D&D 5E (2024) What's the best way to build a bladelock now?

[Rainbow Scissors]

Light armor is fine. You can focus on Dex and still have an AC that is difficult for many monsters to regularly touch.
If you can find a way to get shield proficiency, that helps. Use a finesse weapon

 

[ECMO3]

I'm thinking about a melee warlock for an upcoming campaign, but I'm struggling with all the different ways to build it, none of which seem ideal. The 2024 version might be just as good or even better than the 2014 version, but it's certainly not as simple. There are a lot of choices to make.

* Is it feasible to do it without a dip into a martial class? Without that dip (or multiple feats) you're limited to light armor, no shield, no weapon mastery, and no proficiency in Con saves. That's pretty brutal. If you start off fighter for just one level, you get all that and more. For roleplaying reasons, I'd rather not multiclass and especially rather not start a different class, but it feels really weak defensively without that one-level detour.

* Can you afford to dump Strength? Without a 13 in Str, you can't wield heavy weapons and are limited in multiclassing. But getting that 13 Str spreads your stats awfully thin.

* Is it crazy to think about dumping Charisma? You could use Str or Dex as your main stat and leave Cha fairly low, while focusing on spells that don't depend on Cha, like Armor of Agathys and Misty Step, and otherwise burn your spell slots otherwise on Eldritch Smite. That could work, but then why not just play an Eldritch Knight or whatever? It arguably defeats the point of playing a Warlock.

I'm kind of overwhelmed by all the different directions I could go. Anyone have any insight?

It depends what you want to do. If you want a character who is primarily fighting with weapons in close contact melee, the new Bladelock is tough as a single class. There are two BIG shortfalls: no weapon mastery and light armor. You can mitigate one of those pretty easy, but mitigating both is going to be difficult if you want to hang with the martials in martial world.

If you want to go with a single class play a Gith if you are allowed. That gets you medium armor. I think you should Grab Magic initiate-Druid so you can pick up Shillelagh on Charisma (you can also get it through Pact of Tome but this takes away an Invocation). Make your pact weapon a club and then use Shillelage on it and offhand go with a Scimitar or Short Sword. Grab Weapon Master-Scimitar at level 4 for nick. At level 8 get dual wielder feat. It is still a very busy build and you won't be as good a martial as a martial is but by high level you will be holding your own.

I think the best option to really make this work though is a 1-level Paladin dip. Pick up heavy armor, mastery a caster level, Divine Smite and Searing Smite which you can use with your pact slots and it gives you some 1st level slots to use with your 1st level Warlock spells.