Zangetsu:

I think a proper sorlock is stronger then pure sorc or warlock, but do what you want. If your going warlock 9 I wouldnt bother multiclassing just finish it off on warlock.

Thank you for the replies! I guess if 9 levels in Warlock is too many. How many should I put in? All the guides I could find were based on high level campaigns. Any recommendations for a max of 12?

[gramarye28]

Originally posted by medicinezombie:

Which metamagic were you considering? level 6 Warlock spells are definitely nice but there could be some good combos worth losing that over.

Long term, or on "average", most of your damage is from Eldritch Blasts, but being able to hit a 60ft radius sphere with 8d6 necrotic damage (Circle of Death) is a way bigger burst than hexed Eldritch Blasts can output, especially to a group.

Sorry, relative DnD noob, you're saying, if I understand, I can potentially put Circle of Death in my Mystic Arcanum? That's a hard choice. I think for metamagic I was considering maybe twinned and quickened. But I haven't played a Sorcerer yet in EA and have also never played one I'm TT. So those were my best guess. But if I understand your comment, some 6th level spells can greatly outclass any metamagic effect I add to my Eldritch Blasts, which would probably be how I used it. Again, noob, here.

[.Master Jiren, The Strongest]

We don't know what 6th level spells are going to be available to us.
So you might as well go to Warlock 12, see what options you have for 6th level, and then decide for yourself if you'd rather respec to 9/3 split.

because you can respec.

[medicinezombie]

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Originally posted by medicinezombie:

Which metamagic were you considering? level 6 Warlock spells are definitely nice but there could be some good combos worth losing that over.

Long term, or on "average", most of your damage is from Eldritch Blasts, but being able to hit a 60ft radius sphere with 8d6 necrotic damage (Circle of Death) is a way bigger burst than hexed Eldritch Blasts can output, especially to a group.

Sorry, relative DnD noob, you're saying, if I understand, I can potentially put Circle of Death in my Mystic Arcanum? That's a hard choice. I think for metamagic I was considering maybe twinned and quickened. But I haven't played a Sorcerer yet in EA and have also never played one I'm TT. So those were my best guess. But if I understand your comment, some 6th level spells can greatly outclass any metamagic effect I add to my Eldritch Blasts, which would probably be how I used it. Again, noob, here.

haha, it's a complicated system, and a video game with some rules changes, which might not be in the final game anyways, so it's totally reasonable to take some time to figure this stuff out.

There are a couple ways to put the builds together, it depends on what you are trying to do with it.

But without worrying about the details too much, If you want your final, ultimate, capstone ability to be blasting enemies with 6 Eldritch Blasts in a single turn (2 casts, quickened one and a regular one), then sorcerer/warlock is the way to go. Which would be a ton of damage on a hexed enemy (6d10+6d6+6*Cha modifier)

if you want your ultimate to be a giant AoE of death magic, or maybe a powerful summoning spell, then pure warlock is better (or maybe some kind of teleportation, no idea on the spells in the final version of game).

[Zangetsu]

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Originally posted by Zangetsu:

I think a proper sorlock is stronger then pure sorc or warlock, but do what you want. If your going warlock 9 I wouldnt bother multiclassing just finish it off on warlock.

Thank you for the replies! I guess if 9 levels in Warlock is too many. How many should I put in? All the guides I could find were based on high level campaigns. Any recommendations for a max of 12?

The whole point of warlock is to get eldritch blast, hex, and agnoizing blast. 2 Levels is meta but 3 levels if you want an imp familiar with pact of the chain. The rest sorc with quickened spell.

Its probably better to start sorc to get con saves, then warlock for the next 2 or 3 levels then finish off with rest sorc. You get the most sorc points that way and eldirtch blast combo scales with character level not warlock level.

[gramarye28]

Originally posted by medicinezombie:

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Sorry, relative DnD noob, you're saying, if I understand, I can potentially put Circle of Death in my Mystic Arcanum? That's a hard choice. I think for metamagic I was considering maybe twinned and quickened. But I haven't played a Sorcerer yet in EA and have also never played one I'm TT. So those were my best guess. But if I understand your comment, some 6th level spells can greatly outclass any metamagic effect I add to my Eldritch Blasts, which would probably be how I used it. Again, noob, here.

haha, it's a complicated system, and a video game with some rules changes, which might not be in the final game anyways, so it's totally reasonable to take some time to figure this stuff out.

There are a couple ways to put the builds together, it depends on what you are trying to do with it.

But without worrying about the details too much, If you want your final, ultimate, capstone ability to be blasting enemies with 6 Eldritch Blasts in a single turn (2 casts, quickened one and a regular one), then sorcerer/warlock is the way to go. Which would be a ton of damage on a hexed enemy (6d10+6d6+6*Cha modifier)

if you want your ultimate to be a giant AoE of death magic, or maybe a powerful summoning spell, then pure warlock is better (or maybe some kind of teleportation, no idea on the spells in the final version of game).

Thank you for your response! I see the options better now. May I ask your opinion on a couple of other Warlock abilities. In my last Warlock playthrough in EA, I wasted a short rest to cast Armor of Agathys every long rest. I understand that's not really viable in TT. But it didn't seem to affect gameplay much and those 15 temp hp (at character level 5, spell level 3) made me feel safer, lol. So question on the long term viability of that in BG3. And also since I'm not stingy with my short rests, I think I should have a misty escape reaction at the ready to start most encounters. I know this is kinda of abusing the system and not viable in TT. But I think those might work in the BG3 setting.

[gramarye28]

Originally posted by Zangetsu:

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Thank you for the replies! I guess if 9 levels in Warlock is too many. How many should I put in? All the guides I could find were based on high level campaigns. Any recommendations for a max of 12?

The whole point of warlock is to get eldritch blast, hex, and agnoizing blast. 2 Levels is meta but 3 levels if you want an imp familiar with pact of the chain. The rest sorc with quickened spell.

Its probably better to start sorc to get con saves, then warlock for the next 2 or 3 levels then finish off with rest sorc. You get the most sorc points that way and eldirtch blast combo scales with character level not warlock level.

I'm a total noob when it comes to Dnd. Just trying to get ready for full release of BG3, so I'm learning alot. Main reason I want to go Archfey is for the 6th level patron feature, misty escape. I think it could get my main out of most sticky situations, if I have it available. Otherwise, I'd just go fiend for Fireball. Anyway, do you think the build would still be viable if I went Sorc3/Warlock6/Sor3, just to finish out. Gotta check the wiki dot to see what my max spell slot level would be if I went half and half warlock and sorcerer.

[medicinezombie]

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Thank you for your response! I see the options better now. May I ask your opinion on a couple of other Warlock abilities. In my last Warlock playthrough in EA, I wasted a short rest to cast Armor of Agathys every long rest. I understand that's not really viable in TT. But it didn't seem to affect gameplay much and those 15 temp hp (at character level 5, spell level 3) made me feel safer, lol. So question on the long term viability of that in BG3. And also since I'm not stingy with my short rests, I think I should have a misty escape reaction at the ready to start most encounters. I know this is kinda of abusing the system and not viable in TT. But I think those might work in the BG3 setting.

ehh, I wouldn't worry about the short rest stuff - "resting" economy in 5e makes zero sense and creates a lot of issues, so you might as well lean into it I think, and not feel guilty.

Using that stuff to have access to the extra Misty Step part of your build is reasonable imo

Originally posted by gramarye28:

I'm a total noob when it comes to Dnd. Just trying to get ready for full release of BG3, so I'm learning alot. Main reason I want to go Archfey is for the 6th level patron feature, misty escape. I think it could get my main out of most sticky situations, if I have it available. Otherwise, I'd just go fiend for Fireball. Anyway, do you think the build would still be viable if I went Sorc3/Warlock6/Sor3, just to finish out. Gotta check the wiki dot to see what my max spell slot level would be if I went half and half warlock and sorcerer.

Sorc 6/Warlock 6 might be a bit rough - lose Feats (by not hitting 8 or 12), lose spellcasting progression (Warlock doesn't play well with other types).

If you really like the "free" Misty Step, you can go full Sorcerer and just cast it in a spell slot, even a "free" one you generated from sorcery points.

[gramarye28]

Originally posted by medicinezombie:

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Thank you for your response! I see the options better now. May I ask your opinion on a couple of other Warlock abilities. In my last Warlock playthrough in EA, I wasted a short rest to cast Armor of Agathys every long rest. I understand that's not really viable in TT. But it didn't seem to affect gameplay much and those 15 temp hp (at character level 5, spell level 3) made me feel safer, lol. So question on the long term viability of that in BG3. And also since I'm not stingy with my short rests, I think I should have a misty escape reaction at the ready to start most encounters. I know this is kinda of abusing the system and not viable in TT. But I think those might work in the BG3 setting.

ehh, I wouldn't worry about the short rest stuff - "resting" economy in 5e makes zero sense and creates a lot of issues, so you might as well lean into it I think, and not feel guilty.

Using that stuff to have access to the extra Misty Step part of your build is reasonable imo

Originally posted by gramarye28:

I'm a total noob when it comes to Dnd. Just trying to get ready for full release of BG3, so I'm learning alot. Main reason I want to go Archfey is for the 6th level patron feature, misty escape. I think it could get my main out of most sticky situations, if I have it available. Otherwise, I'd just go fiend for Fireball. Anyway, do you think the build would still be viable if I went Sorc3/Warlock6/Sor3, just to finish out. Gotta check the wiki dot to see what my max spell slot level would be if I went half and half warlock and sorcerer.

Sorc 6/Warlock 6 might be a bit rough - lose Feats (by not hitting 8 or 12), lose spellcasting progression (Warlock doesn't play well with other types).

If you really like the "free" Misty Step, you can go full Sorcerer and just cast it in a spell slot, even a "free" one you generated from sorcery points.

That's a great point! I honestly have been learning DnD in a pidgin way and had no idea feats were tied to class level, not character level. I honestly thought they were like cantrips! Looks like I may have to make a choice. And I haven't mentioned this yet, but although I'm generally about maximizing the effectiveness of my build, I think something about the Archfey patron intrigues me from a rp perspective. Especially as Larian has said Warlocks will be able to interact with their patrons in game.

Another class I was thinking about maining for my first playthrough, and this is a total departure from the current conversation, at full release is the Circle of the Moon Druid. I really like the idea of concentrating on a spell then Wildshaping all in one turn to web enemies or do damage as a bear. But it fell off in EA for me when the bear didn't get buffed at lvl 5, while martial classes were getting extra attack. It really depends on how Larian pragmatizes combat wild shapes for full release. And their hasn't been enough information released about that for proper theorycrafting, imo.

[gramarye28]

Originally posted by medicinezombie:

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Thank you for your response! I see the options better now. May I ask your opinion on a couple of other Warlock abilities. In my last Warlock playthrough in EA, I wasted a short rest to cast Armor of Agathys every long rest. I understand that's not really viable in TT. But it didn't seem to affect gameplay much and those 15 temp hp (at character level 5, spell level 3) made me feel safer, lol. So question on the long term viability of that in BG3. And also since I'm not stingy with my short rests, I think I should have a misty escape reaction at the ready to start most encounters. I know this is kinda of abusing the system and not viable in TT. But I think those might work in the BG3 setting.

ehh, I wouldn't worry about the short rest stuff - "resting" economy in 5e makes zero sense and creates a lot of issues, so you might as well lean into it I think, and not feel guilty.

Using that stuff to have access to the extra Misty Step part of your build is reasonable imo

Originally posted by gramarye28:

I'm a total noob when it comes to Dnd. Just trying to get ready for full release of BG3, so I'm learning alot. Main reason I want to go Archfey is for the 6th level patron feature, misty escape. I think it could get my main out of most sticky situations, if I have it available. Otherwise, I'd just go fiend for Fireball. Anyway, do you think the build would still be viable if I went Sorc3/Warlock6/Sor3, just to finish out. Gotta check the wiki dot to see what my max spell slot level would be if I went half and half warlock and sorcerer.

Sorc 6/Warlock 6 might be a bit rough - lose Feats (by not hitting 8 or 12), lose spellcasting progression (Warlock doesn't play well with other types).

If you really like the "free" Misty Step, you can go full Sorcerer and just cast it in a spell slot, even a "free" one you generated from sorcery points.

Additionally, based on your comment, it looks like I'm back to my original conundrum since I have that Archfey infatuation. But I'll add full Sorcerer to the mix and just cast misty step, as well as full Warlock to get the mystic arcanum, and maybe Warlock 9/Sorcerer 3 to get metamagic and max level Warlock Spell slots. So many options, I'm probably thinking about this too hard. I'm just so excited for Aug 3rd!!

[medicinezombie]

Originally posted by gramarye28:

Originally posted by medicinezombie:

ehh, I wouldn't worry about the short rest stuff - "resting" economy in 5e makes zero sense and creates a lot of issues, so you might as well lean into it I think, and not feel guilty.

Using that stuff to have access to the extra Misty Step part of your build is reasonable imo




Sorc 6/Warlock 6 might be a bit rough - lose Feats (by not hitting 8 or 12), lose spellcasting progression (Warlock doesn't play well with other types).

If you really like the "free" Misty Step, you can go full Sorcerer and just cast it in a spell slot, even a "free" one you generated from sorcery points.

That's a great point! I honestly have been learning DnD in a pidgin way and had no idea feats were tied to class level, not character level. I honestly thought they were like cantrips! Looks like I may have to make a choice. And I haven't mentioned this yet, but although I'm generally about maximizing the effectiveness of my build, I think something about the Archfey patron intrigues me from a rp perspective. Especially as Larian has said Warlocks will be able to interact with their patrons in game.

Another class I was thinking about maining for my first playthrough, and this is a total departure from the current conversation, at full release is the Circle of the Moon Druid. I really like the idea of concentrating on a spell then Wildshaping all in one turn to web enemies or do damage as a bear. But it fell off in EA for me when the bear didn't get buffed at lvl 5, while martial classes were getting extra attack. It really depends on how Larian pragmatizes combat wild shapes for full release. And their hasn't been enough information released about that for proper theorycrafting, imo.

lol, I both DM and play 5e, and I didnt know Feats were a class level thing for years, its easy to miss

a build being effective is nice, but RP reasons are really good to follow too, should be a lot of fun stuff with Archfey from that side of things, regardless of the build itself. Which might be a reason to dip into sorcerer - if it unlocks more RP stuff for your character (warlock + sorc, vs just pure warlock OR sorc).

Moon druids are def fun as well, at low levels dropping a Web and then wildshaping into a spider is really really effective. Ever better probably since Larian is expanding the pool of possible forms too.

casting Sunbeam and then turning into an elephant at level 12 and basically being a Venosaur sounds like fun lol