Here’s our oath-sworn guide to the best Baldur’s Gate 3 Paladin build
What’s the best Paladin build in Baldur’s Gate 3?Paladinsare tanky combatants with a religious streak, always ready for divine attacks with a side of heavy defense. InBaldur’s Gate 3, Paladin characters can form the backbone of your group, soaking up damage and doling out pure carnage while the rest of your team attacks safely from the sidelines.
However, Paladins are also a bit tricky. They’re sworn to aSacred Oath, and specific actions will break that Oath and change your subclass. If you’re looking for the best Paladin build ideas inBaldur’s Gate 3, here’s everything you need to know, including the best race, subclass, Fighting Style, spells, background, and feats for your character.
Note: Looking for lots more builds to choose from? Check out our dedicated list of thebest builds in Baldur’s Gate 3for each class!
Baldur’s Gate 3 Paladin build basics
The Paladin’s primary ability isStrength, but unlike other Strength-based classes like Barbarians and Fighers, Paladins must pay close attention to their actions within the game narrative. Above all else, they must adhere to their Sacred Oaths or risk losing some of their abilities and becomingOathbreakers- a special subclass that gains sinister and morally ambiguous skills to represent the Paladin’s slide into darkness.
Your interactions with NPCs will affect your ability to adhere to your chosen Oath, so choose your Oath wisely and tread carefully.
At level 1, Paladins can choose from the following subclasses, which are known as Oaths:
At Level 2, Paladins can choose from the following Fighting Styles:
Your race, background, and skills can greatly enhance and strengthen your Paladin character. These may vary based on your team composition, but these are our best picks for a solid Paladin build.
The best Paladin race is Dwarf or Gnome.
Every race has something to offer when choosing the Paladin class, but we’ve had great success with Dwarves and Gnomes - specifically the Gold Dwarf and Deep Gnome subraces.Gold Dwarvespossess the ever-useful Dwarven Toughness trait, which boosts their hit point maximum by 1 for every level they have. This pairs well with the Paladin’s tanky nature.
Meanwhile,Deep Gnomesare an all-around good choce for theirSuperior Darkvision, which allows them to see in the dark up to 24m. They also gainStone Camouflagefor advantage on Stealth checks, and theirGnome Cunningskill allows for advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws.
The best Paladin background is Soldier.
TheSoldierbackground grants proficiency bonuses onAthleticsandIntimidationrolls, both of which will come in handy when acting as the party’s damage spongue and forcing foes to stand down.
The best Paladin skill proficiencies are Insight and Persuasion.
Insightallows you to determine a being’s true intentions or motivations, whilePersuasionimpacts your ability to convince another character to do something without resorting to deception or intimidation.
The best Paladin subclass isOath of Vengeance. A character adhering to this Oath must adhere to the tenets ofFight the Greater EvilandNo Mercy for the Wicked. They must always strive to do the greatest good for the greatest number of beings, and they should also be merciless in defeating enemies who are causing harm to others.
The best Paladin Fighting Style isDefense. Although this decision ultimately comes down to your play style, we’ve found that the increase in armour class that Defense provides will almost always offer a significant advantage in battle, while other Fighting Styles are more situational.
Although not as diverse as purely spellcasting-oriented classes, Paladins have access to several spells throughout their progression.
These are the best Paladin spells by spell level:
Level 1:Cure Wounds, Bless, Compelled Duel, Command
Level 2:Aid, Magic Weapon, Protection from Poison
Level 3:BlindingSmite, Elemental Weapon, Revivify
Paladin can choose feats at Levels 4, 8, and 12. The best Paladin feats are:
Toughgrants +2 HP for each Level, which applies retroactively. Choosing it early in the game can give your Paladin an ongoing boost that’ll ensure they stay standing throughout the toughest combat situations.Sentinelgrants you a reaction attack when an enemy in melee range attacks an ally.Shield Mastergrants a +2 bonus to Dexterity saving throws while using a shield and allows you to use your reaction to weaken spells that force Dexterity saving throws, meaning that you’ll take half damage on a failed save and no damage on a successful save.
That’s everything you need to know to build a powerful Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you’re not happy with your build, you always have the option torespecand choose an entirely new class using ourBaldur’s Gate 3 best builds guideas reference. We’ve also got in-depth guides onmulticlassingand evenromancing your companions.
Disclosure: Former RPS deputy editor Adam Smith (RPS in peace) now works at Larian and is the lead writer for Baldur’s Gate 3. Former contributor Emily Gera also works on it.
