Orc Warlock Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start as a Genie (Efreeti) Warlock. This patron provides Burning Hands at level 1 and Genie's Wrath, adding your proficiency bonus in fire damage to one attack roll per turn—perfect for boosting your first Eldritch Blast. At level 2, take the Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast invocations. Repelling Blast synergizes beautifully with Adrenaline Rush; you can push an enemy 10 feet away, then use your Bonus Action to Dash 30 feet in the opposite direction, making you virtually impossible to pin down. At level 3, select Pact of the Chain. An Imp familiar can scout ahead using your shared Orc Darkvision and provide the Help action in combat.

Level 4 is crucial because your starting Charisma is a frustrating 15. Take the Fey Touched feat, boosting Charisma to 16. Select Silvery Barbs or Gift of Alacrity for your 1st-level spell. This also grants you a free cast of Misty Step, which you can use when Adrenaline Rush's movement isn't enough to escape being grappled or trapped in an area of effect.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings 3rd-level Pact Magic slots and the reason we chose Efreeti: Fireball. You also get a third Eldritch Invocation; take Investment of the Chain Master so your Imp can attack using your spell save DC for its poison sting. At level 6, Elemental Gift grants you a flying speed and resistance to fire damage. Flying combined with Adrenaline Rush means you can Bonus Action Dash through the air, completely ignoring difficult terrain and ground-based melee attackers.

At level 8, your Constitution is still sitting at an awkward 13. Take the Resilient (Constitution) feat to bump it to 14. This increases your HP and gives you proficiency in Constitution saving throws, which is absolutely mandatory for maintaining concentration on mid-tier control spells like Sickening Radiance or Wall of Fire when you take a hit that triggers Relentless Endurance.

Levels 11-16

Level 11 is a massive power spike. Eldritch Blast now fires three beams, drastically increasing your DPR and giving you three chances to trigger Repelling Blast. You also receive your 6th-level Mystic Arcanum. Take Mass Suggestion; it doesn't require concentration and can completely end an encounter. At level 12, use your ASI to increase Charisma to 18. For your new invocation, grab Lance of Lethargy to slow down whatever you just pushed away with Repelling Blast.

Level 15 grants your 8th-level Mystic Arcanum. Feeblemind or Maddening Darkness are top tier here. Maddening Darkness works exceptionally well if you took the Devil's Sight invocation, allowing you to see through the magical darkness while your enemies cannot. At level 16, cap your Charisma at 20 with your final ASI, ensuring your spell save DC and Eldritch Blast accuracy are maximized for the endgame.

Levels 17-20

Level 17 unlocks the holy grail of Warlock features: your 9th-level Mystic Arcanum. Take Wish. It is the most versatile spell in the game, allowing you to replicate any 8th-level or lower spell from any class list without material components. Eldritch Blast also reaches its final form with four beams, outputting a highly consistent 42 force damage per turn if all beams hit.

At level 19, take the War Caster feat. Even with Resilient (Constitution), high-level monsters deal enough damage to easily break concentration. Advantage on concentration checks ensures your 9th-level True Polymorph or Wish-replicated buffs don't drop early. Finally, Level 20 grants Eldritch Master, which is notoriously underwhelming, but spending a minute to regain your four 5th-level Pact Magic slots is still better than nothing during a grueling dungeon crawl.

Cantrips

Eldritch Blast: The core of your entire build. Combined with Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast, this is your primary action on 90% of your turns. Minor Illusion: A fantastic utility cantrip for creating cover that you can hide behind to block line of sight from enemy spellcasters.

Level 1-2 Spells

Hex: Great at levels 1-4 to boost your Eldritch Blast damage, but drop it once you get 3rd-level slots. Armor of Agathys: Normally a Warlock staple, but use this carefully. The temporary HP from this spell does not stack with the temporary HP from your Orc's Adrenaline Rush. Misty Step: Essential for escaping grapples or magical restraints where Adrenaline Rush's movement won't help.

Level 3-5 Spells

Fireball: Your Efreeti patron gives you this. Cast it whenever you can catch three or more enemies. Hypnotic Pattern: A devastating area-of-effect control spell. Wall of Fire: Excellent synergy with Repelling Blast. Cast the wall, and on subsequent turns, blast enemies back into the flames for automatic damage.

High-Level Spells (Mystic Arcanum)

Mass Suggestion (6th): No concentration required, hits up to 12 creatures, and lasts for 24 hours. Incredible action economy. Forcecage (7th): Traps enemies with no saving throw. Wish (9th): The best spell in the game, giving you access to Simulacrum, Clone, or instant cast Symbol without expensive components.

Fey Touched

Take this at level 4. Your starting optimal Charisma is 15, and this half-feat rounds it out to 16. It gives you Misty Step and a 1st-level Divination or Enchantment spell (take Silvery Barbs or Gift of Alacrity). Having a free cast of Misty Step saves your precious Pact Magic slots for offensive spells.

Resilient (Constitution)

Take this at level 8. Your starting Constitution is 13. This feat bumps it to 14, granting you more HP and, crucially, proficiency in Constitution saving throws. As a Warlock, dropping concentration on a 5th-level spell slot is a disaster. This ensures your Wall of Fire stays up.

War Caster

Take this at level 19. By Tier 4, enemies are hitting for 40+ damage per attack, meaning the DC for your concentration checks will frequently exceed 10. Having both Resilient (CON) and advantage from War Caster is the only way to reliably maintain concentration on game-winning spells like True Polymorph.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Studded Leather armor to capitalize on your 14 Dexterity, giving you an AC of 14. Seek out a Wand of the War Mage +1 as quickly as possible. Ignoring half-cover is massive for Eldritch Blast when you are fighting in cluttered dungeon environments.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

Upgrade to a Rod of the Pact Keeper +1. Unlike the Wand, the Rod increases your spell save DC, which is vital for landing Hypnotic Pattern and Fireball. Also look for a Cloak of Displacement. Since you are kiting with Adrenaline Rush, imposing disadvantage on the few attacks that actually reach you drastically increases your lifespan.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

Acquire a Rod of the Pact Keeper +2 and a Ring of Protection. The Ring boosts your mediocre AC to 15 and helps patch up your terrible Wisdom saving throws, protecting you from spells that would paralyze or frighten you.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

Your ultimate goals are the Robe of the Archmagi and a Staff of Power. The Robe sets your base AC to 15 (17 with Dex) and boosts your spell save DC further. The Staff of Power gives you a +2 to AC and saving throws, plus a massive reservoir of extra spells, entirely solving the Warlock's limited spell slot problem.

As a Blaster Warlock, your job is to output consistent force damage and drop large area-of-effect spells. You are entirely dependent on your frontline to keep the enemy engaged so you can safely use Adrenaline Rush to reposition. A Paladin (Oath of the Watchers or Devotion) is your absolute best friend. Their Aura of Protection is heavily required to salvage your 10 Wisdom, preventing you from being locked down by mental saves.

An Ancestral Guardian Barbarian or a Cavalier Fighter also makes a fantastic pairing. They have explicit mechanics that penalize enemies for attacking anyone other than them. If an enemy does manage to break past them and chase you, you simply hit them with Repelling Blast and Bonus Action Dash away with Adrenaline Rush, forcing the enemy to waste their turn dashing back into the Barbarian's range.

Sorcerer (Divine Soul) 1 Dip

Taking your very first level in Sorcerer instead of Warlock is highly recommended if your DM allows it. It grants innate Constitution saving throw proficiency (saving you a feat later), and gives you access to the Shield spell, Absorb Elements, and Silvery Barbs. These defensive reactions are exactly what a Warlock lacks, and Divine Soul adds Favored by the Gods to save a failed saving throw.

Fighter 2 Dip

Taking two levels of Fighter grants Action Surge. For an Efreeti Warlock, this means you can cast two Fireballs in a single turn, instantly annihilating most Tier 2 encounters. Alternatively, it lets you fire off two full volleys of Eldritch Blast in one turn for massive burst damage.

• Taking the Fiend Patron: The Fiend's primary feature, Dark One's Blessing, grants Temporary HP when you kill an enemy. This does not stack with the Temporary HP from your Orc's Adrenaline Rush. You will constantly overwrite your own racial features.
• Casting Armor of Agathys: Similar to the Fiend patron, Armor of Agathys relies on Temporary HP. If you cast it, you cannot use Adrenaline Rush without instantly destroying the Temporary HP that triggers the cold damage reflection of the spell.
• Ignoring your Wisdom Save: With a 10 Wisdom, you will fail almost every fear and charm effect in the mid-to-late game. If you don't stick close to a Paladin or invest in a protective magic item, you will spend entire combats paralyzed or running away.
• Wasting Relentless Endurance: Dropping to 1 HP instead of 0 is great, but if you don't immediately use Adrenaline Rush or Misty Step to escape on your next turn, you'll just go down to the very next attack. Have an exit strategy.