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We’ll let you in on an open secret: the Paladin is D&D‘s golden child, its favorite class. Just about any build is overpowered, it has the second most number of subclasses (in Baldur’s Gate 3), the most expansive gameplay variety, and the most laid-out roleplay path. So it’s no wonder why Paladin and its Paladin subclasses are the most popular class option in Baldur’s Gate 3.
As a Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’re everyone’s favorite. Your god loves you and will smite for you, the game showers you with endless options, and you get the most powerful boss-killing feature in the game. The choices don’t stop there. Paladins in Baldur’s Gate 3 have several Paladin subclasses, each with its unique abilities and characteristics. We’ll be helping you understand why everyone likes the Paladin.
Paladin subclasses are called Oaths
They’re practically a promise to uphold a certain dogma or tenet associated with different virtues related to knighthood or something like that. As a Paladin, your god or chosen deity is irrelevant in Baldur’s Gate 3 relative to your chosen Oath or subclass.
You have to uphold the values of your Oaths by picking the [Oath] option during dialog whenever it pops up or by refraining from killing innocents. Failure to comply means revocation of Oath privileges, and you’ll get a visit from the Oathbreaker Knight to discuss the next step in becoming an Oathbreaker (what corporate shill he is), more on that later.
In any case, here are the Oaths:
Oath of Ancients
The Oath of Ancients Paladin combines the natural flair of Druids with a commitment to protecting the sanctity of nature from the forces of darkness and chaos. This flexible and flavorful oath focuses on preserving love, hope, and the joys of life.
You’re a treehugger knight, basically. Don’t kill innocents and don’t harm nature.
Unique features
- Nature’s Wrath: Restrains an enemy, making them easier to hit and immobilize them.
- Aura of Warding: Provides protection against spells, reducing damage taken by you and nearby allies.
- Healing Radiance: A powerful sustain ability that heals you and an ally for 10 hit points over two turns.
Free subclass spells
- Speak with Animals – Allows you to talk to animals.
- Ensnaring Strike – Roots the enemy in place and immobilizes them while also damaging them.
- Misty Step – Short-range teleport as a bonus action.
- Moonbeam – Concentration spell that channels a mobile damaging spotlight from the moon.
- Protection From Energy – Resistance or immunity to a chosen element.
- Plant Growth – An area spell that hobbles the creatures passing through.
The Oath of Ancients Paladin combines a strong connection to nature with potent spellcasting and crowd-control abilities. This makes them one of the most flexible and effective Paladin subclasses available.
As far as support subclasses go for Paladin, the Oath of Ancients is one of the most accomplished in the role.
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Oath of Devotion
For players who yearn to embody the honorable knight-in-shining-armor archetype, the Oath of Devotion Paladin is the perfect fit.
These Paladins are dedicated to protecting the innocent, and the weak, upholding the greater good, and showing mercy whenever possible.
So it goes without saying, don’t hurt or kill innocents and injured or diseased creatures. Also, follow the law and don’t break promises.
It’s important to note that this commitment might limit certain interactions with NPCs in the game, especially those who don’t adhere to a virtuous path.
Unique features
- Holy Rebuke: Protect your allies during combat by dealing radiant damage to enemies who attack them with melee attacks.
- Sacred Weapon: Enhance your weapon, adding your Charisma Bonus to attack rolls.
- Turn the Unholy: Ward off Undead and Fiends, making them afraid of you.
- Aura of Devotion: Become immune to being charmed and extend this protection to allies within 3 meters.
Free subclass spells
- Protection from Evil & Good – Raises your resistance or defense against enemies of a certain type such as Undead or Demons or anyone with a ‘good’ morality.
- Sanctuary – Prevents the recipient from being attacked, though it dispels when they attack.
- Lesser Restoration – Healing spell.
- Silence – An area spell that prevents spellcasters from casting any spells in the affected area.
- Beacon of Hope – Healing buff and Advantage on Wisdom and Death Saving Throws.
- Remove Curse – Removes a curse spell on any target.
The Oath of Devotion Paladin excels in protecting allies and ensuring that everyone survives in combat. Thus, you can also consider it a support subclass. They also work well against undead or evil enemies and there are plenty of those in the game.
Oath of Vengeance
The Oath of Vengeance Paladin is akin to the inquisitor of the D&D world, dedicated to eradicating evil through whatever means necessary.
This subclass is the epitome of justice and retribution, making it an excellent choice for players who relish combat and plan to confront every adversary they encounter.
Their tenets are more complex and more grey compared to Devotion or Ancient Paladins. You must adhere and take any chance to dispense justice regardless of whether it’s playing judge, jury, or executioner. That means killing criminals without mercy.
Unique features
- Inquisitor’s Might: This straightforward bonus action ability can be used on yourself or an ally, enhancing melee attacks with an additional 2 radiant damage and the Daze effect on targets.
- Abjure Enemy: Frighten your foes and make them easier to hit, particularly effective against Fiends and Undead.
- Relentless Avenger: Pursue fleeing enemies more effectively, ensuring they can’t escape your wrath.
- Vow of Enmity: Gain an Advantage on Attack Rolls against a target within 3 meters for 10 turns, providing a significant combat advantage.
Free subclass spells
- Hold Person – Paralizes a humanoid target, making each melee attack against them an automatic critical hit.
- Misty Step – Short-range teleport.
- Bane – Enemy debuff against their attack rolls and saving throws.
- Hunter’s Mark – Enemy debuff which deals more damage to them whenever you hit them.
- Haste – The most powerful spell in the game, practically lets you have two actions in one turn.
- Protection From Energy – Resistance or immunity to a chosen element.
Apart from chasing down criminals like the Punisher or Batman, Vengeance Paladins are the best boss killers in Baldur’s Gate 3. They usually just need to look for the biggest guy in the room, cast Vow of Enmity against them, and then bring down the wrath of the heavens (all the smites!) against said target. That’s typically enough to bring down a boss in a couple of turns.
The Haste spell is the Vengeance Paladin’s crowning move here and further bolsters its ability to kill bosses.
Oathbreaker
The Oathbreaker Paladin is a hidden subclass that players can access by breaking their original Oath. While considered evil in D&D lore, Baldur’s Gate 3 offers a more ‘morally grey’ and intriguing opportunity to explore this path and wield dark powers.
To become an Oathbreaker, here’s an in-depth Oathbreaker guide. Or you can just perform these quick and dirty transgressions depending on your original Oath:
- Break the Oath of Ancients: Kill innocents and animals.
- Break the Oath of Devotion: Kill innocents and violate the law.
- Break the Oath of Vengeance: Kill innocents and show mercy to criminals.
Unique features
- Spiteful Suffering: Inflict necrotic damage on a chosen enemy, causing them to take damage on each of their turns.
- Dreadful Aspect: Tap into your dark nature to frighten nearby enemies.
- Control Undead: Gain control over undead creatures, potentially summoning your own.
- Aura of Hate: Gain additional damage dealt with melee weapons equal to your charisma modifier.
Free subclass spells
- Hellish Rebuke – A fiery counterattack as a reaction whenever you’re hit.
- Inflict Wounds – Deals necrotic damage to a target.
- Crown of Madness – Drives a target insane and unable to distinguish friend from foe.
- Bestow Curse – Enemy debuff giving them Disadvantage on Saving Throws, attacks, and checks.
- Animate Dead – Bring a corpse back to life as your minion.
- Darkness – Shroud an area in magical darkness, rendering anyone in side blind and obscured.
The Oathbreaker Paladin is a formidable choice for those who seek power through darkness. Their abilities provide unique opportunities to control the battlefield and deal substantial damage.
Aura of Hate is particularly desired by min-maxers for its ability to add incremental damage numbers to any attack (including multiple smites).
While Oathbreakers does lack the free Haste and the awe-inspiring boss-killing capabilities of Vengeance Paladins, it makes up for it with more combat utility and more consistent damage, making it one of the most popular Paladin subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3.
