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Baldur's Gate 3: Every Paladin Subclass, Ranked
2026.02.27 21:11
The Glowing 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 the Adamantine Shield once 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 the Fabricated 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.
A good alternative to the Half-Orc is the Githyanki, which gain Githyanki Psyonics to further enhance their ability to control the battlefield (and jump around from enemy to enemy as if on a trampoline).
Karlach : Best suited for the Berserker subclass, Karlach is capable of dealing some of the most consistent, highest-hitting melee attacks on her own, and with two supports you won't be at a loss for HP or dispels
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 the Heroism buff whenever the Paladin uses a "Channel Oath" ability. Players can then grab the Helmet Of Smiting from 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 Smite inflicting 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.
The Urchin background grants proficiency in Sleight of Hand and Stealth, so these two classic Rogue options are removed from their massive list of 11 possible skills. Charlatans lose Deception and Sleight of Hand, while Guild Artisans lose Persuasion and Insight.
Level one Trickery Domain Clerics get "Charm Person" and "Disguise Self" as Domain Spells. The former allows them to gain advantage on skill checks in dialog or prevent a target from attacking in combat, while the latter allows them to change their appearance to fool NPCs and take advantage of special dialog options exclusive to a specific race. (A big example being interactions with Githyanki, who are notoriously difficult to interact with as any race other than Githyanki due to their severe superiority complex.)
Additionally, both classes rely on Charisma, and can both take advantage of a player's high CHA stat without forcing them to invest in others. Three levels in Sorcerer lets players choose a Sorcerer subclass.
At level three, "Spike Growth" and "Barkskin" are added to the Cleric's Domain Spells. These allow the Cleric to change the ground in an area into difficult terrain with sharp spikes, and toughen the skin of a target to boost their AC up to 16.
Baldur's Gate 3 classes guide Gate 3 allows players to further customize their character via a subclass, selected either at character creation, at level 2 or at level 3, depending on the class. Warlocks choose their subclass during character creation since their subclass indicates what kind of being they made a pact with in exchange for their power. Be it a Fiend, Archfey, or Great Old One, their powers are sourced from dangerous creatures with ulterior motives.
The max level in Baldur's Gate 3 is Level 12, and most of the time, each level you gain will grant something new for your Fighter build. In character creation, you gain the basics for the Fighter class, then steadily gain Feat Choices, new spells and abilities, subclass features, and increase your Proficiency Bonus.
The Cleric multiclass option for Fighters is good for similar reasons as the Barbarian multiclass. Fighters unlock their third attack at Level 11, leaving just one level to put into another class. The Cleric, specifically the War Domain subclass, is an excellent choice because it unlocks a fourth attack, and grants access to some basic Cleric support spells.
If you are dead set on including a character in your party, simply talk to Withers to respec them to one of the optimal Rogue companion classes listed above. This way, you won't miss out on that character's questline, and you won't have to suffer from an improperly balanced party.
Level five adds "Plant Growth" and "Sleet Storm," allowing them to create patches of weeds to slow down their foes and conjure storms of ice to disrupt spellcasters and create difficult terrain (It's also handy for extinguishing fires if necessary.)
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 can get it.