Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is a new video game project from Wizards of the Coast aiming for a 2027 release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Ahead of the reveal on gamescom’s Opening Night Live that happened today, Hardcore Gamer had the chance to see some more details on the upcoming game, which promises a new dive into the universe of the tabletop RPG franchise.
A New Warlock in Darkon
Warlock is a traditional Dungeons & Dragons class, originally introduced in the supplemental book for 3.5 and later becoming one of the core classes starting with the 4th Edition’s Player’s Handbook. Unlike other standard magic classes, its arcane powers are born from a pact between the individual and a supernatural being.
In the new game, players control Kaatri, a seasoned weapons master looking for someone dear to her. For the sake of her objective, she ends up making a pact with an ancient witch queen named Tasha, who now acts as her patron and source of power. Following her teachings, Kaatri will learn how to sense Raw Magic and expand her magical ability over time.
As such, Kaatri will become a warlock thanks to a bargain with Tasha as part of this new journey. Kaatri will then have the chance to explore Darkon, which D&D players may recognize as one of the Core Domains in the Ravenloft campaign setting. The game aims for a dark undertone, while giving players a vast open world to explore filled with intriguing elements to see.
The experience is also new for Kaatri, who comes into this land as part of her journey and, normally, due to the mist surrounding it, it’s not possible to enter or leave Darkon easily. As a stranger in a strange land, she will now have to figure out how it works to live in this place while looking for clues for the sake of her quest.
Kaatri and Tasha can communicate through a telepathic bond and these interactions will be common during the journey. The developers consider Tasha a very chaotic person whose intentions are often unclear, and the pact is sealed because the duo’s interests align. There is also an imp who helps the player get the lay of the land.
Kaatri will then have the chance to explore Darkon, which D&D players may recognize as one of the Core Domains in the Ravenloft campaign setting.
Many details about the general story are still being saved for later reveals, but the developers have announced the actresses who will give life to Kaatri and Tasha. The new warlock will be voiced by Tricia Helfer while the performance of the witch will be done by Maggie Robertson.
Exploration, Magic and Potential
Warlock is being developed by Invoke Studios, a Montreal-based team aiming to create AAA games with a team who has previous experience in open worlds, action adventure titles and immersive sims. Among its people, there are studio head Dominic Guay, who had previously worked as a producer on Watch Dogs 2 for Ubisoft Montreal, and VP Creative Jeff Hattem from Livelock.
An interesting point to keep in mind from the start is that, despite its origins, Warlock isn’t meant to be an RPG, but instead an open-world single-player action-adventure. Part of the experience revolves around getting spells and using them in various contexts, be it in exploring the world or in combat.
A major part of the experience will be expanding your arsenal of magic. This includes not only learning different spells but also upgrading and modifying the ones you already have. According to the developers, players will be able to make different choices that will be better suited to their play style.
Some of the spells mentioned include Gust of Wind, Levitate and the traditional cantrip Eldritch Blast, which is a signature of the Warlock class. There will also be brand-new spells, like Tasha’s Leash, which are ethereal tendrils that can grab objects and monsters. Different skills will have different traits to how they work. Cantrips, for instance, will be usable whenever, while advanced spells will demand cooldown for multiple uses while also slowing down time when the player is working on the casting.
The game is also expected to feature an exploration-driven open world, giving some freedom to the player but also making the land dense with rewards for looking around and being curious. During her wandering, Kaatri will get to reshape and master the surrounding environment using her magic abilities. In the video shown by the developers, it was also possible to see her do a downpour ritual that changed the environment, causing rain, then using lightning attacks to fight enemies.
The journey will also let players find different gear to use, and choices will impact Kaatri’s visuals along with her abilities. Instead of simple upgrades, some of the weapons obtained will have properties that influence the play style, making it interesting to try things out and find an option more aligned with the player’s taste.
The developers are also striving to ensure the experience won't depend on knowledge of Dungeons & Dragons, making it okay as a starting point into this huge universe. While it will be easy to understand everything going on, players who hold deeper lore knowledge will still find interesting aspects to how the campaign fares within the universe. Characters, lore pieces and other details may have extra layers for those big fans.
With everything shown so far, Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons looks like a game with the potential to showcase the D&D world in a very curious manner. It’s still too early to see how well these ingredients will mix together and their depth, but the magic system, Darkon exploration and the warlock-patron relationships are looking very interesting.