Prepare in Act I · Obtain in Act II
Evasive Shoes
Protect the Emerald Grove and keep Mattis and the tiefling refugees alive so they can reach Last Light Inn.
Check prerequisite ↗Quick build guide
Hexblade Warlock
Stay with Hexblade Warlock for all 12 levels. Summon Shadow Blade for melee damage, use Eldritch Blast at range, and control groups with Darkness or Hunger of Hadar.
Character creation
- Race
- Wood Half-Elf
- Background
- Guild Artisan
- Start
- Warlock
STR8
DEX16
CON14
INT8
WIS10
CHA17
Bonuses: +1 DEX, +2 CHA.
Skills: Take Deception and Intimidation.
Cantrips and spells: Start with Booming Blade, Eldritch Blast, Shield, and Wrathful Smite.
Permanent bonuses: Use Auntie Ethel's Hair for +1 CHA and the Mirror of Loss for +2 CHA to reach 22 Charisma after the level-4 feat.
Combat loop
- After each long rest, bind your weapon so melee attacks use Charisma. Summon Shadow Blade from level 3 onward and open melee turns with Booming Blade.
- Use Eldritch Blast when you cannot reach a target. Repelling Blast can push enemies back into Darkness or Hunger of Hadar.
- Keep a concentration spell active to trigger the Strange Conduit Ring. Elemental Weapon can provide that concentration and improve Shadow Blade.
- Keep the Resonance Stone from the Mind Flayer Colony to make nearby creatures vulnerable to Shadow Blade and the rings' psychic damage. Its aura also gives disadvantage on mental saving throws.
- Equip Belm in the off-hand and use Perfectly Balanced Strike for a bonus-action copy of your main-hand Shadow Blade attack.
- Use the Drakethroat Glaive's Draconic Elemental Weapon on Shadow Blade after each long rest, then return the glaive to the party member carrying it.
Endgame equipment
Level 12 loadout
Select an item to jump to where and how to get it.
Level by level
What to pick
Take Warlock at every level. Raise Charisma first, then take Savage Attacker and improve Dexterity.
- 1Warlock 1
The Hexblade; Booming Blade, Eldritch Blast; Shield, Wrathful Smite
- 2Warlock 2
Hellish Rebuke; Agonising Blast and Devil's Sight
- 3Warlock 3
Pact of the Blade; Shadow Blade; replace Hellish Rebuke with Cloud of Daggers
- 4Warlock 4
Minor Illusion, DarknessFeat: +2 CHA
- 5Warlock 5
Hunger of Hadar, Repelling Blast; replace Wrathful Smite with Counterspell
- 6Warlock 6
Branding Smite; replace Cloud of Daggers with Elemental Weapon
- 7Warlock 7
Staggering Smite, Fiendish Vigour
- 8Warlock 8
Dimension Door or Hold PersonFeat: Savage Attacker
- 9Warlock 9
Banishing Smite, Beguiling Influence
- 10Warlock 10
Hold Monster; utility cantrip of your choice
- 11Warlock 11
Mystic Arcanum: Create Undead; Hold Person; replace Branding Smite with Armour of Agathys
- 12Warlock 12
Misty Step, LifedrinkerFeat: +2 DEX
Acquisition checklist
Find every piece before moving on
Filter by act to see what to collect now and what to prepare for later.
Route notes contain names and locations. Major story outcomes are omitted unless they determine whether an item can be obtained.
Act I · The road to Moonrise
Prologue, Wilderness, Underdark, and the Mountain Pass
Prepare in Act I · Obtain in Act III
Legacy of the Masters
Protect the Emerald Grove and keep Dammon alive so he can travel to the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
Check prerequisite ↗
Prepare in Act I · Obtain in Act III
Boots of Persistence
Protect the Emerald Grove and keep Dammon alive so he can travel to the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
Check prerequisite ↗
Adamantine Scale Mail
AC 16
Adamantine Forge · X: -558, Y: 230
Take the Scale Mail Mould from the ground beside the animated armour on the northeast side of Grymforge, then combine it with Mithral Ore at the Adamantine Forge and defeat Grym.
Only two pieces of Mithral Ore exist, so crafting the armour uses one of the two available forge items.
Adamantine Shield
AC +2
Adamantine Forge · X: -558, Y: 230
Take the Shield Mould from the skeleton east of the Grymforge waypoint, then combine it with Mithral Ore at the Adamantine Forge and defeat Grym.
Only two pieces of Mithral Ore exist, so crafting the shield uses one of the two available forge items.
Bow of Awareness
Enchantment +1 · 1d6 + 1 Piercing
Shattered Sanctum · X: 272, Y: -31
Buy it from Roah Moonglow inside the Shattered Sanctum.
Shop before the goblin camp becomes hostile.
Broodmother's Revenge
Inner Sanctum · X: -461, Y: -22
Pickpocket or loot the amulet from Kagha in the Emerald Grove's Inner Sanctum.
Take it from Kagha before leaving Act I. If she survives, it is not given as a quest reward.
Diadem of Arcane Synergy
Crèche Y'llek · X: 1365, Y: -663
Defeat Ardent Jhe'rezath in the Inquisitor's Chamber in Crèche Y'llek and loot the diadem from her.
Take the diadem before leaving the crèche after confronting the inquisitor.
Disintegrating Night Walkers
Grymforge · X: -854, Y: 780
Loot them from True Soul Nere after dealing with him at the cave-in.
Do not leave Grymforge without looting Nere.
Strange Conduit Ring
Crèche Y'llek · X: 1360, Y: -657
Open the elegant chest along the east wall of the Inquisitor's Chamber in Crèche Y'llek.
Take the ring before leaving the crèche after confronting the inquisitor.
Act II · Across the shadowlands
Last Light Inn, Moonrise Towers, and the Gauntlet of Shar
Prepare in Act II · Obtain in Act III
Hellrider Longbow
For Ferg to trade while Shadowheart is nearby in Act III, let Shadowheart kill the Nightsong. Otherwise, plan to approach Ferg without Shadowheart.
Check prerequisite ↗Prepare in Act II · Obtain in Act III
Legacy of the Masters
Keep Dammon and the residents of Last Light Inn alive so he can reach Baldur's Gate.
Check prerequisite ↗Prepare in Act II · Obtain in Act III
Boots of Persistence
Keep Dammon and the residents of Last Light Inn alive so he can reach Baldur's Gate.
Check prerequisite ↗
Cloak of Protection
Last Light Inn · X: -31, Y: 130
Buy it from Quartermaster Talli near the waypoint.
Shop while Last Light Inn is safe and Talli is available.
Drakethroat Glaive
Enchantment +2 · 1d10 + 2 Slashing
Moonrise Towers · X: -174, Y: -179
Buy it from Roah Moonglow on the main floor before the assault on Moonrise Towers.
Shop before Moonrise Towers becomes hostile.
Evasive Shoes
Last Light Inn · X: -56, Y: 141
Buy them from Mattis at Last Light Inn.
Mattis must survive Act I and reach Last Light Inn. Otherwise, buy them from him in Rivington in Act III.
Ketheric's Shield
AC +2
Mind Flayer Colony · X: 861, Y: -23
Defeat Ketheric Thorm and loot the shield from him in the Mind Flayer Colony.
Loot Ketheric before leaving the colony for Baldur's Gate.
Shadow-Cloaked Ring
Ruined Battlefield · X: -49, Y: 36
Kill the Shadow Mastiff Alpha at the cursed camp north of the ruined potter's workshop and loot the ring.
Collect it before leaving the Shadow-Cursed Lands for Act III.
Act III · The city of Baldur's Gate
Rivington, the Lower City, and the places beneath
Armour of Agility
AC 17
Stormshore Armoury · X: -41, Y: -71
Buy it from Gloomy Fentonson at Stormshore Armoury near the Lower City Central Wall waypoint.
Belm
Enchantment +2 · 1d6 + 2 Slashing
Elerrathin's Home · X: -210, Y: -50
Enter the basement of Elerrathin's Home, unlock the bookcase in the workshop, and open the opulent chest in the hidden room.
Boots of Persistence
Forge of the Nine · X: 5, Y: -7
Buy them from Dammon at the Forge of the Nine in the Lower City.
Dammon must survive both the Emerald Grove conflict and the attack on Last Light Inn.
Cloak of Displacement
Danthelon's Dancing Axe · X: -10, Y: 143
Buy it from Entharl Danthelon at Danthelon's Dancing Axe in Wyrm's Crossing.
Hellrider Longbow
Enchantment +1 · 1d8 + 1 Piercing
Rivington · X: 43, Y: -101
Buy it from Ferg Drogher near the Requisitioned Barn in Rivington.
If Shadowheart is nearby, Ferg only trades when she killed the Nightsong. Leave Shadowheart at camp if you did not follow that path.
Legacy of the Masters
Forge of the Nine · X: 5, Y: -7
Buy them from Dammon at the Forge of the Nine in the Lower City.
Dammon must survive both the Emerald Grove conflict and the attack on Last Light Inn.
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