Lockadin - Paladin Warlock Multiclass Build - Baldur's Gate 3 (BG3)

Lockadin - Paladin Warlock Multiclass Build

The build is intended for Tactician and Balanced difficulties only. Stacking Extra Attack​ and Deepened Pact​ does not work on Honour Mode.

The main aspect is that you multiclass two very powerful and popular classes into one. Paladin is a charismatic frontline with auras and magic. Its highlight is Divine Smite​ action. Another aspect is unique auras that give various buffs to you and the party. This is already powerful by itself, but let's take a look at the next class.

Warlock is a caster but also can be a frontliner. The main attractiveness is its Pact of the Blade​ giving the ability to use Charisma as the main attack modifier instead of Strength of Dexterity. From level 5 Deepened Pact​ gives an additional attack per action point. Another aspect is additional spells like Hunger of Hadar​ giving full control of the battlefield. Warlock's spell slots also restore on short rest, but this is not a major point in my opinion.

So by merging these classes, we get:

• Concentrate on one attribute point - Charisma instead of two for damage.
• Three attacks per action point thanks to Extra Attack​ and Deepened Pact.
• Additional crowd control spells and spell slots that restore each short rest.

With correct setups like Haste, Elixir of Bloodlust, Great Weapon Master: All In, etc. you will be able to do 8+ attacks per turn. This will leave any enemy dead that you put on your sights in one turn:

Let's go!

Leveling Overview

This is a short overview and progression of the Paladin Warlock multiclass build. A more detailed description with texts, suggestions, and improvements can be found in the next sections

Level	Class	Choice
1	Paladin 1	STR 16 (14+2), DEX 10, CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 16 (15+1)
		Skills: Athletics, Intimidation, Persuasion
		Subclass: Oath of the Ancients
2	Paladin 2	Fighting Style: Defence​
3	Paladin 3	-
4	Paladin 4	Feat: Great Weapon Master: All In​ or Ability Improvement +2 Strength
5	Paladin 5	-
6	Warlock 1	Cantrips: Eldritch Blast, Friends​
		Subclass: The Fiend
		Spells: Armour of Agathys, Hex​
7	Warlock 2	Spells: Protection from Evil and Good​
		Eldritch Invocations: Agonising Blast, Devil's Sight​
8	Warlock 3 (respec abilities)	STR 8, DEX 16 (15+1), CON 14, INT 8, WIS 10, CHA 17 (15+2)
		Spells: Darkness​
9	Warlock 4	Cantrips: Mage Hand​
		Spells: Hold Person​
		Feat: Great Weapon Master: All In​ or Savage Attacker​
10	Warlock 5	Spells: Hunger of Hadar​
		Replace Spell: Protection from Evil and Good​ -> Counterspell​
		Eldritch Invocations: Fiendish Vigour​ or Repelling Blast​
11	Paladin 6	-
12	Paladin 7	-

Starting the Game - Level 1

We start with the early game. I would go into what are the best Races, Abilities, and Skills for Lockadin. Some of these choices are impactful as you cannot respec them.

Progression Options

The one downside for the Paladin Warlock build is that it fully comes online at level 10. This is when you get access to 3 attacks per action. This leaves you most of the game stranded with a few choices on how to reach the desired outcomes. The goal is to have triple attacks at level 10. Let me share some progression options:

Progression	Pros	Cons
Paladin 10 Respec - 5 Paladin/5 Warlock Paladin 7	You will be enjoying most of the Paladin class benefits early - Extra Attack, auras, and divine smite. After respec, you will fully play as a Lockadin. This choice is also perfect if you need a frontliner in your group.	Playing as a pure Paladin may not be what you came for, and you get to enjoy the Warlock part only from level 10.
Warlock 10 Respec - 5 Paladin/5 Warlock Paladin 7	Here you will be playing as Warlock for most of Acts 1 and 2. This is a perfect choice if you need a caster in your group. Moreover, based on your subclass choice you will get access to some really powerful spells at level 5.	Again, you will play only as a Warlock, and access Divine Smites, the coolest-looking actions fairly late in the game.
Paladin 5 Warlock 3 Respec abilities Warlock 5 Paladin 7	You get access to Extra Attack​ at level 5. From level 8, you get Warlock Deepened Pact​ and can concentrate on Charisma. This lets you get some benefit of Warlock at level 8.	I would say Levels 8-9 are somewhat dead levels as you do not get any huge damage benefits. You also do not access Paladin auras for quite some time.

I would recommend going with the third option 5 Paladin followed by 5 Warlock. Why? I assume you want to enjoy the game as this awesome multiclass build and waiting for it until level 10, may be disappointing. It is not the optimal choice, but enjoyable. So the build progression will assume you are going with this.

The first and second options are optimal, and much more powerful. If you decide to go with either of them you can follow any Warlock builds or any Paladin Builds until level 10. After that, respec and follow the progression of the build I recommend below.

Races

Picking a race provides various benefits - abilities, dialogue options, looks, etc. Because Paladin gets Heavy Armor proficiency you have many more options on what to choose.

Race	Features	Description
Half-Orc	Darkvision​ Relentless Endurance​ Savage Attacks​	Half-Orcs shine as Lockadins. They can resurrect in case they die and get an additional die roll on a critical hit. This gives a big damage boost if you are using something like Polearm or Greataxe.
Zariel Tiefling	Darkvision​ Hellish Resistance​ Thaumaturgy​	Zariel Tiefling comes with fire resistance and Thaumaturgy for better dialogue rolls. They also have additional smites, but I do not think they are important.
Halfling	Halfling Luck​ Brave​	This race has a unique effect where they can reroll dice that roll 1. This results in better damage and dialogue success.
Drow	Drow Weapon Training​ Superior Darkvision​ Fey Ancestry​	Get elven-like bonuses of Fey Ancestry. But we are also interested in the Darkness spell that gives an advantage against enemies without Dakrvision.
Wood Half-Elf	Fleet of Foot - your base walking speed is 10.5 meters. Darkvision​ Civil Militia​ Fey Ancestry​	What makes these special is their increased moving distance. I think this is valuable as once you start taking out enemies one by one with Smites, this will prove advantageous. Overall the same applies to Wood Elf.

Class

Overview
Paladin
Features
Lay on Hands​	Use your blessed touch to heal a creature or cure it of all diseases and poisons.
Divine Sense​	Gain Advantage on Attack Rolls against celestials, fiends, and undead.
Channel Oath Charges	You gain the ability to channel the power contained in your Paladin Oath, which you can use to fuel certain actions.

Subclass

In total Paladin has 4 subclasses. 3 can be chosen in the creation screen and the last one, once you break an Oath. What are my recommendations? Here is a short overview:

Subclass	Description
Oath of Devotion	A righteous Paladin who protects the weak and helps those in need. Its spells and actions rely on helping allies and resisting various effects. I would say it is the weakest one as you do not increase your or your party's capabilities in any way.
Oath of the Ancients	Protectors of light and good. They have much better options for healing and protecting allies, moving around the battlefield. the Aura of Warding at level 7 reduces spell damage by half. This is the sturdiest option, perfect if you want to get this "tank" and frontliner feeling.
Oath of Vengeance	Fight the Evil forces of the world. A much more aggressive option that gives bonus damage to you and allies. Moreover, actions like Vow of Enmity, are perfect for relentlessly hunting a single prey. However, their level 7 feature is somewhat disappointing.
Oathbreaker	Requires you to break Oath from the 3 subclasses. Very aggressive playstyle as at level 7 you can boost damage based on the charisma modifier. Because with this build we go all in Charisma, Oathbreaker's Aura of Hate stacks with Pact of the Blade​ bonus and can easily reach high bonuses. This also does not limit your roleplay and you can take any decisions you prefer

For the build, I will go with  Oathbreaker, but start as the Oath of the Ancients. Then in the first area, you can break the Oath. Especially in the early game, this will be a very powerful choice thanks to the Spiteful Suffering. Of course, the build works with other subclasses, but it's just my preferred aggressive option.

Overview
Oath of the Ancients
Features
Healing Radiance​	Gives an opportunity and an option to heal everyone using bonus action. I would say it is quite useful early on.
Oath of the Ancients Tenets​	These are the rules that you should not break so that the Oath of the Ancients subclass would be active.

Abilities

Now let's take a look at the abilities of the Paladin/Warlock build. Correct allocation will allow us to maximize the early gameplay and get good modifier bonuses. I will give two options here, first start with:

Starting game attributes

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	16 (14+2)	Because we start as a Paladin, strength is our main weapon damage modifier. It will give bonus damage and allow succeeding saving throws.
Dexterity	10	Dexterity is a debatable stat. Because Lockadin uses Heavy Armor, we do not need much (as it does not give bonuses to Armor Class). However, we also do not want to have low initiative and be last, when you may get knocked out. So you can either go with 10, or 12 and take 2 points from Wisdom.
Constitution	14	Important stat for any build gives bonus HP and improves the success of Constitution Saving Throws, which ensures your Concentration spells don't break.
Intelligence	8	Not an important stat for us
Wisdom	10	We get 10, to not get any negative modifier for Wisdom Saving Throws, as a lot of spells target it.
Charisma	16 (15+1)	The main ability of Lockadin, once we get Deepened Pact with Warlock Lv 5. Before that, it is only a modifier for casting spells. As I recommended before you could go with lower Charisma and boost Strength until reaching Warlock Lv 3.

Skills and Expertise

Overall, the skills should be impacted by your roleplaying and background decisions. However, you would still want those that will give you the best benefits. My recommendations are to pick those at which you have a high ability modifier:

• Athletics
• Persuasion
• Intimidation

Leveling Progression 2-12

Here is the detailed progression for the build to get you started. You can use it as a guideline because early games can be daunting and overwhelming. Later on, once you get the feel for the class you can start picking your options

Level 2

At this level, you will have left the tutorial area and access Level 2 Paladin. You can now break the Oath and access Oathbreaker.

Overview
Oathbreaker
Features
Spiteful Suffering​	Deadly ability that is perfect for high HP enemies, where you will fight them a few turns.

It gets the most famous action - Divine Smite. Moreover, we obtain 2 level 1 spell slots, that will mostly be used by this action.

Actions	Description
Divine Smite​	This Paladin-specific feature gives +2d8 Radiant Damage and an additional 1d8 against undead and fiends. it expends a spell slot if hits. Using higher-level spell slots deals more damage.

Fighting Style

Here you can pick a style that fits your weapon usage or playstyle:

Style	Description
Defence​	Gives +1 Armour Class which results in a decent increase in survivability. I would say this is a better pick, as Great Weapon Fighting​ damage bonuses are negligible.
Great Weapon Fighting	When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack with a two-handed melee weapon, that die is rerolled once.

Prepared Spells

Paladin level 1 spells are okay. They do not provide any crazy tactics but can work in some situations. Here are my recommendations for what is good to have in your arsenal

Spell	Description
Thunderous Smite​	A smite alternative that deals Thunder damage and can make enemy prone. I would use it in case you have a free bonus action that you do not plan on using. Otherwise, use normal Smite.
Shield of Faith​	Gives +2 Armour Class as long as you can maintain concentration. Lasts until a long rest.
Command​	Can command the creature to drop a weapon, run away, come close, etc. It can be useful in some encounters, especially against low Wisdom enemies.

For other slots pick what you want.

Optional Elixir of Hill Giant Strength

Well, there is a trick early in Act 1, after you reach the first settlement - Druid's Grove. There you can stock up on some really powerful potions for the rest of the game - Elixir of Hill Giant Strength.

What do they do? They increase the Strength to 21 until a Long rest. More or less this negates any need to have strength investments if you plan to use them. This is somewhat gimmicky, however, if you are interested here is a guide on how to farm Elixir of Hill Giant Strength.

This is only useful until you get Warlock Lv 3 with Pact of the Blade, after that Charisma will become the main ability for damage.

So here is the setup once you get these Elixirs and decide to use them. Remember to respec, to get the full utility:

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	8	The potion will raise the strength to 21, meaning that we do not need this ability.
Dexterity	14	Again, this is a debatable stat. It will not give the Paladin any Armour Class bonus, but the initiative bonus will be higher. You could also go for 10 or 12, and put those points into Wisdom.
Constitution	16(15+1)	Important stat for any build gives bonus HP and improves the success of Constitution Saving Throws, which ensures your Concentration spells don't break.
Intelligence	8	Not an important stat for us
Wisdom	10	We get 10, to not get any negative modifier for Wisdom Saving Throws, as there are many of them.
Charisma	17(15+2)	The main ability for spellcasting, and dialogue checks. You can now more or less control the outcome of most encounters where you can use Persuasion, Intimidation, etc. This assumes you will be using Auntie Ethel's Hair for +1 Charisma, to round it to 18. However, if you will not use it on the character, then leave the ability at 16, and put two points you get into Wisdom.

Level 3

We continue leveling Paladin. Level 3, brings some great things both for class and subclass. First the class benefits:

Feature	Description
Divine Health	Prevents diseases from affecting the Paladin.

And now some cool things from the subclass:

Action	Description
Control Undead​	By using Channel Oath Charge you can take control of Undead. This is very powerful as the undead follows you until Long Rest
Dreadful Aspect​	An area of effect ability that Frightens enemies. Although it does not deal damage, imagine getting 5 enemies frightened and they are not able to move and have a disadvantage on attack rolls. This is a very powerful spell

And this is not all. We also get bonus spells from our subclass.

Spells	Description
Hellish Rebuke​	Use reaction to cast a fire spell. It is good in early levels, but later on, best to save the spell slots for Divine Smite
Inflict Wounds​	Similar to Hellish Rebuke, it is a good melee spell early one, however, at later levels it is best to save spell slots for Divine Smite.

Level 4

Finally, our Lockadin build will get the first Feat. In addition, another Lay on Hands Charge is unlocked, for more healing spells.

Feat

Now, I think there are two main options that you can go with the Paladin/Warlock build.

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement	The best choice at this stage is +2 Strength. This will improve Paladin's damage for now. Once you reach level 8, you will do a respec, and take a different allocation.
Great Weapon Master: All In​	This is the strongest feat if you are using two-handed weapons. First, it gives a bonus attack using a bonus action if you kill an enemy or land a critical hit. Second, it gives a big 10 damage boost, that comes with a -5 penalty to attack rolls. This is problematic in the early game but can be overcome in various ways. I recommend checking my guide on Attack Roll Increase, to get ideas on how to mitigate it.

Level 5

Finally, level 2 spells are unlocked, new Oath spells and we get the Paladin class feature - Extra Attack.

Feature	Description
Extra Attack	Can make an additional free attack after making an unarmed or weapon attack.

Oathbreaker bonus spells are very good for Level 5:

Spell	Description
Crown of Madness​	Drives the target crazy and makes them attack the nearest person. To be honest I did not use it much, as the Concentration slot would be taken by other options.
Darkness​	This is an extremely valuable spell to have. For now, without Warlock, it may not be as useful as you need a special dark vision against magical darkness.

Prepared Spells

As level 2 spells are unlocked here are some considerations to include in your build:

Spell	Description
Lesser Restoration​	Can heal disease, poison, paralysis, and some other negative effects. Not mandatory, but good to have if the situation arises.
Magic Weapon​	This spell can empower your weapons with bonus damage rolls and attack rolls. The higher the spell slot you use the bigger the bonus. Another thing is that the bonus may seem low, but it will greatly boost your success on hitting while having Great Weapon Master active.

Level 6 - Warlock Lv 1

Now we take the first step to multiclassing. We take Warlock and concentrate on it until level 7. What matters is that we unlocked Smites that will be effective together with Warlock spell slots.

Class

Overview
Warlock
Features
Warlock Spell Slots	These spell slots can be used to cast spells and refill each Short Rest.

Cantrips

Cantrip	Description
Eldritch Blast​	At first, it may not seem super strong, but this will change at higher levels. It can increase its damage with Charisma and knockback enemies. From level 5 you can release two of them.
Friends​	If you are the main character and do most of the dialogues, this is also a good choice as it gives an advantage during rolls. Hell, it is good for everyone.

Subclass

The best bet would be to pair Paladin with these subclasses:

Subclass	Description
The Great Old One	Can apply Frighten on enemies that you Critical Hit - Mortal Reminder. Nearby creatures must also pass Wisdom Saving Throw. It gives some debilitating spells, but the good ones are at a high level which we will not reach.
The Fiend	Allows you to gain Temporary health points for each enemy that you kill - Dark One's Blessing. This can be helpful as it improves survivability. Another thing is that this subclass comes with powerful fire spells like fireballs, which are hard to pass.

As you can guess my pick is:

Overview
The Fiend
Features
Dark One's Blessing	When you reduce a hostile creature to 0 hit points, this gift from your patron grants you temporary hit points

Spells

We can pick two level 1 spells. Here are my recommendations:

Spell	Description
Armour of Agathys​	This spell will lead you through most of the game. It gives you temporary HP (it does not stack with Dark One's Blessing) and deals cold damage to attackers.
Hex​	At the expense of Bonus Action, you will gain an additional 1d6 necrotic damage with each hit. Don't forget you will also weaken enemy abilities.

Another good spell is Command. However, you will have it already from the Paladin class.

Level 7 - Warlock Lv 2

The second level unlocks another spell slot, which will lead us to this Lockadin build. We also get new Eldritch Invocations

Spells

I think anything works for a spell, just be sure not to pick the same ones as Paladin's. Overall, none of the spells matter here at this stage of the build.

Eldritch Invocations

And now we get to the sweet stuff of level 2 warlocks. You can choose your first two Eldritch Invocations. We want to empower Eldritch Blast​ as it will be our go-to action for long-ranged attacks

Invocation	Description
Devil's Sight	I recommend taking this one if you are heavily using the Darkness spell. The invocation allows us to see both in natural and magical dark places, it is an upgrade to Darkvision. Moreover, it is a mandatory choice if you do not have any Darkvision.
Agonising Blast​	Improves damage of Eldritch Blast​ per each ray.
Repelling Blast	Eldritch Blast​ now knocks back. This is very powerful as you can throw enemies from ledges.

Level 8 - Warlock Lv 3

Level 3 Warlock unlocks a level 2 for spell slots, allowing you to cast stronger spells. Moreover, we get Pact of the Blade​ which gives a melee damage increase based on our Charisma. We no longer need maximum strength.

So this requires a respec in Camp. More or less leave everything the same and you will need to change your ability point allocation and the level 4 Feat.

Abilities

The allocation leaves one stranded ability point, which I used in Wisdom

Ability	Value	Description
Strength	8	Dumping strength as it will be replaced by Charisma due to Pact of the Blade.
Dexterity	16 (15+1)	Keeping Dexterity will allow wearing Medium armor to the maximum effectiveness. Later you may want to equip a particular light armor  Bhaalist Armour, for a huge damage boost.
Constitution	14	Important stat for any build gives bonus HP and improves the success of Constitution Saving Throws, which ensures your Concentration spells don't break.
Intelligence	8	Not an important stat for us
Wisdom	10	After respeccing this will ensure that Lockadin can effectively resist enemy spells
Charisma	17 (15+2)	During respec we maximize Charisma as it will determine spell damage, weapon damage, aura effectiveness, and ability rolls for dialogues. This also assumes that you will use Auntie Ethel's Hair from Act 1 for +1, or Mirror of Loss for +3 in Act 3, this way it will result in an even number for an additional bonus.

Feats

When respecing you will be able to select a feat again:

Feat	Description
Ability Improvement	The best choice at this stage is +2 Charisma. This will improve almost all aspects of the build - roleplay, damage, attack succession, etc.

Spells and Replace Spell

Specifically for the Lockadin build, there are not many important spells here. The main reason is that each spell used wastes Divine Smites.

Spell	Description
Mirror Image​	This spell does not use a concentration slot and gives a substantial boost to the armour class
Darkness​	With it, you can cover an area and use it as a defensive ground to attack enemies who can barely see you. Only take this if your race or party members cannot cast it. It's best to save casting spell slots during combat

Pact Boon

A gift from your patron that will give unique actions and effects. As we are doing a melee build there is only one choice for us:

Pact Boon	Description
Pact of the Blade	Bind a weapon to the Lockadin and make the wielder proficient in it. Moreover, get a Charisma modifier bonus for weapon damage.

Level 9 - Warlock Lv 4

We finally unlock the first Feat for the Paladin/Warlock build. It will be a huge improvement in the melee capabilities especially as we are using two-handed weapons

Cantrips

At level 4 Warlock we can choose one additional Cantrip with the Fiend subclass. Pick one:

Cantrip	Description
Mage Hand​	Create a hand that can manipulate objects. Can be used for solving puzzles, shoving enemies from ledges, or throwing items.
Minor Illusion​	If using it from stealth you could group enemies before you activate something like Darkness or Hunger of Hadar (next-level spell)

Spells and Replace Spell

In terms of spells, I would recommend these options. Nothing special here, but the next level will give some very good choices.

Spell	Description
Misty Step​	Could be a viable option if your subclass is Oath of Devotion or Oathbreaker. Otherwise, you will get it as a subclass spell
Hold Person​	Could be used to Hold an enemy to deal critical hits on the next attacks. I recommend using this if you have Potion of Speed or Haste on you. Oath of Vengeance gets this spell at level 5 Paladin

Regarding spell replacement, you could take out the ones you do not use.

Feat

Finally, we reached our second Feat. There are multiple choices that you can take. It depends on the weapon you use.

Feat	Description
Great Weapon Master: All In​	This is a very powerful feat. First, we get an additional weapon attack if kill an enemy or land a critical hit. Second, we can sacrifice a -5 attack roll and gain 10 weapon damage. Overall this makes the Two-Handed weapon usage much stronger.
Savage Attacker​	If you are not going with Two-Handed weapons this can be a good choice. It rerolls damage dice rolls, in theory increasing your average damage. Because the build uses Smites, there are a lot of Dice Rolls, that make this reroll worth it.

Level 10 - Warlock Lv 5

Level 5 Warlock unlocks great things. First, you get the additional spell. Next, you unlock level 3 spell slots, so all your spells will now be upcast. And last but not least you unlock another Eldritch Invocation. Oh and I almost forgot the biggest thing - Deepened Pact

Feature	Description
Deepened Pact	You now do an extra attack with your weapon hits. resulting in two weapon hits each turn. Together with an Extra Attack from Paladin on level 10, it will be 3 weapon attacks each turn.

Spells and Replace Spell

So the first level 3 spells are here, and they are powerful. You can get better Crowd Control and more damage. There are multiple good spells, but I would recommend first taking Hunger of Hadar

Spell	Description
Hunger of Hadar​	The scariest spell you can use - probably the whole game. Use it to cover enemies and force them to move out of the fog. This will damage them, and you can wait for them outside to hit with melee weapons or use Eldritch Blast​ to bash them while they are blind.

For replacement, I would remove the previously chosen spells that you do not use and get:

Spell	Description
Counterspell​	A defensive spell that can counter almost any spell that foe casts. Even if you don't use it often, it is good to have it as it will notify you of what enemies are casting and let you decide the next steps.
Remove Curse​	It will be useful in a few places in Act 3. If you do not care about Counterspell​ (as another party member has it), then take this one for utility.

Eldritch Invocations

We unlock another Eldritch Invocation. Moreover, a few new ones appear. Here are my picks:

Invocation	Description
Fiendish Vigour	Get additional temporary hit points. The spell can be cast without using spell slots. May not be as potent, because you already have Armour of Agathys spell. But this one does not use a spell slot, making it somewhat more cost-efficient.

Level 11 - Paladin lv 6

We are back to leveling Paladin and do this until the end of the game and we get some sweet actions right off the bat:

Action	Description
Aura of Protection​	You and nearby allies gain a bonus to Saving Throws equal to your Charisma modifier. This will make you an extremely sturdy frontliner.

Level 12 - Paladin Lv 7

This is another milestone for the subclass where you unlock another aura. Moreover, Lockadin Build is finished and we unlock one last thing:

Feature	Description
Aura of Hate​	This aura gives bonus damage based on the charisma modifier if attacking with weapons. That is huge and results in at least 5-7 bonus damage based on your Charisma.

We also get an additional level 2 spell slot for more smiting.

Illithid Powers

This is a special mechanic in Baldur's Gate 3, that allows you to consume tadpoles and unlock special Illithid Powers. These range from somewhat useful, to extremely deadly. I would like to leave a few recommendations:

Base Illithid Powers

Order	Illithid Power	Description
1	Favourable Beginnings	Very useful power to take as it does not have any costs, and provides only benefits on the first hits.
2	Luck of the Far Realms	Guarantees a critical hit, a very powerful action to have.
3	Transfuse Health	Taking only for progression, to unlock the next power.
4	Perilous Stakes	This can be extremely powerful if used correctly. Target a boss or other stronger enemy and delete them in one turn with your party.
5	Concentrated Blast	Taking only for progression, to unlock the next power.
6	Cull the Weak	Passive feature that does not cost anything and automatically deals bonus psychic damage around the target, once it is close to death.
7	Shield of Thralls	Taking for progression, to unlock the next power, but it also provides a good bonus as temporary health.

Elite Illithid Powers

These become unlocked later in the game as you progress. They are extremely powerful additions to the build.

Order	Illithid Power	Description
1	Freecast	Removes any cost of spell slots or charges, allowing you to cast some very powerful spells in case you cannot do that, or want to save Smite slots.

Maximizing Ability Scores

Now, as the build progression is covered there are a few aspects and important decisions you will have to make throughout the game. These will decide your final score for abilities.

Charisma

1. 17 Charisma - the base from character creation.
2. Act 1 - Auntie Ethel Hair - you will want to get +1 Charisma if you pick this choice.
3. Feat- Ability Improvement - +2 Charisma.
4. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - pick +2 Charisma.
5. Act 3 - Mirror of Loss - Patriar's Memory additional +1 Charisma, to counteract Auntie Ethel Hair if it was skipped in Act 1.

These will allow you to reach 22 natural Charisma, which results in a +6 spellcasting modifier and improved Spell Save DC.

Potions, Elixirs and Consumables

Let's take a look at what consumables you can use to further empower the build.

Potions

These are general consumables, and most of them are activated for a few turns. Potions are separate from Elixirs and can be active together.

Consumable	Description
Potion of Speed	In case you or your other casters have a Concentration spell slot taken and cannot cast Haste, use this potion. It acts similarly, but the effect is just for 3 turns.
Potion of Animal Speaking	Although not something powerful, it can be used to enable dialogues with animals.
Potion of Invisibility	Can be used to get a perfect position before the encounter starts or leave the encounter if it comes to worst.
Oil of Accuracy	Gives +2 to attack rolls, which minimizes the negative impact from Great Weapon Master: All In.
Diluted Oil of Sharpness	Gives a bonus attack roll and damage. It is a good coating if you can apply it before combat.

Elixirs

Unfortunately, only one Elixir can be active at a time. However, the good thing is that they last until a long rest, making them very useful and economical.

Be sure to activate them before combat as otherwise, you will need to use Bonus Action.

Consumable	Description
Elixir of Bloodlust	Very effective elixir that gives another action point if you kill an enemy. I would say this is the best one to use to maximize your output through the turn.
Elixir of Heroism	Very valuable elixir especially in the early game to counteract the Sharpshooter: All In​ and Great Weapon Master: All In​ effects of -5 attack rolls.
Elixir of the Colossus	Makes you bigger, and a bit stronger with a 1d4 damage boost.
Elixir of Vigilance	For some encounters, you will want to go first. This elixir will ensure that it overcomes even surprise mechanics.

Equipment Recommendations

Now I would like to go through some gear recommendations to maximize the Paladin Warlock multiclass build. Items are especially important as they take the build to the next level thanks to their unique effects.

Act 1

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (Two-Handed)	Unseen Menace	Solid choice as it increases the critical chance and provides an advantage on attack rolls.
	Svartlebee's Woundseeker	One of the top Act 1 Greatswords. If you manage to get it, I recommend using Great Weapon Master: All In​ feat.
	Sword of Justice	A very good choice, has +1 Enchantment but most importantly it can use a spell that gives +2 Armour Class. Fighters don't use the Concentration slot for anything else, so the Tyr's Protection is the perfect choice.
	Everburn Blade	This sword is worth it until you reach Druid's Grove, there it is much better to buy items with +1 Enchantment like Greataxe +1 or Greatsword +1 as they give a better chance of landing attacks and minimal damage decrease.
Ranged	Bow of Awareness	The higher initiative bonus will allow you to start your turn earlier.
	Hand Crossbow +1	Equipping two of these will allow you to attack with off-hand. This is important as you may not have use for Bonus Action. However, for dedicated ranged weapons check the options above. And it becomes useless once you get Great Weapon Master.
Head	Diadem of Arcane Synergy	The best option that will lead you through the game. Be sure to use Divine Smite on the first attack, to activate Arcane Synergy.
	Grymskull Helm	Gives resistance to critical hits and allows the use of Hunter's Mark, for additional single-target damage.
	Haste Helm	Provides increased speed at the start of the combat.
Cloak	The Deathstalker Mantle	The only option in Act 1 that is okay, is by providing once-per-turn invisibility.
Armor	Adamantine Scale Mail	Another powerful armour from Grymforge, that is best worn with 14 Dexterity, to get Bonus Armour Class, making it equal to Heavy Armour.
	Adamantine Splint Armour	Very powerful armor in Act 1, that is perfect for frontliner and if you have 12 Dexterity or lower.
	Chain Mail +1	A good Heavy armor that is available early in the game.
	Githyanki Half Plate	This can be equipped when starting the game by taking it from Lae'zel. Very solid option with a high Armour Class.
Gloves	Gloves of the Growling Underdog	As a frontliner, it will be easy to get surrounded by two enemies, so the ensured advantage is very valuable.
	Gloves of Dexterity	The +1 to attack rolls is a decent boost. Moreover, they give 18 Dexterity which is good for bonus initiative.
Boots	Disintegrating Night Walkers	Avoids slipping on various terrains and most importantly unlocks Misty Step each short rest. These boots can last till Act 3, as walking on icy surfaces can be deadly for melee build. The item removes this problem.
	Vital Conduit Boots	As you may cast some spells with concentration these boots will give bonus survivability via temporary hitpoints.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	This is a very powerful amulet, that will lead you through most of the game, the 1d6 bonus damage is very good.
	Pearl of Power Amulet	Restores up to level 3 spell slot, this means that you can use it after a combat encounter to have an additional spell slot for Divine Smite.
Rings	Caustic Band	Provides 2 damage increase on each weapon hit, making it a good choice in Act 1. It is very expensive.
	Strange Conduit Ring	It's easy to activate it as you can concentrate on multiple spells in your arsenal, which will result in bonus psychic damage.
	Ring of Protection	Gives defensive bonuses to Armour Class and Saving Throws.
	Ring of Absolute Force	Bonus thunder damage to thunder spells.

Act 2 - mid-game

Act 2 changes the landscape and there will be a lot of dark areas. For Lockadin build, specifically two-handed this whole Act will be filled with various spears, glaives, and halberds, that top one another with various bonuses and unique actions. Feel free to try them out and fully enjoy their benefits.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (Two-Handed)	Shar's Spear of Evening	One of the best weapons in the game. You will get it late in Act 2, but it can be a solid choice until you get the endgame weapons or Nyrulna. It is an alternative version of Selûne's Spear of Night
	Selûne's Spear of Night	Very powerful option as it can buff allies with 1d4 damage, and create difficult terrain. It is an alternative version to Shar's Spear of Evening.
	Moonlight Glaive	Has a passive light effect, making it effective with Callous Glow Ring. Moreover, it gets bonus radiant damage and unique attack actions.
	Halberd of Vigilance	A good choice for Act 2 and can be used till Act 3. Besides its unique benefits, it comes with bonus 1d4 force damage and not many enemies can resist it.
	Drakethroat Glaive	You can imbue a weapon with any element 1d4 damage and gain a +1 to attack rolls. You can get the bonus elemental damage on any weapon. For example, drop another weapon on the ground, cast the spell with this glaive, and equip the said weapon. This is a very powerful combo, although it may be a bug.
Ranged		The higher initiative bonus will allow you to start your turn earlier.
Head	Diadem of Arcane Synergy	The best option that will lead you through the game. Be sure to use Divine Smite on the first attack, to activate Arcane Synergy.
Cloak	Cloak of Protection	Improves survivability and Saving Throw success.
	Fleshmelter Cloak	Reflect 1d4 acid damage if somebody hits you in melee range.
Armor	Dwarven Splintmail	Truly a solid heavy armor option for a frontline. It also increases the Constitution for higher HP.
	Yuan-ti Scale Mail	This armor is strange and very useful for the build. With it, you are not limited to a +2 Armour Class bonus from Dexterity. So you could start using it once you have the Warlock subclass at level 3.
Gloves	Gloves of the Automaton	Similar to the option below, these provide an Advantage on attacks but require Bonus Action to activate the effect. It would be best if you did that before combat starts. Once you get Risky Ring, drop them.
	Luminous Gloves	These gloves may be used by your cleric. If not, you can equip them together with Luminous Armour to apply tons of Radiating Orbs. They will reduce the effectiveness of enemy attack rolls.
	Gloves of the Growling Underdog	These gloves are mandatory at least until you get Risky Ring or if you do not use Great Weapon Master feat yet.
	Flawed Helldusk Gloves	Provides bonus fire damage, however, only use it once you get Risky Ring.
	Dark Justiciar Gauntlets	A solid option as it gives a bonus 1d4 necrotic damage. But only use it after you get Risky Ring.
Boots	Evasive Shoes	Bonus armor class for higher survivability.
	Disintegrating Night Walkers	The boots are still a good option in Act 2.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge	Still, the best amulet as it provides a substantial damage boost if healed - a cleric can do this easily.
	Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet	Not a perfect amulet, but could be useful once you have Risky Ring and other options are taken
	Spell Savant Amulet	Gain an additional level 2 spell slot for more Smites.
Rings	Killer's Sweetheart	Allows dealing guaranteed critical hit per long rest. After this, you can just unequip it. Moreover, it can change an attack that misses and turns it into critical.
	Risky Ring	Provides an Advantage on attack rolls. This is a mandatory ring as it will both guarantee more hits and a higher chance of critical hits.
	Callous Glow Ring	The bonus damage can easily stack from multiple sources. For example paladin base attack + Divine Smite.
	Caustic Band	2 Acid damage on any kind of attack. With multiple attacks you do the bonus is substantial.
	Eversight Ring	Makes you immune to being blinded, which can be detrimental in some encounters.

Act 3 - Final Build setup

This is the last act of the game, where you will get access to the most powerful items. To get them as early as possible you will need some planning, but overall, it should not be a problem.

Act 3 gives so many different items, that the build can be changed multiple times as you explore it. For example, you could go with Nyrulna + Bhaalist Armour for very strong damage, but sacrificing armor class. This is the biggest damage improvement for the Lockadin build,

On the other hand, you can pick Balduran's Giantslayer and take armor like Helldusk Armour or Armour of Persistence to play a more survivability role. So definitely try out different combinations to find the sweet spot for your playstyle.

Moreover, spears from Act 2 - Selûne's Spear of Night and especially Shar's Spear of Evening are good weapons.

Slot	Item	Description
Melee (Two-Handed)	Shar's Spear of Evening	The weapon's effectiveness comes if you will use Bhaalist Armour. When attacking obscured enemies, the bonus damage rider will also double in damage.
	Nyrulna	This weapon can also be used as two-handed, albeit its base damage is not as high. It can be a perfect choice until you obtain the top ones. However, if you choose to use Bhaalist Armour this can be the best performer on this build.
	Silver Sword of the Astral Plane	A good choice, specifically for Githyanki due to bonus damage and resistance. Otherwise, it falls short of other options.
	Balduran's Giantslayer	Very strong weapon, and the strongest two-hander. The only downside is that it requires you to use Elixir of Cloud Giant Strength or Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength to get the highest damage boost. Without high strength, this sword does not perform as well as other options.
	Hellbeard Halberd	This gives a bonus of 6 poison damage per hit, which is very high, making it a strong top weapon contender.
Ranged	The Dead Shot (BiS)	The best bow for crit fishing builds as it increases the critical chance.
Head	Diadem of Arcane Synergy (BiS)	The best option, in terms of damage. However, this requires inflicting conditions, like negative status effects, etc.
	Sarevok's Horned Helmet	Alternative in case, you want something else. Increases critical chance, which can make your smites do crazy amounts of damage.
Cloak	Cloak of Displacement (BiS)	Improves the chances of attacks missing the wearer until getting hit for that turn.
Armor	Armour of Persistence	A solid defensive choice, that comes with damage reduction cantrip effects.
	Bhaalist Armour (BiS)	The best armor for maximum damage. This is light armor, so you should be maximizing your Dexterity and have it at least at 16, to get a good Armour Class. Together with Nyrulna or Shar's Spear of Evening, you can deal frightening amounts of damage due to the Aura Of Murder​ effect. However, it may be unobtainable based on your choices in the game.
	Armour of Agility	The armor does not limit the Dexterity bonus to AC and improves your saving throws.
	Helldusk Armour	This armor has the highest armor class in the game. Moreover, it grants flying and burns enemies in flames when they attack you.
Gloves	Legacy of the Masters (BiS)	The best gloves for melee attacks with improved attack rolls and damage.
	Helldusk Gloves	Gives a solid bonus of 1d6 fire damage on hit, and provides a fire spell with Strength as a casting ability!
	Gauntlets of Frost Giant Strength	These gloves can be used to permanently increase Strength. This means you no longer need Elixir of Hill Giant Strength. Moreover, you can gimp on strength and leave it at 8. Use those attribute points on Dexterity or Wisdom.
Boots	Helldusk Boots (BiS)	Allows avaoiding failed Saving Throws, and uses reaction to change the outcome. Moreover, provides bonus actions for mobility and damage.
	Boots of Persistence	Gives a huge boost to mobility and avoids difficult terrain.
Amulet	Broodmother's Revenge (BiS)	The amulet still pulls strong even in the late game.
	Amulet of Greater Health	Makes any Constitution ability investment redundant as it maximizes it to 23 points. However, this means that you will not be able to use Broodmother's Revenge for a bit more damage.
	Magic Amulet	Gives an Advantage on attack. I would use this only if you do not have Risky Ring. Otherwise, this does not provide much use, besides Saving Throw Advantage.
Rings	Ring of Regeneration	This ring can be used to activate Broodmother's Revenge so that you will not forget.
	Risky Ring (BiS)	Provides an Advantage on attack rolls. This is a mandatory ring as it will both guarantee more hits and a higher chance of critical hits.
	Killer's Sweetheart (BiS)	Guarantees a critical hit once per Long rest. Moreover, it can change an attack that misses and turns it into critical.
	Caustic Band	2 Acid damage on any kind of attack. With multiple attacks you do the bonus is substantial. Can be equipped after Killer's Sweetheart has been used

Build Mechanics

In this section, I would like to dive deep into how to play the Lockadin Build. This will help you utilize it to the fullest and correctly use various actions and spells throughout the game.

Important Mechanics and Combos

Let's go through key mechanics and tips on how to use the build effectively.

Managing Great Weapon Master

One of the more important feats of the build is Great Weapon Master: All In. It gives a flat damage boost at the cost of decreased attack rolls. Generally, it is best to take this later in the game at level 8+, when you have higher attack bonuses and better gear.

However, if you can effectively use it at level 4, you will be able to easily kill most of the enemies you encounter, especially as it is easy to die in Act 1. So if you are up for putting in additional effort the benefits are immense. Here are the main ways to increase your attack rolls:

• Bless​ from Cleric or Paladin, for a 1d4 bonus.
• Spells like Faerie Fire, and Blindness​ give an advantage to attackers.
• Oil of Accuracy or Diluted Oil of Sharpness, for 1 and 2 attack roll bonus.
• Gloves of the Growling Underdog - can be obtained in Goblin Camp, and gives an advantage for attack rolls.
• Svartlebee's Woundseeker - early game greatsword that you can get before engaging in any of the major battles of Act 1.

Now, if you want more in-depth information, I have a guide covering how to increase attack rolls, which lists a lot of options and combinations. You can then pick the bonuses based on your party setup.

Divine Smites

The key aspect of any build that involves at least 2 levels of Paladin is Divine Smite. It is one of the coolest actions punishing your targets with a ray of light. To use it effectively there are a few tips that I have.

First, update your reactions and make sure the Divine Smite​ has a reaction on critical hit and asks you to use it:

This way you will not waste your time with unnecessary popups and can use it when needed. For example, using a critical hit Divine Smite​ on a weak foe with a few HP will feel like a waste. However, you still might want to use it on the boss even if it has few HP to finish them off.

If you want to use the normal smite, just activate it from the quick bar by selecting Divine Smite​ action.

Overall, critical hits are extremely important for these attacks as the big number of dice rolls get doubled and get rerolled with Savage Attacker. That is why I recommend Killer's Sweetheart, Luck of the Far Realms,​ and spells like Hold Person.

Using any melee Weapon - Bind Pact Weapon

The main mechanic of Bladelock that allows it to be effective in weapon combat is the Bind Pact Weapon. This allows you to be proficient with any melee weapon and use Charisma as the main modifier instead of Strength or Dexterity.

So this is why with 8 strength you will use Two-Handed weapons for the first half of the game, and later switch to Rapiers.

Darkness with Devils Sight

Using Darkness​ spells with Warlock is one of the ways to guarantee success. You will of course need Devil's Sight​ Eldritch Invocation. Once you have it, you can stay inside and either attack with Eldritch Blast, cast spells, or wait for enemies to come and hit them with advantage, while they are blind.

Short Rest after you expend spell slots

One of the advantages of the Warlock multiclass is that you will get spell slots that reset on each short rest. This is kind of good resource management as you can continue being an effective combatant even after a big fight.

So when in combat, and you are using Divine Smite​ confirm which spell slot will be utilized. For simple encounters, you will probably want to use Warlock Spell slots. However, for boss fights or bigger fights, use all of them.

For this reason, I do recommend using Bard Build with Song of Rest​ to give another short rest to the party, to extend the offensive capabilities of this build.

Hunger of Hadar

This, Warlock level 5 spell is extremely powerful. It can be used to confuse enemies, waste their action points, and blind them. Moreover, the more time they spend on it, the more damage they will receive during this period.

The good thing is that you can stand outside with your Lockadin and wait for them to come. Once they appear, bash them with your weapon or push them away with Eldritch Blast. However, as Lockding has a low amount of spell slots, evaluate if it's worth using the spell. Because it could be used for a Divine Smite​ and instantly kill a normal enemy.

Early Game Combat

Let's cover how you should progress combat levels 1-6. For this stage you will mostly be a Paladin, so I will cover from this perspective:

• Shield of Faith​ is an excellent spell to use early on to improve Armour Class.
• Thunderous Smite​ can be used in early games to give use for bonus action and inflict adequate damage.
• Based on your hit chance turn on and off Great Weapon Master: All In, try keeping it at 65%+. Once you get Magic Weapon​ it can be used to improve your hit chance.
• I would save Divine Smite​ for critical hits or on enemies like casters or bosses. Due to limited spell slots, you can go through them very fast.
• Misty Step​ is useful to get close to the enemies if you will not be able to reach them otherwise. It can also be used in the opposite way to get away.

Mid to Late Game Combat

• Be sure to activate Bind Pact Weapon​ so that you can use Charisma instead of Strength/Dexterity for attacks.
• Attack, attack, and attack. The stacking of Extra Attack​ and Deepened Pact​ allows for 3 attacks per action point on non-HM difficulties.
• Maximize your Divine Smite​ damage and use it on critical hits or to finish off foes.
• Be sure to activate auras like Aura of Hate​ for bonus damage.

Conclusion

Thank you for reading the Lockadin build for Baldur's Gate 3. It is the best Paladin Warlock multiclass below Honour Mode. I covered how we use Pact of the Blade to remove any need for strength and utilize Charisma on any melee attacks or spellcasting. Moreover, I suggested some gear throughout the game to maximize the effectiveness of the build

Cheers!