Sorlock Guide 5e
Article Disclaimers
For all D&D guides on Nat1gaming, they only use the main sourcebooks (Player’s Handbook, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything) as well as Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (mostly for Silvery Barbs) as those tend to be the most commonly used books at tables. Always be sure that if you’re following a guide that you’re adhering to your tables rules about what sourcebooks you are allowed to follow.
Any spell, class, feature, or other game item that is linkable on this website is covered by the 5th edition Open Games License and will be in the Player’s Handbook, but not everything in the Player’s Handbook will be linked to. All other materials that aren’t linked to are from other sourcebooks or aren’t allowed to be linked to per the 5th Edition Open Games License, so please refer to the appropriate sourcebooks for that information.
Finally, please refer to the Spell List and Spell Tier list for any substitutions you’d want to make to the build.
Sorcerer/Warlock Spell Lists and Spell Tier Lists
Why Sorlock?
The classic Sorlock (Sorcerer/Warlock) multiclass is popular for doing one thing extremely well – hitting enemies with Eldritch Blast. Since this build specializes in maximizing the power and damage of this cantrip, it is incredibly consistent in fights as you always know your rough damage output and it’s not particularly resource reliant since you don’t need to use spell slots if you don’t want to, opting to just use Sorcery Points for extra blasts and extra damage. That said, this build has the flexibility to still be a full caster so you can cast spells when needed and Eldritch Blast when you don’t need to.
Overall, if you want to become a magical machine gun, this is the build for you.
Quick Reference Guide
| Level | Class Features/ASI | Notes |
| 1 Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | Eyes of the Dark, Strength of the Grave | + Fire Bolt + Mage Hand +Prestidigitation + Shape Water + Silvery Barbs + Magic Missile |
| 2 – Sorcerer 1, Warlock 1 (Hexblade) | Hex Warrior, Hexblade’s Curse | + Eldritch Blast + Booming Blade + Hex + Shield Pick up Scale Mail (or better if you can afford it), a Shield, and a one-handed d8 weapon |
| 3 – Sorcerer 1, Warlock 2 | Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast | + Wrathful Smite |
| 4 – Sorcerer 2, Warlock 2 | Font of Magic | + Absorb Elements |
| 5 – Sorcerer 3, Warlock 2 | Metamagic Features (Subtle Spell and Quickened Spell) | + Darkness + Suggestion + Web – Absorb Elements Second beam on Eldritch Blast |
| 6 – Sorcerer 4, Warlock 2 | Feat – Fey Touched Subtle Spell replaced by Twinned Spell via Sorcerous Versatility | + Green-Flame Blade + Minor Illusion + Tasha’s Mind Whip + Tasha’s Hideous Laughter + Misty Step – Fire Bolt |
| 7 – Sorcerer 5, Warlock 2 | Magical Guidance | + Counterspell + Dispel Magic – Magic Missile |
| 8 – Sorcerer 6, Warlock 2 | Hound of Ill-Omen | + Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two+ melee party members) |
| 9 – Sorcerer 7, Warlock 2 | – | + Dimension Door + Polymorph – Tasha’s Mind Whip |
| 10 – Sorcerer 8, Warlock 2 | +2 Charisma | + Blade Ward + Mirror Image – Green-Flame Blade |
| 11 – Sorcerer 9, Warlock 2 | – | + Animate Objects Third beam on Eldritch Blast |
| 12 – Sorcerer 10, Warlock 2 | Subtle Spell | + Light + Fly or Haste (whichever you didn’t already have) |
| 13 – Sorcerer 11, Warlock 2 | – | + Absorb Elements, + Mass Suggestion – Web |
| 14 – Sorcerer 12, Warlock 2 | War Caster | – |
| 15 – Sorcerer 13, Warlock 2 | – | + Teleport |
| 16 – Sorcerer 14, Warlock 2 | Shadow Walk | – |
| 17 – Sorcerer 15, Warlock 2 | – | + Dominate Monster Fourth beam on Eldritch Blast |
| 18 – Sorcerer 16, Warlock 2 | Lucky | – |
| 19 – Sorcerer 17, Warlock 2 | Heightened Spell | + Wish + Meteor Swarm – Fly or Haste |
| 20 – Sorcerer 18, Warlock 2 | Umbral Form | – |
Build Level One
Race: Half-Elf
Attributes:
| POINT BUY | STANDARD ARRAY | |
| STRENGTH | 8 | 8 |
| DEXTERITY | 13 (+1 racial) = 14 | 13 (+1 racial) = 14 |
| CONSTITUTION | 15 (+1 racial) = 16 | 15 (+1 racial) = 16 |
| INTELLIGENCE | 8 | 10 |
| WISDOM | 12 | 12 |
| CHARISMA | 15 (+2 racial) = 17 | 14 (+2 racial) = 16 |
Class: Sorcerer (Shadow Magic Origin)
Class Features: Eyes of the Dark, Strength of the Grave
Proficiencies: Deception and Persuasion
Background: Far Traveler
Starting Equipment: Light Crossbow with 20 bolts, Component Pouch, Explorer’s Pack
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Fire Bolt |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
Race: Half-Elf (if you’re not using Custom Lineage)
Half-Elf is the clear winner here on race with the inherent +2 to your Charisma score. You can do other Half-Elf variants like Drow as well depending on if you’re looking to purely optimize or you want to fit campaign theme, but any Half-Elf variant will do. If you really want an additional feat, Variant Human could work as well, but I believe less effectively than Half-Elf.
For your other ability score increases, they obviously go into Dexterity for Armor Class and Constitution for HP.
Attributes
| POINT BUY | |
| STRENGTH | 8 |
| DEXTERITY | 13 (+1 racial) = 14 |
| CONSTITUTION | 15 (+1 racial) = 16 |
| INTELLIGENCE | 8 |
| WISDOM | 12 |
| CHARISMA | 15 (+2 racial) = 17 |
If you’re using the point buy system, the scores you’re going to prioritize are Dexterity, Constitution, and Charisma.
Charisma will be brought up to 15, so with the +2 racial modifier, you have an inherent 17 Charisma.
You want to bring Dexterity and Constitution up to 13 (+1 racial modifier to become 14, thus a +2 attribute) and 15 (+1 racial modifier to become 16, thus a +3 attribute) respectively. You don’t want more then 14 Dexterity as you’ll be wearing medium armor eventually thus will only get a maximum +2 DEX bonus anyway.
From here, you have four points left to do whatever you want. The most common use of the extra points is to put the rest in Wisdom for a better saving throw, but you could add some to Wisdom and Intelligence for more balanced skill checks.
Strength is your dump stat here, no real reason to put any points in.
Class: Sorcerer
The first real choice you will have is whether you want to start as a Sorcerer or a Warlock. From an optimization standpoint, Sorcerer is the way you want to go. Since you’re not dipping into Warlock too much over the twenty levels, you don’t want to disrupt your early game by accessing your dip class first. Power level jumps in the early game (like level four into level five for full spellcasters) can be massive and delaying that can make you feel extremely weak. If there’s a story or campaign reason you want to start Warlock, the build will still end up working, but you will feel much weaker until it comes online.
If you do end up with Sorcerer first, your Sorcerous Origin doesn’t matter terribly much here as there are a lot of excellent choices. To make it a bit easier, I picked Shadow Magic origin, but Divine Soul, Clockwork Soul, or Aberrant Mind are all also great picks.
Proficiencies
Since you’re likely to be the face of the party, being proficient in skills like Deception, Intimidation, and/or Persuasion is usually the way to go.
Background
Again, your background really doesn’t matter. Find the skill you want proficiency in and you can pick that. If you can’t decide or don’t really care, I’m a fan of the Far Traveler.
Starting Equipment
The light crossbow is the obvious starting weapon as it will actually deal more damage on average than your attack cantrips at level one and you definitely want to stay ranged for now. You can take either a component pouch or an arcane focus, but component pouch is considered to be a bit better. It doesn’t matter much between dungeoneer’s or explorer’s pack.
Starting Spells
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Fire Bolt |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
Since you’re just a normal Sorcerer at this point, referencing the spell tier list is your best bet.
If you can’t decide, I would go with: Mage Hand and Prestidigitation for your first two Cantrips. The third and fourth choice is much more difficult. Fire Bolt is the obvious pick, but if you don’t think you’re going to be level one for long, it’s almost a waste as you’ll be getting Eldritch Blast pretty soon. You could go Minor Illusion or Shape Water as you’ll have some pretty solid utility with either, but you already have Prestidigitation. Light can be a solid utility choice as well. Personally, if you don’t think you’re going to be stuck at level one for more than one adventure, I’d go with one of the utility cantrips, but if you think it may be a few adventures before a level up, take Fire Bolt.
First level spells are definitely tougher to decide as you only get two to start with, but it’s hard to go wrong with Silvery Barbs if it’s allowed in your playgroup and Magic Missile. If Barbs isn’t allowed, I would opt for Absorb Elements, Shield, or Sleep. Shield, in particular, is a little awkward as a choice since you can pick this up next level, but it’s fine to take now if you really want to.
Build – Level 2 & Up
Level 2-5
Level 2
Class: Sorcerer 1, Warlock 1 (Hexblade)
Class Features: Hex Warrior, Hexblade’s Curse
Equipment: Pick up Scale Mail (or better if you can afford it), a Shield, and a one-handed d8 weapon
Spell Change Log: + Eldritch Blast + Booming Blade + Hex, + Shield
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Fire Bolt |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
At this point you already have a bit of a tougher decision: continue with Sorcerer or go right into Warlock. While you don’t want to slow down your spell progression if you don’t have to, this is a fantastic time to dip into Warlock, and more specifically, the Hexblade. The Hexblade gives you three major things you’re looking for: Hex Warrior and Hexblade’s Curse.
Hex Warrior gives you medium armor and shield proficiency which is HUGE for increasing your armor class, literally going from having (maximum) 14 AC all the way up to 18 give or take a point which is obviously a massive difference. Second, Hexblade’s Curse is going to give you a really strong buff every short or long rest that will go a long way to dealing more damage in a fight.
At this point, you should be looking to pick up some Scale Mail as it’s very cheap, a Shield, and a d8 one handed weapon. For the weapon in particular, most of the time, you should not have it out so you can cast spells with Somatic components as you’ll need the free hand. However, this will be good to have overall.
For spells, you’re going to pick up Eldritch Blast and Booming Blade for your Cantrips, this is a no brainer. For your first level spells, you should pick Hex and Shield (if you already picked up Shield, Armor of Agathys can be a great choice).
Level 3
Class: Sorcerer 1, Warlock 2
Class Features: Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast
Spell Change Log: + Wrathful Smite
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Fire Bolt |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
Once again, there’s the crossroads of which class to level up, but once again, you should opt for Warlock. Getting access to two Eldritch Invocations is excellent, especially as you’re going to be picking up Agonizing Blast and Repelling Blast to juice up Eldritch Blast. While Eldritch Blast was initially doing an average of 5.5 damage per turn, now it’s dealing an average of 8.5 damage a turn and you can push a creature up to 10 feet away on hit.
For your spell pickup, your best choice is likely Wrathful Smite. While you don’t necessarily want to get into melee range, having the ability to use your action to cast Booming Blade , hit, and then cast Wrathful Smite as a bonus action can be really powerful. The Booming Blade will deal damage when they move, and if they fail the saving throw on Wrathful Smite, the enemy will run away frightened and take the damage.
Level 4
Class: Sorcerer 2, Warlock 2
Class Features: Font of Magic
Spell Change Log: + Absorb Elements
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Fire Bolt |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
This is probably one of the tougher decisions to make: keep going with Warlock or go back to Sorcerer. If you continue with Warlock, you’ll get second level spells, upgraded spell slots, your Pact Boon, and an ASI if you take one more level. Conversely, if you go Sorcerer, you get your Font of Magic and you’ll be able to reach your second level spells (you more or less have strictly better options than Warlock at second level) and your Metamagic features earlier.
While both have reasonable payoffs, I heavily suggest permanently going back towards Sorcerer as getting your third Warlock level isn’t particularly powerful, even with missing out on the Pact Boon.
If you do go with your second level of Sorcerer, you now have your Font of Magic which gives you Sorcery points that you can convert into spell slots. One of the main reasons to multiclass into Warlock is for this exact feature. It is definitely pretty cheesy, but since Font of Magic gains spell slots, not refreshes them, so you can use your Warlock spell slots to gain sorcery points, convert that into Sorcerer spell slots, short rest to regain your Warlock spell slots, and repeat. Your DM will likely limit how often you do this, and rightfully so as you should not abuse this interaction. That said, be sure to take advantage of it when possible without making it so overbearing your DM considers punishing you or banning that interaction altogether. There’s nothing wrong with doing a powerful thing as long as you’re not overshadowing your teammates and your DM‘s encounters.
For your new spell choice, definitely pick a utility spell at this point. There’s no need to pick up a damage spell as you’re going to get all the damage you’ll need next level.
Level 5
Classes: Sorcerer 3, Warlock 2
Class Features: Metamagic Features (Subtle Spell and Quickened Spell)
Spell Change Log: + Darkness + Suggestion + Web / – Absorb Elements
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Fire Bolt |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
This is one of the biggest power jumps for this build as you get your second Eldritch Blast, doubling your potential damage output.
If you’re now a level three Sorcerer, you get your Metamagic Features and now you have more decisions in what to do with your Sorcery points. There are a lot of great features here, but you know you’re taking Quickened Spell here as that’s the highlight of this build. So not only is your damage output already doubled as you’re casting two beams off of Eldritch Blast, Quickened Spell will let you cast it as a bonus action as well so now you’re potentially quadrupling your damage output for a turn!
While the second feature is less pivotal, Subtle Spell is a good choice here as this will let you cast spells when your hands are full, or if you’re trying to be sneaky. Normally you would take Twinned Spell here as that’s easily one of the best features, but it doesn’t work with Eldritch Blast, so you’re going to delay that temporarily.
With the third level in Sorcerer, you now get a level two spell slot, but only one additional spell known so you’ll have to swap out one of the first level spells. If you picked Sleep at any point, this would be a super easy swap out. If you didn’t, you’d likely swap out whatever spell you chose from the previous level.
There are a lot of excellent options at this point, but I would definitely opt for Web, and then pick Suggestion or Tasha’s Mind Whip. I would normally consider Misty Step as I believe it to be the best second level spell, but this may be less necessary than normal as you don’t want to use up your bonus action for your Quickened Spell and you can position yourself really far from enemies most of the time. Furthermore, you’re very likely going to be getting it next level (more on that shortly).
Web is an incredibly strong spell that can get even better with your Repelling Blast to push enemies back into it, even when they initially escape it. Having this perpetual game of whether or not an enemy can leave the Web area is really strong if they can’t burn the web away, and having advantage on attack rolls against restrained enemies is obviously excellent for this build.
Suggestion is yet another powerful spell that can heavily disrupt a fight as taking control of an enemy, even temporarily, can vastly change the outcome of the fight. Imagine using just a second level spell slot to take an enemy before their turn, force that enemy to attack another enemy, then that enemy has to attack the charmed enemy to rouse them? You’re depriving so many actions from one spell!
Tasha’s Mind Whip is a strong choice for this build at this point. You don’t want too many concentration spells on your spell list so this avoids that, and this spell is strong against melee attackers as them failing their Intelligence saving throw denies them the ability to move and attack, so this is great for kiting enemies or helping your allies escape their range.
Level 6-10
Level 6
Classes: Sorcerer 4, Warlock 2
ASI: Feat – Fey Touched
Metamagic: Subtle Spell replaced by Twinned Spell via Sorcerous Versatility
Spell Change Log: + Green-Flame Blade, + Minor Illusion + Tasha’s Mind Whip, + Hideous Laughter + Misty Step / – Fire Bolt
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Green-Flame Blade |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Magic Missile |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Tasha’s Mind Whip |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
With the fourth level in Sorcerer, you get an ASI. Here, you definitely want to increase your Charisma, but since it’s at 17, you only need one point to push us to the coveted +4 modifier. In that case, a half feat is the way to go, and more specifically, Fey-Touched. With this, you get the +1 to Charisma on top of Misty Step which is an incredible spell. For the first level spell choice, you’re actually pretty limited as it has to be a Divination or Enchantment spell. Since Divination spells are much worse for us as this is not a ritual casting build, you’re going for an Enchantment spell. If you haven’t taken Silvery Barbs yet and you’re allowed to, that’s the easy choice. However, if you have or Silvery Barbs isn’t allowed, you can grab Hideous Laughter as well as potentially exchanging out Subtle Spell for Twinned Spell using the Sorcerous Versatility option if you want to. At this point, I think this is a good idea as the odds of you holding a weapon and thus needing Subtle Spell to cast is much lower, so this is a relatively safe swap.
Another feature at level four for Sorcerer, you gain another cantrip and another spell. If you still have Fire Bolt, this is a great opportunity to swap that out for a different cantrip on top of getting a new cantrip as you’re only going to be using Eldritch Blast or Booming Blade (albeit rarely) for your damage. Again, the cantrips don’t matter much here, just make sure they’re utility cantrips.
For your spell, you have a lot of great options. You may not want more concentration spells, but if you don’t mind, Suggestion is a great one. If you want some more versatility and don’t have a Rogue, Knock is solid. If you feel like you’re getting targeted a lot, Mirror Image is good at keeping you alive longer.
All that said, at this point, you may want to start eating your spell slots so you can Quickened Spell your Eldritch Blast as often as possible, but keeping a few slots around for tougher fights or when you need something other than damage.
Level 7
Classes: Sorcerer 5, Warlock 2
Class Features: Magical Guidance
Spell Change Log: + Counterspell, + Dispel Magic / – Magic Missile
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Green-Flame Blade |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Tasha’s Mind Whip |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
It’s time to pick up your fifth level of Sorcerer to get third level spell slots and Magical Guidance.
For spells, this an easy choice with Counterspell and likely Dispel Magic, both of which are excellent with Magical Guidance. While Fireball is the marquee level three spell, you’d rather be doing damage with blasts instead.
Level 8
Classes: Sorcerer 6, Warlock 2
Class Feature: Hound of Ill-Omen
Spell Change Log: + Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two+ melee party members)
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Green-Flame Blade |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Tasha’s Mind Whip |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two+ melee party members) |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
You now get a Sorcerous Origin feature and another third level spell slot.
The origin feature, Hound of Ill-Omen, is deceptively broken. While the stat block itself is hardly impressive, giving disadvantage on saving throws for spells you cast is extremely powerful, especially if you’re twinned spelling CC spells. Keep this in mind always.
You can get some really strong third level spells at this point, but the best ones do all require concentration. Depending on your party composition and campaign, Fly, Haste, or Hypnotic Pattern could be excellent choices (the first two especially if you have Twinned Spell at this point).
Level 9
Classes: Sorcerer 7, Warlock 2
Spell Change Log: + Dimension Door, + Polymorph / – Tasha’s Mind Whip
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Green-Flame Blade |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two melee party members) |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Fourth level spells! You have the option to get extremely powerful spells like Banishment, Polymorph, Wall of Fire, and/or Dimension Door. It’s really hard to pick between all of these as it’s very party and campaign specific, but you can’t go wrong with any of them. My only suggestion is if you take Banishment, I wouldn’t take Polymorph and vice versa, but personally, I think Polymorph is the stronger of the two as it’s a bit more versatile.
Level 10
Classes: Sorcerer 8, Warlock 2
ASI: +2 Charisma
Spell Change Log: + Blade Ward, + Mirror Image / – Green-Flame Blade
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two melee party members) |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Second ASI! This choice is actually really important as you only have this and two more ASIs along this path. The most obvious choice is to just add two to Charisma to get 20s and the +5 bonus, but taking half-feats at this point is still super reasonable. If you want to pick a half feat, Resilient or Telekinetic are both very reasonable options, and whichever one you pick, you’re likely picking the second one in four levels.
Level 11-15
Level 11
Classes: Sorcerer 9, Warlock 2
Spell Change Log: + Animate Objects
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Fifth level spell! This is a great opportunity to increase your damage even more by taking Animate Objects. The downside of Animate Objects in this build is that you have to be close enough to use it initially as the objects can only travel 30 feet, but the potential damage is huge. Beyond that, the fifth level spells are actually not that exciting so there isn’t a huge debate here. Stuff like Arcane Hand or Telekinesis are great spells, but you’re a damage dealing class, so may as well take the spell that lets us deal more damage.
Fifth level spells aren’t the only reason you’re getting a big damage boost as Eldritch Blast gets its third beam as well! In a given combat, you can use your action to cast Animate Objects and bonus action to direct them (remember, you can give a direction like “keep attacking that target” so your bonus action isn’t used up every turn). Then each turn after, you can start Blasting away with your action and bonus action thanks to Quickened Spell.
Level 12
Classes: Sorcerer 10, Warlock 2
Metamagic: Subtle Spell
Spell Change Log: + Light, + Fly or Haste (whichever you didn’t already have)
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Web |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Another Metamagic feature! At this point, you’re picking up Subtle Spell (if you swapped it out earlier) or Twinned Spell if you haven’t.
Level 13
Classes: Sorcerer 11, Warlock 2
Spell Change Log: + Absorb Elements + Mass Suggestion / – Web
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Like two levels ago, you get access to a new level of spells, but the options aren’t super exciting. Mass Suggestion is the best you’re going to get and it doesn’t even require Concentration which is a huge plus. At this point, there’s going to be the constant issue of having a lot of great spells and a lot of them needing Concentration, so having a diverse spell list so you can have the right spell at the right time is important.
Level 14
Classes: Sorcerer 12, Warlock 2
ASI: War Caster
Spell Change Log: None
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
If you took the +2 Charisma at the level 10 ASI, now you can pick a feat. War Caster is a great option for this build or you can pick Lucky as it’s broken, but there are a bunch of great options. If you took the half feat, it’s time to take the other half feat.
Level 15
Classes: Sorcerer 13, Warlock 2
Spell Change Log: + Teleport
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 7th Level Spell | Teleport |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Seventh level spells means you can travel in style with Teleport. There are other solid spells, but they really aren’t much better than lower leveled options.
Level 16-20
Level 16
Classes: Sorcerer 14, Warlock 2
Class Feature: Shadow Walk
Spell Change Log: None
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 7th Level Spell | Teleport |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
New Sorcerous origin feature! Umbral Walk is a neat movement option, albeit somewhat limited in what you can do with it.
Level 17
Classes: Sorcerer 15, Warlock 2
Spell Change Log: + Dominate Monster
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 7th Level Spell | Teleport |
| Sorcerer | 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Access to eighth leveled spells and the fourth and final blast from Eldritch Blast. Dominate Monster is going to be your best bet, but it isn’t super exciting. Still, with Twinned Spell, this can be very powerful.
Level 18
Classes: Sorcerer 16, Warlock 2
ASI: Lucky
Spell Change Log: None
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Haste |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 7th Level Spell | Teleport |
| Sorcerer | 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Your final ASI. Here you’re definitely taking a feat as you don’t need to increase anymore ability scores
Level 19
Classes: Sorcerer 17, Warlock 2
Metamagic Feature: Heightened Spell
Spell Change Log: + Wish, + Meteor Swarm / – Suggestion
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two melee party members) |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 7th Level Spell | Teleport |
| Sorcerer | 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster |
| Sorcerer | 9th Level Spell | Wish |
| Sorcerer | 9th Level Spell | Meteor Swarm |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Your final metamagic feature, and more importantly, ninth level spells!
Now you’re taking Wish for sure. Beyond that, it’s up to you if you want Meteor Swarm or Time Stop. It’s completely up to you.
At this point, Heightened Spell is an excellent choice as if you’re casting a high leveled “save or suck” spell, you want them to have disadvantage on them.
Level 20
Classes: Sorcerer 18, Warlock 2
Class Feature: Umbral Form
Spell Change Log: None
| CLASS | SPELL LEVEL | SPELL NAME |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Blade Ward |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Light |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Mage Hand |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Minor Illusion |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Prestidigitation |
| Sorcerer | Cantrip | Shape Water |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Booming Blade |
| Warlock | Cantrip | Eldritch Blast |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Absorb Elements |
| Sorcerer | 1st Level Spell | Silvery Barbs |
| Sorcerer (Shadow Magic) | 2nd Level Spell | Darkness |
| Sorcerer | 2nd Level Spell | Mirror Image |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Counterspell |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Dispel Magic |
| Sorcerer | 3rd Level Spell | Fly or Haste (Haste if you have two melee party members) |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Dimension Door |
| Sorcerer | 4th Level Spell | Polymorph |
| Sorcerer | 5th Level Spell | Animate Objects |
| Sorcerer | 6th Level Spell | Mass Suggestion |
| Sorcerer | 7th Level Spell | Teleport |
| Sorcerer | 8th Level Spell | Dominate Monster |
| Sorcerer | 9th Level Spell | Wish |
| Sorcerer | 9th Level Spell | Meteor Swarm |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Hex |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Shield |
| Warlock | 1st Level Spell | Wrathful Smite |
| Fey Touched | 1st Level Spell | Hideous Laughter |
| Fey Touched | 2nd Level Spell | Misty Step |
Your final Sorcerous Origin feature and your build is done!
Sorlock Combat Guide By Level
Level 1-5
Level 1
This is where you’re going to be at your weakest. Keep your distance and pepper enemies with your Light Crossbow as long as you have bolts and Fire Bolt when you don’t or you need to get distance. You are incredibly squishy at this point, so keeping a distance is really important. If the enemy has a high AC or you have the spell slots to spare, you can use Magic Missile, but I would prefer to save them for Silvery Barbs.
TLDR: Keep distance, use Light Crossbow when you have bolts and Fire Bolt when you run out or you’re at a longer range. Save level 1 slots for Silvery Barbs when possible.
Level 2
While Level 1 your combat abilities are pretty abysmal, level two you get a lot stronger now that you have Eldritch Blast and Booming Blade to work with. Furthermore, you have two ways to engage in combat: up close and at a distance. You’d prefer at a distance, but you may not always have that option.
If you have to be in melee range, you should focus on hitting enemies with Booming Blade as often as possible. You could look to Disengage and move to a more advantageous position, but most of the time, you’re just going to get followed. Assuming you have your Scale Mail and Shield, your 18 AC should let you handle things up close just fine right now. If you feel it’s necessary, you can also start off with Hexblade’s Curse to speed things up, but you only get it once per short or long rest, so use this wisely. Once you kill the closest creature, reposition to get away from enemies, use your item interaction to put away your weapon, and attack if you haven’t yet.
If you can, you’d much prefer being at a distance and using your Eldritch Blast. However, you may not start with blasting away in your average encounter. If the encounter seems easy, then just focus at keeping your distance and blasting.
If this seems like a more serious encounter, you’re going to start cursing the enemies! You have two options from here: if it’s a fight with a lot of enemies, use your Bonus Action to cast Hex on the one you plan to target, and then start blasting it. If you chose a (presumably) lower health enemy to Hex, then you can use your Hexblade’s Curse on the “big” enemy so that you don’t waste your bonus action. If you’re looking to do this line, consider attacking with your Eldritch Blast before applying to curse, just in case you kill the enemy with the Hex as you won’t have your bonus action to reapply it.
If you don’t want to target the smaller enemies or there’s only bigger enemies, use your first bonus action to use either Hex or Hexblade’s Curse, depending on how likely it is that you think that someone can hit you and potentially break your Concentration. If it’s unlikely, definitely apply Hex first as you’ll deal an average of 3.5 damage more versus the flat +2 damage from Hexblade’s Curse. If you think you’ll need another turn to reposition or you’re stuck in melee range, start with the Hexblade’s Curse.
As a general rule, using your reaction to Shield or Silvery Barbs is a good use of spell slots.
TLDR:
Easy Fight in Melee – Booming Blade everything. Reposition when possible and use item interaction to put away weapon.
Easy Fight at Range – Eldritch Blast everything
Tougher Fight in Melee – Use your bonus action to Hexblade’s Curse the main target, Booming Blade, closest enemy until they’re dead. Reposition when possible and use item interaction to put away weapon., Hex the main target, start blasting main target
Tougher Fight at Range – Turn one, use your bonus action to Hex, blast them. Turn two, assess whether or not they’re close to dead. If they’re still healthy, use bonus action to Hexblade’s Curse and blast them, if not healthy, consider blasting first.
Level 3
Your strategy is going to be mostly the same as before, but now you deal an additional 3 damage a turn because of your Agonizing Blast and you can reposition enemies with your Repelling Blast as needed. Remember that for Repelling Blast that you can move up to 10 feet, not just 10 feet. Sometimes 5 feet would be better!
The only other thing that really changes for you is access to Wrathful Smite. So if you’re in melee range you can use your main action to Booming Blade, and if you hit, use your bonus action to Wrathful Smite. If the enemy fails the save, they’ll move away from you and take the Booming Blade as well as giving you room to breathe! Two birds, one stone!
Level 4
Now with the second level in Sorcerer, you have access to Font of Magic, the ability to convert spells into sorcery points that you can convert back into spells. The only really good use of this you have at this point is to convert your Warlock spell slots into Sorcery points, short rest, and recover your spell slots. As mentioned before, you should be careful to limit how often you do this.
With this interaction in mind, you should have more level one spell slots to work with, thus you can more liberally use Magic Missile offensively and Absorb Elements/Shield/Silvery Barbs defensively. Otherwise, it’s more or less the same strategy for now as your offense isn’t quite there yet.
Level 5
Now with second level spells and Metamagic features, things drastically change for this build. You now have access to your Subtle Spell (less important for combat) and your Quickened Spell which allows you to Eldritch Blast twice in one turn. While you still have the option to be in melee range, at this point, you really want to keep your distance in order to maximize your damage output.
Now that you have four sorcery points to work with, you want to make a point to short rest at an early point in the day to convert both of your 1st level slots from Warlock into Sorcery points for free. Once you do, you’ll have 7 “inherent” sorcery points to work with which translate to four Quickened Eldritch Blasts.
Now that your bonus action is going to be taken up more often, it’s less likely that you’ll be looking to use Hex or Hexblade’s Curse in a given combat. That said, if you’re facing a lot of enemies or you have allied casters trying to get an enemy with a spell that requires a saving throw, Hex is still good. Similarly, if you need a bit of healing, Hexblade’s Curse can provide that. Since each beam of Eldritch Blast can deal on average 8.5 damage and you now get two per action, it’s generally better just to keep blasting away rather than cursing the target unless you believe that target has a large health pool. If so, the extra damage from the curses could outpace the potential damage from an additional Eldritch Blast, but if you want to keep things simple, converting that first level slot into 2 more points for another Eldritch Blast is very reasonable as well.
For other battlefield utility, now that you have second level spells for Sorcerer and you have access to Darkness, you can be a bit more creative with how you engage enemies. The most common uses of your second level slot are now going to be casting Darkness or Web (since you’re a Shadow sorcerer, Darkness can be cast using two sorcery points instead of a second level slot which is great).
Since you can see through this Darkness, if you can isolate some enemies, you’ll have inherent advantage against them when they’re in the Darkness which can really increase your damage output.
For Web, this will really hurt your enemies mobility, and with your Repelling Blast, you can constantly push enemies back into it if they pass their saving throws which is a really powerful interaction.
As a minor note, you also now have Tasha’s Mind Whip which is really good if a melee attacker is menacing you or a party member of yours, so consider using that when repositioning is necessary.
Continue to use Shield and Silvery Barbs as necessary.
TLDR: Make sure you convert Warlock spell slots into sorcery points whenever you can prior to a short rest. You should always be at range now to use Eldritch Blast and Quicken an Eldritch Blast as much as possible. Use Darkness and/or Web often to be really annoying in battle.
Level 6-10
Level 6
The strategy is going to remain mostly the same as the previous level, but you now have the benefit of 18 Charisma and Twinned Spell. So now you can add Hideous Laughter to your bag of tricks if you’re looking to Twinned Spell that for a meager one sorcery point. While Hideous Laughter is generally a bit risky, if you have two suitable targets, chance of success doubles! Getting even one enemy with it is a great deal as you can just focus down the target that made the save which makes fights much easier. In a similar vein, in larger fights, Suggestion may be a better choice as turning two enemies in the middle of a group into friendlies can be incredibly strong.
Furthermore, now that you have three level two spell slots, converting one of them into more sorcery points is pretty free, so between one sorcery spell slot and both your Warlock spell slots, you’ll have 11 sorcery points on hand most of the time. What that translates to is one twinned Hideous Laughter and 5 additional Eldritch Blasts which is awesome.
TLDR: Don’t be afraid to convert a level two spell slot into sorcery points, use a twinned Hideous Laughter/ Suggestion more often on top of the strategies from last level.
Level 7
Despite getting level three spells, very little changes in terms of strategy. Since both of the level three options chosen are defensive, you should use those as needed rather than as a proactive measure. Stick to the general plan of the previous level.
Level 8
There are two pretty big upgrades to this build at this level: your class Feature (Hound of Ill-Omen) and an additional level three spell in the form of Fly or Haste. The Hound of Ill-Omen isn’t much good for attacking, but giving disadvantage on saving throws of spells you cast can be extremely high impact in the right fights. If you can navigate the hound between two enemies and twin spell a Hideous Laughter or Suggestion, the fight could be over then and there. On a less obvious note, you can summon multiple hounds in a fight concurrently, there’s nothing saying you can only have one out at a time if you really want!
Additionally, you now have the option to potentially give Fly or Haste to allied party members depending on the team composition and encounter. Doubling up on either of these spells is really strong, and as long as you can stay out of harm’s reach, this can also end encounters quickly.
At this point, your game plan is becoming a lot more complicated because you now have a lot of tools at your disposal, but you don’t need to worry about doing the “best” play as long as you’re making a reasonable play.
TLDR: Multiple game plans!
Macro Plan: Keep distance, Eldritch Blast when you have the opportunity.
Micro Plans:
- In encounters with bunched up enemies, using Hound of Ill-Omen into twin spelling Hideous Laughter or Suggestion can end an encounter
- Use whichever new third level spell (Fly or Haste) often while twinning it. It will make most encounters a lot easier
- If not holding Concentration on anything else, Darkness/Web are still great choices
- Use your reaction spells (Shield/Silvery Barbs) liberally when you have the slots
Remember to convert excess spell slots from both Sorcerer and Warlock into sorcery points. If you find yourself with a lot of excess slots before a long rest, but you’re out of sorcery points, consider more aggressively converting those slots earlier in the day.
Levels 9-10
Game plan is pretty much the same as last level, but if you thought twinning a Hideous Laughter or Suggestion with Hound of Ill-Omen was good, wait until you do it with a Polymorph and turn multiple tough enemies into frogs for a little bit.
Better yet, you can turn two allies into monsters with Polymorph and Twinned Spell so you can just have multiple T-rexs roaming the field while you’re blasting away. A list of the available beasts you can turn into will be linked right here (remember, Beasts only).
Level 10 is more of the same, but your stuff hits a little bit harder as the ASI brings Charisma to 20.
Level 11-16
With this level, you get one of the largest damage jumps this built will get between the third Eldritch Blast and Animate Objects. If you need pure damage output, using your first action to Animate Objects and your bonus action to command them is a great first step, and then just blasting the hell out of enemies for the rest of the combat, using your bonus action to redirect your objects as necessary, is a great way to do it. While still not much as changed, a quick recap can’t hurt.
TLDR:
Macro Plan: Keep distance, Eldritch Blast when you have the opportunity.
Micro Plans:
- If you need pure damage, Animate Objects is a great choice alongside as many Eldritch Blasts as you can afford to cast. Against a tough single target, you may be tempted to go for a Polymorph with a Hound of Ill-Omen to give yourself time to set up, but enemies at this level likely have Legendary Resistances which would make this plan super unreliable.
- In encounters with bunched up enemies, using Hound of Ill-Omen into twin spelling Hideous Laughter or Suggestion can still end an encounter.
- Use your third level buffs (Fly or Haste) often while twinning it. It will make most encounters a lot easier
- Using Polymorph and potentially twinning it on allies who may be low on spell slots or not as helpful in a particular encounter can be a solid plan. Make sure you know what beasts you can turn into.
- The second level CC spells are much less useful now, but Darkness/Web can still shine in some scenarios.
- Use your reaction spells (Shield/Silvery Barbs) liberally when you have the slots
Remember to convert excess spell slots from both Sorcerer and Warlock into sorcery points. If you find yourself with a lot of excess slots before a long rest, but you’re out of sorcery points, consider more aggressively converting those slots earlier in the day.
Level 12
Same as last level, but you regain Subtle Spell via your Metamagic Features. You also pick up Mirror Image at this point, so if you find yourself being targeted more often, especially when you’re Concentrating on a spell (which you should be doing most of the time), this is solid insurance.
Level 13-16
Once again the plan remains more or less the same, but now you have a new CC option in the form of Mass Suggestion. This spell is just excellent and can really swing a big fight into your favor. In any difficult fight with a lot of enemies, you should definitely use this.
The game plan for these four levels is pretty stagnant as the offensive options stay the exact same at this point. The two main upgrades this build gets in the next few levels is the ASI (I recommend taking War Caster at to get advantage on Concentration saving throws) and your Sorcerous origin feature, Shadow Walk, at level 16 (which is just an upgraded movement option).
TLDR:
Macro Plan: Keep distance, Eldritch Blast when you have the opportunity.
Micro Plans:
- If you need pure damage, Animate Objects is a great choice alongside as many Eldritch Blasts as you can afford to cast. Against a tough single target, you may be tempted to go for a Polymorph with a Hound of Ill-Omen, but enemies at this level likely have Legendary Resistances which would make this plan super unreliable.
- In encounters with bunched up enemies, using Hound of Ill-Omen (potentially even twice for both targets) into twin spelling Hideous Laughter, Suggestion, or even Dominate Monster can still end an encounter. Mass Suggestion can do a similar job is there’s enough enemies to justify casting it. As previously mentioned, Meteor Swarm will also do a reasonable job.
- Use your third level buffs (Fly or Haste) often while twinning it. It will make most encounters a lot easier
- Using Polymorph and potentially twinning it on allies who may be low on spell slots or not as helpful in a particular encounter can be a solid plan. Make sure you know what beasts you can turn into. At this level, the best you’re going to get is the T-Rex which isn’t amazing, but better than just using a cantrip every turn!
- Mirror Image in encounters where, even at a distance, you’re in danger of getting hit with big, single target attacks
- Use your reaction spells (Absorb Elements/Shield/Silvery Barbs) liberally when you have the slots
Remember to convert excess spell slots from both Sorcerer and Warlock into sorcery points. If you find yourself with a lot of excess slots before a long rest, but you’re out of sorcery points, consider more aggressively converting those slots earlier in the day.
Level 17-20
Level 17-18
This brings the penultimate power spike to this build with the fourth and final Eldritch Blast and Dominate Monster, which with Hound of Ill-Omen, can be yet another powerful tool in an encounter (barring Legendary resistances). Level 18 brings your final ASI which I recommend Lucky as the feat is just incredible.
Level 19-20
These last two levels round out your build as you get your last Metamagic Feature (Heightened Spell to make those saving throws tough to pass, and much more importantly, your ninth level spell slot. Your final level also grants your last Sorcerous Origin feature in Umbral Form, making you much harder to kill. With the build completed, let’s go over the game plan one last time.
TLDR:
Macro Plan: Keep distance, Eldritch Blast when you have the opportunity.
Micro Plans:
- While risky, using Wish when you’re desperate is a really strong play.
- If you need pure damage output over multiple turns, Animate Objects is a great choice alongside as many Eldritch Blasts as you can afford to cast. Alternatively, Meteor Swarm is obviously excellent against a group of large enemies. Against a tough single target, you may be tempted to go for a Polymorph with a Hound of Ill-Omen, but enemies at this level likely have Legendary Resistances which would make this plan super unreliable.
- In encounters with bunched up enemies, using Hound of Ill-Omen (potentially even twice for both targets) into twin spelling Hideous Laughter, Suggestion, or even Dominate Monster can still end an encounter. Mass Suggestion can do a similar job is there’s enough enemies to justify casting it. As previously mentioned, Meteor Swarm will also do a reasonable job.
- Use your third level buffs (Fly or Haste) often while twinning it. It will make most encounters a lot easier
- Using Polymorph and potentially twinning it on allies who may be low on spell slots or not as helpful in a particular encounter can be a solid plan. Make sure you know what beasts you can turn into. At this level, the best you’re going to get is the T-Rex which isn’t amazing, but better than just using a cantrip every turn!
- Mirror Image in encounters where, even at a distance, you’re in danger of getting hit with big, single target attacks
- Use your reaction spells (Absorb Elements/Shield/Silvery Barbs) liberally when you have the slots
