Best Starting Class in Baldur's Gate 3: In Baldurs Paladin

Explore the Paladin class in Baldur's Gate 3. Learn about Divine Smite, Lay on Hands, and the unique powers granted by the Oaths of Ancients, Devotion, Vengeance, and Oathbreaker.

While formidable warriors in their own right, it’s the oaths Paladins take - and the powers they receive from their potent faith - that makes them interesting characters. Without the divine aspect, Paladins would be little more than second-rate Fighters. These Paladin oaths typically revolve around preserving the sanctity of life, upholding justice, and punishing the wicked - sugar and spice and everything nice (with a heaping side dish of righteous smiting).

The potency of a Paladin’s faith manifests in various ways, but the standouts include spellcasting ability similar to a Cleric’s (albeit significantly stunted), the ability to perform Divine Smites and Lay on Hands, as well as various oath-specific powers you’ll gain over time. Without getting too granular, Divine Smite allows you to deal extra damage when you land a hit in melee at the expense of a spell slot, while Lay on Hands allows you to heal yourself and/or allies and even cure diseases and poison after you level up a bit. As a Paladin levels and subsequently gains more Lay on Hands charges and spell slots they’ll be able to heal more and smite more, while also being able to effect further smiting, healing, buffing and debuffing. They’re no substitute for a proper Cleric (although Paladins can take some of the healing burden off the Cleric’s shoulders), but they’re robust tanks and capable damage-dealers who are happiest when they’re in the thick of things gently convincing ne’er-do-wells the errors of their ways, one vicious rebuke at a time.

You must choose one of three oaths - Ancient, Devotion and Vengeance, which will give you additional class features.

Best Paladin Subclasses - Paladin Oaths

As mentioned earlier, a Paladin is bound and defined by the oath they take. At launch there will be three Paladin oaths, which must be chosen at 1st-level. These oaths are binding and can’t be changed later, and give you varying abilities depending on the exact oath you chose:

• Oath of the Ancients: Healing and nature focused, the Oaths of the Ancients Paladin can heal allies in a radius with Healing Radiance and gain access to spells like Ensnaring Strike and Speak with Animals.
• Oath of Devotion: A defensive discipline, the Oath of Devotion Paladin gains access to the Holy Rebuke ability, causing struck allies to damage their attackers. They also gain access to spells like Sanctuary and Protection from Evil and Good.
• Oath of Vengeance: Focused on punishment and retribution, the Oath of Vengeance Paladin gains access to spells like Bane and Hunter’s Mark - generally more debuff oriented.

Paladin oaths are more than mere suggestions, and however self-righteous a Paladin may be, they are not, in fact, the final authority and right and wrong, nor are their precepts subject to arbitrary interpretation. If a Paladin does something that violates their oath, they may become an Oathbreaker, decidedly darker version of the Paladin. How, exactly, you go about violating your oath varies depending on what oath you took, but killing helpless or innocent characters or intentionally and directly helping evil beings to achieve their goals are usually good ways to start down the path of an Oathbreaker.

Following your oaths helps shape the role-playing experience, but sometimes the fetters of morality pinch a bit, in which case you can shed your shackles and embrace the badness by becoming an Oathbreaker!

Best Paladin Subclasses - Oathbreakers

Breaking your oath won’t necessarily send you down the path of mustachio-twirling villany, if it was a lapse in judgment, some atonement can set you straight (turns out the gods like money - who knew?). On the other hand, you can embrace your failure and become an Oathbreaker by talking to the Oathbreaker Knight at camp (you’ll need to perform a Long Rest and talk to him at night). This will give you a fourth Paladin subclass - the Oathbreaker:

• Oathbreaker: Decidedly darker than the other subclasses, the Oathbreaker can Control Undead and use abilities like Spiteful Suffering and Dreadful Aspect to harm and hex others.

Paladins are well-rounded characters who are proficient in all armor, shields, simple weapons, martial weapons and, oddly enough, Wisdom and Charisma Saves.

Best Starting Class in Baldur’s Gate - Paladin Proficiencies

As a warrior, it only makes sense that the Paladin is proficient in most arms and armor. Their piety and inner strength gives them proficiency with Wisdom and Charisma saves, as opposed to more traditional warrior fare like Strength and Constitution. They also can choose two proficiencies between a variety of diverse skills that allow individual Paladins to focus on their athletic prowess, their ability to root out heresy, the studious piety or their knack for healing others.

You usually can’t go too far astray by following whatever proficiencies a class has, but the Paladin is something of an exception. They’re proficient in Wisdom Saves and Charisma Saves, but Charisma is their primary spellcasting ability, and it also affects various Paladin class features, while Wisdom contributes very little. Paladins are also ideal front-liners and their Divine Smite class feature is melee only, so you’re going to want to invest in Strength and/or Dexterity, and a little Constitution never hurt anybody.