Each ofBaldur’s Gate 3’s classes offers different abilities and utilities to the team, from the Rogue’s incredible burst damage and trap-removing abilities, to the Fighter’s access to every weapon and armor type, or the Druid’s ability to shapeshift and speak with any animal they meet.
InBaldur’s Gate 3, aPaladinis a warrior empowered by their adherence to a sacred oath. Be it to protect the innocent as a Knight in Shining Armor, upholding the ideals of protecting Life and Nature, or commitment to Justice and Retribution, the Paladin is defined by their Oath in many ways. Each Oath serves both gameplay and narrative purpose, with Paladins who break their Oath during gameplay becoming a different subclass known as the “Oathbreaker.”
Updated on April 25th, 2025, by Thomas Hawkins:With the release of Patch 8 for Baldur’s Gate 3, twelve new subclasses have been added to the game, one for each of the game’s main classes. Paladin players may now choose the Oath of the Crown, an Oath devoted to the Ideals of Civilization and upholding law and order. With abilities allowing them to draw enemy attention, empower their allies, and even sacrifice their own health to protect others, the Oath of the Crown is ideal for protecting and healing your team.
Oath Of Vengeance
At level one,an Oath of Vengeance Paladin is able to use “Inquisitor’s Might.” This allows them to grant bonus radiant damage to their weapon attacks, or those of an ally, as a bonus action. The bonus damage is equal to the Paladin’s Charisma modifier.
At level 3,Vengeance Paladins can channel their oath to use “Abjure Enemy” or “Vow of Enmity.” The former allows them to frighten an enemy as an Action, making them easier to hit, and is especially effective against Fiends and the Undead. The latter allows them to gain an advantage on Attack Rolls against a target within 3m for 10 turns, as a bonus action. This level also grants them “Bane” and “Hunter’s Mark” as additional spells known. The former debuffs up to 3 creatures, while the latter places a mark on a target that makes them take extra damage from the Paladin.
At level 5,Vengeance Paladins gain “Hold Person” and “Misty Step” too, allowing them to freeze humanoid foes in their tracks and teleport around the battlefield.
At level 7, Vengeance Paladins get “Relentless Avenger,” which boosts their movement speed by 4.5m on their next turn after landing an opportunity attack. This helps them to keep up the pressure on foes and ensure no target escapes them.Finally, level 9 offers them"Haste" and “Protection From Energy.” This pair of spells allow them to give extra actions to themselves or an ally and grant resistance to one type of elemental damage at a time.
Oath of Vengeance Paladins will break their oath if they take actions that show mercy for the wicked or go against the greater good. An example of this would be raiding the Emerald Grove alongside the Goblins during Act 1.
Multiclassing & Equipment
The Oath of Vengeance Paladin is a prime choice for multiclassing with either Bard or Warlock, the former to take advantage of The College of Swords and its excellent assortment of Flourishes, and the latter to consolidate weapon attacks and spellcasting under a single stat by using Pact of the Blade and get spell slots that recharge on a short rest for more Divine Smites.
When it comes to equipment, the Oath of Vengeance Paladin might consider grabbing the Gloves of Heroism, hidden in the Tollhouse in Act 1. These will provide theHeroismbuff whenever the Paladin uses a “Channel Oath” ability. Players can then grab theHelmet Of Smitingfrom the Selunite Outpost (also in Act 1), and purchase the Armor of Devotion from Roah when they relocate to Moonrise in Act 2. The former provides temporary hit points whenever you apply a status effect using a smite spell (Searing Smiteinflicting a burn effect over time, for example), while the latter allows the Paladin to restore a Channel Oath charge at will once per long rest.
Players seeking out a particularly powerful helmet should take the time to fight Grym at the Adamantine Forge during Act 1 or Act 2, acquiring the Grymskull Helmet in the process. As the only Heavy Helm in the entire game, the Grymskull Helmet provides immunity to critical hits, resistance to fire damage, and the ability to castHunter’s Markonce per long rest.
Act 3 Equipment (Spoilers for Act 3)
Act 3 offers some incredibly powerful weapons and items for a Vengeance Paladin. If you’re using a two-handed weapon to maximize your damage,you could pick up Balduran’s Giantslayer from the Dragon’s Sanctum.This incredible sword doubles the bonus damage granted by your Strength Modifier whenever it connects, while also allowing you to increase in size (gaining temporary hitpoints, boosted damage, and advantage on Strength Checks and Saving Throws) once per short rest. If you’re playing as a Githyanki, or respecced Lae’zel into a Vengeance Paladin, then the Silver Sword of the Astral Plane is also a good choice. It grants additional psychic damage on hit while also providing advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma Saving Throws. It also gives resistance to psychic damage, immunity to the “Charmed” status, and the special attack “Soulbreaker” to stun enemies.
When looking for some endgame armor, you could consider the Helldusk Armor acquired from the House of Hope. Getting the full set means facing off with Raphael and his incredible boss music, so it’s highly recommended. The Helldusk Armor makes you fire-resistant, immune to burns, inflicts burns on casters if you succeed in the saving throw against their spell, reduces all damage you take by 3, and allows you to fly. The Helldusk Boots can be found on the top floor of Wyrmrock Fortress, providing the wearer with fiery teleportation and immunity to being forcibly moved by enemy spells and actions. They also let you spend a reaction to change a failed saving throw into a success, helping you shrug off dangerous effects and trigger the Helldusk Armor’s burn effect. Add in the Helldusk Helmet (Also found in the House of Hope) to gain immunity to critical hits, immunity to being blinded, and to deal extra fire damage against any target that is burning. Alternatively, Sarevok’s Helmet could be an excellent choice, reducing the target number for landing a Critical Hit to facilitate even more damage. You can find Sarevok’s Helmet by defeating Sarevok at the Murder Tribunal.
The Oathbreaker Set (See the section on the Oathbreaker Paladin for more information) can also prove very effective for this subclass.
Oath Of The Ancients
Oath of the Ancients Paladins are defenders of Life and Nature first and foremost,similar in some respects to Druids.They gain Healing Radiance as their first Channel Oath ability, allowing them to perform an AOE Heal centered on themselves which pulses a second time at the start of their next turn. This can be tremendously useful when fighting in melee alongside other party members.
At level 3,these Paladins gain Nature’s Wrath and Turn the Faithless. The former lets them spend a Channel Oath charge to restrain an enemy as part of their attack, while the latter lets them instill fear in fey and fiends and cause them to flee. They also gain “Speak with Animals” and “Ensnaring Strike(Ranged)” as additional prepared spells. This makes them incredibly useful for stunning troublesome foes in combat and gleaning additional information from unlikely sources.
At level 5,the Oath of Ancients grants “Misty Step” and “Moonbeam” as additional prepared spells, allowing them to teleport as a bonus action and conjure a damaging beam from above that can be repositioned on later turns. Level 7 grants them the “Aura of Warding,” causing them to take half-damage from spells and letting them extend that protection to any ally within 3m.
At Level 9,the Oath of the Ancients allows access to “Protection From Energy” and “Plant Growth” as additional prepared spells, letting them grant resistance to an elemental damage type or create difficult terrain for their foes.
Oath of the Ancients Paladins will break their Oath if they fail to defend the sanctity of life ordeliberately disrupt the balance of nature.For an early example of this, players can break the Oath of the Ancients by resurrecting Mayrina’s husband using Ethel’s Wand, since raising the dead counts as disrupting the balance of nature. Many of the actions the Dark Urge will spur players into taking can also result in breaking the Oath of the Ancients.
Paladins and Warlocks pair together incredibly well and the Oath of the Ancients is a solid choice for players that want some support and control utility in their kit. By grabbing Pact of the Blade it’s possible to run a Paladin/Warlock with Charisma as their main stat for spellcasting and attacks, leaving plenty of spare points for boosting Constitution for extra HP or Dexterity for extra AC.
When it comes to equipment, the Oath of Ancients Paladin will get a ton of mileage out of the “Hellrider’s Pride” gauntlets, which can be stolen from Zevlor during act 1, or obtained as a reward for completing the “Investigate Kagha” quest. These gauntlets grant resistance to bludgeoning, slashing, and piercing damage to any creature healed by the wearer, essentially working like the Blade Ward cantrip. Helping out the refugees will also award players withWapira’s Crown, which heals the wearer for 1d6 whenever they heal another creature. All of these synergize with Healing Radiance tremendously well and will also apply when using Lay on Hands. To shine in a support role, addThe Whispering Promise. This ring applies two turns ofBlessto anyone the wearer heals, allowing the Paladin to pulse a short-lived bless whenever they use Healing Radiance, or apply it alongside their healing with Lay on Hands.
After reaching Act 3, Oath of Ancients Paladins can make use of many of the same options as the Vengeance Paladin, though they should probably stick with the Hellrider’s Pride Gauntlets and Whispering Promise Ring combo to make the most of their healing. Wapira’s Crown starts to fall off by the endgame, so this is a good time to swap it for eitherthe Grymskull Helmet(if you picked it up in Act 1/Act 2), the Steel Watcher Helmet (found in the Steel Watch Foundry in Act 3, Provides Darkvision and Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws), or even Sarevok’s Horned Helm (Defeat Sarevok at the Murder Tribunal.)
Oath of the Crown
Paladins of the Oath of the Crown swear themselves to the ideals of Civilization, of Law and Order. Oath of the Crown Paladins will violate their oath if they break their word, take unlawful actions, or torture people.At first level,they get the Channel Oath ability “Righteous Clarity”, which can be used to give a target a bonus to their attack rolls equal to the target’s proficiency bonus. While this doesn’t sound too crazy, it can be a very effective and efficient way of improving an ally’s chance to hit.
At third level,Oath of the Crown Paladins receive two more Channel Oath abilities: “Champion Challenge” and “Turn the Tide.” The former compels all targets within 9m/30ft to attack the user over all other targets, giving them disadvantage on attacking any other targets. Turn the Tide will heal all allies and neutral creatures within 9m/30ft for 1d6+Paladin Level+Charisma Modifier. Using these abilities makes it easy for the Oath of the Crown Paladin to draw enemy attention and protect the rest of the party. They also gain the Command and Compelled Duel spells, which are always prepared.At fifth level,Oath of the Crown Paladins will get the Warding Bond and Spiritual Weapon spells too.
At seventh level,Oath of the Crown Paladins receive the ability “Divine Allegiance.” This allows them to, as a reaction when an ally within 1.5m/5ft takes damage, heal that ally for 2 x Paladin level hit points in exchange for taking that same amount of radiant damage. This allows them to, essentially, take damage on behalf of other party members, giving them another way of serving as the group’s tank.Finally, ninth levelOath of the Crown Paladins gain the spells Spirit Guardians and Crusader’s Mantle. Spirit Guardians is probably one of the best offensive spells you could ask for on a Paladin, and Crusader’s Mantle will make your allies deal radiant damage with their attacks too.
Multiclassing and Equipment
Much like any other Paladin, Oath of the Crown pairs nicely with a Warlock utilizing Pact of the Blade or the Hexblade subclass.College of Swords Bard is also a great class to mix in for more combat options via flourishes.Fighter levels for access to Action Surge and Second Wind are also a decent choice when multiclassing.
Naturally, the Oath of the Crown Paladin works well with all the usual Paladin equipment, like the Armour of Devotion, Blackguard’s Sword, Gloves of Heroism, and Helmet of Smiting. They can also make good use of the Blackguard set, which can be found during Act 3. As always, the Helldusk Armor is excellent heavy armor if you have access to it, and the Flawed Helldusk Armor accessible during Act 2 makes a good substitute until you may get it.
Another good option is the Luminous Set, consisting of the Luminous Armor, Luminous Gloves and Coruscation Ring. When paired with a certain mace we’ll discuss later, this can make it even harder for enemies to hit you by reducing their attack rolls.
Generally, Oath of the Crown Paladins will want to make use of a shield and a one-handed weapon to maximize their AC. Good shield options include the Glowing Shield from Act 1, the Justiciar’s Greatshield from Act 2, and the Shield of the Undevout during Act 3.Viconia’s Walking Fortress is an incredible option too, if you’re willing to take the time to go and grab it. In terms of finding a good weapon, Phalar Aluve is an easily accessible and highly effective longsword, the Sparky Points can be decent and has the benefit of being throwable, and the Blood of Lathander is accessible late into Act 1 and remains a stunningly good weapon all the way to the endgame.
Many of the recommendations we made for the Oath of Devotion Paladin work just as well with the Oath of the Crown, so check the section below for even more ideas.
Oath Of Devotion
Oath of Devotion Paladins arethe classical Knights in Shining Armor, defenders of the weak and the greater good. They can Channel their Oath using Divine Rebuke, placing a divine ward on an ally that deals radiant damage to anything that attacks them with a melee attack.
At Level 3,they gain additional spells and abilities associated with their Oath, including two new ways to Channel their Oath. Sacred Weapon allows them to turn their weapon into a Sacred Weapon, adding their Charisma Bonus to attack rolls with it. Turn the Unholy allows them to ward off Undead and Fiends by making them afraid of the Paladin. They also gain the spells “Protection from Evil and Good” and “Sanctuary” as additional prepared spells.
At Level 5,Oath of Devotion Paladins gain the spells “Lesser Restoration” and “Silence” as additional prepared spells, allowing them to remove diseases and conditions and create a sphere that silences everything inside it and renders them immune to thunder damage.
At Level 7,Oath of Devotion Paladins gain an “Aura of Devotion,” which renders them immune to being charmed. This effect also extends to allies within 3m.
At level 9,Oath of Devotion Paladins gain access to the spells “Remove Curse” and “Beacon of Hope”, allowing them to purge curses and grant their allies improved healing, advantage on wisdom saves, and advantage on death saves.
Going back on their word or engaging in cruelty will cause a Paladin who swore the Oath of Devotion to become an Oathbreaker. This makes it an especially tricky subclass to maintain when playing as the “Dark Urge” origin, whose bloodthirst is hard to control and can lead to accidents. Another early example of somewhere this Oath can be broken is during the encounter with Damays and Nemissa in Act One, with Lae’zel in a cage, as choosing to attack Damays and Nemissa will immediately break the Oath of Devotion.
The Oath of Devotion Paladin is fairly stat-hungry if players want to take full advantage of Sacred Weapon, so it doesn’t pair very well with most other classes when compared to the other Paladin Subclasses. When it comes to gear, players will likely want to use a one-handed weapon and a shield, tanking for the Party and keeping enemy attention.The Blood of Lathanderlegendary Mace is a fantastic choice that will remain relevant for most of the game, and can be found towards the end of Act 1.
TheGlowing Shield, found hidden away in the Goblin Camp, provides temporary HP the first time the wielder takes damage while below half health. This makes for an excellent early shield, but players should endeavor to replace it with something like theAdamantine Shieldonce they are able (this can be forged during Act 1 at the Adamantine Forge.) The Adamantine Shield provides immunity to critical hits and inflicts the Reeling status effect on enemies when they miss. To further strengthen this subclass' defense, players should collect the Luminous set to take advantage of Radiant Orbs. This set consists of the Luminous Armor,Luminous Gloves,Coruscation Ring,Callous Glow Ring,The Sacred Star(Mace), and theFabricated Arbalest. The Armor of Devotion (sold by Roah Moonglow in Moonrise Towers during Act 2) is also useful as it allows the Paladin to regain an Oath Charge once per long rest, allowing you to use Sacred Weapon, Divine Rebuke, and Turn the Unholy more often.
Act 3 Equipment (Act 3 Spoilers)
The Oath of Devotion Paladin can make good use of the Reaper’s Embrace Armor acquired at the end of Act 2 if they want to trade some of the Luminous Gear for more defensive power.Assuming Dammon the Blacksmith survived all the way to Act 3, you’re able to also buy the “Armor of Persistence” from him, which grants permanent resistance andBlade Wardwhile reducing all incoming damage by 2. Of course, the Helldusk Armor from the House of Hope can also be a good option for defense-focused loadouts. It is worth noting that the Luminous Armor remains a viable option all the way to the endgame if you want to focus more on the Luminous Orb strategy over raw defensive power. Many of the armor options suggested for the Oath of Vengeance Paladin are also effective choices for a Devotion Paladin, so check that section too for more ideas.
While the Blood of Lathander remains an ideal weapon for the Devotion Paladin, this is a good time to pick up a better shield. Viconia’s Walking Fortress, a legendary shield wielded by Viconia DeVir during the quest “Daughter of Darkness”, is a truly stunning option for a tanky Paladin. It grants advantage on all saving throws against spells, gives all spell attack rolls against you disadvantage, and allows you to blast enemies who strike you back with a wave of force. On top of all this, it also allows you to cast Warding Bond once per long rest and the unique “Reflective Shell” once per short rest. Reflective Shell returns all projectiles to their point of origin for 2 turns, and is activated as a bonus action.
Oathbreaker
Oathbreakers are Paladins who, for one reason or another, have broken their Oath. Due to no longer having the support of their Oath, Oathbreakers are instead fueled by Darkness. Players cannot begin the game as an Oathbreaker and must instead begin as another Paladin and break their Oath during gameplay. After breaking their Oath, players will meet with the Oathbreaker Knight at their camp and can become an Oathbreaker, though they can alternatively have their Oath restored by the Knight in exchange for 2,000 gold at any time.
Oathbreakers initially have the Channel Oath ability: Spiteful Suffering. This allows them to deal necrotic damage to a target within 3m and cause all attacks on that target to gain advantage. This is resisted with a Charisma Saving Throw.
At Level 3,Oathbreakers gain two additional Channel Oath Abilities, Control Undead and Dreadful Aspect. Control Undead allows Oathbreakers to gain control over an undead creature, allowing them to gain a temporary ally if the creature fails a Wisdom Saving Throw. Dreadful Aspect allows them to create a pulse that frightens nearby enemies that fail a Wisdom Saving Throw. They also gain the spells “Hellish Rebuke” and “Inflict Wounds” as additional prepared spells, allowing them to counterattack with fire and deal necrotic damage at a distance.
At Level 5,Oathbreakers gain “Crown of Madness” and “Darkness"as additional prepared spells, allowing them to get enemies to attack their allies and create fields of darkness to conceal their allies.Level 7 Oathbreakersgain an “Aura of Hate,” which lets them add their Charisma modifier to damage rolls. It also lets them extend this benefit to undead or fiend allies within 3m.
Level 9 Oathbreakersget “Bestow Curse” and “Animate Dead,” letting them weaken their foes with curses and create undead to aid them in battle.
Oathbreakers no longer have an Oath to break, and so they do not run the risk of losing this subclass through the actions they take.
There is an entire set of equipment tailor-made to suit an Oathbreaker Paladin, known as the Blackguard Set. These consist of the Blackguard’s Plate, Gauntlets, Greaves, and Sword, along with the Shield of the Unjust. These provide an assortment of bonuses including an extra first level spell slot to dish out Divine Smites and advantage on Wisdom Saving throws. These items cannot be found until Act 3, however, so until then players should grab the Paladin-specific items mentioned in the section on the Oath of Vengeance Paladin.
The Full Blackguard Set can be obtained by defeating a trio of Death Knightswho guard the Murder Tribunal. These three are known as “That Which Guards”, “That Which Lurks”, and “That Which Watches.” Defeating them will earn you the entire Blackguard Set: Blackguard’s Plate, Blackguard’s Greaves, Blackguard’s Gauntlets, Blackguard’s Sword, and Shield of the Undevout. The Plate reduces incoming damage by 1 and grants advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws. The Gauntlets provide +1 to attack rolls and strength saving throws (Along with casting inflict wounds at level 4 once per long rest.) The Greaves grant permanent longstrider and +1 to athletics. The Shield gives an extra first-level spell slot and gives all enemies disadvantage on saving throws against any of your actions that cause fear. Finally, the Sword deals necrotic damage and can daze enemies you hit with your smites.
Alternatively, you’re able to utilize much of the same equipment as the Oath of Vengeance Paladin, so check that section for more ideas.
Baldur’s Gate 3is available now for PC, Mac, and PS5.
