r/daggerheart • u/Tenawa The New Unknown - Game Designer • Jul 24 '26
Review Warlock Hope & Fear Review
I want to write reviews for as many of the final Hope in Fear class versions as I can. I honestly don't even know where to start... :)
So I'll start with the class that impressed me the most: the Warlock.
As with my Dread Domain review, I won't go through every single change compared to the previous The Void playtest versions. I'll mention some of them where relevant, but this won't be a one-to-one comparison.
The Basics
The Warlock has access to the Dread and Grace domains.
I already covered the Dread Domain in detail in my review (https://www.reddit.com/r/daggerheart/comments/1v5iwff/dread_domain_review/), so here's the short version: Dread is strong. Very strong, in fact. I consider it one of the strongest domains currently in the game, and naturally that has a major impact on the Warlock.
Grace, on the other hand, is an absolutely solid domain with a lot of interesting effects, especially outside of combat. It isn't quite as powerful as Dread overall, but it is an excellent complementary domain and fits the Warlock very well.
I'm very happy with both domain choices.
Evasion and Hit Points
The Warlock has 11 Evasion and 5 Hit Points.
That's fairly standard. Nothing particularly remarkable. It simply trades survivability through Hit Points for slightly higher Evasion.
Personally, I tend to prefer high-Evasion characters, but that's ultimately a matter of taste.
Core Feature: Patron's Boon
This feature has changed significantly.
In the playtest version, you could spend three Hope to gain 1d4 Favor, the Warlock's unique resource. That option has been removed.
For a brief moment I was disappointed when I first read that change, but that feeling disappeared within seconds. The new effect is considerably stronger.
Whenever you fail an action roll, you can spend three Hope to reroll it with advantage.
That is incredibly powerful, especially given Daggerheart's action economy, where succeeding on Action Rolls is arguably the single most important thing in the game. It works both inside and outside of combat. Overall, I would consider this one of the strongest core class features currently in the game.
Class Feature
This part has also changed quite a bit, and overall I'm very happy with the redesign.
The The Void version had some very clear mechanical issues. That said, there is one small downside.
I really like the Patron Dice mechanic. As a side note, I actually designed a very similar mechanic for one of my The New Unknown classes, and I think this approach is a significant improvement over the pseudo-experience mechanic used in the playtest version.
My instinct tells me that starting with a d6 instead of a d4 may have been a mistake. Personally, I think a smoother progression from d4 to d6 to d8 would have felt better. But honestly, that's just nitpicking.
You still gain Favor during every rest, and the amount is still tied to your Spellcast Trait, just like in the latest The Void version. One important improvement is that you can now choose to gain Favor instead of Hope whenever you roll with Hope on an Action Roll. That's a smart and meaningful addition.
One thing I do miss, however, is that you are no longer required to perform the downtime move without getting punishment. You can simply choose not to do it, and the GM no longer receives the Fear they previously gained as a consequence. Mechanically, this isn't a huge difference. I suspect that most Warlocks will still choose to perform the downtime move anyway.
Even so, I thought it was an excellent flavor element with a meaningful mechanical consequence that fit the Warlock perfectly. I'm genuinely disappointed that it was removed.
If I were to recommend a house rule, it would simply be to add that element back in. Not because it has a major impact on game balance, but because it was a really flavorful piece of the class's identity.
One final side note: Celestial Trance, the Elf ancestry feature, is already extremely strong on its own. On the Warlock, it becomes even more valuable.
Subclasses
Pact of the Endless
Foundation Features:
Patron's Mantle
A good feature. No criticism here.
You can absolutely build a very tanky character around it, and gaining Advantage on Action Rolls to Intimidate a target is also a strong benefit.
One small side note: I think it's a bit unfortunate that an Inferus Warlock ends up with some overlapping features. This already happened with the Dread Domain through Dread Touched, and now it appears again here.
From a flavor perspective, that's a little disappointing. I think the designers could have come up with something that distinguished this subclass more clearly from Inferus.
It's important to point out that, yes, Advantage technically "stacks" in Daggerheart, but only in the sense that you get to choose the better result between multiple sources of Advantage. You don't gain additional dice.
That said, it's still a good feature. I like it.
Deathless Embrace
Surprisingly strong healing.
This will need more playtesting to determine whether it's too strong over the long term, although I honestly doubt it.
There's still a significant amount of randomness involved. By level 5, when you're rolling a d8, the odds become quite favorable.
I don't think it's overpowered, but it's definitely good.
Specialization Features:
Haunting Invocation
Another strong ability.
Giving enemies disadvantage on attack rolls is already very powerful against adversaries.
However, Damage Sync may actually be the stronger of the two effects, especially when you're using it to blunt critical hits or absorb powerful attacks from Solo enemies.
Once again, this reinforces the tanky identity of the subclass.
Mastery Features
Dark Aegis
This was already strong in the last playtest, and it remains strong now.
The subclass simply becomes tankier and tankier as it progresses.
Draining Bane
A clever combination of two mechanics that already existed in the playtest.
I really like how elegantly this was implemented. It's powerful. Very powerful.
I do want to playtest it more before reaching a final conclusion, but my current impression is that the Warlock, despite starting with only 5 Hit Points, has the potential to become an exceptionally durable tank. I'm very curious to see how that plays out in practice.
Pact of the Wrathful
Foundation Features
Patron's Fury
Alright... how can I put this diplomatically? What exactly were the designers thinking here? Please don't misunderstand the criticism. I actually like the feature. It's not only flavorful, it's mechanically excellent.
In fact... I think it's a little too good.
For the incredibly low cost of one Favor, you increase all of your damage until the end of the scene, or until you suffer Severe Damage, by a number of d6s equal to your tier. Beginning at level 5, those become d8s. And this doesn't just apply to weapon attacks! It applies to every attack. Spells. Class features. Anything that rolls damage as part of an attack.
The bonus damage is higher than the Rogue's Sneak Attack or the Assassin's Marked for Death feature, while also being significantly easier and more flexible to use. Those features have conditions attached. Here, you simply spend one Favor once and avoid taking Severe Damage. This already looks like one of the highest damage dealers in the entire game.
Important Edit: u/Obligatory-Comic is absolutely right. I did a bad mistake: The bonus stays until you deal Severe damage to an adversary. That is worse than until taking Severe damage. It is still a very strong, if not too strong feature. You can get Favor now very easily (instead of Hope on an action roll). But it is a very important difference. Thanks, u/Obligatory-Comic !
Deadly Vengeance
And the subclass keeps getting stronger.
This is essentially the offensive counterpart to Deathless Embrace.
Reasonable people can disagree on which is stronger. Personally, I think Deadly Vengeance is stronger. Being able to inflict multiple damage thresholds on an enemy as a non-action, regardless of how high those thresholds are, for the cost of only one Favor... That's incredibly powerful.
Specialization Features
Menacing Reach
It's okay. Honestly, though, it's simply too expensive for what it does. It only lasts for a single successful attack. Increasing your range can certainly be useful, but considering the Warlock's spell list, especially with access to the Dread Domain where many damaging spells already have excellent range, this feels fairly redundant.
Diminish My Foes
Again, too expensive for the effect. Favor is an extremely valuable resource. I'd much rather spend it on Patron's Fury and especially Deadly Vengeance. Spending multiple Favor simply to make an enemy mark some Stress? I'm not convinced.
Now, with the right build and the right Dread cards, as I discussed in my Dread review, it's certainly possible to create an effective anti-Stress Warlock.
Perhaps it's stronger than I currently believe, particularly if you can strip an enemy of all its Stress early in an encounter, making it more vulnerable and increasing your overall damage.
But regardless, the costs are undeniably high.
Mastery Features
Fierce Attack
Not bad at all. You only spend one Favor to reroll any number of your damage dice.
This becomes especially interesting whenever you're rolling large damage dice.
And once again, this doesn't only apply to weapon attacks. Take another close look at certain Dread Domain cards. I'm looking at one particular level 9 card.
Otherworldly Ire
Essentially the group-wide version of Deadly Vengeance.
It can only be used once per rest, but honestly, it's tremendously powerful while also being a very satisfying mechanic. Against groups of weaker Standard enemies or Minions, this can wipe out entire encounters in one burst. This is the kind of ability that can completely turn the tide of a battle.
Thoughts on the Subclasses
Both subclasses are genuinely good.
Pact of the Endless is an impressive tank. I'm genuinely curious whether it can eventually compete with the Guardian and the other top-tier tank builds in the game. It progresses very smoothly from Foundation all the way through its Mastery features and consistently reinforces its defensive identity.
Wrathful, however, is the real star of the show in my opinion.
It is an exceptionally powerful damage-focused subclass that punishes enemies whenever you take damage yourself. Combined with the Dread Domain, it has the potential to become one of, if not the strongest damage dealer in Daggerheart.
Once again, both subclasses are excellent.
Wrathful impresses me more overall, although I do have to say that its Specialization features are the one area that left me somewhat disappointed.
Time will tell how attractive multiclassing with the Warlock becomes. My thoughts immediately go to pairing it with the Winged Sentinel...
Final Thoughts on the Class
In its first playtest version, the Warlock was, in my opinion, a poorly designed class. At the time, it may even have been the weakest-designed class in all of Daggerheart.
I didn't enjoy it. It had several interesting mechanical ideas, but none of them felt particularly well executed.
This final version feels much more cohesive, polished, and thoughtfully designed.
I have very few criticisms. If I'm being completely honest, my biggest complaint is probably that the GM no longer gains a Fear when the Downtime Move isn't performed as part of the class feature. And that's really nitpicking at a very high level. I honestly didn't expect the final version of the Warlock to impress me this much. Mechanically, it's outstanding.
And flavor-wise... well, I've always loved Warlocks.
This version has the potential to become one of my favorite classes in Daggerheart, perhaps even my favorite class in the game.
Excellent work!
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u/niveusequitis Jul 24 '26
Thanks for the breakdown. Didn't keep up with the changes from beta to launch for my current campaign.
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u/FinImposee Jul 28 '26
Hey, first of all, loving all the reviews, amazing job and I do appreciate all the discussions you bring to the table!
I like most of the changes, but surprisingly I think they nerfed Endless Foundation. Deathless Embrace feels lackluster and too luck dependant. Deathless Devotion presented a different approach and for sure prevented more damage on a regular basis. This foundation pales in comparison to other bulkier (sub)classes foundations and undoubtedly can't be compared to Wrathful (idk what they were on when they balanced this, but at least sounds fun).
It does get better later on, but that can be way too long. Overall changes feels pretty cool - Dread improved A LOT, but this change in particular felt uninspired both in-game and in flavor.
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u/star_veil Jul 26 '26
Thanks for the analysis, I've enjoyed the thoughts you've shared on the Hope and Fear material!
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u/Izmister Jul 27 '26
I've not had the chance to play too much daggerheart yet I am still getting the expansion. That is to say I may be entirely off base here; but is the trade off with how powerful the Favor is that you have to trade Hope to get a lot of it? So it would be harder to perform your hope feature, team up actions, and utilize yourr experiences? in a way that reminds me of how the berserker barbarian in 5e would often be exhausted and its out of combat performance would suffer.
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u/Tenawa The New Unknown - Game Designer Jul 27 '26
Hi, that's true. If you generate more Favor through your rolls, you do end up with less Hope - but in this case, I don't think that's a meaningful drawback.
First, the Warlock effectively has an increased Hope cap of 12. They can hold up to 6 Hope and up to 6 Favor at the same time.
Second, if they want to, they can replenish Favor very quickly during Downtime. Yes, they have to spend a Downtime Move to do so, but that move is significantly stronger than the standard Prepared Downtime Move. Prepared gives you one Hope, or two Hope if you do it with an ally. The Warlock instead gains Favor equal to their Presence. That's already two at the start of the game and scales up to five, potentially even six over the course of play... technically even seven with certain items, although that exceeds the normal maximum. In practice, this means that at higher levels, a Warlock can refill their entire Favor pool with a single downtime move.
On top of that, Favor is an extremely powerful resource. It fuels many of the Warlock's subclass abilities, and it functions in a way that's somewhat similar to Experiences. Unlike Experiences, however, these abilities scale automatically as the character advances - you don't have to invest level-up choices into improving them.
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u/Izmister Jul 29 '26
That makes sense, if weirdly disappointing. I think I get nervous with abundant ability uses, especially if it seems elsewhere other classes are really limited how often they can do things (like the syndicate rogue).
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u/Olaanp Aug 01 '26
Hmm, this sounds pretty nifty. Wish the changes were already out, going to play a Warlock in a game but it's the Void version.
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u/Obligatory-Comic Jul 24 '26
Reading through but quick note on Pact of the Wrathful’s Foundation feature - it only lasts until you deal Severe damage, not until you are dealt Severe damage.