Rules edition: This guide separates the legacy 2014 Warlock from the revised 2024 class. Choose the class rules used by your campaign and use that version’s features and character options together.
What makes a Warlock different?
Both versions use Charisma for Warlock spellcasting and offer Eldritch Invocations to customize the character. A patron can shape the character’s story, but the rules do not require a particular personality or relationship. Work with the Dungeon Master to decide whether the pact creates obligations in the campaign.
Legacy 2014 Warlock
The 2014 class uses Pact Magic: a small number of spell slots that are all cast at the slot level shown for the character’s Warlock level. Expended Pact Magic slots return after a short or long rest. The class gains its patron subclass at level 1. Eldritch Invocations add specific features, and Pact Boon is a separate class feature chosen at level 3. At higher levels, Mystic Arcanum provides limited uses of spells above the normal Pact Magic slot levels.
Plan spells around their casting time, concentration, range, and the number of Pact Magic slots available before the next rest. Eldritch Blast is a common cantrip, but it is one option among many; invocations and spell choices can support different approaches.
Revised 2024 Warlock
The revised class keeps Pact Magic and short-rest slot recovery, and adds Magical Cunning at level 2. That feature takes a minute to use and restores up to half your maximum Pact Magic slots (round up); it can be used once per long rest. The subclass begins at level 3. Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Chain, and Pact of the Tome are now Eldritch Invocation choices, rather than the 2014 level-3 Pact Boon feature. Do not combine the two versions’ progression or invocation prerequisites.
Choose options for your campaign
Read the exact patron, invocation, spell, and Pact Magic text for the selected edition. Check prerequisites before planning a build, and consider how often the campaign actually includes short rests. A build that assumes frequent rests may feel different in a game that rarely pauses. Multiclassing also uses the edition’s specific spell-slot rules; do not assume Pact Magic slots combine with other spellcasting slots in the same way.
For examples, see the legacy 2014 Half-Elf Warlock build and the 2024 Tabaxi Warlock build. Species and class editions are labeled separately in those guides.
Official rules sources
- 2014 Basic Rules: Classes — legacy Warlock progression and Pact Magic.
- 2024 Basic Rules: Character Classes — revised Warlock features and invocation options.
- Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything — optional legacy subclasses and character options; check each feature’s source and compatibility.
