"Powerful magical creatures who are excellent at research. Training makes them more powerful and expands their range of spells. If there are Warlocks in a group and their total experience is more than fifteen, they lead a rebellion against the rest of the group. The only way to combat this is to put them in a Prison or put one in the Torture Chamber. For this reason, Warlocks work well either with other Warlocks or alone."
— Dungeon Keeper Manual
The Warlock's portrait
Warlocks are evil humanoid spellcasters and Library experts. As the Library is a basic room, Warlocks can be drawn into the dungeon almost right away.
Ingame animation of a Warlock
Warlocks train in fire element and support spells. Both their offensive and defensive capabilities are decisively inferior to the hero spellcasting classes, especially the Wizard, Fairy, and Priestess (due mainly to their Rebound spell, which makes them virtually immune to Warlocks), but even a Monk will best a Warlock in combat. Although the Warlock gains the Word of Power spell, for him, it's more of a defensive spell than an offensive one (it's a mêlée attack; the Warlock is very much a ranged creature), even if it worked properly (which it doesn't). The Warlock's low health also makes them vulnerable to an enemy Keeper's Lightning Strike; considering all this, Warlocks are seldom worth training for battle beyond the earliest Campaign maps.
Research is a Warlock's default job. After all projects are completed, they will lurk around in their Lair unless they get new orders. They are strong at scavenging and adequate at training, but refuse to manufacture.
Starting at level 2, Warlocks occasionally fling Fireballs at "unworthy researchers" in the Library, which in their opinion is anything for whom research is not a primary or secondary job. It is therefore recommended to build the Library with only one entrance to prevent through traffic, and to reinforce the walls in the very beginning so that Imps do not court death in there by returning to finish the task later.
Warlocks gain experience from sleeping next to a gold seam; however, the quantity gained is so measly (just 1 XP per turn! At that rate, it takes over 3 and a half hours for a Warlock to get to level 2, and that's if the game's running at its maxium framerate of 20fps and he sleeps without interruption (which he doesn't)) that it's hardly noticeable or worth it. This is fixed in KeeperFX. The lengths of time to reach each level (from the previous level) from sleep alone (at 20fps) are shown in the table below:
Level
Time required
2
3 hours 33 minutes 20 seconds
3
12 hours 26 minutes 40 seconds
4
17 hours 46 minutes 40 seconds
5
23 hours 6 minutes 40 seconds
6
1 day 6 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds
7
1 day 13 hours 20 minutes
8
1 day 22 hours 13 minutes 20 seconds
9
2 days 8 hours 53 minutes 20 seconds
10
2 days 23 hours 6 minutes 40 seconds
Total
12 days 10 hours 40 minutes
There are three possible explanations as to why it is so slow:
The Sleep Experience stat was mistaken for a "training skill" value; that is, they thought it meant they'd gain XP equivalent to training with that level of training skill.
They decided on Sleep Experience values in reference to the creature's levelling up values without realising that those values are multiplied by 256 in-game (e.g. creatures require 256,000 XP to level up to level 2, not 1000).
It was not meant to be a serious game mechanic, but an Easter Egg noticeable only to those who are extremely patient and observant. However, as this mechanic is mentioned in the manual (even if only for the Dragon), the likelihood of this possibility is a matter of debate.
Early 1996 shot of hiring a Warlock (then known as the Sorcerer) from the Order Corporeal Creatures panel
The Warlock was originally known as the Sorcerer (sometimes misspelt 'Sorceror'),[2][3] and still is in the game's data and code.
As to the rebellious behavior described in the official docs, Warlocks are assigned the unique ANGER_JOB_PERSUADE. It is nevertheless unclear how and whether this mechanic works, because anger steadily decreases when creatures are idling in their Lair.
Warlocks will only train if dropped in a Training Room. They are set to gain annoyance if left untrained, but this, too, is mysteriously hard to observe. Samurai have the double the annoyance value, and they get very obviously angry when untrained.
Prior to KeeperFX 1.0, Warlocks were the only spellcaster to have neither Rebound nor Armour (from KeeperFX 1.0, the Time Mage and Druid also have neither). Even with KeeperFX, Warlocks are the only spellcaster with neither Lightning nor Drain. This makes them extremely weak in combat relative to the heroes, and they don't stand a snowball's chance in hell against Priestesses and Fairies, who have both Lightning and Rebound, in one-to-one combat. If both are at level 10, a Warlock would be lucky to even score a hit against a Fairy before he falls. A level 10 Wizard would pulverise a level 10 Warlock, and even a Monk would best a Warlock.
Dungeon Keeper 2[]
"Warlocks are highly intelligent sorcerers, who have been shunned by the Overworld and now seek refuge in the depths of the Underworld. Warlocks are tireless in their quest for knowledge and likely to ally with any Keeper who allows them access to his extensive Libraries.
They shy away from physical contact (which may explain their hatred of Wizards), and prefer to loiter at the back of any fights, hurling fireballs at their lowly opponents. Proud as they are of their intellectual prowess, Warlocks always attempt to set up Lair near Libraries and consider themselves above menial tasks such as manufacturing"
— Dungeon Keeper 2 Manual
Warlocks are the second creature you ever get in the single player story campaign, humble in their combat capabilities to say the least, but can be a valuable addition in small numbers. They are relatively trouble-free when encountering only evil creatures, and are rather reliable taking care of your researching needs in a Library, if its size is adequate.
As with their hero counterparts, Wizards, they deal in shooting Fireballs, albeit not all their strongest incarnations. Still, they reliably hurl them at the enemy from relatively safe distances away.
But the largest positive of these dastardly masterminds is that they gain the ability to Heal your creatures who are on the same side as they are! The fact that they get it early, on experience level 2 and, coincidentally, on single player story campaign Level 2 - Enchantments - Sing Song, is deviously generous of the game!
"Hark now, a Warlock has arrived to study spells within your library. His research will serve your magic well. Restrict him not to his books for within combat he may prove formidable with fireballs." — The Mentor, Campaign Mode (DK2)
"A Warlock - use him in combat to support your other creatures. He is also your primary spell researcher and will spend long hours in the Library discovering new incantations for you." — The Mentor, Pet Dungeon Mode (DK2)
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.
From left to right: Normal Warlock, Elite Almeric, Mercenary Wizard, normal Wizard.
The Elite Warlock, Almeric, is distinguished from normal Warlocks by his red and gold robes and his orange staff. He is also the supreme researcher, far superior to even Wizards. Almeric's benefits:
Slightly higher melee damage. (Only useful for Possession.)
Trains slightly faster.
More than 3 times the research speed!! (Highest in the game.)
+50% higher pay.
+50% higher Possession mana cost.
The Warlock's counterpart is the Wizard, which also has a Mercenary variant.
Tips[]
You can attract them by building Libraries.
Unlike in Dungeon Keeper, Warlocks will sometimes randomly train without prompting, even when there are spells left to research.
They can heal other creatures; this is especially useful when training creatures in the Combat Pit as Warlocks have no mana cost. To do this, cast Possession on a Warlock outside the Combat Pit, and manually heal the fighting creatures as they take damage.
During Possession, you are able to perform ranged attacks faster that they can without your help.
They have a somewhat admirable capability of generating mana at a Temple while praying.
Once all research is done, you may semi-retire Warlocks by moving their Lair closer, or next to, or even in the middle of a Temple if you plan on setting their job up as a praying creature.
Bugs[]
They are one of the creatures that may fall into the Temple pool for unknown reasons, and eventually sacrifice themselves there.
Trivia[]
Warlock gaining the Heal Creature (creature spell) is the only instance a creature gains any sort of ability at experience level 2. Monks get it sooner, at level 1.
Their Fireball spell has a very long windup time. This means in battle they are much more suited in support roles, but this also makes them very easy to train in the Combat Pit. (It is instant while being possessed.)
Warlocks have less health than hero Wizards, and less powerful spells at a higher level; but can heal.
The Elite Warlock Almeric seems to be older that all other Warlocks.
Warlocks only use their melee attacks either during training exclusively in the Training Room only, or when possessed and you decide to do so.
In a pre-release trailer, Warlocks are seen using their scepter-wack melee attack in real combat. It is yet sadly not clarified if it was a previous natural creature behavior helping them deal with too close foes, or just a Bullfrog developer in multiplayer possessing one of his own Warlocks. (Although it does fall unconscious upon being beaten, not rot away to being a corpse instantly like in retail situations when dying in possession.)
The word 'Warlock' means male Witch, to help differentiate from the word 'Witch' mostly used on female subjects, originating as "Wærloga" in old English presumably connected to the Scots, as one who became a Sorcerer by getting in league with Auld Hornie [sic] (the devil).
The legendary Vincent Price's character, Vincent Van Ghoul looks relatively similar to Dungeon Keeper 2 Warlocks in the cartoon series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. Even their iconic armchairs are similar. The first appearance of that character was in 1985.
One of its original new DK2 concept art designs suggested giving them larger almost pseudo-arabian shoes, and wider/broader armored shoulder pauldrons.
Gallery[]
Warlock Concept Art (Dungeon Keeper 2 Manual)
Warlock panel icon
The Warlock's model
Dungeon Keeper Online[]
This section is empty. You can help Dungeon Keeper Wiki by adding to it.
This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it.
Progression
Notes[]
Effective defence against mêlée minions when there was a wall to act as cover. The Warlocks' fire-based damage was especially effective against Trolls.
Good at sniping resource rooms or the Dungeon Heart after Trolls had cleared a nearby defensive room.
/ 8000t
