Baldur’s Gate 3 Pact of the Blade explained

Baldur’s Gate 3’s unique Warlock class has a special feature called the Pact Boon. There are multiple Boons included in this, one of which is the Pact of the Blade. Boons can be quite difficult to understand at first, so here’s everything you need to know about the Pact of the Blade in Baldur’s Gate 3.

Warlocks are Charisma-based spellcasters in Baldur’s Gate 3 who are also versatile with a melee weapon. While they don’t compare to the Wizard and Sorcerer classes in terms of magical power, their unique features make up for it. Among these are their signature Cantrip, the Eldritch Blast, as well as their Pact Boon.

The Pact of the Blade is a Boon that allows Warlocks to summon melee weapons. Each of these weapons scales up with its Charisma stat, helping them deal massive damage in close range. With that in mind, here’s all the information about the Warlock’s Pact of the Blade feature in Baldur’s Gate 3.

• How does Pact of the Blade Work
• What kind of weapons to bind with Pact of the Blade
• What Powers does Pact of the Blade unlock

How does Pact of the Blade Work in Baldur’s Gate 3?

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Pact of the Blade works similarly to the base rules from D&D, where the Warlock can summon a Magical Weapon from a wide selection pool. Those weapons can be bound to the Warlock, and when used in combat, they will gain the properties of a spell-like attack.

Warlocks just need to cast Summon Pact Weapon outside of combat, and a weapon of that kind will manifest in their hands or in their inventory if they are already holding a weapon when they summon their Pact Weapon.

Then, they need to cast Bind Pact Weapon, which is a Class Action, to bind themselves to the weapon. Warlocks can only be bound or summon one Pact Weapon at the same time. Summoned Pact Weapons will last until you take a Long Rest, so you need to re-summon and re-bound each time you take a Long Rest.

Pact Weapons calculate their hit chances and damage scores based on your highest spellcasting attribute, meaning Charisma, for example, instead of Dexterity or Strength. They also have additional properties and are considered Magical Weapons, so the Damage they do overcomes certain Resistances.

Warlocks will become immediately proficient with their Bound Pact Weapon, meaning that they will unlock the weapon’s full potential and their various Action Skills.

They also have the ‘Bound’ property, which makes the Warlock immune to effects like Disarming, Weak Grip, or spells like Heat Metal that make you drop your weapons.

All weapons to bind with Pact of the Blade in Baldur’s Gate 3

In Baldur’s Gate 3, Pact of the Blade Warlocks have a full arsenal of weapons at their disposal, so when they Summon a Pact Weapon, they can pick from the following list:

• Warhammer – Versatile – Bludgeoning 1d10/1d8
• Battleaxe – Versatile – Slashing – 1d10 /1d8
• Trident – Versatile – Slashing – 1d10 /1d8
• Rapier – Versatile – Slashing – 1d10 /1d8
• Greatsword – Versatile – Slashing – 1d10 /1d8
• Glaive – Versatile – Slashing – 1d10 /1d8

Finally, Warlocks can attune themselves to any Magical Weapons by using Bind Pact Weapon. These bound Magical Weapons will act as Summoned Pact Weapons once bound to a Warlock, and they are far more superior than any base Summoned weapon.

Certain Magical Weapons you find in Baldur’s Gate 3 will have the ‘Pact Weapon’ property and will unlock additional powers when bound to a Warlock or Eldritch Knight. Here’s a list of some of those weapons and where to find them:

• Sethan – Battleaxe +3 – Sold by Ferg Drogher, in Rivington – Unlocks the Reduce and Versatile Property when Bound.
• Sword of Chaos – Greatsword +2 – Dropped by Sarevok – Unlocks extra 1d6 healing per hit when Bound.
• Infernal Rapier – Rapier +2 – Wyll’s Hidden Weapon, Granted by Mizora – Unlocks +1 to enchantment and Spell saves when Bound by Wyll.
• Eldritch Shortwsord – +1 Shorstword – Sold by Blurg, in the Myconid Circle, when Bound unlocks 1d4 extra piercing damage.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Pact of the Blade unlocks Powers

In Baldur’s Gate 3, picking Pact of the Blade with your Warlock at Level 3 will immediately unlock the Class Actions Summon Pact Weapon and Bind Pact Weapon.

By progressing even further, at level 5, your Warlock will gain the Deepened Pact Class Feature. Deepened Pact enhances the Pact Holder powers even further, and, for Pact of the Blade, it grants an Extra Attack that, for a Spellcasting-based class, is a great addition to their arsenal.

That’s all you need to know about Pact of the Blade Warlocks in Baldur’s Gate 3. For more information and guides, you can also check the following:

Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Paladin build: Race, subclass, background, more | Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Rogue build: Race, subclass, background, more | Best Baldur’s Gate 3 Ranger build: Race, subclass, background, more | Best weapons in Baldur’s Gate 3: Stats, tips & where to find them  | How to craft Potions in Baldur’s Gate 3: Ingredients, recipes & more  | Baldur’s Gate 3: How to get Scratch companion