Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons
Set in Darkon, a mist-bound domain of the Ravenloft setting, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is a single-player, third-person action-adventure from Invoke Studios, published by Wizards of the Coast. Players guide Kaatri, a veteran weapons master turned warlock, whose magic covers both combat and traversal. Spells and monsters come from tabletop D&D, but dice rolls and character creation do not.
Top 3 Reasons to Play
- Players who step off the critical path find more powerful spells as rewards, and Invoke describes every spell as a key to new paths.
- The world is built dense rather than sprawling, according to the developers. Points of interest sit close enough together to avoid long stretches of empty travel.
- Melee and magic mix freely in combat: Kaatri can swap places with an enemy to put it in the way of a larger creature's attack, or pin a giant with Evard's Black Tentacles and follow up with a spell that sends a flurry of blades at it from every side.
Story and Lore
Darkon is one of Ravenloft's Domains of Dread, not part of the Forgotten Realms. Its ruler, the lich Azalin Rex, has disappeared, and the leaderless land is breaking apart as the mists close in.
Kaatri comes to Darkon looking for someone dear to her. The search draws her in, and she accepts a pact with Tasha, a witch queen also known in tabletop D&D as Iggwilv, who turns her into a warlock. Tasha's own goal in the bargain has not been revealed, and neither has the price Kaatri pays for the power.
Invoke's VP of creative describes the tone as darker and edgier than typical fantasy, with Kaatri far from the "pointy hat wizard" archetype. The plot is focused and linear with clear stakes instead of being choice-driven like Baldur's Gate 3. Dominic Guay, Invoke's general manager, says the team wants players to work out Darkon's rules for themselves; familiarity with Ravenloft offers hints.
Gameplay and Mechanics
Combat happens in real time from a third-person camera. Kaatri is a Pact of the Blade warlock, which lets her summon otherworldly melee weapons and move between blades and spells inside a single encounter.
The tabletop warlock gets a few spell slots per rest and unlimited cantrips. In the game, cantrips (Eldritch Blast among them) stay available at all times, while advanced spells go on cooldown after casting. Spells shown in the reveal footage:
- Levitate and Gust of Wind double as platforming and puzzle tools.
- Misty Step handles short-range teleportation across gaps.
- Witch Bolt gets a boost from the Downpour ritual: the rain it calls makes electricity hit wet enemies harder.
- Tasha's Leash is new to the game: ethereal tendrils that grab and drag objects and monsters.
Raw Magic is hidden in sources scattered across Darkon. Absorbing it unlocks and upgrades spells, and a defeated troll in the reveal yields it too. Weapons, talismans and potions can be found along the way.
Exploration leans on landmarks and environmental cues instead of waypoint markers, and the map shows limited information on purpose. Settlements act as hubs for weapon upgrades and quests. A raven transformation is one of the abilities that gets Kaatri into a gated area, and obstacles in general yield to brute force, magic or a combination of both.
Characters and Factions
- Kaatri, the only character players control, is voiced and performance-captured by Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer).
- Maggie Robertson (Lady Dimitrescu in Resident Evil Village, Orin the Red in Baldur's Gate 3) voices Tasha, the patron who teaches Kaatri to sense Raw Magic and upgrade her spells.
- An imp named Skev travels with Kaatri and helps her make sense of Darkon; his goals align with hers for now, but his long-term loyalties are his own.
Kaatri meets other characters along the way and can form alliances, but no party follows her around. Enemies shown so far include undead roaming the wilderness and beholders in a crypt. Invoke has not detailed any factions yet.
Editions
No special editions, bundles or add-on content have been announced.
PC System Requirements
Official PC specifications have not been published.