Best Warlock Race for End Game?

[Artrea]

Hey Everyone!

Looking for some min/max-ing advice on what race to play for my warlock at end game? (*First Life)
I'm mostly trying to decide between Dragonborn or Tiefling and it looks pretty close.
I was thinking Tiefling w/ Fiend pact or Blue Dragonborn w/ Celestial pact.
The breath weapon options and permanent DC bonuses seem a little better than the extra spell power & DC bonuses ONLY when Darkness is up.
But maybe I'm undervaluing the extra Tiefling spell crit as well?

That being said, I'm not sure if synergies with Epic Destinies comes into play as well for these racials...

As I'm still new I'd appreciate the thoughts of more seasoned warlocks than myself.

[majorhavoc]

Hey Everyone!

Looking for some min/max-ing advice on what race to play for my warlock at end game? (*First Life)
I'm mostly trying to decide between Dragonborn or Tiefling and it looks pretty close.
I was thinking Tiefling w/ Fiend pact or Blue Dragonborn w/ Celestial pact.
The breath weapon options and permanent DC bonuses seem a little better than the extra spell power & DC bonuses ONLY when Darkness is up.
But maybe I'm undervaluing the extra Tiefling spell crit as well?

That being said, I'm not sure if synergies with Epic Destinies comes into play as well for these racials...

As I'm still new I'd appreciate the thoughts of more seasoned warlocks than myself.

I got to confess that Tiefling w/ Fiend pact is hard to beat for DPS.
Dragonborn would be way up on the list if Arcanum Spell Pen was not broken, but is still a solid choice.

[Artrea]

I got to confess that Tiefling w/ Fiend pact is hard to beat for DPS.
Dragonborn would be way up on the list if Arcanum Spell Pen was not broken, but is still a solid choice.

Is 3 spell pen that big? I've heard mana isn't really an issue at end game but I'm not there yet to confirm, lol.
Also, playing the Tiefling I do feel like I hit hard but on the opposite end it feels like 1/4 of the game resists or is immune to my pact damage.

[SocratesBastardSon]

Is 3 spell pen that big? I've heard mana isn't really an issue at end game but I'm not there yet to confirm, lol.

You're right about mana, but unless you're doing an evoker-focused warlock the Spell Penetration portion of Arcanum would be very useful to have. Given that the Spell Pen portion of Arcanum does not work, you're right, you probably don't need Arcanum.

I apologize if I'm stating something obvious, but for newer players I'll explain the role of Spell Pen and how to look it up.

Take a look at the various spells, including pact spells, that are vulnerable to Spell Resistance checks. For example, Fey Pact has Otto's Irresistible Dance for its level 19 spell. You'll notice that the spell description says ''Spell Resistance: Yes''. Overcoming spell resist, as you're likely aware, is what Spell Pen is for. So Fey Pact benefits greatly from any Spell Pen it can garner. On the other hand, I expect a Carceri Pact may be more comfortable with an evocation-heavy style that relies less on Spell Pen.

Now for your next question:

Also, playing the Tiefling I do feel like I hit hard but on the opposite end it feels like 1/4 of the game resists or is immune to my pact damage.

The main reason for taking Tiefling with Fiend Pact is t4 in the Tiefling racial tree: Improved Scorch. That ability strips away fire resistance, letting you go to town with your fire attacks. It's only for 10 seconds, but at that point nothing in the game is immune to your pact damage. And mobs that are not resistant to fire take extra damage. Fun stuff!

So the build requires 16 or 18 APs in Tiefling for Improved Scorch and possibly Incineration (I'm not 100% sure the latter helps with Blasts), and a heavy investment in Tainted Scholar for a strong Blaster build (although more experienced players often prefer more points in Soul Eater than TS).

Again, I apologize if I'm explaining basic class and racial concepts, but I'm assuming not everyone knows this material.