Eldritch Invocations: Full Guide and Best Options

Last Updated on January 22, 2023

Whether you’re using them to soup up your Eldritch Blast, see through magical darkness, or levitate at will surrounded by a giant swarm of magical flies, Eldritch Invocations bring a remarkable amount of variety and personalization to the warlock class. 

These unique, often highly thematic and mechanically powerful abilities become available to warlocks at 2nd level, offering access to more powerful cantrips, at-will spellcasting, and other more situational benefits. 

With a dizzying variety of possibilities available to you and plenty of opportunities to grow your collection and swap out existing options for something new, Eldritch Invocations are (at least in my opinion) the central pillar of the warlock class.

There are more than 50 Eldritch Invocations to choose from (assuming you meet the right level and Pact Boon requirements), and a high-level warlock can choose up to eight at once, which means there are options for every character concept and build. 

In this article, we’re going to go through every single warlock Eldritch Invocation by level, including the newer material from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, and help you decide which ones to use to customize and empower your warlock. 

We’ll also cover related matters like the Eldritch Adept feat and lastly give you our choices for the best Eldritch Invocations for different styles of play. 

What Are Eldritch Invocations? 

Fragments of forbidden knowledge that grant permanent buffs to your warlock, Eldritch Invocations can grant a wide array of benefits — from being able to cast a 1st-level spell like a cantrip to more situational effects like eliminating the need for sleep. 

As a warlock, you get to choose two Eldritch Invocations at 2nd level, unlocking more as you level up. You gain another Eldritch Invocation at 5th, 7th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th level, at which point you have eight invocations active. 

Also, when you gain a warlock level in this class, you can swap one of the invocations you know for another invocation that you could learn at that level.

Some Eldritch Invocations have prerequisites (a minimum level in the warlock class, knowing a certain spell, choosing a particular Pact Boon, etc.) that you must satisfy in order to learn them.

You can learn an invocation with a prerequisite at the same time that you meet its prerequisites.

For example, the Ascendant Step invocation requires you to be a 9th-level warlock to learn it.

If you had just advanced to 9th level, you could either replace an existing invocation with Ascendant Step or use your additional invocation slot that you unlock at that level to learn it. 

Probably one of the biggest benefits to Eldritch Invocations is the ability to swap them out between levels.

This — coupled with the fact that you’re going to have a lot of them up and running at once when you start to reach higher levels — means you should feel free to experiment and grab options that you think are cool or interesting or just really thematically fit your character or campaign. 

Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some options that are better than others. 

Eldritch Invocations Breakdown 

There are a total of 54 Eldritch Invocations to choose from (including the options available in TCoE and XGtE), which we’ve broken into groups according to when their prerequisites make them available to warlocks. 

To help you get a grip on this rather long list, we’re using the the Back Citadel color rating system: 

Level-less Invocations 

Agonizing Blast 

Prerequisite: Eldritch Blast 

Add your Charisma modifier to the damage dealt by Eldritch Blast.

An amazing source of damage and pretty much essential for any warlock.

As Eldritch Blast gains additional rays at higher levels, you get to apply the damage to each, meaning you can easily keep up with martial characters’ multiattack using cantrips. 

Armor of Shadows 

Cast mage armor on yourself at will without expending a spell slot or material components. 

Not a massive improvement over the warlock’s basic light armor proficiency. 

Beast Speech 

Cast speak with animals at will without expending a spell slot. 

Not very mechanically impactful and doesn’t really line up thematically with the warlock’s character concept. 

Beguiling Influence 

Gain proficiency in the Deception and Persuasion skills. 

From a purely optimization-focused point of view, there’s little point being proficient in Persuasion and Deception, and you can gain Deception proficiency at 1st level anyway. 

Devil’s Sight

You gain the ability to see normally in magical and nonmagical darkness up to 120 feet as though it were bright light. 

Twin this with the Darkness spell, and have a great time ruining your enemies’ days. Another Invocation that borders on being more or less required — especially if your campaign is going to take you into dark places. 

Eldritch Mind 

Roll with advantage when saving to maintain your concentration on a spell. 

The off-brand, value-store version of the Resilient feat that still gives you the main benefit that warlocks take the feat for without having to forgo an ASI. Great stuff. 

Eldritch Sight 

Cast detect magic at will without expending a spell slot. 

Never a bad thing to have on tap, detect magic is one of the go-to spells for dungeon exploration and general information gathering if you’re a wizard, sorcerer, bard, druid, or basically any class that doesn’t seriously struggle with spell slots.

This invocation solves that issue for warlocks. 

Eldritch Spear 

Prerequisite: Eldritch Blast 

You increase the range of your eldritch blast cantrip from 120 feet to 300 feet. 

Combine it with the Spell Sniper feat to hit enemies more than half a kilometer away. Is it cheesy? Yes. Is that a problem? No way. 

Eyes of the Rune Keeper 

You gain the ability to read all writing, regardless of language or legibility. 

Thematically amazing and great in campaigns that are all about solving mysteries and exploring ancient spaces. Also probably helpful if you want to get some downtime work as a translator. 

Fiendish Vigor 

Cast the spell false life as a 1st-level spell at will without expending a spell slot or using material components. 

Powerful at lower levels but the average of 6 temporary hit points feels very underwhelming at any level past 5th.

Pick this up early if you’re having survivability issues, and ditch it later for something else (like Gift of the Everloving Ones if you can get it). 

Gaze of Two Minds 

You can touch another willing creature to perceive the world through its senses as long as you use your action on each turn to maintain your concentration and the creature is on the same plane of existence.

Doing this blinds and deafens you to your own surroundings. 

Another thematically cool but highly situational ability that probably won’t help you more than once in a campaign. If only it could be used on an unwilling target… 

Grasp of Hadar 

Prerequisite: Eldritch Blast 

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with your eldritch blast cantrip, you drag it 10 feet closer to you in a straight line. 

A really strong option for warlocks who want to get up close and personal, like the Hexblade (or any Pact of the Blade warlock for that matter).

Also, if you’re playing a pirate campaign (or in any sort of setting where there are a lot of high ledges), this is basically required for dragging enemies off ships. 

Lance of Lethargy 

Prerequisite: Eldritch Blast 

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with your eldritch blast cantrip, you reduce its speed by 10 feet until the end of your next turn. 

The opposite effect of the Grasp of Hadar, the Lance of Lethargy can be a useful way to keep your enemies at a distance for longer. Twin with the Spell Sniper Feat and the Eldritch Spear invocation for maximum effect. 

Mask of Many Faces 

Cast disguise self at will without expending a spell slot. 

Any at-will spellcasting that lets you treat a 1st-level spell as a cantrip is great. Constantly being able to disguise your character’s identity is no exception. 

Misty Visions 

Cast the spell silent image at will without expending a spell slot or using material components. 

Setting aside the fact this invocation sounds like the name of the Forgotten Realms’ most popular adult entertainer, there’s a lot you can accomplish with Silent Image. Mask of Many Faces or Eldritch Sight are probably better though. 

Repelling Blast 

Prerequisite: Eldritch Blast 

When you hit a creature with eldritch blast, you can push the creature up to 10 feet away from you in a straight line.

A better alternative to the Lance of Lethargy that has the same effect but can also throw people off tall buildings and knock them into traps or hazards.  

Thief of Five Fates 

One per long rest, you can cast Bane using a warlock spell slot. 

Options that require an Invocation slot and a spell slot and can still only be used once per day are only (barefly) worth it for the most powerful and effective spells. Bane is not one of those spells. 

3rd Level 

These options are de facto restricted to third-level warlocks because this is when the class gets access to Pact Boons (the Blade, the Chain, or the Book).

Some pact-restricted invocations crop up later on in this list as they also have a level restriction. 

Aspect of the Moon 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome 

You no longer need to sleep, and you cannot be forced to sleep by any means.

You still need to take a long rest, but you can instead spend it doing light activity, such as reading your Book of Shadows and keeping watch.

While having someone able to keep watch and do “light activity” instead of sleeping can be useful to a party that’s been surprised by one too many random encounters, there are better ways to simulate insomnia in D&D 5e — like playing an elf, for example.  

Book of Ancient Secrets 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome 

You gain the ability to add ritual spells to your Book of Shadows.

You can choose two 1st-level spells with the ritual tag from any class’s spell list (the two needn’t be from the same list), which appear in the book and don’t count against your total number of known spells.

You can only cast these spells as rituals (unless you also learn them by other means), and you must have your book with you when you cast them.

This Invocation also lets you cast other warlock spells as rituals if they have that tag. 

You can copy new ritual spells into your book, which takes 2 hours and costs 50 gp for each spell level. 

This is basically a low-cost way of taking the Ritual Caster feat, which warlocks desperately need.

You can basically use this invocation as a way to circumvent a few of the at-will spellcasting invocations like Eyes of the Runekeeper and Eldritch Sight at once, although casting them as rituals obviously takes longer. 

Gift of the Ever-Living Ones 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain 

Whenever your familiar is within 100 feet of you and you roll dice to regain hit points, treat each die as though it rolled the highest possible result. 

If you want to maximize the efficiency of your healing, this is the best defensive and survivability-centric option available to the warlock class.

Not only are spells like Cure Wounds and Healing Word always going to max out, but you’re also going to treat every Hit Die you roll on a short rest as its maximum value (8). 

Improved Pact Weapons 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade 

Any weapon you summon using the Pact of the Blade can be used as a spellcasting focus, gains the properties of a +1 magic weapon, and can take the form of a shortbow, longbow, light crossbow, or heavy crossbow in addition to the usual melee weapons.

Essential for Hexblades but kind of pointless for everyone else.

If you happen to be playing a Hexblade, however, I cannot stress enough how powerful the Improved Pact Weapons invocation — combined with the Crossbow Expert feat — truly is. 

Investment of the Chain Master 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain

Give an extra bonus to your familiar. Choose from: 

• The familiar gains a 40 foot flying or swimming speed.
• You can command the familiar to attack using your bonus action.
• The familiar’s weapon attacks become magical.
• If the familiar forces a creature to make a saving throw, it uses your spell-save DC.
• When the familiar takes damage, you can use your reaction to grant it resistance against that damage.

Brings an insane amount of versatility to the Pact of the Chain, which centers on using your familiar as much as possible. 

Rebuke of the Talisman 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Talisman

When the creature wearing your talisman is hit with an attack you can see within 30 feet of you, you can deal psychic damage equal to your proficiency bonus and push the attacker 10 feet away from the wearer of the talisman using your reaction. 

A good way of making the decision of whom you give your talisman to a bit more impactful as well as giving you something to do with your reaction. 

Voice of the Chain Master 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain 

You can communicate telepathically with your familiar, see through its senses, and speak through its mouth in your own voice as long as you’re both on the same plane of existence. 

Thematically I love this. It feels seriously occult and can be a great way to scout ahead, deliver messages, and generally be your best and most spooky self.

Still, I’d probably grab this once you have enough Invocations to also pick up your more mechanically useful choices. 

5th Level Eldritch Invocations

All the following invocations require you to be a warlock of 5th level or higher, in addition to any other specific restrictions. 

Cloak of Flies 

Once per short or long rest you surround yourself with a 5-foot aura of magical swarming flies. The effect lasts until you’re incapacitated or you dismiss it as a bonus action.

While the aura is active, you gain advantage on Intimidation checks but suffer disadvantage on all other charisma checks.

Any creature other than you that starts its turn in the aura takes poison damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 0 damage). 

For a Pact of the Blade and/or Hexblade warlock, this can be a really strong way to increase your effectiveness in melee.

For a warlock who’d rather stay at range, the advantage on Intimidation checks probably isn’t worth it (I think you could probably use disguise self to make it look like you were covered in flies or maggots, and most dungeon masters would give you advantage on the check anyway). 

Eldritch Smite 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade 

Once per turn, when you hit a creature with your pact weapon, you can expend a warlock spell slot to deal an extra 1d8 force damage to the target, plus another 1d8 per level of the spell slot. 

If the target is Huge or smaller, you can choose to knock it prone.

Definitely useful, but costs a spell slot to activate, thereby making its opportunity cost far too high. 

Far Scribe 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome 

A number of creatures equal to your proficiency bonus can record their names in your Book of Shadows.

Once they have done so, you can target them with the sending spell at will without using a spell slot and without using material components. If they reply, their answer temporarily appears written on the page in your book. 

A great long-distance messaging ability, the effectiveness of which probably depends on your campaign. 

Gift of the Depths 

You gain the ability to breathe underwater and gain a swimming speed equal to your walking speed. Once per long rest, you can cast water breathing without expending a spell slot.

Obviously, in a nautical or underwater campaign, this is an absolute god-tier invocation. Everywhere else… not so much.

As much as I love nautical/underwater character options (like the Fathomless warlock, now that you mention it), they’re rendered pretty much useless once you get them inland. 

Maddening Hex 

Prerequisite: Hex spell or a warlock feature that curses

As a bonus action, you deal extra psychic damage to a target (that is within 30 feet of you and that you can see) of your hex spell or by a warlock feature that inflicts curses such as Hexblade’s Curse or Sign of Ill Omen.

The damage is equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1) and can also affect any creatures you can see within 5 feet of the cursed target. 

A nice use of your bonus action to deal a good splash of damage that can effectively thin out mobs of lower CR enemies while you also focus on their boss.

As warlocks tend to like having their Hex active as much as possible, this translates into an incredibly cheap source of guaranteed damage. 

Mire the Mind

Once per long rest, you can cast the Slow spell using a warlock spell slot.  

While Slow is a powerful spell, it’s still not powerful enough to compensate for taking up an invocation slot and one of your precious spell slots and still being limited to one use per long rest.  

One With the Shadows 

When you are in an area of dim light or darkness, you can use your action to become invisible until you move or take an action or a reaction.

This is kind of like the entry-level version of the Gloom Stalker Ranger’s Umbral Sight. Great for ambushes, hiding from pursuers, and generally being sneaky.

Grab this as soon as you can, and keep it until you can grab Shroud of Shadow at 15th level.

Sign of Ill Omen 

Once per long rest, you can cast the Bestow Curse spell using a warlock spell slot.

Again, the cost is too high, even for this powerful single-target debuff spell. Bestow Curse also requires concentration and allows for a saving throw; the price is too high, and there’s too much that can go wrong.   

Thirsting Blade 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade

Gain an extra attack with your pact weapon. 

For Hexblades, this is essential. For everyone else, stick with Agonizing Blast and stay out of melee range. 

Tomb of Levistus 

When you take damage, you can use your reaction to briefly entomb yourself in ice. You gain 10 temporary hit points per warlock level, which take as much of the triggering damage as possible.

Immediately after you take the damage, you gain vulnerability to fire damage, your speed is reduced to 0, and you are incapacitated.

These effects, including any remaining temporary hit points, all end when the ice melts at the end of your next turn.

Okay, I really like this as a last-ditch panic-button option. 10 hit points per warlock level is going to pretty effectively negate just about any single instance of incoming damage (including non-combat stuff like falling rocks or fire) or at least make sure nothing kills you outright.

Still, forgoing an entire turn by effectively freezing yourself in place with a big “set me on fire” sign on your chest is kinda risky. 

Undying Servitude

Once per long rest, you can cast Animate Dead without using a spell slot. 

I really, really, really wish that your zombie got some sort of bonus, was permanently under your control, or… well, anything really.

The fact that you get one use of this spell per rest means that — because you’ll need to reassert control over your zombie — you can’t build up multiple undead servants into even a small gang of darkness, let alone an army.

If you’re really, really set on a skeleton butler, this is an okay choice. Otherwise, move on. 

7th Level Eldritch Invocations

All the following invocations require you to be a warlock of 7th level or higher, in addition to any other specific restrictions. 

Bewitching Whispers

Once per long rest, you can cast the Compulsion spell using a warlock spell slot.  

Same problem as usual. 

Dreadful Word 

Once per long rest, you can cast the Confusion spell using a warlock spell slot.  

And again. The cost is too high for a spell that’s not worth it. 

Ghostly Gaze 

Once per short or long rest you gain the ability to see through solid objects to a range of 30 feet. You also gain dark vision within that range if you don’t already have it.

The effects last for a minute or until your concentration ends. 

Amazing for information gathering on a short cooldown, and it isn’t limited by thickness of walls or material. The perfect scouting tool. 

Protection of the Talisman 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Talisman

When the wearer of your talisman fails a saving throw, they can add a d4 to the roll, potentially turning the save into a success.

This benefit can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and all expended uses are restored when you finish a long rest.

An average bonus of 2.5 isn’t much, so it more or less shakes out to be a slightly trickier version of the cleric’s Resistance cantrip. 

Relentless Hex 

Prerequisite: Hex spell or a warlock feature that curses

When you curse a creature, you can use your bonus action to teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see within 5 feet of the target cursed by your hex spell or by a warlock feature of yours, such as Hexblade’s Curse or Sign of Ill Omen.

It’s hard to build any character in D&D 5e without tripping over a feat, background, race, item, or spell list that gives you the Misty Step spell.

However, this could be a useful invocation for the Hexblade warlock or another melee-focused build.  

Sculptor of Flesh 

Once per long rest, you can cast the Polymorph spell using a warlock spell slot.  

Probably the only one of these options that’s worth the spell slot and the one use per day. Polymorph is boundlessly useful as an offensive spell, a defensive spell, a way to buff your allies, and so on. Having one up your sleeve is no bad thing. 

Trickster’s Escape

Once per long rest, you can cast the Freedom of Movement spell without expending a spell slot.

A potentially life-saving last resort for your back pocket. The lack of need for a spell slot really makes this a viable panic-button ability.   

9th Level Eldritch Invocations

All the following invocations require you to be a warlock of 9th level or higher in addition to any other specific restrictions. 

Ascendant Step 

You can cast Levitate on yourself at will without expending a spell slot or material components.

This probably would have been an amazing option at 7th level. At 9th, you can probably also cast fly or own some boots that do that same thing; as an option for late-game warlocks, it’s just okay.

Still, thematically, it’s amazing. Nothing screams “servant of an eldritch god” like gliding around a few feet off the ground, as though the very act of walking is beneath you. 

Gift of the Protectors 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Tome

A new page appears in your Book of Shadows. With your permission, a creature can use its action to write its name on that page, which can contain a number of names equal to your proficiency bonus.

When any creature whose name is on the page is reduced to 0 hit points but not killed outright, the creature magically drops to 1 hit point instead. Once this magic is triggered, no creature can benefit from it until you finish a long rest.

As an action, you can magically erase a name on the page by touching it.

As long as you prioritize yourself and the quishier members of your party first (or maybe just the incredibly stupid fighter who can’t roll a saving throw to save his… You know), this is an amazing ability for preventing the tide of battle (aka the action economy) from turning against you.

It’s the Half-Orc’s relentless endurance trait but time-shared out to the party member who needs it most. 

Minions of Chaos 

Once per long rest, you can cast Conjure Elemental using a warlock spell slot. 

Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything introduced summoning spells to the warlock’s spell list, so there is literally no reason to ever pick this up. 

Otherworldly Leap 

Cast the Jump spell on yourself at will without expending a spell slot or material components. 

It’s goofy, it’s underpowered, and it wouldn’t be a good choice if you could have it at 2nd level, let alone at level 9.

Whispers of the Grave

Cast the Speak With Dead spell at will, without expending a spell slot.

Okay, it’s a slightly situational information gathering spell, but it’s so spooky and thematic, and it feels so right for a warlock that I can’t see why you wouldn’t use one of your invocations to pick up.

It really lets you take a more literal approach to the whole “shoot first, ask questions later” idiom. 

12th Level Eldritch Invocations

The following invocations require you to be a warlock of 12th level or higher in addition to any other specific restrictions. 

Bond of the Talisman 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Talisman

While someone else is wearing your talisman, you can use your action to teleport to the unoccupied space closest to them, provided the two of you are on the same plane of existence.

The wearer of your talisman can do the same thing, using their action to teleport to you.

The teleportation can be used a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and all expended uses are restored when you finish a long rest.

A nice dash of mobility and survivability and the lack of a maximum range is really nice. Perfect for smuggling someone past armed guards. 

Lifedrinker

Prerequisite: Pact of the Blade

When you hit a creature with your pact weapon, the creature takes extra necrotic damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum 1).

A consistent, constant damage buff that’s more or less essential for Hexblades. 

15th Level Eldritch Invocations

All the following invocations require you to be a warlock of 15th level or higher in addition to any other specific restrictions. 

Chains of Carceri 

Prerequisite: Pact of the Chain

You can cast hold monster at will — targeting a celestial, fiend, or elemental — without expending a spell slot or material components. You can only target the same creature once per long rest. 

Hold Monster is a potential boss-fight winner — one of the strongest control spells in the game.

The limitation to celestials, fiends, and elements is a bit of a shame, but by this level you’re probably going to be adventuring outside the material plane anyway.

Basically, if you’re playing in the right kind of campaign, this is insanely powerful. 

Master of Myriad Forms 

You can cast Alter Self at will without expending a spell slot.

Fun, full of flavor, and more effective than disguise self. A good (eventual) upgrade for Master of Many Faces. 

Shroud of Shadow 

You can cast Invisibility at will without expending a spell slot.

Free invisibility for life. Super powerful for attacking enemies with advantage, escaping notice, and stealthing past guards. Never not a great option. 

Visions of Distant Realms 

You can cast Arcane Eye at will without expending a spell slot.

A powerful information gathering tool with some great noncombat applications. 

Witch Sight 

You can see the true form of any shapechanger or creature concealed by illusion or transmutation magic while the creature is within 30 feet of you and within line of sight.

This is super powerful and thematic, but obviously it runs the risk of feeling a bit underwhelming if your campaign doesn’t have any shapeshifters or illusionists in it. 

Which Eldritch Invocations Should I Pick? 

With more than 50 options to choose from, sifting through all the eldritch invocations and choosing the handful that are right for you might seem a little daunting.

It’s really not that bad. 

First of all, you’re going to be able to discard any options that don’t involve your chosen Pact Boon.

(As a side note, there are a ton of options that are obviously designed exclusively for Hexblades, so if you’re a Hexblade, you should just choose those options, and if you’re not, just don’t.) 

Secondly, you actually get a pretty large selection of invocations by the time you reach higher levels.

This means that while there are probably a few invocations that are essential on most warlock builds, you have the space to play around with more niche options — especially since you can switch an invocation every time you level up. 

Essentially, there are two general rules I use for deciding which Eldritch Invocations I want to spec out my warlocks with: 

1. Pick up the three “Essentials”: Agonizing Blast, Devil’s Sight, and Shroud of Shadows as soon as they’re available.  
2. Pick up anything specific to your Subclass, Pact Boon, or campaign. Hexblades are going to want to favor Improved Pact Weapons and Thirsting Blade, for example; a Fathomless in a seafaring adventure should definitely grab Gift of the Depths.  
3. Pick whatever seems cool. Seriously, the best part of being a warlock is getting to be your spookiest, most occult self. Pick up Cloak of Flies for the shock value, grab Eyes of the Rune Keeper to put the cherry on top of your creepy cursed librarian concept, only ever speak through your familiar’s mouth using Voice of the Chain Master, or never wear the same face twice with Master of Many Faces (or Myriad Forms). 

Eldritch Invocations can dramatically transform not only the way your warlock feels to play in combat or social situations but how you visualize them in your head and role play them at the table. 

They’re a highly unique, enticing aspect of this class, and much like the demon who now owns your soul, they really aren’t as intimidating as they are at first glance.