If you’re looking for a hardy character with great melee options, the Paladin might be a worthy choice for you to play in Baldur’s Gate 3. It is in fact the most popular class that most players choose, according to the developers of the game. Paladin was the class that was most picked in the opening weekend of the game, and no wonder – as it certainly has its benefits.
There are three subclasses that you can pick for your Paladin, as well as a secret, fourth subclass. Here is the list of all the subclasses that you need to know about if you are in search of the Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build.
- Oath of the Ancients: An Oath dedicated to nature, this selection of abilities is similar to those of a druid and focuses on aiding allies and restraining enemies.
- Oath of Devotion: The classic holy warrior Oath, this provides both offensive and supportive capabilities, particularly for nearby companions. It grants a range of Holy spells that are always prepared.
- Oath of Vengeance: A damage-oriented melee fighter, this Oath also has some debuffing techniques and the ability to use Misty Step.
- Oathbreaker: Breaking your Oath as a paladin will automatically unlock this secret subclass, which is not originally offered to you in the game. Necromantic, Curse, and other dark and controlling spells will replace the other Oath spells.
When you are creating your character of the Paladin, you will need to choose a race. All races in Baldur’s Gate 3 have their unique capabilities, and it’s worth taking the time to find out what works best with the Paladin. Here’s a list of the best races that you should check out when making the Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build:
- Gold Dwarf: You will be able to get extra HP at the beginning of the game as well as each time you level up. This can add all the way up to 5 extra HP, which makes the Gold Dwarf the race with the most health. You also get an Advantage of saving throws against Poison and Darkvision as Dwarfs are resistant to these elements.
- Half-Orc: If you need some extra Endurance and Savage Attacks, you can choose the Half-Orc. This race greatly boosts the attacking power of the Paladin and is great for the players who prioritize offense over all else.
Starting Stats for Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build
The stats that you start with are quite important as they will dictate your building blocks for your character. You can switch up the points around if you want, depending on the playstyle that you intend to take. Here are the recommended starting stats that you should pick for your Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build.
- Strength: 17 (+3)
- Dexterity: 10 (+0)
- Constitution: 14 (+2)
- Intelligence: 9 (+0)
- Wisdom: 10 (+0)
- Charisma: 14 (+1)
Best Subclass for Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build
As you have already come across, the subclasses that the game offers you initially are three, as the fourth one is hidden. Oath of the Ancients is a good choice for most players as you can use the heal spell of Healing Radiance to heal in large groups. It will also get more powerful as you level up. The other spells will also help you to control large groups of enemies, which are Nature’s Wrath and Turn the Faithless. The Aura of Warding is prominent as it lets you shield your party from half the damage it could take from the opposing team.
Best Spells for Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build
When you are playing as a Paladin, you will have the option to use spells. You can use level one spells when your Paladin is at level two. When your Paladin is at level five, you can use level two spells. Finally, you will be able to use level three spells when your Paladin reaches level nine.
Here is the list of Paladin spells grouped into their respective levels that you should definitely know when you’re building the Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build.
Level 1 spells:
- Bless: This spell blesses up to three creatures, giving each of them a +1d4 bonus to their Attack Throw and Saving Throws for 10 turns. However, you need Concentrate while casting this spell. Bless is a good option to cast on the entire party during a fight, as it provides a beneficial buff.
- Thunderous Smite: This spell allows you to deal an additional +2d6 Thunder damage on top of a melee attack, pushing your target three meters away and possibly knocking them Prone. Your target must pass a Strength save to stay up. Thunderous Smite can add more crowd control effects to the extra damage dealt, without interrupting your active Concentration.
- Command: With this spell, you can command a creature to flee, move closer, freeze, drop to the ground, or drop their weapon.
- Cure Wounds: This spell allows you to heal 1d8 damage to someone in melee range.
Level 2 spells:
- Aid: This spell heals your allies and increases their maximum hit points by five. This effect lasts until Long Rest.
- Lesser Restoration: This spell cures a creature from disease, poison, paralysis, or blindness.
Level 3 spells:
- Warden of Vitality: Warden of Vitality is one of the most powerful healing spells in the game. It should be your first level three spell option. This spell creates an aura that lasts for 10 turns. While this special effect is active, you can use Restore Health as a quick action to heal yourself or nearby comrades.
- Blinding Smite: This spell allows you to deal an additional +3d6 Radiant damage on top of a melee attack. It may also Blind your target. Your target needs to pass a Constitution save to avoid being Blinded. Blinding Smite is also great because, like Thunderous Smite, it does not break your active Concentration, which other Smites do.
- Remove Curse: This spell allows you to touch a creature to remove all curses or hexes affecting it.
Best feats for Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build
As you climb the levels for your character, you will be able to choose Feats for them. If you’re looking for some suggestions of Feats that you can use for your Paladin character, look no further. Here are the feats that you should be picking for the Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build:
- At level 4, focus on improving your abilities by taking the Ability Improvement feat. Increase your Charisma to 18 and your Strength to 16.
- At level 8, consider choosing the Charger feat. This will give you the Charger: Weapon Attack and Charger: Shove abilities, which can be useful for starting fights.
- At level 12, take Shield Master. This will give you a bonus to Dexterity Saving Throws while using a shield. It can also help reduce damage you take if you fail a Saving Throw, or prevent any damage if you succeed. This works well with either the Defence or Dueling fighting style.
Conclusion
That’s all for our guide on playing the Paladin and building Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build. This is a great choice for players who want to go the melee route, and reap all the benefits of the respective Oaths. Of course, even Paladins who have broken their oaths are no less powerful, and you might choose to end up going in that direction too. Now that you know what Baldur’s Gate 3 Best Paladin Build is, you can go into the game and start building the character of your dreams.
