Warlock Guide: Curses, Pacts, and Lord of Hatred

The Warlock in Lord of Hatred is the expansion’s answer to players who want setup damage and battlefield control—not a straight brawl like the Paladin’s oaths in Lord of Hatred, but a kit built on curses, conjured help, and pact bonuses that change the rules. This page is for you: how to read your tools, when to respec, and how your grind connects to Horadric Cube recipes in Lord of Hatred and War Plans in Lord of Hatred.

Warlock class skills: play patterns

Most Warlock class skills ask you to layer effects: apply a curse, position a minion, then burst during a short vulnerability window. That rhythm loves prep-heavy content (boss phases, long elite fights) and tolerates open Skovos events as long as you are not kiting forever on bad affixes. If you are hunting best warlock gear, prioritize items that add duration, reduce cooldowns on your curses, or make pets durable enough for Torment. Cross-reference the tier list page when a patch rebalances dots—this class moves tiers faster than a melee staple.

• Curse weaver. Stack debuffs and DOT pressure so every elite melts under focused fire—ideal for group play when someone else holds aggro.
• Conjurer. Rely on pets and channeled damage to keep you safe. Strong for learn-the-fight runs and for Torment push attempts.
• Pact master. Swap between pact bonuses for different content: speed farming, Nightmare Dungeons, or open-world event chains.

Best builds: season snapshot

Phrases like best builds season 13 are useful for discovery, but treat them as spark notes. Your account’s legendaries, your preferred content ( War Plans in Lord of Hatred vs. pure Echoing Hatred arena farming), and your tolerance for pet pathing will matter more than a streamer’s list. If you are chasing best builds this season, balance survivability (armor, resists) with your main damage skill. The Warlock class skills that feel slow at first often spike once you have key legendaries. Cross-check the Horadric Cube and endgame systems before you respec everything.

Horadric Cube, Talismans, and your build

Warlock builds often have more moving parts, which means more chances to “brick” a reroll. Use the system guide to learn when to reroll affixes vs. when to chase a Talisman in Lord of Hatred conversion. The short version: if you are only missing resists, Talismans and careful rerolls are cheaper than full regearing. If you are missing clear speed, you probably need a different legendary than a cube recipe.

Class video (YouTube)

Back to the Lord of Hatred home guide, or compare roles with the Paladin page before you group up.