Fiend Patron Warlock: D&D 2024 Optimisation Guide

Deal with devils to access fiendish powers with this warlock subclass.

Devilish dealers, fiend warlocks have literally made a deal with a devil (or a demon, or some other lower planes creature). Fiendish power is granted to such individuals, but at a great cost. You are now subject to the whims of an evil being, hell-bent on destruction and/or the acquisition of souls. It’s dangerous territory, but for those desperate, evil or foolish enough, it may be considered a worthy exchange.

Fiend warlocks gain access to fiery spells, greater resilience and the ability to thrust enemies temporarily to the lower planes. They’re very much built for combat, which will work nicely for your patron.

This particular warlock subclass doesn’t get a huge number of changes from the 2014 version, but the large changes to the warlock main class means the approach to building and optimising a warlock have changed. This article will tackle exactly how you can do that for a 2024 fiend warlock.

At a glance

Highly adaptable class that can fill many party roles depending on your build
Use spells for attacks and powerful effects
Damage foes with fiendishly, fiery spells
Become more resilient with changeable resistances, a steady supply of temporary hit points and good fortune

What’s changed in D&D 2024?

Largely, this subclass remains the same as it was in D&D 2014. There are a few important quality of life improvements though. Your resistances can’t be bypassed by magical weapons anymore, you gain temporary hit points when you or a nearby ally kills someone and dark one’s own luck can be used more often.

Related articles

Fiend patron features

Archfey spells – Lv3

How it works

You get the below spells as prepared spells.

Warlock level	Spells
3	Burning hands, command, scorching ray, suggestion
5	Fireball, stinking cloud
7	Fire shield, wall of fire
9	Geas, insect plague

Tactics

Most of these spells are about dealing damage, which suits a fiend warlock well.
Go heavy on damage dealing spells for the extra temporary hit points they’ll grant from dark one’s blessing (as well as the damage).

Dark one’s blessing – Lv3

How it works

If you or a nearby ally reduces an enemy to 0hp, then you gain some temporary hit points.

Tactics

Stick close to deadly allies so you can gain the benefits of this regularly.
You’ll also want to focus your warlock around damage dealing to feed yourself with a steady supply of temporary hit points.

Dark one’s own luck – Lv6

How it works

Roll an extra d10 for some ability checks and saving throws a few times per long rest.

Tactics

You can choose to use this once you know what you’ve rolled so save it for rolls you think will be close.
Grab a high charisma for more uses of this.
You get a few uses of this so you don’t need to be stingy with it, but it’s best used in crucial moments. You may want to consider making yourself a bit of a skill master for the more reliable skill checks you can manage.

Fiendish resilience – Lv10

How it works

Choose a damage to be resistant to. This can be changed every time you rest.

Tactics

This is really flexible. If you know what enemies you’ll be facing, pick a damage type you expect your enemies to be using. If not, pick a common damage type. My damage type guide will help you choose the best resistances.

Hurl through hell – Lv14

How it works

Send an enemy to hell if you hit them and they fail a charisma saving throw. If this happens (and they’re not a fiend) then they’ll take 8d10 psychic damage and be incapacitated for a turn.

You can only do this once per turn and once per long rest or use it again by expending a pact magic spell slot.

Tactics

This requires no extra action economy, so can be used in addition to an attack.
You get one free use per long rest so might as well use this.
Target problematic and low charisma enemies, even just to take them out of combat for a turn.
Whether you use a spell slot for this depends on whether it outperforms a 5th level spell. A level 5 fireball for example, will deal 10d6 damage per target (average of 35), while hurl through hell will deal an average of 55 damage, but only affects a single target. However, you can also add the damage of a single attack or cantrip to this. Eldritch blast with the agonising blast eldritch invocation will add 3d10 + 15 (assuming 20 charisma) at this level. That’s an average of 31.5 damage so 86.5 in total. This means it outperforms a fireball against 2 targets, but a fireball against 3 or more targets will outperform it. But remember, you also remove an enemy from play for a turn. For me, this makes it of similar value to a 5th level spell so feel free to use this as a tactical option when it makes sense to do so.

Building a fiend warlock

Fiend warlocks can work as both ranged and melee combatants depending mainly on the eldritch invocations and spells you choose. You have some resilience features that make a melee build more viable like regular temporary hit points and an adaptable damage resistance.

Below are my recommendations for how you could build an effective fiend warlock for D&D 2024.

Ability scores

Recommended options

Charisma: Charisma should be your most important ability. It’ll enhance your spells, some subclass features and, if you take the pact of the blade, your attacks too. You can also build a decent face with a high charisma.
Dexterity: You’ll need this to get yourself a decent AC, especially if you’re going for a melee build.
Constitution: The more constitution you have, the tougher you’ll be. Especially important for melee builds.

Options to avoid

Strength: You don’t need strength. If you need to make weapon attacks, you can take pact of the blade and use charisma instead.
Intelligence: You don’t need intelligence.
Wisdom: Wisdom is only good for the odd skill and saving throw.

Ability score	Point Buy	Standard Array
Strength	8	10
Dexterity	15	14
Constitution	15	13
Intelligence	8	8
Wisdom	8	12
Charisma	15	15

Skills

Recommended options

Arcana: Decent enough knowledge skill.
Deception: One of the best face skills depending on how you want to play (deceptively I imagine as a fiend warlock).
History: OK knowledge skill.
Intimidation: Decent face skill depending on how you want to tackle social encounters.
Investigation: Useful skill if no one else has it, though better for more intelligent characters.
Religion: Decent enough knowledge skill.

Options to avoid

Nature: Not important as it’s rarely required.

Species/race

I’d consider the following when picking a species for a fiend patron warlock:

Safety first: Despite your extra durability features, warlocks in general aren’t that durable. This makes enhancing your durability, fairly important, especially if you intend to go with a melee build.
Innate spellcasting: Warlocks don’t get many spell slots or prepared spells so a species that increases this will be helpful.

Recommended options

Dragonborn (2024): Great for a melee build, take devouring and thirsting blade invocations and your breath weapon will only replace a single attack. You get some extra durability with a damage resistance and use flight for some safety.
Dwarves (2024): If you want to play a melee build, Dwarves are one of the more durable species with extra HP and things like a damage resistance to a common damage type.
Elves (2024): You’re mainly here for the extra spells. I’d be really tempted by the High Elf for misty step and a cantrip of your choice. Use misty step for hit and run tactics to jump out of danger.
Human (2024): If you plan on playing a party face, then the skilled origin feat will help you get persuasion (as will the extra skill proficiency). Alternatively, grab something like savage attacker or tough to improve your combat abilities. A steady supply of heroic inspiration is handy too.
Tiefling (2024): I’d go for an Infernal Tiefling for the darkness spell (which works well with the appropriately named devil’s sight). You’ll also get fire resistance which is one of the more common damage types.

Backgrounds

Your background will give you an origin feat, ability score increases and skill and tool proficiencies. As a potential party face with very few skills, grabbing the right background can be important. The most important thing though, is to ensure you have the right ability score improvements (charisma, then one of dexterity or constitution).

Below I’ve included the backgrounds that could work well for a fiend warlock.

Name	Ability scores	Origin feat	Skill proficiencies	Tool proficiency
Charlatan	Dexterity, constitution, charisma	Skilled	Deception, sleight of hand	Forgery kit
Entertainer	Strength, dexterity, charisma	Musician	Acrobatics, performance	One kind of musical instrument
Hermit	Constitution, wisdom, charisma	Healer	Medicine, religion	Herbalism kit
Merchant	Constitution, intelligence, charisma	Lucky	Animal handling, persuasion	Navigator’s tools
Wayfarer	Dexterity, wisdom, charisma	Lucky	Insight, stealth	Thieves’ tools

Merchant will get you persuasion and lucky, both great options, but charlatan is also a good choice with the skilled feat allowing you to grab persuasion and could allow you to play both a party face and a backup rogue.

Feats

At 1st level, you can grab an origin feat through your background and from level 4, you can pick up a general feat (or another origin feat if you want) instead of an ability score increase.

I’d suggest the following feats for a fiend warlock:

Origin feats

Lucky – Be more reliable at important rolls.
Magic initiate – Great option if you want more spells in your repertoire (or spells from another class).
Musician – Excellent origin feat for any party. Keep everyone topped up with heroic inspiration.
Savage attacker – Good option for melee builds to make them hit a little harder.
Skilled – You’ll need this if you want to play the party face (unless you grabbed persuasion from elsewhere). There’s enough here to get you some rogue skills like sleight of hand and stealth if you don’t have a natural rogue. Warlocks can enhance their stealth with magic making them a decent option for this.
Tough – Really useful if you intend to play a melee warlock. Solid if you don’t.

General feats

Actor – A good option if you want to play an impersonator. Pointless if you don’t.
Fey-touched – 2 more spells prepared and 2 free castings expands your repertoire nicely. Misty step is great for hit and run tactics, but will be a challenge to use often.
Inspiring leader – Go for the charisma increase and bestow temporary hit points on the party each rest. Although you can generate your own temporary hit points, this will let you start combat with them.
Lightly armored – Particularly good for a melee warlock as you can grab shield proficiency for extra protection.
Mage slayer – Get better at dealing with mages plus a form of legendary resistance.
Poisoner – If you’re playing a melee build, can be a good way to disable an opponent, just be aware the costs can rack up!
Ritual caster – Can really expand your spell repertoire for some utility spells, plus they don’t require spell slots when cast as rituals. If you want a familiar though, just grab pact of the chain.
Skill expert – Get really good at a face skill like persuasion or deception.
Shadow-touched – 2 free castings of spells expands your spell castings nicely and invisible is a great option.
Speedy – Good for hit and run tactics, though it’s not as effective as it used to be, opponents just have disadvantage on opportunity attacks. It still works well enough though, and you’ll be quicker too.
Warcaster – Especially good if you plan on playing a melee build. Will help you maintain something like hex.
Weapon master – Great for melee builds and something like push will make it easy to engage in hit and run tactics without using spells slots on something like misty step.

Weapons

If you don’t choose pact of the blade, your spells will easily outstrip weapons for damage. Especially if you take the agonising blast eldritch invocation.

Fiend warlocks are durable enough that melee combat can work for them so pact of the blade and some other melee focused eldritch invocations can work well, but you’ll need to take as many melee options as you can to keep pace with spells damage.

If you want to go this route, taking feats and other eldritch invocations that enhance your durability, ability to hit and run and damage output is important. If you take the weapon mastery feat, your weapon choices becomes more important. You can check out my weapon mastery guide to help here.

If you opt for lightly armored, a single-handed weapon will work with a shield. Two weapon fighting takes a fair bit of customisation to make work so won’t be great for most builds making a two handed weapon one of the better options without feats.

Armor

With proficiency in only light armor, studded leather is your best option. If you take the lightly armored feat, then you can take a shield too.

Alternatively, grab the armor of shadows eldritch invocation and use mage armor without expending spell slots. It’s 1 AC better and can be used without spell slots and concentration so you could just continuously cast it.

Eldritch invocations

Use your eldritch invocations to customise your warlock into a melee or spellcasting build. Fiend warlocks can work for either. Below are the better eldritch invocation options for a fiend warlock.

Agonising blast – Supercharge your cantrips. Eldritch blast is best as each blast accumulates into more damage as they’re individual attack rolls, but it’s also effective for AoE spells like thunderclap.
Armor of shadows – Slightly better AC than your best armor is worthwhile for a melee build.
Devouring blade and thirsting blade – If you plan on playing a weapon-focused warlock, you’ll need the extra attacks from these to maintain power levels with your cantrips.
Eldritch mind – Maintain concentration more easily, especially if you plan to be in close combat a lot.
Eldritch smite – Strong option for weapon-wielding warlocks with extra damage and causing prone.
Investment of the chain master – Enhance your familiar in some substantial ways.
Lifedrinker – Good option for constant healing and extra damage if you’ve taken pact of the blade.
Pact of the blade – You’ll want this if you’re going for a weapon-wielder.
Pact of the chain – Gain access to better familiars and extra familiar perks.
Repelling blast – Useful if your primary damage is going to come from cantrips.