It happened. If you’ve been hovering around the Dungeons & Dragons community or scouring the 2024 Player’s Handbook (PHB) updates, you probably noticed a glaring hole where a specific cantrip used to sit. The Celestial Warlock lost Sacred Flame. Well, "lost" is a strong word, but the seamless, automatic synergy players loved is gone.
People are annoyed.
Honestly, I get it. For years, picking a Celestial Warlock meant you were basically a "Cleric Lite" but with cooler jewelry and a darker backstory. You got Sacred Flame for free. It was your bread and butter. It felt right. Then Wizards of the Coast (WotC) started tinkering with the 2024 rules—the stuff we used to call One D&D—and the "Celestial Warlock Sacred Flame removed" headlines started bubbling up in Discord servers. It wasn't just a typo in a playtest document. It was a deliberate design shift that changed how the subclass functions at level one.
The Mechanical Shift Nobody Asked For
So, what actually changed? In the 2014 version of the game, the Celestial Patron gave you Light and Sacred Flame as bonus cantrips. They didn't count against your warlock total. You just... had them. Because you were touched by the Upper Planes, obviously.
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The 2024 Player's Handbook restructured how subclasses—now officially called "Subclasses" rather than "Otherworldly Patrons" at level three—grant their features. Warlocks now choose their subclass at level three instead of level one. This is a massive structural change for the entire class. By the time you actually become a "Celestial" Warlock now, the game expects you to have already picked your utility spells. The bonus cantrips were largely folded into the new "Pact of the Tome" or just left to the general warlock spell list.
But here is the kicker: Sacred Flame isn't on the standard Warlock spell list.
This means if you want that classic radiant damage beam, you have to go looking for it. You can't just expect it to be handed to you on a silver platter at the start of your journey. You’ve got to use your Pact Boon—specifically Pact of the Tome—to grab it from the Cleric list. It’s a tax. A "flavor tax," if you will.
Why WotC Nuked the Auto-Pick
Designers like Jeremy Crawford have talked extensively about "streamlining" the 2024 rules. Sometimes "streamlining" is just code for "we didn't want this specific interaction to be too easy."
The 2014 Celestial Warlock had a feature called Radiant Soul. At 6th level, it let you add your Charisma modifier to one radiance or fire damage roll. Pairing this with Sacred Flame was the dream. It was consistent. It ignored cover. It felt like playing a divine sniper.
By removing the automatic inclusion of the cantrip, WotC forces a choice. Do you want Eldritch Blast, which is objectively the best cantrip in the game, or do you want to stay "on theme" with Sacred Flame? In the old days, you didn't have to choose. You had both. Now, resources are tighter. They want the Warlock to feel like a Warlock first and a Celestial servant second.
It’s a balance thing. Sorta.
I’ve seen some players argue that this nerf makes the subclass "unplayable." That’s hyperbolic. It just makes it different. You’re no longer a laser-cleric; you’re a Warlock who happens to have a direct line to a Solar. The difference is subtle, but it's there in the math.
The "Pact of the Tome" Workaround
If you’re sitting there thinking, "I don't care about the lore, I just want my radiant damage," you aren't out of luck. You just have to be smarter about your build.
The new Pact of the Tome is your best friend here. It allows you to pick three cantrips from any class's spell list. You pick Sacred Flame. Problem solved? Mostly. But you’ve used your Pact Boon on it. If you wanted to be a Pact of the Blade Celestial Warlock—the classic "Paladin-ish" build—you are now stuck without Sacred Flame unless you take a feat like Magic Initiate (Cleric).
- Take the Magic Initiate feat at level one (Human or through your Background).
- Choose Cleric.
- Select Sacred Flame.
The issue is that Magic Initiate now uses the spellcasting ability of the class the spell comes from, unless specified otherwise. If you use the 2024 version of Magic Initiate, you can actually choose your spellcasting ability (Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma). This is a huge win. It means a Warlock can finally cast a Cleric spell using Charisma.
Wait.
If you can just take it as a feat, why did they remove it from the subclass?
Complexity.
The designers wanted to move away from "front-loading" classes. They want you to build into your identity. If everyone gets everything for free at level one, there's no "build path." It’s just a pile of features.
Radiant Soul and the New Math
We need to talk about the 6th-level feature, Radiant Soul, because that's where the Sacred Flame removal hurts most. In the 2024 rules, Radiant Soul still exists. It still boosts your radiant and fire damage.
But let's look at the competition. Eldritch Blast with Agonizing Blast is still the king of damage. Sacred Flame—even with the Radiant Soul buff—usually lags behind because Eldritch Blast fires multiple beams at higher levels.
The only reason to use Sacred Flame was for the flavor or to bypass high-AC enemies by forcing a Dexterity save. By removing it as a freebie, WotC is subtly pushing players toward Eldritch Blast. It’s a bit of a shame, really. D&D is at its best when people aren't all doing the same "optimal" thing.
What the Community is Saying
If you spend five minutes on the dndnext subreddit, you’ll see the divide.
Half the players are screaming about "power creep" and "functional nerfs." The other half are just happy the Warlock's base features—like Magical Cunning—actually make the class playable in long adventuring days.
One veteran DM I talked to recently put it bluntly: "The Celestial Warlock was always a weird duck. Giving it Sacred Flame for free made it feel like you were cheating the multiclass system. Now, if you want to be a holy warrior, you have to invest in it. I like that."
I'm not sure I agree.
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Giving a subclass a thematic cantrip isn't "cheating." It's flavor. Removing it feels like a corporate decision to make every Warlock feel more "Warlock-y," which ironically makes them all feel a bit more the same.
Real-World Impact on Your Next Session
If you are porting a character from the 2014 rules to the 2024 rules, talk to your DM. Seriously.
The "official" stance is that you can use old subclasses with new base classes, but the mapping is wonky. If you’re playing a 2024 Warlock, you don't even get your subclass until level 3. If you were counting on Sacred Flame to get you through levels 1 and 2, you're going to be disappointed.
You’ll be stuck using Eldritch Blast or a crossbow like a common peasant.
How to Fix Your Build Now
- The Feat Route: Grab Magic Initiate (Cleric) via your background. Choose Charisma as your casting stat. Pick Sacred Flame and Guidance.
- The Tome Route: At level 3, pick Pact of the Tome. Grab Sacred Flame. This keeps your level 1 feat free for something like Musician or Alert.
- The Celestial "Laser" Build: If you really want to lean into the radiant theme, look at the new Guiding Bolt access. Warlocks have better access to different spell lists now through feats, so you can actually be a better "healer" than before, even without the free cantrip.
Is it a Dealbreaker?
No.
The Celestial Warlock is still one of the most durable and versatile subclasses in the game. Healing Light—that pool of d6s you use to heal as a bonus action—is still there. It’s still one of the best "oh crap" buttons in D&D. You can still bring someone back from zero HP without using a spell slot. That's the real power of the Celestial Warlock.
The loss of Sacred Flame is an annoyance. It’s a smudge on a shiny new car. It forces you to spend a resource (a feat or a pact choice) to get back something you used to have for free.
Does it ruin the "fantasy" of the class? Only if you let it.
The 2024 update is full of these little "give and take" moments. You get more invocations, but you lose some subclass features. You get better weapon mastery, but your spells are shuffled. It’s a trade.
Actionable Steps for Players
If you're building a Celestial Warlock today, don't just mourn the loss of the free cantrip. Do this instead:
- Check your Background: In the 2024 rules, your background gives you a feat. If your background doesn't give you Magic Initiate, change it or customize it (if your DM allows the Tasha’s-style customization).
- Prioritize Charisma: Since you can now choose your casting mod for Magic Initiate, Sacred Flame is actually better than it was for some multiclass builds because it scales with your primary stat without any weird workarounds.
- Look at the New Invocations: Some of the new invocations provide utility that far outweighs a simple damage cantrip. Lessons of the First On can give you even more feat flexibility.
- Don't ignore "Green-Flame Blade": Remember, Radiant Soul also works with fire damage. If you're a melee-focused Celestial Warlock, Green-Flame Blade is still a monster of a choice, and it's on the Warlock list.
The removal of Sacred Flame from the Celestial Warlock's "freebies" is a classic example of modern game design: taking away "automatic" power to encourage "intentional" power. It’s annoying for veterans who liked the efficiency, but for new players, it’s just one more choice in a game that is increasingly defined by them.
Build your character with intent. The radiant fire is still there; you just have to reach a little further to grab it.