It’s time to level up your D&D character! But you feel pretty confident in your current stats, so why not try a feat instead? Feats showcase your expertise and additional skills, honed over the course of your adventures and rigorous training.
Warlocks are individuals who have formed a pact with an otherworldly patron, a being who grants power in exchange for doing their bidding on the mortal plane. Warlocks can be as varied as their patrons, focusing on their arcane abilities, martial combat, or simply searching for any forbidden knowledge they can get their hands on.
Here are my top ten feats for your warlock that will transform them from a power-hungry chosen one into the unstoppable champion of ancient powers.
10. Spell Sniper (PHB)
Wizards of the Coast: Runic Shot by Cristi Balanescu
Target any enemy on the field, whether you can see them or not, with Spell Sniper.
Spells are the cornerstone of any class with an arcane focus. Some spells, though, have limits to what they can hit and how far away they can be. Spell Sniper helps your warlock overcome these limits, instead giving them an added boost to even target enemies who are tucked away.
While eldritch blast will likely be your warlock’s main spell, other damage-dealing spells like witch bolt have a very small range. That, in addition to the risk of wasting your limited spell slots, can make utilizing your warlock’s spells more nerve-wracking than fun. Spell Sniper takes some of the tension out of targeting hard-to-reach enemies, plus it gives you an extra cantrip just for fun.
This feat is especially advantageous for a warlock because it boosts the warlock’s spellcasting abilities, making these spells more likely to succeed. Doubling the range of attack spells and ignoring partial cover will give your warlock more bang for their arcane buck. Warlocks have limited spell slots, so an extra cantrip will give them additional reliable spellcasting options.
Why Spell Sniper is Great for Warlocks:
- Double spell range: With the warlock’s witch bolt and other ranged spells, doubling the range of these spells can make them much more viable in combat. This also keeps your warlock well out of harm’s way, raining death from above.
- I can see you…: For spells that require attack rolls and ranged attacks which take cover into account, like the warlock’s focus on eldritch blast or using your crossbow, this can ensure that you don’t waste your warlock’s precious spell slots or actions.
- Extra cantrip: Extra cantrips mean an extra spell to use over and over! Since your warlock’s spellcasting ability is Charisma, it would be most advantageous to take a cantrip from the bard, sorcerer, or another from the warlock list.
Spell Sniper
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell
- You have learned techniques to enhance your attacks with certain kinds of spells, gaining the following benefits:
- When you cast a spell that requires you to make an attack roll, the spell's range is doubled.
- Your ranged spell attacks ignore half cover and three-quarters cover.
- You learn one cantrip that requires an attack roll. Choose the cantrip from the bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard spell list. Your spellcasting ability for this cantrip depends on the spell list you chose from: Charisma for bard, sorcerer, and warlock; Wisdom for cleric or druid; or Intelligence for wizard.
9. Telekinetic (TCoE)
Wizards of the Coast: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Aberrant Mind Sorcerer
Gain control over the very fabric of the universe with Telekinetic.
Have you ever wanted to control the very fabric of reality with your mind? Telekinetic gives you the ability to manipulate the world around you using nothing but your mind, literally! Your warlock will gain psychic abilities and a boost to their most-utilized stats.
Any improvement to your primary ability scores is a huge plus. In addition to that, Telekinetic allows your warlock to cast a very versatile spell without spending a slot and with a larger range (if you already know mage hand). That and your bonus action shove will allow your warlock to manipulate the very reality around them, throwing your enemies off balance.
This feat is advantageous for a warlock because it provides warlocks with new, usable features as well as a stat boost. Mage hand is a solid cantrip to take, regardless of the type of adventure you are on. An extra cantrip and bonus action shove can be utilized both in and out of combat, and an increase to Charisma will make your baseline abilities and spellcasting even stronger.
Why Telekinetic is Great for Warlocks:
- Charismatic: For a warlock, an increase in Charisma also increases your spellcasting ability. Telekinetic may boost your spellcasting modifier, filling you with even more arcane power!
- Mage hand: Mage hand is an extremely useful cantrip to keep you out of harm’s way and mess around with other characters and NPCs. While it is part of the warlock’s spell list, taking it with this feat allows you to choose an additional cantrip to add to your arsenal, which is premium currency with the warlock’s limited spell slots.
- Mage hand of REACH: This is an additional optimization of Telekinetic’s mage hand perk. If you take this spell to begin with or pair it with other feats like Spell Sniper or Metamagic Adept, you can extend its range beyond its standard 30 feet, giving you additional reach when you really need it.
- With the power of your mind: Since most warlock cantrips require a full action and you won’t be casting many full spells, being able to shove a creature with your mind is a good use of that bonus action. Unfortunately, it requires a Strength saving throw on their part, but perhaps you’ll only be shoving very physically weak minions or spellcasters.
Telekinetic
- You learn to move things with your mind, granting you the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn the mage hand cantrip. You can cast it without verbal or somatic components, and you can make the spectral hand invisible. If you already know this spell, its range increases by 30 feet when you cast it. Its spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
- As a bonus action, you can try to telekinetically shove one creature you can see within 30 feet of you. When you do so, the target must succeed on a Strength saving throw (DC 8 + your proficiency bonus + the ability modifier of the score increased by this feat) or be moved 5 feet toward or away from you. A creature can willingly fail this save.
8. Metamagic Adept (TCoE)
Wizards of the Coast: Keldon Flamesage by Jason A. Engle
Become a sorcerer! Well, almost. Gain access to the sorcerer’s metamagic as a Metamagic Adept.
For those of you who just can’t get enough out of spellcasting, sorcerers have an extra list for their spells, allowing them to give existing spells new bonuses and abilities. These can range from rerolling attack or damage rolls to targeting an additional baddie with a single-target spell. Other classes can take advantage of these options without having to multiclass into sorcerer, keeping your patron happy and focused on you.
While the sorcerer’s Metamagic options can’t cast a spell without a slot, they can provide even more useful features to augment their existing spells. Like with Spell Sniper, you can double a spell’s range with Distant Spell, keeping your warlock out of harm’s way from a particularly nasty fireball. You could also gain the ability to cast spells with a bonus action through Quickened Spell, a very useful option with most of the warlock’s cantrips costing a full action.
This feat is advantageous for a warlock because it makes your warlock’s spells more versatile and advantageous to use. Metamagic options like Distant Spell, Extended Spell, and Quickened Spell each work well with the warlock spell list. And if you choose a Metamagic option that doesn’t fit your playstyle, Metamagic Adept allows you to switch it out when you gain an Ability Score Improvement.
Why Metamagic Adept is Great for Warlocks:
- Getting meta: The sorcerer’s Metamagic options can temporarily twist spells to suit your needs, like casting a spell as a bonus action rather than an action or targeting an additional creature with a single-target spell. Metamagic Adept allows you to utilize two of these features, even if you’re not a sorcerer. This can boost the limited number of spells your warlock uses as well as your cantrips, making your spellcasting more viable.
- Mix-and-match: Choose a Metamagic option you don’t like? No problem. Metamagic Adept allows you to swap to a different Metamagic option once you gain an Ability Score Improvement. Switching options may be more useful to your warlock if their stats are high enough.
- Sorcery points: In order to use your newfound Metamagic options, Metamagic Adept gives you two sorcery points, which renew at each long rest. Some Metamagic options only cost one sorcery point, allowing you to use two options before you need to rest.
Metamagic Adept
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature
- You've learned how to exert your will on your spells to alter how they function:
- You learn two Metamagic options of your choice from the sorcerer class. You can use only one Metamagic option on a spell when you cast it, unless the option says otherwise. Whenever you reach a level that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, you can replace one of these Metamagic options with another one from the sorcerer class.
- You gain 2 sorcery points to spend on Metamagic (these points are added to any sorcery points you have from another source but can be used only on Metamagic). You regain all spent sorcery points when you finish a long rest.
7. Inspiring Leader (PHB)
Wizards of the Coast: Captain Ripley Vance by Mathias Kollros
Feel inspired! Inspiring Leader grants you and your allies temporary hit points to empower them against evil.
Even the most dangerous patrons recognize the power of inspiration, the drive to fight for a cause. With as charismatic a character as a warlock, you can inspire or intimidate your allies to fight by your side. Through the Inspiring Leader feat, they will be filled with otherworldly health, giving them boosts of stamina and vigor, whether it be out of love or fear of you.
Warlocks are naturally charismatic characters, with Charisma as their highest stat and spellcasting ability. Inspiring Leader grants temporary hit points, a rare commodity to begin with, to both yourself and your allies using this ability. As a result, your warlock is a prime candidate for granting the most temporary hit points possible.
This feat is advantageous for a warlock because warlocks can grant a large amount of temporary hit points. Their Charisma will provide the maximum boost due to their class’s focus on the ability. In addition, they can grant these temporary hit points to both themselves and their allies (or minions).
Why Inspiring Leader is Great for Warlocks:
- Motivational presence: Inspiring Leader allows you to inspire yourself and your allies, granting you a powerful boon to face whatever dangers lurk ahead.
- Charismatic speaker: Inspiring Leader utilizes your Charisma modifier, your highest stats as a warlock when determining the amount of temporary hit points you grant. With this class and feat combo, you can grant a significant amount of temporary hit points to each ally.
- It’s fine, we’re gods: Temporary hit points provide a bit of extra padding to beef up your characters in a tricky combat encounter. These are depleted before your actual health, so you could go an entire encounter without losing a single hit point. Warlocks have a relatively small HP pool, so this will keep them in the fight for longer.
Inspiring Leader
Prerequisite: Charisma 13 or higher
- You can spend 10 minutes inspiring your companions, shoring up their resolve to fight. When you do so, choose up to six friendly creatures (which can include yourself) within 30 feet of you who can see or hear you and who can understand you. Each creature can gain temporary hit points equal to your level + your Charisma modifier. A creature can't gain temporary hit points from this feat again until it has finished a short or long rest.
6. Great Weapon Master (PHB)
Wizards of the Coast: Numa, Joraga Chieftain by Kieran Yanner
Great Weapon Master packs a hefty punch, giving a chance to deal massive damage on each turn.
Not all warlocks maintain a spellcasting focus. Instead, they rely on their wits and martial abilities to subdue their foes. Great Weapon Master provides some significant bonuses to those who prefer weapons forged by the ancient powers themselves.
Great Weapons Master may seem like an odd feat for a spellcaster, but it can be surprisingly advantageous for certain warlock builds. In addition to an extra attack on critical melee hits, warlocks can also gamble with their attack roll by taking a slight penalty to gain a massive damage boost. Pacts like Hexblade or Pact of the Blade boon pair well with this feat, providing even more martial advantages and opportunities.
This feat is advantageous for a warlock because it opens up an additional playstyle to the typical warlock build. Martial combat becomes just as viable an option as full spellcasting, giving your warlock more options for combat. The bonus risk/reward on each attack can transform your warlock into a true damage-dealing machine.
Why Great Weapon Master is Great for Warlocks:
- Now THIS is a knife: Great Weapons Master gives you the opportunity to gamble a penalty on attack rolls to gain a whopping +10 damage. Warlocks don’t focus on Strength or Dexterity, making this feat less viable for spellcaster playstyles, but it can significantly boost your damage with melee pacts like Hexblade or the Pact of the Blade boon.
- The best defense is a good offense: Critical hits and knocking out an opponent grant an extra attack, allowing your warlock to benefit even more from good rolls and do even more melee damage per round.
- Multi-use bonuses: While you can only gain an extra attack from Great Weapons Master once per bonus action, you can gamble your attack roll for each heavy weapon melee attack, using it multiple times per turn. Utilize this with Pact of the Blade to overcome any lack of proficiency with heavy weapons.
Great Weapon Master
- You’ve learned to put the weight of a weapon to your advantage, letting its momentum empower your strikes. You gain the following benefits:
- On your turn, when you score a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 hit points with one, you can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.
- Before you make a melee attack with a heavy weapon that you are proficient with, you can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, you add +10 to the attack’s damage.
5. Crossbow Expert (PHB)
Wizards of the Coast: Arbalest Elite by Chris Rahn
Become an experienced marksman and ranged combatant with the Crossbow Expert.
Crossbows are the heavy-duty equivalent of ordinary bows, giving them a bit more firing power at the cost of reduced range. Warlocks can take a crossbow with their starting equipment, priming them to become masters of this weapon. That, along with added bonuses to ranged combat, makes Crossbow Expert a perfect feat for your warlock.
Warlocks can fit into martial combat quite well, utilizing their spells to weaken their enemies before dealing the final blow. Crossbow Expert grants a bonus attack when engaging in melee, incentivizing you to switch up your combat tactics. It also provides bonuses to both crossbow and ranged combat, giving your warlock more versatility beyond their spellcasting.
This feat is advantageous for a warlock because it provides bonuses to warlocks who branch out beyond spellcasting. Crossbow Expert provides a bonus attack after a melee one, which can double the effectiveness of supportive spells like true strike or hex each turn. It also gives a bonus to ranged attacks, which can be applied to both martial combat and spellcasting.
Why Crossbow Expert is Great for Warlocks:
- Crossbows: You love your crossbows! Warlocks begin with a crossbow as their starting equipment, giving them all the tools they need to take advantage of this feat. The perks of Crossbow Expert can be especially useful if you decide to use your attack with something other than eldritch blast.
- Close range: Crossbow Expert removes the disadvantage for ranged attacks within 5 feet, so you can utilize all ranged weapons within close range. While warlocks will likely use their cantrips for most attacks, this can be helpful if you choose your crossbow with Hexblade’s Hex Warrior proficiency.
- Arrow to the knee: Two attacks for the price of one! After making an attack with a single-handed weapon, you have the lightning-fast reflexes of a Crossbow Expert and can make a bonus attack with your crossbow. This gives your warlock an extra chance to deal damage, potentially with boosts from supportive spells like true strike or hex.
Crossbow Expert
- Thanks to extensive practice with the crossbow, you gain the following benefits:
- You ignore the loading quality of crossbows with which you are proficient.
- Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on your ranged attack rolls.
- When you use the Attack action and attack with a one handed weapon, you can use a bonus action to attack with a hand crossbow you are holding.
4. Fey Touched (TCoE)
Wizards of the Coast: Blur by Dave Greco
Journey to the feywild! Fey Touched grants you additional spells from the fey realm.
One of the patrons your warlock could choose is the Archfey, a legendary being of age-old power. Your warlock could take this connection a step further by immersing himself in the feywilds' magic and becoming Fey Touched. In doing so, their very essence is shifted and imbued with long-forgotten magic.
Warlocks can especially benefit from Fey Touched, both through stat boosts and bonus abilities. Any increase to Charisma will make their spellcasting more powerful, giving them more power when utilizing their spells. Fey Touched also allows you to cast one of my favorite spells without using a slot, which is especially useful for warlocks.
This feat is especially advantageous for a warlock because it grants both a stat boost as well as a very useful ability for your warlock. A boost in Charisma is always advantageous for a warlock. Misty step can get you out of a tough spot, especially if you’re low on health or not accustomed to melee combat.
Why Fey Touched is Great for Warlocks:
- We’re not in Kansas anymore: What caused your character to become Fey Touched? Did they meet a denizen of the feywild? Were they tricked or lured in? Are they being rewarded for a good deed? Discuss with your DM the prevalence of the feywild in your campaign.
- Charismatic: For a warlock, an increase in Charisma also increases your spellcasting ability. Fey Touched can increase your spellcasting modifier, granting you even more arcane power!
- Now you see me, now you don’t: Misty step is one of my favorite spells because it grants the user much more mobility, especially in sticky situations. While it is present on the warlock’s spell list, this feat lets you cast the spell once without using a spell slot, which is an incredible perk for warlocks with their limited spell slot capacity.
- Bonus spell and slot: In addition to misty step, Fey Touched grants an extra first-level spell from the Divination or Enchantment lists. This means you can take an extra spell from another class’ spellcasting list and not consume a spell slot upon use.
- Archfey escape: With the Archfey patron, your warlock gains the Misty Escape feature, an ability very similar to the misty step spell. You can essentially use this ability twice if you take Fey Touched. If you choose a different patron, you still have access to this ability through misty step.
Fey Touched
- Your exposure to the Feywild's magic has changed you, granting you the following benefits:
- Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1, to a maximum of 20.
- You learn the misty step spell and one 1st-level spell of your choice. The 1st-level spell must be from the Divination or Enchantment school of magic. You can cast each of these spells without expending a spell slot. Once you cast either of these spells in this way, you can’t cast that spell in this way again until you finish a long rest. You can also cast these spells using spell slots you have of the appropriate level. The spells’ spellcasting ability is the ability increased by this feat.
3. Magic Initiate (PHB)
Wizards of the Coast: Solve the Equation by Lie Setiawan
New spells galore! Learn different spells from different class lists with Magic Initiate feat.
Wizards aren’t the only ones who can gain access to a massive spell list! Magic Initiate allows you to dip into the spell lists of other classes, taking multiple cantrips and spells to add to your personal repertoire. Plus, you can cast these spells without spending your precious spell slots!
Warlocks are always on the lookout for new arcane knowledge and abilities. Magic Initiate grants you access to two cantrips and a first-level spell from another class list, expanding your warlock’s skill set. The cantrips are especially valuable for a warlock because you can cast them multiple times without a slot, turning your warlock into the party’s arcane minigun.
This feat is especially advantageous for a warlock because it grants more spellcasting options without exhausting the warlock’s limited resources. Multiple cantrips are valuable for reusability within a single combat, and the extra spell can count as a free ability. If you choose a Charisma class, they also build off of your warlock’s natural spellcasting ability.
Why Magic Initiate is Great for Warlocks:
- Read this as a TV promo: But just wait! If you choose this feat right now, you can take not only one, but TWO extra cantrips! That’s right! TWO cantrips! In all seriousness, extra cantrips are especially advantageous for a warlock with limited spell slots.
- Free spell and slot: In addition to two bonus cantrips, Magic Initiate also grants you a free spell from that class’s spell list. You can cast this spell once per long rest without expending a spell slot, an extremely good perk for warlocks.
- Branch out into other classes' spell lists: Magic Initiate allows you to take cantrips and a spell from other classes' spell lists. This can open up your spellcasting repertoire even further, making your warlock an arcane warrior no one could predict.
- Charismatic spellcasting: Since your warlock’s spellcasting ability is Charisma, it would be most advantageous to take a cantrip from the bard, sorcerer, or another from the warlock list.
Magic Initiate
- Choose a class: bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard. You learn two cantrips of your choice from that class's spell list.
- In addition, choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list. Using this feat, you can cast the spell once at its lowest level, and you must finish a long rest before you can cast it in this way again.
- Your spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the class you chose: Charisma for bard, sorcerer, or warlock; Wisdom for cleric or druid; or Intelligence for wizard.
2. Eldritch Adept (TCoE)
Wizards of the Coast: Shadowheart, Dark Justiciar by Cristi Balanescu
Harness the power of the great eldritch beings with Eldritch Adept.
Eldritch Invocations are the warlock’s bread and butter. These Invocations allow warlocks to boost spell abilities, gain additional features, or simply cast spells without a spell slot. Since you likely won’t have the space to take all the Invocations you would like, Eldritch Adept lets you take another, channeling the dark powers of forbidden knowledge.
Eldritch Invocations stem from warlock abilities. This means that your warlock is already optimized for each of these features, avoiding the awkward shuffling of proficiencies and bonuses that other classes might need to do. For a warlock, the only difficulty with this feat will be deciding which Invocation you want to take!
This feat is especially advantageous for a warlock because warlocks are the class where Eldritch Invocations originate. Eldritch Adept lets a warlock take an additional Invocation, gaining a bonus of their choice that is already optimized for their class. With Eldritch Adept, your warlock will also be able to switch out an additional Invocation each time you level up.
Why Eldritch Adept is Great for Warlocks:
- Build on what you know: Eldritch Invocations provide additional abilities and perks to your warlock’s existing skills and spellcasting. These can range from casting a specific spell without a slot to gaining proficiency in a skill to gaining a new ability altogether. These are especially useful for a warlock with limited spell slots and squishy HP.
- Expand your options: There is a large list of Eldritch Invocations, many of which will remain unused by your warlock over the course of a campaign. Eldritch Adept allows you to choose an additional Invocation on top of the ones you gain with your class features. The more you can get, the better!
- Not feeling it today: This feature is the same as that of the Eldritch Invocations they receive with their class features, but Eldritch Adept allows your warlock to switch out an extra Invocation every time you level up. This allows your warlock to replace less-than-optimal Invocations with ones that will be more useful as they grow in power and skill.
Eldritch Adept
Prerequisite: Spellcasting or Pact Magic feature
- Studying occult lore, you have unlocked eldritch power within yourself: you learn one Eldritch Invocation option of your choice from the warlock class. If the invocation has a prerequisite, you can choose that invocation only if you’re a warlock and only if you meet the prerequisite.
- Whenever you gain a level, you can replace the invocation with another one from the warlock class.
1. War Caster (PHB)
Wizards of the Coast: Regna’s Sanction by Bayard Wu
War Caster allows you to balance martial attacks and spellcasting during combat, which is vital for dual classes like the warlock.
Warlocks have incredible power at their fingertips, but it can be difficult to use it effectively. Dropping concentration, balancing handheld weapons with spellcasting, and only being able to perform opportunity attacks with martial weapons seems to put warlocks at a disadvantage. War Caster solves each of these problems, making you feel like the powerful hero (or villain!) you were meant to be.
I’ve lost concentration at a very inopportune time with my warlock, who was maintaining a conjure fey spell. Yikes! If I had taken War Caster, I would’ve had an advantage on this save and might have maintained the spell. War Caster also lets you cast a spell with opportunity attacks, which can deal some serious damage with a well-timed eldritch blast!
This feat is advantageous for a warlock because it provides even more benefits to the warlock’s spellcasting ability in combat. War Caster gives advantage on concentration, an important ability based on the number of high-level warlock spells that require it. And as one of my favorite features, it also allows you to cast spells for opportunity attacks, which is even better when it’s paired with the warlock’s eldritch blast.
Why War Caster is Great for Warlocks:
- Best of both worlds: War Caster allows your warlock to utilize both melee attacks and spellcasting simultaneously during combat. Whereas one (likely spellcasting) would typically become your character’s focus and the other would be utilized in niche scenarios, War Caster allows you to play both styles effectively within a single combat encounter.
- Advantage on maintaining concentration: Even the best-laid plans can be waylaid by a spellcaster failing their save and dropping concentration. War Caster gives you advantage on Constitution saving throws for maintaining concentration, sharpening your focus for the battle ahead.
- See ma, no hands!: Not all DMs allow characters to cast spells with somatic components while their hands are full. War Caster allows you to bypass this requirement and cast spells even if you’re wielding a longsword.
- Opportunistic spellcasting: Opportunity attacks are typically restricted to melee attacks alone since they are provoked by movement, which is quite unfortunate for a warlock who primarily utilizes spellcasting. With War Caster, your warlock can instead cast a spell to target your fleeing foe, hitting them with a quick eldritch blast before they get away.
War Caster
Prerequisite: The ability to cast at least one spell
- You have practiced casting spells in the midst of combat, learning techniques that grant you the following benefits:
- You have advantage on Constitution saving throws that you make to maintain your concentration on a spell when you take damage.
- You can perform the somatic components of spells even when you have weapons or a shield in one or both hands.
- When a hostile creature's movement provokes an opportunity attack from you, you can use your reaction to cast a spell at the creature, rather than making an opportunity attack. The spell must have a casting time of 1 action and must target only that creature.
