Some time ago, we published “The Least Popular DnD Opinion: aka ‘The Problem With Warlocks’”, suggesting that Warlocks shouldn’t exist in 5e.
A remarkably peaceful way to start a conversation with Dungeons & Dragons players.
The argument wasn’t that Warlocks were too powerful. It was that their layers of customization—patrons, pacts, spells, and Eldritch Invocations—offered a kind of character building that other classes didn’t consistently receive. Especially the people bringing swords to the supernatural workplace.
That argument deserves another look. The rules have changed, and some of the original claims were too broad.
But one question still deserves an answer:
Why should making a deal with an otherworldly entity come with such an excellent character customization package?
Your Patron Offers Excellent Benefits
The appeal of Eldritch Invocations is easy to understand: you get to make decisions about what your character becomes.
You aren’t simply waiting for the next ability to arrive. You’re choosing abilities that support a particular fantasy.
Perhaps you want an unsettling occult scholar. Perhaps you want a supernatural infiltrator. Perhaps you want a magical sword, a suspicious little companion, and the energy of someone who knows exactly which basement the cult meets in.
The revised 2024 Warlock leans further into this approach. Invocations begin at level one, and Pact of the Blade, Pact of the Chain, and Pact of the Tome are invocation choices. As you gain more invocations, you can take more than one of those pacts.
Apparently, the patron has introduced a flexible benefits program.
This is a good direction. It lets players build combinations that feel personal, while keeping those choices inside a recognizable class.
Which makes it reasonable for the Fighter to glance across the table and ask whether their employer is hiring.
For the Warlock whose benefits package includes whispers from beyond reality: Whispered Void pairs a clear-to-black gradient with silver sparkles and gold numbers. A fitting set for cosmic bargains and deeply questionable Insight checks.
Fine. The Fighter Has Choices Too.
Before anyone throws a Player’s Handbook: yes, other classes have customization.
The original article went too far in suggesting otherwise. Spell selection matters. Feats matter. Subclasses can change how a character plays. A Battle Master and a Champion aren’t interchangeable just because both occasionally resolve a disagreement with steel.
There is also nothing inherently unfair about classes offering different levels of complexity.
Some players want a character sheet that resembles an occult research project. Others want to arrive after work, eat pizza, and hit a skeleton.
Both deserve a good evening.
The more useful question is whether players can find the depth they want within the fantasy they want to play.
Someone who loves building intricate characters shouldn’t have to abandon the idea of being a nonmagical warrior to find satisfying choices. Someone who wants a straightforward spellcaster shouldn’t need a graduate degree in resource management.
Complexity is a preference. A sword is an aesthetic commitment. Those don’t have to come as a fixed bundle.
The Rules Have Started Sharing the Toys
The revised rules give martial characters more to work with. Weapon Mastery makes weapon selection more consequential, while the Rogue’s Cunning Strike lets them exchange some Sneak Attack damage for additional effects. Those are decisions that can change what happens during a fight.
That deserves credit.
Choosing whether to prioritize damage or another useful effect is more interesting than watching a number increase and calling it character development.
But there are two different pleasures here: deciding what to do this turn, and deciding what kind of character to become over the campaign.
Ideally, a class offers both.
A player might imagine a Fighter who becomes an expert bodyguard, a relentless pursuer, or a master of fighting enormous creatures. Their choices could gradually reinforce that identity, giving them abilities they selected because those abilities fit the character.
The Warlock makes that process particularly visible. You keep returning to a menu and asking, “What would make this character more like the person I’m imagining?”
That’s a satisfying question to answer.
For the occult scholar—or the Fighter who deserves something shiny too—Elder Scroll in Antique Silver brings ornate metal detailing to the table. Equally appropriate for uncovering forbidden knowledge and rolling to hit the person who uncovered it.
Please Don’t Make the Patron Collect a Balance Tax
There is an especially tempting response to all this:
“The Warlock gets extra options, but the patron can make their life miserable.”
Wonderful story material. Questionable accounting.
A patron who wants a dangerous favor can create an excellent adventure. A patron who interrupts every session because the DM feels obligated to charge interest on Eldritch Invocations can become exhausting.
Besides, everyone can have obligations. Fighters have former commanders. Rogues have enemies. Wizards have overdue books, which may be worse.
Give the Warlock an interesting relationship with their patron because it enriches the campaign. Let the class mechanics carry their own weight.
And if your Warlock insists on signing something ominous, at least coordinate the accessories. Crimson Pact brings translucent red resin, reflective inclusions, and black numbering to the negotiation. Reading the contract remains your responsibility.
So, Should Warlocks Exist?
Yes.
There. You can lower the pitchfork. Keep it nearby; we’re still discussing D&D opinions.
The strongest follow-up to our original argument is that Warlock customization is worth learning from. Its appeal shows how much enjoyment players can get from selecting abilities that shape their character over time.
Give players clear starting points. Give them useful choices as they grow. Make those choices support different kinds of heroes, including the ones whose backstories contain no mysterious voices whatsoever.
And preserve an easy path for the player who simply wants to hit the skeleton. The skeleton has been waiting patiently through this entire discussion.
Would you like more invocation-style choices for other D&D classes, or do you prefer a simpler progression? Tell us which class deserves more options—and what you’d give it.
Your patron’s approval is optional.
