Paladin is the number-one class choice among players of Baldur's Gate 3, according to the developer's own data. Which makes sense, because paladins have everything that a player could want in their primary character. They have the ability to use any kind of weapon or armor, focus on charisma so that they can succeed in many dialogue checks, and a core feature that buffs their surrounding companions in a way that feels very much like a leader.
Many features that paladins get are earned through their subclass choice. There are three oaths that paladins can swear in Baldur's Gate 3 that correspond to the existing subclasses: the Oath of Devotion, Oath of the Ancients, and Oath of Vengeance. Each is themed around different duties that paladins take on, whether to aid the weak, protect the natural world, or destroy the unjust. With so many players choosing paladin, some may wonder which of these options offers the most power. Or could it be that forsaking one's oath is the surest path to strength?
Oathbreaker: The Secret Fourth Subclass
Earned By Breaking An Oath
Paladin oaths are not just for show, and choosing options in the game that go against one's core tenants results in the breaking of a paladin's oath and the loss of their abilities. An oathless paladin is pretty weak by comparison, losing some of their spellcasting and all of their Channel Oath features. But a paladin who has broken their oath still has the choice of speaking with the Oathbreaker Knight, who leads a sect of paladins who choose to continue fighting despite their mistakes. Joining this sect makes one an Oathbreaker.
Oathbreaker is a sort of secret subclass option that is only available after starting the game. It is the only subclass that works this way and can only be attained through in-game actions, making it pretty unique. It functions similarly to the other three subclass choices, granting certain spells, Channel Divinity uses, and buffs to a paladin's aura. Paladins can still choose to revert to their original oath after becoming an Oathbreaker, but the question remains: are any of the basic subclass options as strong as the Oathbreaker?
Paladin Spell Lists Need To Offer Something Great
Spells Need To Be An Effective Alternative To Melee
The most straightforward way of measuring a paladin subclass's strength is by comparing the spells each option grants. Each one gives paladins two new spells to cast of first-, second-, and third-level. Paladin spellcasting competes with their ability to smite enemies with their weapon attacks, so the spells they choose to use have to be pretty strong to be worth it.
Starting with the Oath of the Ancients, their spell options are pretty good. They get 
speak with animals at first level, which is useful, but an easily-obtainable potion can make the spell obsolete. However, they also get 
ensnaring strike , which can be good for a spell-blade type character. Later on, they get moonbeam and misty step, both of which are quite useful and remain so for a lot of the game. Finally, Oath of the Ancients paladins get plant growth and protection from energy, which are good, but become available a little late to be great.
The Oath of Devotion paladin has a less useful list. They get 
sanctuary early on, which is great to cast on a squishy ally, but also 
protection from good and evil , which paladins already get. They fumble again with getting lesser restoration and remove curse at later levels, which are also available to paladins by default. They do get silence, which has some use, but also beacon of hope, meaning that both of their third-level spells are fairly useless to have always prepared.
Paladin Spells Should Synergize With Their Existing Abilities, Not Compete With Them
Oath Of Vengeance Paladins Have Good Spell Synergy
The difference between the Vengeance and Oathbreaker spell lists represents this issue, that paladins are primarily weapon users, and their spells should reflect that. The Oath of Vengeance gives paladins 
hunter's mark , hold person, and 
haste , all of which can be used to great effect to enhance weapon damage and chances for attacks to hit. They also get misty step and protection from energy, which both allow them to engage better in melee combat and avoid damage. They have bane, which is less helpful, but the others on this list are solid.
The Oathbreaker spell list looks good, but in practice, its spells don't synergize well with what the class wants to do. They get 
inflict wounds , animate dead, and 
bestow curse , all of which feel like better options for a full caster that doesn't mind using its actions for spellcasting instead of weapon attacks. Oathbreakers get darkness and hellish rebuke, which are good options, but they are primarily good for a Baldur's Gate 3 paladin multiclassing into warlock, which would already have those since they are available to warlocks. Finally, the Oathbreaker gets crown of madness, which is just a bad spell in almost every circ*mstance.
Channel Oath Is A Key Point Of Comparison For Paladin Subclasses
Oath Of Devotion Paladins Have The Worst Channel Oath Abilities
Just looking at the spell lists, the Ancients and Vengeance paladins seem to come out on top. But the other major thing that paladin subclasses grant are ways to use Channel Oath, a once-per-short-rest paladin power that affects nearby creatures. Each subclass grants one way to use Channel Oath at first level, and two more at third level.
Unfortunately, many of the Channel Oath options in Baldur's Gate 3 are fairly underwhelming. Most subclasses only have one good option, or two if they are lucky. Still, this is a paladin-exclusive resource that players should want to use when it is available, so it is important to assess which subclass offers the most utility here.
The clear loser is the Oath of Devotion paladin, as all three of its Channel Oath options will rarely be worth the time to use. Their first option, Holy Rebuke, causes enemies to take a small amount of radiant damage whenever they hit the paladin with an attack. The damage (1d4) is negligible, and it only lasts two turns. The other two options, Sacred Weapon and Turn the Unholy, are weaker versions of abilities available to other characters. Turn the Unholy is a worse turn undead, and Sacred Weapon is a worse version of an ability Oathbreakers get later on.
Channel Oath Features Actually Worth Using
Oath Of The Ancients Paladins Shine When It Comes To Channel Oath
The other three subclasses have better options, thankfully. The Oathbreaker's choices are still not great, however, with each of them requiring a saving throw from the affected enemies. This is not ideal, since paladins will likely have a lower spell save DC than pure spellcasters, and using an action only to have it do nothing is pretty underwhelming. Still, if the Oathbreaker's powers manage to take effect, they are strong, with Control Undead turning enemies to the player's side permanently and Dreadful Aspect inflicting the frightened condition.
The Vengeance paladin suffers from the same issue to an extent, but its options take up less time in a player's turn. Inquisitor's Might and Vow of Enmity grant small buffs against enemies that improve a paladin's weapon attacks, and they only take a bonus action to activate. This is great for synergy with Smite attacks, and both abilities take effect without any save requirement. The third option Vengeance paladins get, Abjure Enemy, is purely a saving throw that can frighten one creature upon success. It's worse than the Oathbreaker alternative in most cases.
The subclass that really shines here is the Oath of the Ancients. It gets a potent bonus action group heal with Healing Radiance that gets better as players level up. That alone is better than any other subclass options, but they also get Nature's Wrath, allowing them to restrain an enemy in place. This is great for setting up melee attacks, and while it does require a saving throw, it is a strength save, which means many enemies will not be great at it. The last option Ancients paladins get, Turn the Faithless, is pretty useless, but these two make up for it.
Aura Features Can Be Incredible Passive Buffs For Paladins & Allies
Oath Of Devotion Paladins Have A Niche Aura
The last thing each of these subclasses grant are buffs to a paladin's aura, a 10-foot radius that aids the paladin and nearby allies, usually just giving a bonus to saving throws. Each of these subclasses improves that slightly. Once again, however, the Devotion paladin is at the bottom of the pole. It's feature, Aura of Devotion, grants immunity to charm. Charm is not a common effect in BG3, and paladin auras already make it easier to succeed on saving throws, so this feels niche at best.
Ancients paladins, meanwhile, get a pretty cool and unique feature, the Aura of Warding. This grants all creatures within it resistance to damage from spells, which is a little misleading, as it sounds like an existing feature called "spell resistance" that grants advantage on magical saving throws. This is not that; rather, this means the paladin and nearby creatures take half the damage from all spell effects. This is incredibly good with the number of spellcasters in BG3, especially in the late game, and is almost broken as a permanent buff.
Oathbreakers get a great feature as well. Their Aura of Hate grants bonus necrotic damage to themselves and all nearby undead and fiends for their weapon attacks. With a higher-level charisma bonus, this is essentially a +3 or +4 to all the paladin's damage rolls, as well as any allied creatures like animated zombies or the cambion from the 
Infernal Rapier . Lastly, Vengeance paladins do not get an aura buff, instead getting a speed boost whenever they hit a creature with an opportunity attack. This is not great, and pales in comparison to what the Ancients and Oathbreaker paladins got.
Oath Of The Ancients Is The Strongest Paladin Subclass In BG3
Abilities For A Very Good Tank Build
With all of this considered, the Oath of the Ancients paladin is the subclass that provides the strongest and most consistent powerful abilities to players wanting to use this class. Granted, its features are more defensive than the other options, and therefore may synergize worse with a paladin going for a full damage-dealer build. But the Oath of the Ancients makes any paladin a powerful tank in addition to dealing damage.
The Vengeance and Oathbreaker paladins lean more into dealing damage with weapons and inflicting conditions on enemies, and both can be effective in their own ways. However, their powers are more niche and won't come up in every battle. And of course, the Oath of Devotion paladin is unequivocally the weakest subclass option with the least useful abilities. It is a viable choice by virtue of still being a paladin, one of the most powerful classes in Baldur's Gate 3, but players will certainly be served better in choosing any other option.
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Baldur's Gate 3
Developed and published by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3 is an upcoming role-playing game set to release in August of 2023. Players will create a character to embark on a large-scale journey and can do so solo or cooperatively with a friend. Combat is a turn-based style this time around.
RPG
- Franchise
- Baldur's Gate
- Platform(s)
- PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X
- Released
- August 3, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Larian Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Larian Studios
- Multiplayer
- Local Multiplayer
- ESRB
- M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence
- Number of Players
- 1-4
- Local Co-Op Support
- 1-2 Players
- Split Screen Orientation
- Vertical Only
