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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lancelot" data-source="post: 7075291" data-attributes="member: 30022">True, but the multi-classing is mostly about the huge AC buff. You don't need it for the proficiency, because you're proficient with whatever weapon you bond anyway. In your typical module, magic weapons are far more common that pact keeper rods... and they add to both attack and damage (PC rods and wands of the war mage only add to attack bonus, so DPR favors the blade). There are few if any feats or multiclassing options that can buff eldritch blast, whereas there are multiple fighting styles and multiclasses that can significantly buff weapon options. Further, as you note, Lifedrinker basically equalizes the damage even if the warlock doesn't worry about MAD (they just stick with Cha 14).The bottom line is that the existing pact blade options can match damage output of eldritch blast as they stand... and can be tooled to exceed it without much difficulty. Yes, they require more feats or multiclassing or MAD to surpass eldritch blast... but the options are there. The options are not there for eldritch blast; you're kind of capped at 1d10+5+push (with attack bonus from your possible rod/wand). There aren't any feats or multiclassing options or even magic items which can help you further. Whereas the blade wielder can always find a sword of sharpness, a +3 weapon (attack AND damage bonuses), take a few levels of fighter or paladin, or whatever. Even the ranged benefit of eldritch blast isn't guaranteed. From experience, most 5e combats end up in melee within the first round anyway... which means a ranged attack is actually a detriment. You need to rely on spells (limited, for a warlock) or other abilities to prevent having disadvantage on every attack. If the combat is at long range, smart foes will just drop prone or seek cover (or fire back with their own weapons).In any case, it's all just my personal opinion. At my table, I've never seen or heard any issues with the pact blade vs eldritch blast situation as it currently stands. Blade-locks are overwhelmingly preferred by my players (compared to blast-locks). I personally wouldn't attempt to "correct" the issue by upping the number of attacks to 3+ because that encroaches on something very unique to the fighter. The greatest paladins and barbarians in the land... absolute masters of hand-to-hand combat... only get two attacks per round, but blade-locks get up to four because of eldritch blast? I'd be peeved as a player in that kind of campaign. If the perceived problem is eldritch blast, then nerf eldritch blast (or simply remove the Agonizing Blast invocation, or limit it to be applied once per casting rather than once per bolt). That's an incredibly easy solution, rather than fundamentally re-architecting how pact blade works - and then having to change how it interacts with feats/items/classes, and then adding spellcaster feats to counter-balanced the weapon feats, and then whatever else is needed.</blockquote>

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