Welcome to our Warlock Hellbringer Guide, updated for Mod 18: Infernal Descent and Mod 19 Avernus.
To learn more about the new mod, check out our mod 19 Avernus guide.
The Warlock class was introduced in Tyranny of Dragons. They are a spellcasting class that uses their dark powers to damage their foes and can also heal themselves and their allies.
Hellbringer is the Warlock DPS build, but they can also heal as a Soulweaver. See our Warlock Soulweaver build here.
The purpose of our class guides is not just to show you a build that you can copy and use on your character, but to show you a base build and teach you the mechanics and stats of the game, so you can understand and play your class to its fullest capabilities.
Try different gear, feats,
Guide Contents
Basic Warlock Hellbringer Info
Other Warlock Builds
Best Warlock Hellbringer Races
- Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – 3% + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
- Dragonborn – 3% HP + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
- Tiefling – 5% + Damage to targets below 50% health – +2 Cha and +2 Con or Int – 10% to reduce damage of target for 5 sec by 2.5%
- Sun Elf – 2% Action Point Gain – +2 Int and Dex or Cha – 10% Control Resistance
Warlock Hellbringer Ability Score Priority
Put all your available Ability Scores into Intelligence and Dexterity.
Warlock Hellbringer Stat / Rating Priority
Offensive Stats:
- Armor Penetration (Caps at 90K)
- Critical Strike (Caps at 90k)
- Accuracy (Caps at 90k)
- Combat Advantage (Caps at 140k)
- Power (No Cap)
Defensive Stats:
- Defense (Caps at 90K)
- Deflection (Caps at 90K)
- Critical Avoidance (Caps at 95K)
- Awareness (Caps at 100K)
- Health (No Cap)
Warlock Hellbringer Paragon Path, Powers & Rotation
Warlock Hellbringer Combat Powers
At-Will Powers:
- Hellish Rebuke (ST) – Eldritch Blast (AoE)
- Hand of Blight (ST) – Dark Helix (AoE)
Encounter Powers:
- Killing Flames
- Blades of Vanquished Armies
- Hadar’s Grasp (ST) – Fiery Bolt (AoE)
Daily Powers:
- Tyrannical Curse
- Gates of Hell (AoE)
Class Features:
- All Consuming Curse (ST) – No Pity No Mercy (AoE)
- Deadly Curse (ST) – Dark Prayers (AoE)
Warlock Hellbringer Feats
- Power of the Nine Hells (ST) – Double Scorch (AoE)
- Warlock’s Curse
- Risky Investment
- Creeping Death
- Soul Spark Recovery
Warlock Hellbringer Boons
You should always choose boons based on what stats you currently need. Therefore a selection of several viable boons is available to you for each tier.
At end-game, you should hit the stat caps without needing any of the boons.
Tier 1 Boons
- Recruit’s Training – 250 Power
- Critical Strike – 250 Crit
- Cultist Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Cultist Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. Cultists.
Tier 2 Boons
- Squire’s Training – 250 Power
- Armor Penetration – 250 Armor Penetration
- Demonic Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Demonic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. demons.
Tier 3 Boons
- Knight’s Training – 250 Power
- Combat Advantage – 250 Combat Advantage
- Dino Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Simple Support – 2% Companion Influence
- Dino Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. dinos.
Tier 4 Boons
- Captain’s Training – 250 Power
- Accuracy – 250 Accuracy
- Necrotic Bulwark – 1000 HP
- Necrotic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. undead.
Tier 5 Boons (Choose 2)
- Severe Criticism – 1% Crit Severity per rank
- Call of Power – 1% Action Point gain per rank
- Quick Turnaround – 1% Recovery Speed per rank.
Master Boons
- Blood Lust 3/3
Guild Boons
- Offense – Power
- Defense – Hit Points
Warlock Hellbringer Weapons & Gear
If you are new to Neverwinter and need to know how to get better gear and increase your item level, check out our Gearing Up Guide.
The best way to gear up in Neverwinter is by making a lot of Astral Diamonds, check out our Astral Diamond Guide to learn all the secrets of AD farming.
Head
- Lion’s Guard Mystic Cowl (Best in Slot)
- Protege’s Charmed Hat
- Broken Cap of the Omnipotent
Armor
- Ebony Stained Robes (Best in Slot)
Arms
- Lion’s Guard Wristguards
- Vivified Primal Raid Shabas
Feet
- Rusted Iron Leggings (Best in Slot)
Weapons
- Celestial Set
- Lionheart Set
- Legion Guard Set
- Alabaster / Burnished Set
Main Hand Modification
- Enhanced Hellish Rebuke
Offhand Modifications:
- Critical Severity
Rings
- Guiding Ring of the Sharp-shooter
- Ring of the Shadowstalker +4/+5
- Nickel-Plated Ring
Neck & Waist
- Mad Mage Set
Shirt
- Ebony Stained Shirt
- Infernal Forged Assault Shirt
Pants
- Pants of the Sentinel
- Ebony Stained Pants
- Protégé’s Raid/Ward Trousers
- Velvet Trousers +1
Warlock Hellbringer Artifacts
Primary Artifact
- Envenomed Storyteller’s Journal
- Wyvern-Venom Coated Knives
- Staff of Flowers
Secondary Artifacts
Choose secondary artifacts based on the stats you are lacking.
- Frozen Storyteller’s Journal
- Flayed Storyteller’s Journal
- Darkened Storyteller’s Journal
- Arcturia’s Music Box
- Trobriands Ring
- Staff of Flowers
- Halaster’s Blast Scepter
Warlock Hellbringer Enchantments
When getting enchantments, always get the ones with the stats you are lacking in with your gear, boons, etc in mind. For example, if you’ve capped Crit with your gear and boons, don’t get azure enchantments for your offense slots. If you still need to refine your enchantments, see our Refinement Guide for tips on how to farm refinement.
Offense Enchantments
- One Tenebrous Enchantment
- Radiant Enchantments
Defense Enchantments
- Radiant Enchantment
Utility Enchantments
- Tactical Enchantment
- Dark Enchantment
- Fey’s Blessing / Dragon’s Hoard / Quartermaster’s Enchantment
Armor Enchantments
- Barkshield Enchantment
- Soulforged Enchantment
Weapon Enchantments
- Bilethorn Enchantment
Overload Enchantments
- Demonic Empowerment / Bulwark Of Brimstone from Hell Pit
- Various Marks from Stronghold Vendor
- Corrupt Black Ice / Lethal / Piercing
- Black / Red Dragon Glyph
Armor Reinforcement Kits
- Power Kit
Jewelry Reinforcement Kits
- Combat Advantage Jewel
Warlock Hellbringer Consumables & Buffs
Consider getting VIP for the Power of VIP HP buff if you aren’t already. Also always stand in campfires to get the +1 ability campfire buff.
Get one from each of the rows below:
- Empowered Chain of Scales (Best in Slot) > Adorable Pocket Pet > Tymora’s Lucky Coin
- Wild Storm Elixir > Elixir of Fate
- Squash Soup > Watermelon Sorbet
Warlock Hellbringer Companions
Summoned Companion
The most important thing to consider for a summoned companion is to get an Augment Companion. There are a bunch to choose from, some have more useful powers than others.
- Bulette Pup
- Deepcrow Hatchling
- Owlbear Cub
- Ioun Stones
- Quasit
Enchantment Power
- Potent Precision
Companion Powers
Below is a selection of viable companion powers.
Offense Powers
- Tamed Velociraptor – 2000 Power per party member using it.
- Staldorf – 8000 Combat advantage
- Deepcrow Hatchling – 8000 Power
- Batiri – 4% Damage against bosses
Defense Powers
- Minstrel – 4000 Power and 2000 Awereness
- Broom – 4% Critical Severity
- Splinters – 4% Critical Severity and 2000 Critical Avoidance
- Green Slime – 8000 Defense
- Phase Spider – 2000 Critical strike and 4000 combat advantage
Utility Powers
- Alpha Compy – 5% Power
- Owlbear Cub – 10% chance to hit for 50% of you Power
Companion Equipment
Double offense slotted “Of the Companion” gear
Companion Runestones
Empowered Runestone
Warlock Hellbringer Mounts
When choosing a Legendary Mount for the Mount Powers, look for a mount that has both a useful equip and combat power. The best choice for a first legendary mount as a Warlock Hellbringer is a Swarm or a Tenser’s Floating Disk.
What other mounts you use is not that important. What is important is to get the right insignia bonuses, and many different mounts can offer the various bonuses. To find out what mount has the bonus you want, check out our Insignia Bonus Guide.
Mount Insignia Bonuses
All classes and specs should consider using Wanderer’s Fortune before you have refined all your gear and enchantments, for extra refinement every day.
- Assassin’s Covenant
- Cavalry’s Warning
- Combatant’s Maneuver
- Artificer’s Persuasion
- Gladiator’s Guile
- Survivor’s Gift
- Survivor’s Blessing
- Barbarian’s Revelry
Insignia Type
Brutality / Dominance for Power, or alternatively any other with stats you need. You can also use Insignia’s to get your defensive stats to cap for survivability.
Warlock Hellbringer Mount Powers
Mount Equip Power:
5000 or 10000 Power
Mount Combat Power:
Bat Swarm (Swarm) (Best in Slot) > Tenser’s Transformation
If you have any questions or suggestions about our Neverwinter Warlock Hellbringer guide, please leave a comment below! More info about the Warlock class can be found at The Neverwinter Reddit.
For the latest Neverwinter news, go to the MMOCULT Neverwinter Hub.
Just curious on the Bis weapons and off hand for Hellbringer?
Right now its the lion heart the is bis and the new legion weapons that are second up
Saw that you updated this, thank you!
nice build ty <3
Any way you can rank your recommendations in a cost/benefit way for those who do not have unlimited AD and don’t spend cash on the game? And please also elaborate on “bolster,” as this seems to be something that is not so clear in game
If you have it the Fierce Predator equip power gives 5k power and arm pen 🙂
Why would you want dex and not cha or something like that just wondering
Robes of the Last Profit (Best in Slot)
Not sure how this hears Hags rags… you gain 125power up to 2mins.. vs an flat 3% damg gain… Lomm bosses take longer than 2mins so youd lose this buff. Which in turn makes this armor pc useless.
why is the orcus set still so good? is it still better then new set’s?
why is the orcus set still best? it seems not better then newer sets imo. can anyone explain it to me?
From my understanding robes would better than rags because you can only use 2x gear perk. So ideally youd have 2 ebonized raid rings for snipers perk and in turn rendering the snipers perk from rags useless. The bis gear perk after that and once all other stats are capped would be power which I think is what the robes give you with gladiators might. The extra power for 2 minutes would be better than having a useless 3rd snipers perk equipped.
The 3% damage budd only stacks twice. So you could run two Ebonized Rings and be able to move on from Hags Rags.
I don’t understand having “Risky Investment” without having a skill that summons “Soul Puppet”…
Will this be uptaded?
So creeping death isnt great anymore?
This guide has been updated for mod 18 Infernal Descent! See you in Avernus!
The At-Will info appears incorrect. It suggests Dark Spiral Aura but that was removed with M16. Can you update this guide please? What else is out of date?
I just started to update my character and found it to be inaccurate. Now I’m in between updating the points and don’t know what to do next.
I am just coming back after 2 yr hiatus, great guide. What about rotations for aoe and st/boss fights?
This may sound stupid, but I am a nub to this game. I have a warlock, and what to to know which path is the best, and how the hell to switch to a differant path. Yeah, yeah, nub.
Thanks,
Fennery