What is Eldritch Blast in D&D 5e? An In-Depth Look (with Usage Tips & More)

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How to use Eldritch Blast to its fullest and decimate your enemies
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Are you trying to choose the best spells possible for your warlock character and wondering what all the fuss is about Eldritch Blast? We’ve got you covered! Eldritch Blast is one of the most popular warlock cantrips (and overall spells) for good reason; it deals a decent amount of force damage per hit, scales as you level up, and doesn’t cost spell slots to cast. In this article, we’ll cover all the details of Eldritch Blast, including how to use it, how to maximize it, and why it’s worth using if you plan to play a warlock in D&D 5e.

Eldritch Blast: Quick Overview

Eldritch Blast is a cantrip for warlocks in D&D 5e. Casting it releases a beam of energy; you can choose a target within range and make a ranged spell attack. If you hit, the target takes 1d10 force damage. Eldritch Blast makes multiple beams at higher levels: 2 at 5th, 3 at 11th, and 4 at 17th level.

Section 1 of 5:

What is Eldritch Blast in D&D 5e?

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  1. Casting Eldritch Blast releases a beam of energy toward a target within range. You must make a ranged spell attack against your target; they take 1d10 force damage on a hit. The spell creates multiple beams at higher levels, and you can target the same creature with each beam or different ones, making separate attack rolls for each beam. [1]
    • Casting time : 1 action
    • Range : 120 feet
    • Target : A creature within range
    • Duration : Instantaneous
    • Components : Verbal and somatic
    • School : Evocation
    • Classes : Warlock
    • Number of beams : The spell produces one beam at 1st level, two beams at 5th level, three beams at 11th level, and four beams at 17th level.
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Section 2 of 5:

How does Eldritch Blast work?

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  1. Eldritch Blast requires a ranged spell attack roll to cast—which means you’ll need to roll a 20-sided die (d20) and add your PC’s spell attack modifier (which is equal to your PC’s spellcasting ability modifier + their proficiency bonus). If the attack roll equals or exceeds your target’s armor class (AC), your Eldritch Blast will hit! [2]
    • A PC’s (player character’s) spellcasting ability is the ability score they use to cast spells, and their spellcasting ability modifier is the modifier associated with that score.
    • So, if you’re playing a warlock—which is the only class that can cast Eldritch Blast—your PC’s spell attack modifier would be their Charisma (CHA) modifier + their proficiency bonus.
  2. In D&D 5e, cantrips are the lowest tier of spells, and instead of costing spell slots (which determine the number of spells you can cast per day), cantrips can be cast at will. Thus, you don’t need to worry about using up your Eldritch Blasts for the day; you can cast it as much as you like, so long as you have an action. [3]
    • Every spell and cantrip takes a certain amount of time to cast. Since Eldritch Blast’s casting time is 1 action, that means you must use your action in a turn to cast it.
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Section 3 of 5:

Is Eldritch Blast good?

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  1. Out of all the spells and weapons available to warlocks, Eldritch Blast is probably the one you’ll use the most. Its damage is on par with ranged weapons (like crossbows), superior to other cantrips, targets multiple creatures at higher levels, and it deals force damage, which barely any creatures are resistant or immune to. [4]
    • In D&D, having resistance to a certain type of damage means creatures can reduce incoming damage by half, and having immunity means creatures won’t take any damage.
    • While many resistances and immunities are common (like fire or cold damage), force damage resistance is extremely rare.
    • Thus, a cantrip like Fire Bolt—which does the same amount of damage and has the same range as Eldritch Blast—still won’t be as useful in any situation.
    • Plus, being able to roll an attack for each beam when casting Eldritch Blast means you’re more likely to deal at least some damage, even if not every beam hits.
Section 4 of 5:

How to Upgrade & Maximize Eldritch Blast

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  1. Eldritch Invocations are perks that come with the warlock class, allowing you to customize your warlock’s abilities, buffs, and spellcasting. You can choose a certain number of invocations as your PC levels up—and some invocations are designed to augment or work with Eldritch Blast. [5]
    • Agonizing Blast . This allows you to add your PC’s Charisma modifier to the spell’s damage.
    • Eldritch Spear . This extends the range of Eldritch Blast to 300 feet.
    • Grasp of Hadar . Once per turn, when you hit a creature with Eldritch Blast, you can move it up to 10 feet closer to you in a straight line.
    • Lance of Lethargy . Once per turn, when you hit a creature with Eldritch Blast, you can reduce its speed by 10 feet.
    • Repelling Blast . When you hit a creature with Eldritch Blast, you push it up to 10 feet away in a straight line.
    • Kiss of Mephistopheles . When you hit a creature with Eldritch Blast, you can target it with a Fireball spell, as a bonus action, using a warlock spell slot.
    • Raven Queen’s Blessing . When you score a critical hit with Eldritch Blast, you or an ally of your choice within 30 feet can expend a hit die, regaining hit points equal to the roll + the creature’s Constitution modifier.
  2. Since CHA is the warlock’s spellcasting ability score, a higher CHA score means your Eldritch Blasts will be more likely to hit targets (since your spell attack modifier will be higher, too). So, look for different ways to raise your PC’s CHA score as you level up. For example: [6]
    • ASI . You can take ability score improvements (ASIs) when you level up, adding +1 or +2 to your CHA score.
    • Feats . Some feats, including Actor, Fey Touched, Telepathic, Resilient, and Performer can boost your CHA score by +1.
    • Magic items . A few magic items, like the Tome of Leadership and Influence and Ioun Stone (Leadership), can boost your CHA score by +2.
  3. While invocations are the main way to improve Eldritch Blast, a couple of feats can make it that much better. Consider investing in feats like Spell Sniper, War Caster, Eldritch Adept, or Metamagic Adept for your warlock to truly make the most of your Eldritch Blasts! [7]
    • Spell Sniper . Spell Sniper doubles the range of all spells with attack rolls, giving Eldritch Blast a range of 240 (or, if you have Spell Sniper and Eldritch Spear, a range of 600 feet).
    • Eldritch Adept . Eldritch Adept allows you to pick extra invocations for your PC—which is handy if you can’t get all the invocations you want just by leveling up.
    • Metamagic Adept . Metamagic Adept lets you use metamagic abilities like Quicken Spell (which lets you cast Eldritch Blast as a bonus action) or Subtle Spell (which lets you cast without verbal or somatic components).
    • War Caster . War Caster will allow you to use Eldritch Blast as a reaction—and push enemies away if you have Repelling Blast.
  4. Hex is a warlock spell that lets you curse an enemy of your choice. In turn, the hexed enemy will take an extra 1d6 points of necrotic damage every time you hit them with an attack. So, if you plan on Eldritch Blasting, try casting Hex first; that way, you can deal all that Eldritch Blast damage plus Hex damage on top of it. [8]
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Section 5 of 5:

Can you use Eldritch Blast without being a warlock?

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  1. Even if you aren’t playing a warlock, you can blast enemies with this powerful cantrip. Magic Initiate (Warlock) is a feat that lets you learn two cantrips and one 1st-level spell from the warlock spell list. Alternatively, Spell Sniper lets you learn any single cantrip and doubles the range of all spells with attack rolls. [9]
    • Remember that you won’t get to use any of the Eldritch Invocations that can empower Eldritch Blast if you aren’t playing a warlock.
    • Instead, you’ll have to use the standard version of Eldritch Blast—but even without enhancements, it’s still one of the best cantrips in the game!

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      References

      1. ↑ http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:eldritch-blast
      2. ↑ http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:eldritch-blast
      3. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
      4. ↑ https://www.caverns-and-creatures.com/5e-spells/eldritch-blast
      5. ↑ http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/warlock:eldritch-invocations
      6. ↑ https://media.wizards.com/2018/dnd/downloads/DnD_BasicRules_2018.pdf
      7. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/rules/feats/
      8. ↑ http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:hex
      9. ↑ https://5thsrd.org/rules/feats/

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