Baldur’s Gate 3 – Paladin Build Guide

The Paladin stands as one of Baldur’s Gate 3’s most adaptable classes when optimized with proper equipment and strategic planning. This holy warrior combines martial prowess with divine magic, creating a versatile character capable of handling numerous combat and social scenarios.

Few character classes in Baldur’s Gate 3 offer the comprehensive toolkit available to Paladins. You’ll command powerful melee strikes, access an extensive spell repertoire for support and control, and possess exceptional social interaction capabilities. The Paladin’s core attributes—Strength for physical combat and Charisma for spellcasting and persuasion—enable devastating damage output while navigating dialogue encounters with remarkable success. The class offers extensive customization options, including numerous multiclassing combinations, though this guide focuses on a pure Paladin progression for maximum simplicity and effectiveness.

We’ve selected the Oath of Devotion subclass for its balanced approach and relatively straightforward oath requirements. Paladins represent the only class bound by narrative constraints through their sacred vows. Violating these tenets forces a choice between costly oath restoration or embracing the Oathbreaker path, which provides different spells and abilities but eliminates respec options. Understanding these mechanics early prevents unexpected subclass changes that could disrupt your planned build progression.

This build deliberately avoids both Oathbreaker specialization and multiclassing to maintain accessibility for players new to the class. The Oath of Devotion provides reliable capabilities without complex mechanics, making it ideal for learning Paladin fundamentals while remaining effective throughout the game’s entirety.

With the Oath of Devotion selected, your next critical decisions involve race, background, combat style, equipment, and ability scores. While some choices occur after character creation, establishing this foundation ensures your Paladin develops according to plan from the very beginning.

Race and Subrace: Zariel Tiefling provides exceptional synergy with the Paladin’s capabilities. This racial choice grants access to thaumaturgy, searing smite, and branding smite—spells that complement your existing abilities without consuming your limited spell slots. The fire resistance proves invaluable against numerous enemies throughout the campaign, while the darkvision ensures combat effectiveness in low-light environments where many battles occur.

Background: Soldier delivers practical benefits through Athletics and Intimidation proficiency. These skills enhance your mobility in combat while providing consistent success in dialogue checks, particularly during confrontational interactions where Intimidation shines.

Fighting Style: Dueling offers a straightforward +2 damage bonus when wielding a single one-handed weapon. This style pairs perfectly with legendary weapons like the Blood of Lathander, which amplifies the Paladin’s inherent radiant damage capabilities. The damage increase applies consistently as long as you maintain the weapon-and-shield configuration.

Weapons and Armor: The Dueling style necessitates a one-handed weapon combined with a shield for optimal performance. For protection, heavy armor maximizes the Paladin’s Strength investment while providing exceptional damage reduction against physical attacks.

Ability Scores: The optimal distribution prioritizes combat effectiveness and social influence: 16 Strength, 10 Dexterity, 14 Constitution, 8 Intelligence, 10 Wisdom, 16 Charisma. Apply your +2 bonus to Strength and +1 to Charisma during character creation to achieve these values.

Common Creation Mistakes to Avoid: New players often undervalue Charisma, forgetting its impact on spellcasting and social interactions. Others mistakenly choose Two-Weapon Fighting despite selecting Dueling, or invest in Dexterity despite heavy armor negging its armor class benefits. Always prioritize Strength for attack rolls and damage calculations with melee weapons.

Your Paladin’s development follows a deliberate path that maximizes effectiveness at each level while maintaining oath integrity. Understanding key milestones helps you anticipate power spikes and plan your advancement strategy accordingly.

Early Levels (1-4): Focus on mastering core mechanics like Divine Smite and your Channel Divinity options. At level 2, you gain access to both spellcasting and Divine Smite, allowing you to convert spell slots into burst damage. Sacred Weapon from your Oath of Devotion provides a substantial attack bonus that dramatically improves hit chance against challenging enemies.

Mid Game (5-8): Level 5 delivers Extra Attack, doubling your damage potential, while level 6 provides Aura of Protection—one of the game’s strongest defensive abilities. This aura grants a Charisma bonus to all saving throws for yourself and nearby allies, significantly improving party survivability.

Spell Selection Strategy: Prepare spells that complement your role as a frontline combatant. Shield of Faith boosts your already substantial armor class, while Bless enhances your party’s attack rolls and saving throws. For offense, Thunderous Smite combines with Divine Smite for massive single-target damage, though this consumes multiple resources quickly.

Oath Preservation Guidelines: The Oath of Devotion centers on honesty, courage, and protecting the innocent. Avoid deceitful actions, unnecessary cruelty, and abandoning those in need. Specific actions that typically violate this oath include betraying allies, attacking non-hostile creatures, or making deliberately dishonorable choices during quest resolutions.

Advanced Optimization: Experienced players can enhance this build through specific feat selection and equipment choices. The Great Weapon Master feat works well if transitioning to two-handed weapons later, while Sentinel improves your battlefield control capabilities. Magic items that boost Strength or Charisma provide exponential benefits to both combat and social capabilities.

Combat Role Execution: As a frontline combatant, position yourself to protect squishier party members while maximizing your aura benefits. Use your spell slots strategically—conserving them for critical Divine Smites against powerful enemies while utilizing cantrips and weapon attacks for standard encounters.

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