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For a melee-focused Hexblade using the 2014 D&D 5e rules, build around Charisma, take Pact of the Blade at Warlock 3, and choose Thirsting Blade at Warlock 5. Keep Constitution and Dexterity strong, use Eldritch Blast when closing to melee is a bad trade, and treat armor as protection—not proof that you can safely tank every fight. This guide assumes the 2014 rules and the Hexblade subclass from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything; the 2024 warlock has a different baseline.
Choose your rules version first
This build is for a 2014-rules Hexblade. The 2024 Player’s Handbook changes the warlock’s starting point for melee: Pact of the Blade is an invocation, and its text allows Charisma-based attack and damage rolls with the bonded weapon. That does not make the 2014 Hexblade subclass part of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Check which books and rules your table allows before carrying this progression into a 2024-only campaign.
Hexblade features encountered in Unearthed Arcana playtest material are not final published rules. If your table is using the 2024 rules, use the options in its allowed final sources rather than treating UA Hexblade material as an official subclass.
Build priorities for a 2014 melee Hexblade
Put Charisma first
Charisma is the build’s main ability: it powers warlock spell attacks and save DCs, and the Hexblade’s 2014 feature lets you use it for attacks and damage with an eligible weapon. Raising Charisma supports both your weapon plan and your spellcasting, rather than forcing you to split investment between separate offensive abilities.
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Protect concentration and initiative
Keep Constitution strong for hit points and concentration checks. Dexterity remains useful for initiative and defense, even with the subclass’s armor options. These are priorities, not a mandatory ability-score array; use the scores your character creation method and table provide.
A 2014 warlock has a d8 Hit Die. Medium armor and shield proficiency can improve protection, but they do not erase the class’s durability limits. Your actual defenses depend on equipment, level, feats, magic items, and table rules, so there is no universal Armor Class target for this build.
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Take the pact and invocation that support melee
Warlock 3: Pact of the Blade
At Warlock 3, choose Pact of the Blade. Under the 2014 rules, the feature creates a pact weapon and grants proficiency with it. The weapon counts as magical for overcoming resistance and immunity to nonmagical attacks and damage. You can also bond with a magic weapon through a one-hour ritual, subject to the feature’s rules.
Warlock 5: Thirsting Blade
At Warlock 5, take Thirsting Blade if you want to make weapon attacks your regular action. It lets you attack twice with your pact weapon when you take the Attack action. You can replace an invocation when you gain a warlock level, so revisit the choice as your character develops rather than assuming every early pick must stay forever.
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Keep Eldritch Blast for range
Learn Eldritch Blast as a ranged option, not as a spell you have to use in every encounter. When enemies are distant, approaching would expose you to unnecessary danger, or melee is otherwise a poor fit, it gives you a way to contribute without forcing a close-quarters plan. Agonizing Blast adds your Charisma modifier to Eldritch Blast’s damage under the 2014 invocation text.
Use armor and positioning to manage risk
The subclass’s 2014 armor proficiencies include medium armor and shields, giving you practical ways to improve defense. Choose equipment your campaign makes available and use positioning to avoid taking unnecessary hits. A melee Hexblade can be durable enough to operate near the front, but the character is not automatically a dedicated tank: the right risk depends on current hit points, enemy threats, party support, and whether you can afford to spend resources on recovery or defense.
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- Move into melee when the target and battlefield make the exchange worthwhile; do not treat the pact weapon as a requirement to fight at close range every turn.
- Use your ranged fallback when closing distance would cost too much or leave you exposed.
- Account for concentration when choosing spells and deciding how much incoming damage to risk.
Plan around Pact Magic and your party
2014 Pact Magic spell slots return at the end of a short or long rest. That recovery pattern makes the party’s rest frequency relevant: a group that rests regularly can use its limited slots differently from one that goes through many encounters between rests. Spend slots on effects that matter to the current fight, while keeping the campaign’s likely encounter pace in mind.
There is no single spell list that is best for every Hexblade. Choose known spells around the role you need to fill—such as control, defense, mobility, or damage—and the rest of the party’s capabilities. The build’s central weapon choices do not require you to spend every turn in melee or every slot on personal damage.
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How the 2014 and 2024 melee warlock options differ
| Decision point | 2014 Hexblade build | 2024 warlock |
|---|---|---|
| Source framework | 2014 warlock plus the Hexblade subclass from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything. | 2024 Player’s Handbook warlock; do not assume the 2014 Hexblade subclass is included. |
| Charisma-based weapon attacks | Provided by the Hexblade’s subclass feature for an eligible weapon. | Pact of the Blade is an invocation that permits Charisma-based attack and damage rolls with the bonded weapon. |
| Key melee progression | Pact of the Blade at Warlock 3; Thirsting Blade at Warlock 5 for two pact-weapon attacks with the Attack action. | The invocation framework differs; check the 2024 text and your table’s allowed sources instead of copying the 2014 progression. |
| Hexblade material in playtest | The build here uses the 2014 published subclass. | UA6 Hexblade material is playtest content, not a final rules publication. |
The meaningful comparison is not simply which version deals more damage. It is whether your table allows the relevant subclass and books, when Charisma-based weapon attacks become available, what subclass features you want, and how much an invocation or feat costs within that version’s framework. The campaign level and rest schedule also affect which option feels strongest in play.
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