The Warlock is one of Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition‘s most diverse and modular classes. Players can customise a Warlock to their liking with their subclass, spell list, and unique Eldritch Invocations mechanic.

Nonetheless, Warlock builds in D&D 5e still have the same underpinnings as any other character. Their D&D 5e race or lineage are fundamental, significant parts of the character that can make or break a Warlock build

The best D&D 5e Warlock races must account for how much the class can do. Some supplement its unique Pact Magic spellcasting. Others lean into its skills as a party face. Others still suit a melee-focused Hexblade build in D&D 5e.

Updated August 21st, 2024: Until the release of D&D 2024, the best D&D 5e Warlock races won’t change much. However, the way I write my content has. As a result, I’m using this medium-length train journey to bring this article up to date and do some boring SEO tweaks.

Variant Human or Custom Lineage Can Cover Any Role

Variant Human and the similar Custom Lineage have a permanent spot on any list of the best races in D&D 5e. This honestly holds even more true for the Warlock than for many other races.

It’s the free feat. It’s always the free feat.

Variant Human is one of the best races for a D&D 5e Warlock build, along with Custom Lineage, however you want to play them.

You can compensate for a Warlock’s limited spell slots through feats like Magic Initiate, Fey Touched, or Strixhaven Initiate. If you want to go more martially inclined (think Hexblade), feats like Polearm Master or Crossbow Expert skyrocket your damage from the off. Alternatively, you can take an evergreen choice like War Caster or Resilient: Constitution.

Nobody’s denying the value of free skills or Darkvision, but the feat is the main attraction here. It’s even more valuable for D&D 5e Hexblade builds, who need Constitution and (some) Dexterity alongside their Charisma, and can take a feat without sacrificing these.

Many races bolster one specific Warlock build. However, Variant Human/Custom Lineage is among the best D&D 5e Warlock races for almost any playstyle.

Earth Genasi Makes Melee Survivable

There is a subset of Warlock races in D&D 5e. Those that are perfectly good for any type of Warlock but shine most of all with one of D&D 5e‘s infamous Hexblade builds.

Earth Genasi is a shining example of this type. Darkvision and Charisma-based spellcasting are invaluable for any Warlock. In particular, Pass Without Trace is one of D&D 5e‘s best spells that lets a Warlock add to the party immensely.

However, the Earth Genasi’s particular features make it one of the best races for a Hexblade in D&D 5e specifically.

Hexblades often fight in melee but lack either top-tier armour or hit points. A bonus action Blade Ward lessens combat’s lethality significantly. Plus, its reasonably stringent limitations prevent it from conflicting with other bonus actions most D&D 5e Warlock builds have, such as Hex or Hexblade’s Curse.

Even better, Blade Ward is a way to boost durability that doesn’t conflict with other sources of temporary hit points. This is staggering with the Armor of Agathys spell, reducing the damage the Warlock takes and ensuring their foe has to take even more to damage them.

Bugbear Makes For an Unexpected Striker

Bugbear often features as a top-tier D&D 5e race. However, this most often happens with martial characters who can make many weapon attacks for the ultimate alpha strike.

Surprise Attack is the Bugbear’s secret weapon. An extra 2d6 damage, any number of times per turn as long as it hits an enemy who hasn’t acted, is obscene. Nowhere in its description does it specify only working with melee weapon attacks.

Unlike most cantrips, a Warlock’s Eldritch Blast makes multiple attacks as it scales, up to four.

I’m pretty sure I don’t need to spell this one out for you.

A Warlock can easily get up to 8d6 bonus damage on an initial strike with D&D 5e‘s most damaging cantrip. Even better, this stacks with other sources of damage like Hexblade’s Curse or Grave Touched.

Fiend Warlocks in D&D 5e can go even further with an upcasted Scorching Ray spell, launching off even more attacks.

Other features, such as free Stealth proficiency, are pretty good. However, you’d pick this build for Surprise Attack first and foremost.

If you want a more flexible character, other options might be better. However, there’s no denying that Bugbear is the best D&D 5e Warlock race for dealing raw damage.

Eladrin Eases A Spell Slot Tax for the Warlock

Warlocks get one of D&D 5e‘s best low-level spells in Misty Step. However, it comes at a steep cost. With only two spell slots per short rest for most of the game, they want to avoid spending them on a teleport spell that doesn’t upscale.

One of Eladrin’s main perks as a D&D 5e Warlock race is negating the need for Misty Step at all. Fey Step is a similar bonus action teleport up to 30 feet with many other perks.

For one, it isn’t a spell. It doesn’t eat up a Warlock’s limited Pact Magic slots. You can use it on the same turn you cast a non-cantrip spell with your action.

For another, Fey Step gets additional riders, many of which use a character’s Charisma (or Intelligence or Wisdom, but you’re a Warlock) to great effect.

Charming enemies, frightening them, lighting them on fire, or teleporting allies instead are fantastic extra abilities for an evergreen utility and combat trait.

The Eladrin offers more on top of that. Keen Senses gives proficiency in D&D 5e‘s best skill. The trance has some useful immunities to sleeping magic, and bonus tool proficiencies on top of that.

All in all, it adds up to a solid D&D 5e Warlock race that eases spell slot taxes, one of the class’s banes.

Fairy Makes For a Mobile, Effective Blaster

Non-Hexblade Warlock builds in D&D 5e tend to be most comfortable at range. They want to hang a long way back and hit enemies with spells (most often Eldritch Blast).

Where safer to hang out than one hundred feet above the fight? At-will Flight is an invaluable way to stay out of trouble and contribute to combat while also having countless uses for out-of-combat utility.

The Fairy is one of the best D&D 5e Warlock races because it gives permanent flight for the minor penalty of being limited to light armour. Most Warlocks can’t wear anything heavier, so this suits them fine.

Even more than just the flight, however, the Fairy’s spellcasting is ideal for a blaster.

Faerie Fire is a fantastic combat support spell that most D&D 5e Warlocks don’t get. By highlighting enemies and giving advantage on attacks against them, a Fairy Warlock can easily pick them off from a vast distance. Your party benefit too!

Enlarge/Reduce is less ideal, but far from unhelpful. Even Faerie Fire’s lack of upcasting isn’t enough to make this not worth it.

Shadar-Kai is Good for Any Warlock and Better for Hexblade

The Shadar-Kai is another Warlock choice that is an even better race for a D&D 5e Hexblade build. Much like the Earth Genasi, this is down to the increased durability it gives.

Blessing of the Raven Queen is much like the Eladrin’s Fey Step, in that it replicates Misty Step without costing a spell known or any spell slots.

Unlike Fey Step’s versatile utility, Blessing of the Raven Queen has one fixed benefit. However, this is a significant one. It gives resistance to all damage until the end of the Warlock’s next turn.

This is a huge boon, one that any D&D 5e Warlock build would appreciate. However, it’s even better for Hexblades, who often fight on the front line with limited hit points. Halving the damage they take several times per day makes this much less frightening.

Much like the Earth Genasi’s Blade Ward, this makes other durability sources more effective and doubles the duration and damage of Armor of Agathys. This comes on top of a significant mobility buff.

The Shadar-Kai’s other benefits as a D&D 5e Warlock race aren’t to be ignored either. Free proficiencies in tools and the Perception skill are helpful. Necrotic Resistance is situational, but still likely to come up several times in the average campaign.

Satyr Offers Social Skills, Mobility, and Protection

Satyr is another frequent arrival on lists of the best races in D&D 5e. It combines singular outstanding features with a grab-bag of other invaluable skills.

For the most basic, Satyr is a good D&D 5e Warlock race for its higher movement speed. Hexblade (and other Pact of the Blade) Warlocks will appreciate the chance to chase enemies down and enter melee quicker. Blaster Warlocks benefit from the opposite, the chance to run away.

This is far from all, however. Satyrs also get proficiency in Performance and Persuasion. These both benefit from the Warlock’s high Charisma. Performance is situational, while Persuasion is the single most important social skill in the game.

Warlocks can easily fill in as the party face in D&D 5e, and the Satyr race means they can do it without sacrificing anything else.

This all pales compared to Magic Resistance. This is the Satyr’s central feature. Advantage on all saving throws against spells is almost peerless as a lineage feature in D&D 5e. Warlocks can struggle with durability and avoiding spell effects – less so as a Satyr.

Even the relatively useless Mirthful Leaps and Ram aren’t able to stop Satyr from being one of the best Warlock races in D&D 5e.

Half-Elf Can Spread Itself Thin and Remain Capable

Half-Elf is rare among the best D&D 5e Warlock races. It doesn’t excel in any one area, being outcompete as a choice for a martial warlock, a spellcasting-focused one, or any other build.

Instead, its sheer versatility is why it can hold its own. No other race in D&D 5e gets the same ability score improvements as the Half-Elf. A +2 and two +1s are ideal for any build that wants to boost one ability score while keeping reasonable Constitution and Dexterity.

Hint hint.

This is ideal for Hexblade Warlock builds in D&D 5e, who need to keep reasonable Armor Class and high hit points, while relying on Charisma for everything. However, no Warlock is going to suffer because they keep three stats topped up.

Half-Elves can take many different variants, but either the base or Drow are the best race choices for a D&D 5e Warlock.

Two free skills lets a Warlock maintain their core social proficiencies while still branching out into other areas. Free casts of Faerie Fire and Darkness (from Half-Drow) are excellent choices for more blasting-focused Warlocks.

Hobgoblin Protects a Warlock’s Limited Pact Magic Slots

Yes, I have noticed how nearly all of the best D&D 5e Warlock races have Fey Ancestry (or even the Fey creature type). It feels fitting, honestly.

Aside from the typical Fey Ancestry features, Hobgoblins give some of D&D 5e‘s most unique race abilities.

Fey Gift lets a D&D 5e Warlock build support its allies while making their enemies’ lives difficult (or much shorter). Warlocks do have some bonus actions, like the Hex spell, but these are infrequent enough that a few Help bonus actions, with riders, shouldn’t clash.

Hobgoblin has more to offer as one of the best D&D 5e Warlock races, however. The most notable is Fortune from the Many. A free bonus to a failed attack roll, ability check, or saving throw is invaluable.

This can, of course, cancel out a missed Eldritch Blast or failed skill check. However, it’s most useful on saving throws – and one saving throw in particular.

Warlocks get plenty of high-level Pact Magic slots per day, but only two per short rest (for most of a D&D 5e campaign). Failing a Concentration saving throw is bad for most spellcasters. It’s a devastating waste of resources for most Warlocks.

Up to +3 on a saving throw is enough to turn many failures into a pass. This stacks with other sources like Bless, Bardic Inspiration, or Flash of Genius for dire circumstances.

For players who want to lean into their Concentration spells, Hobgoblin is likely the best race for a Warlock in D&D 5e.

Thank you for reading this list of the nine best D&D 5e Warlock races. I would really appreciate it if you could like this article and check out other content on Artificial Twenty, like the suggestions below.

If you’re on a Warlock kick, check out ‘The Best (and Worst) Warlock Eldritch Invocations in D&D 5e‘ for more build tips.

Alternatively, check out other Artificial Twenty guides on the best races and lineages, such as this article on the best races for Barbarians in D&D 5e, or this one on the best races for D&D 5e Wizards.