Wizards of the Coast and Invoke Studios gave us our first extended look at Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons during gamescom Opening Night Live, showing how its magic-heavy combat and exploration actually work. The single-player action-adventure is set in an open world inspired by Dungeons & Dragons and is currently targeting a 2027 release.
Warlock puts players in the role of Kaatri, a veteran weapons master voiced by Battlestar Galactica and Lucifer actress Tricia Helfer. Kaatri enters into a pact that gives her access to otherworldly magic, combining her existing melee skills with spells that can be used both in and out of combat.
The gameplay reveal also introduces Tasha, played by Maggie Robertson, who you may recognize as Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil Village. Tasha serves as Kaatri’s patron and the source of her magical abilities, teaching her how to sense Raw Magic hidden throughout Darkon. Finding it allows Kaatri to expand and transform what she can do with her spells.
The interesting part is that Invoke isn’t treating magic as something that’s only useful for killing whatever is standing in front of you. Spells can alter the environment and open up new routes while exploring the game’s open world and dungeons. In combat, the footage shows Kaatri manipulating enemy positioning and even the weather before following up with her abilities as a weapons master. Different spells can also be chained together, giving players room to experiment with how they approach encounters.
It’s an approach that should help Warlock stand apart from simply being another action game wearing a Dungeons & Dragons skin. The gameplay reveal puts a lot of emphasis on observation and experimentation, with the same magical systems being used for exploration, environmental puzzles, and combat.
Warlock: Dungeons & Dragons is scheduled to launch in 2027 for PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.
