Optimized Bladelock build help
Hi everyone! I need some help creating an optimized, highly powerful Bladelock build using strictly the 2024 rules. Multiclassing is allowed.
I want to focus primarily on melee combat, deal a solid amount of damage, and be tanky enough to hold the front line. That said, looking ahead to subclass options, if the best way to "tank" is actually teleporting around and bursting down key targets, I consider that a valid form of tanking too.
For the most part, I have three major questions:
- Which direction is better to choose?
a) Strength, Greatsword, and Heavy Armor: When looking through guides, this seemed to be the most common route.
b) Dexterity, Medium Armor, and a Shield: When theorycrafting on my own, I thought this combination might be better on average. It seems to offer more out-of-combat utility like Stealth, and the defense is higher, while the damage difference feels negligible.
I would love to hear your thoughts on this, as well as your recommendations for weapon choices.
- Which subclass is the best choice?
I’ve read a lot of opinions and concluded that they are all strong depending on what the player wants, but I’d love to hear your take. My goals are damage and survivability, and I want to know which subclass fulfills this role best.
Fiend: At first, I thought this was the most natural choice. However, I’ve come to realize that its defensive feature is somewhat unreliable since it requires getting a killing blow. It does offer a more aggressive spell list, which is cool, but as far as I understand, we will be spending most of our spell slots on Spirit Shroud anyway, which slightly diminishes the value of that aggressive kit. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the popular Armor of Agathys synergy with the Fiend's temporary HP feature. It seems interesting, but from what I can tell, it’s too unreliable at higher levels when temp HP can be wiped out in a single hit—especially considering that this temp HP is completely vulnerable to ranged attacks.
Celestial: The healing feels incredibly reliable and doesn’t depend on killing enemies. Plus, it can be used on allies. Celestial also provides a decent damage buff via Radiant Soul—especially with a Paladin dip. I saw this trick in a "Celestial Generalist" guide. Except for the Fiend's more aggressive spell list and its solid bonus to saving throws, it feels like the Celestial beats out the Fiend. However, the difference seems razor-thin, and I need an outside perspective.
Great Old One (GOO): I looked into this and it felt more suited for pure casters or melee duelists. I have no doubt you can build a strong Bladelock with it, but how does it stack up against the others?
Archfey: This seems like the hardest one to evaluate. Such massive mobility, combined with other bonus effects, could be incredibly powerful in the vast majority of situations, but completely useless in others. As I mentioned, I want a character that is strong in both damage and survivability, which can also be achieved through Archfey and outperform other subclasses via player's creativity, but I really need a second opinion here.
- From what I understand, to power up a Bladelock, it's best to take a dip into Fighter or Paladin. Which one do you think is better?
What do you guys think of my conclusions?
I would be incredibly grateful if you could help me resolve my doubts, share your experience, and give me some solid advice.
Thank you all so much in advance!