Any recent optimization discoveries for Eldritch Blast?

[merkkk]

The "eldritch sniper" is a build concept I keep coming back to, so I'm often on the lookout for new ways to improve Eldritch Blast. Extra damage is... okay, but rider effects are typically more interesting. For an eldritch sniper specifically, effects that work at long range are preferable.

Of course, there's all the invocations that specifically benefit EB. There's also spells like Hex or Bless; are there any spells that benefit EB that don't use concentration? Eldritch Spear + Spell Sniper + Distant Spell is also a well known combo.

Hexblade, while kind of boring, is undeniably effective. Hexblade's Curse is limited use and quite short range, though, but it's basically a better version of Hex.

Undead warlock can fear on a hit once per turn. Form of Dread is limited use, but there's no range limit.

Genie warlock adds extra damage on the first hit, but more interesting is the type of damage. If you go dao, the Crusher feat can be used on any attack, including EB. Or, you can go efreet or marid to add elemental damage, making it compatible with the dragon sorcerer's Elemental Affinity for even more damage.

Repelling Blast can be combined with a hazard to deal additional damage by pushing enemies into the hazard. Classic cheese grater uses Spike Growth to do more damage the farther you push the enemy, but Wall of Fire and similar will work well enough. Create Bonfire is a nice at-will option.

Similar to genie warlock, swarmkeeper ranger lets the swarm assist on any kind of attack, which includes EB. Extra damage is lackluster compared to genielock, but you can also move yourself or the enemy. Only thing is it uses your WIS for the save, but the forced movement is pretty significant, especially on top of Repelling Blast.

In theory, the cleric's Blessed Strikes should apply to EB; in practice that's a pretty deep dip on a class that uses a different casting stat. A lot of other bonuses that could be applied to EB suffer similar issues, either requiring a dip deeper than most would like, or into a class that doesn't otherwise synergize well.

"Ghostlance" is an interesting concept. Enemies who move away from the echo knight's echo provoke an OA. You then use Warcaster to replace the OA with EB. With Repelling Blast you can push the enemy back to the echo, so that the process can repeat next turn. If they kill the echo, that's an attack not directed at the party, and resummoning the echo is at-will as a bonus action. The range is short, but it's an effective way to block a choke point.

The new bugbear can apply their faux sneak attack to multiple attacks now, and surprise isn't required. Grab Alert to increase your odds of going sooner. Also combos nicely with assassin rogue. It's only applicable to the first round of combat, but that's the most important round. The more you swing the odds in your favor in that first round, the easy the rest of the fight becomes.

Is that pretty much everything? Or is there anything I missed? Have there been any new discoveries recently?

Edit:
There's also magic items. The big one is the Illusionist's Bracers, but good luck getting your DM to let you have those. Aside from things like a wand +X or Rod of the Pact Keeper, are there any other magic items that benefit EB?

Sniper by effects. This is about me

[Pixel_Kitsune]

So question, are there interactions between archery styles and Eldritch Blast I'm not understanding?

Cause I see the basic combination of the Blade-Singer level 6 with EB giving you essentially 3 attacks instead of just 2, but EB as a Cantrip doesn't benefit from Archery or the Sharpshooter Damage buff to my knowledge, does it?

So we're sinking 6 levels into Wizard to add an extra 2 Hand Crossbow bolts? Seems a bit faulty.

Realistically wouldn't it be better to just stay near pure Warlock and either just take the Metamagic feat for Quicken or dip into Sorcerer 3 Levels so you can funnel spell Slots into More Quickens to have 2 full Eldritch Blasts per round when needed? Is a potential 1d4+10+Dex worth all the MCing and giving up high level spells?

[Rukelnikov]

So question, are there interactions between archery styles and Eldritch Blast I'm not understanding?

Cause I see the basic combination of the Blade-Singer level 6 with EB giving you essentially 3 attacks instead of just 2, but EB as a Cantrip doesn't benefit from Archery or the Sharpshooter Damage buff to my knowledge, does it?

So we're sinking 6 levels into Wizard to add an extra 2 Hand Crossbow bolts? Seems a bit faulty.

Realistically wouldn't it be better to just stay near pure Warlock and either just take the Metamagic feat for Quicken or dip into Sorcerer 3 Levels so you can funnel spell Slots into More Quickens to have 2 full Eldritch Blasts per round when needed? Is a potential 1d4+10+Dex worth all the MCing and giving up high level spells?

The thing is, beyond lvl 2, Lock gives you 0 improvements to EB, so if the idea is to maximize EB damage, going Sorcerer for Quicken is a better option than Warlock. However, sorcerers don't get Spirit Shroud, so you should go Divine Soul in order to get SS.

Bladesinger is interesting though, cause AFAK its the only way in the game to take the Attack action and cast a spell in the same action, which opens the door to some shenanigans like using any of the Eldritch Blast attacks to sub for features that require you trade an attack, like Grappling, Shoving, using Commander's Strike, Tasha's Beastmaster, etc.

For instance Manifest Echo would allow you to make your Elditch Blasts attacks origin as from the echoes space. Can this be useful? Maybe, but being the sole way to achieve this kinda stuff certainly merits mention.

[follacchioso]

The thing is, beyond lvl 2, Lock gives you 0 improvements to EB, so if the idea is to maximize EB damage, going Sorcerer for Quicken is a better option than Warlock. However, sorcerers don't get Spirit Shroud, so you should go Divine Soul in order to get SS.

That's not entirely true. There are many invocations that enhance Eldritch Blast, and you can't get them all at lv2.
At higher levels, warlocks get spells that combine well with these invocations, for example Hunger of Hadar creates an area of effect and the various invocations allow you to pull and push the enemy into it again, triggering more times.

[Pixel_Kitsune]

Bladesinger is interesting though, cause AFAK its the only way in the game to take the Attack action and cast a spell in the same action, which opens the door to some shenanigans like using any of the Eldritch Blast attacks to sub for features that require you trade an attack, like Grappling, Shoving, using Commander's Strike, Tasha's Beastmaster, etc.

For instance Manifest Echo would allow you to make your Elditch Blasts attacks origin as from the echoes space. Can this be useful? Maybe, but being the sole way to achieve this kinda stuff certainly merits mention.

Thank you, that's the missing piece I was looking for, wasn't thinking about things that specifically say "when you make an attack action."

Though I would point out some value in moving past level 2 since you might wish more than just the 2 Invocations.

[Rukelnikov]

That's not entirely true. There are many invocations that enhance Eldritch Blast, and you can't get them all at lv2.

True, but they are all available from lvl 2, so you can get Ago + Flavor at 2, the later flavors become diminishingly interesting.

At higher levels, warlocks get spells that combine well with these invocations, for example Hunger of Hadar creates an area of effect and the various invocations allow you to pull and push the enemy into it again, triggering more times.

Yeah, but Wizards also get an AoE to exploit, and so do Sorcs, and Druids, and Clerics, and Bards, so the only thing special about the Warlock is that if you are interested in adding damage or flavor to EB, Lock has a 2 lvl headstart on spellcasting on the other classes*

* Technically 1, since other classes could take 1 lvl in Lock + Eldritch Adept, but the cases where that's a good idea have to be minimal.

Thank you, that's the missing piece I was looking for, wasn't thinking about things that specifically say "when you make an attack action."

Though I would point out some value in moving past level 2 since you might wish more than just the 2 Invocations.

No prob, you may be interested in this thread.

[Omni-Centrist]

Only thing I can think of is mixing it with Spirit Shroud and Bladesinger to become a lil localized nuke at Level 9.

[truemane]

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