Picking a class can be hard. So why pick? Multiclassing lets you play as two classes, and Warlock is one of the most potent options for one of your two picks. If you are tired of slinging spells and want to start cleaving orcs in half, multiclassing is the way to go!

Many Warlock quirks turn into bonkers-good combos when mixed with other classes. Warlock spellcasting in particular is renowned as outright broken with certain multiclass builds.

That said, not all combinations of classes work well with Warlock. So let’s explore which ones are the best, some offering great flavor and some insane power!

Using This Guide

Everything in this guide has an emoji, ranking how useful a given ability or feature is to playing this class effectively.

✅ — An absolutely crucial feature. Often forms the backbone of a class’ look and feel. Will provide some bonus that can’t be found through other means.

🆗 — A solid feature that does its job well. Not game-breaking, and certainly replaceable, but a strong choice that shores up some weakness.

⚠️ — A debatable choice. Could work for a specific build, but otherwise is either a wasted opportunity or is just weaker than other alternatives.

⛔ — Outright bad and detrimental. This weighs down the class and just takes up space on the character sheet. A weakness you will have to accommodate for.

These rankings are meant to help you create an optimized class build, but remember—DnD isn’t a game where you need to win to have fun. Weaker but flavorful builds also have their place and can make for fulfilling characters.

Why Multiclass as Warlock?

As a Warlock looking to multiclass, you can improve your spellcasting or branch out into martial fighting. Unlike other spellcasters, when you multiclass as a Warlock, you keep your Warlock spell slots and track slots for your second class separately instead of merging them. This provides flexibility when casting and opens doors to some insane combos since Warlock spell slots are always at the maximum level possible.

Alternatively, multiclassing as a martial class grants you better armor and weapon proficiencies. Your second class can also increase your number of attacks, bump up your damage, or give you self-healing abilities. All of which make you more capable of entering melee combat or sniping foes at a distance.

As another class dipping into Warlock, since Warlock selects their subclass at Level 1, you immediately get some niche features from your Otherworldly Patron. You also get Pact Magic and a few Warlock cantrips, including the ever-powerful eldritch blast. After you invest a few more levels, you can also start grabbing Eldritch Invocations and a Pact Boon. These class features are adaptable and allow you to pick up bonuses tailored to your current build. Having a few spell slots that recharge on a short rest is quite nice for spellcasters.

Multiclass Combos to Skip

Every class gives you different bonuses, but not all of them mesh well with the Warlock’s playstyle. Barbarian and Fighter both make you better at combat, but neither synergize well with your abilities. Ranger has more synergy thanks to its spellcasting, but still misses the mark. Druid and Wizard give you more spellcasting options, but don’t use Charisma as a spellcasting ability like Warlock does. Finally, Monk and Rogue are very mobile and like getting up in enemies’ faces, but are best when you dump a lot of levels into them—otherwise, they are just squishy, which does not benefit an already vulnerable Warlock.

The Best Warlock Multiclass Combos

If you are bothering to multiclass, you need to get some big bonuses to make it worthwhile. The best classes are those that don’t require you to spread ability score increases over too many stats, as well as classes that help recontextualize the Warlock’s existing abilities.

🆗 Bard-Warlock Multiclass

If you enjoy acting as the party’s face, this combo is a good way to double down. Bards help you reliably pass skill checks and give you spells for social encounters, making you better at diplomacy. You also get a spell list with incredible utility and support spells, plus the extra spell slots to burn on them since you’ll want to be stingy with your Warlock spell slots.

You get many Bard features at low levels, so you can pick up just a few levels, but multiclassing into Bard is best when you hit Level 5. This is when your Bardic Inspiration die upgrades to a d8, and you start regaining those Inspirations on a short rest. More bonus dice means you help your party that much more often. You might even stick around for Level 10 Bard when you can pick up spells from any class.

However, multiclassing into Bard doesn’t really make Warlocks any more powerful. Sure you can do a bunch of new stuff, but passing more performance checks or inspiring allies can’t compare to better armor proficiency for sheer power. There is an interesting match-up where you combine the Warlock’s Pact of the Blade with the Bard’s College of Valor or College of Swords subclasses. Both classes are half-decent at melee combat, but when stuck together, you have a legitimate threat on the battlefield.

Pros

Lots of support options, including Bardic Inspiration to reliably pass checks.
Spellcasting uses Charisma for both classes.
Builds on Warlock’s existing capabilities as the party’s face with Expertise and a free skill proficiency.
Bard’s spell list has tons of good utility and healing options.

Cons

Adds nothing to Warlock’s offensive capabilities.
Stuck with light armor and simple weapon proficiencies.
Bards work best when you sink 3 – 10 levels into the class, meaning you need to invest more levels into multiclassing.

⚠️ Cleric-Warlock Multiclass

The biggest benefit Warlocks get from Clerics is a diversified spell list. Premium support spells and, depending on your subclass, top-tier damage spells fill the gaps in Warlock’s spell list. Cleric will also give you proficiency with shields and medium armor, and some subclasses bump that up to heavy armor (which is very difficult to get proficiency with when multiclassing). Overall, multiclassing into Cleric improves areas Warlock is weak at rather than building on existing strengths.

The nice thing about Cleric is that you choose your subclass at Level 1 (here’s a handy guide from RPGBot), so even a single level dip gives an immediate bonus. Your Channel Divinity at Level 2 is usually quite good too, and they cover a wide variety of effects, so you can choose one that suits your playstyle. Cleric has very good class features at higher levels, but unfortunately you’ll never reach them when multiclassing.

To address the elephant in the room: Cleric spells use Wisdom. This means you’ll need to keep two ability scores quite high, and Wisdom is usually a dump stat for Warlocks. Additionally, support is not a role that Warlock is well suited to play outside of the Celestial subclass, so there will be some friction between your Warlock and Cleric abilities.

Pros

Wide variety of spells, including high-output damage, strong defense, and lifesaving utility.
Access to better armor and shields, including the rare option to gain heavy armor proficiency through multiclassing.
High degree of customization through distinct Cleric subclasses.
Solid class features at low levels mean you need to invest fewer levels into multiclassing.

Cons

Splitting spellcasting between Charisma and Wisdom is awful.
Cleric’s best class features come at high levels, and therefore Cleric is strongest as a solo class.
Poor synergy between Warlock and Cleric class features.

✅ Paladin-Warlock Multiclass

Combining the melee dominance of a Paladin with the unparalleled ranged damage of a Warlock is a potent mix. Warlocks also gain proficiency with shields and medium armor from multiclassing into Paladin, so they’re suddenly capable of surviving more fights and entering melee combat.

The most crucial Paladin features come online at Level 2. By this point, you’ll have access to Smite, which you can use Warlock spell slots on. That means a potential +5d8 radiant damage added to a melee attack if you’re a powerful enough Warlock, no matter how many levels you have in Paladin. At Level 2, you also get a decent-sized pool for Lay on Hands, which you’ll mostly use for emergencies anyways. You also choose your fighting style at this level, which can grant you +1 AC—survivability that a Warlock greatly benefits from.

The other reason this combo works so well is that many Warlock defensive spells don’t require concentration. Stuff like armor of agathys or mirror image. Concentration is much harder to maintain in melee combat when you’re getting hit more, so a weapon Warlock can effortlessly keep these spells running to stay alive. The biggest downside for multiclassing into Paladin is that Smite only works on melee weapons, so you’ll have to enter combat far more often than normal. The Hexblade thus benefits most from multiclassing into Paladin.

Pros

Massive damage output, with each class complementing the other’s weaknesses
Better armor and defensive abilities from Paladin’s class features help you survive in melee combat
Spellcasting uses Charisma for both classes
Smite synergizes well with Warlock spellcasting to maximize damage earlier than pure Paladins

Cons

Warlock becomes reliant on Paladin’s defensive features to keep them alive as they enter riskier situations
Smite only works on melee attacks
Paladin spells are situationally useful for a Warlock-Paladin combo

✅ Sorcerer-Warlock Multiclass

If you’re looking to amp up the Warlock’s existing spellcasting with more options, more spell slots, and more flexibility, Sorcerer is the best choice to multiclass into. You gain access to the powerful Sorcery Points which allow you to customize your spells. Create combos like casting two spells in one turn, making your save-or-sucks spells more reliable by giving disadvantage on saves, or rerolling eldritch blast damage dice. There is a particular way to play this multiclass combo that exploits your Warlock’s spellcasting to generate ungodly amounts of Sorcery Points: the Coffeelock (which you read about here thanks to Geeknative).

Metamagic is the class feature that lets you mold spells this way and pops up at Level 3. Fortunately, not much else in Sorcerer will benefit you, so you could stop there and put the rest of your levels into Warlock. Alternatively, you get another Metamagic option at Level 10, or you could spend more levels on Sorcerer to hoard even more spell slots.

Overall, the biggest benefit of multiclassing into Warlock is simply having more spell slots. Warlock’s usually need to save them for big effects, so having more slots makes utility spells and damage or save-or-suck spells with only one target much better. The Sorcerer’s spell list has lots of these, although the lack of defensive options means this multiclass is definitely a glass cannon.

Pros

Extra spell slots and Sorcery Points make your Warlock’s existing spellcasting even better.
Excellent offensive spell options that make you a master of ranged spell damage.
Spellcasting uses Charisma for both classes.
Sorcerer’s most useful abilities are available at low levels, meaning you need to invest fewer levels into multiclassing.

Cons

Few defensive options beyond what little Warlock already has.
Pouring levels into Sorcerer to gain more spell slots doesn’t give you any good class features.
Sorcerer has an even worse hit die than Warlock (d6).
Sorcerer and Warlock each have relatively few spells known at any given level, meaning fewer options than other multiclass combos.

Hopefully, you now have a good idea of what to look for when multiclassing as Warlock and what potential class features are most beneficial for your build. If you enjoyed this guide, share it with your friends! And tell us all about your custom Warlock multiclass in the comments below.

The Best Warlock Multiclass Builds in 5th Edition D&D

Using This Guide

Why Multiclass as Warlock?

Multiclass Combos to Skip