Alright, so let’s talk about this whole Dungeons & Dragons thing. Wizards of the Coast brings us this Unearthed Arcana playtest thingy, kinda like test-driving new ideas for D&D. Some ideas totally flop. Like, the Hexblade Warlock redo from May, got people pretty riled up. Yeah, they went in for another round of changes. Whoops!
So, here’s the deal with Warlocks in D&D 5th Edition. They’re usually the ones standing at the back, throwing spells. But the 2017 thing, Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, added this Hexblade subclass. That mix brought a blade from… somewhere mysterious. I read that as Shadowfell? Whatever that is. Anyway, it meant Warlocks could slam swords right up front while rocking heavy armor.
And, boom, Hexblade hits Baldur’s Gate 3 by May’s Patch 8. It’s like, super popular. Why? Huge power, right out of the box. But here’s the catch, the original magic weapon conjuring thing wasn’t that grand. You needed to have beefed-up strength or dexterity, not just charm people with Charisma. Then came Hexblade, letting you hack ‘n slash with charisma pumping through your sword. Sweet, I guess?
Now, get this. Hexblade didn’t make the 2024 Player’s Handbook. But they jazzed up the Pact of the Blade. Basically, Warlocks can pop a magic weapon just like that! Plus, they can dish out three damage types now—nice perk. And oh, Charisma’s back in the game for attacks. Eldritch Mind invocation helps ‘em stay focused, even if they take a hit, which is kinda big for Warlocks, if I’m honest.
But here’s the snag. With these changes, Hexblade felt a bit… useless. Even if your DM lets you blend in old and new rules (Xanathar’s stuff with new 2024 rules), it’s off. D&D actually tried giving Hexblade a fresh coat by May’s Horror Subclasses Unearthed Arcana. They tossed the Shadowfell stuff and focused on deals with thinking weapons. Cool, history-wise? Yep. But not so much for folks who loved clashing swords.
June’s update came with Arcane Subclasses Unearthed Arcana, trying to fix things up. They added stuff like Hungering Hex, where you get a health boost when your target hits the floor. Then there’s Unyielding Will, which helps you fix basically, and even hits enemies when you hold concentration. The Harrowing Hex? Yeah, that’s neat for slashing while spell-casting.
Still, neither update gave Hexblades back their medium armor skills, which they originally had. Accursed Shield was meant as a counter-balance, but it kinda flops. Like seriously, it wants you to ditch armor? Eh. Better to stay with light armor and focus on Blade stuff.
Honestly, this class seemed OP originally—bit flimsy in terms of style, with a level 6 specter thing that might bug Paladins. So, a bit of a revamp sounds fair. Good on developers for tuning in to player uproar. Hopefully, by the final release, Hexblade might actually be playful instead of just all-powerful.
