Best Paladin Builds in Baldur’s Gate 3: Smite Your Way Through Faerun

The Paladin is one of the strongest classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, combining heavy armor, powerful melee attacks, healing magic, and the devastating Divine Smite. Whether you want to play a righteous defender or a fallen oath-breaker, the Paladin delivers satisfying gameplay from level one through the endgame.

Why Paladin Is Top Tier

Divine Smite converts spell slots into burst damage on hit. This means you never waste a smite on a miss, unlike spells that require saving throws. A critical hit with Divine Smite doubles the smite dice, creating some of the highest single-hit damage numbers in the game.

Paladins also bring Lay on Hands for reliable healing, Aura of Protection that adds your Charisma modifier to all saving throws for nearby allies, and access to powerful buff spells like Bless and Shield of Faith.

Oath of Vengeance

This is widely considered the strongest Paladin subclass. Vow of Enmity grants advantage on all attacks against a single target for one minute, dramatically increasing your hit rate and critical hit chance. Relentless Avenger lets you close distance after opportunity attacks. Haste from the Vengeance spell list doubles your attack output.

Recommended build: Start with 16 Strength, 14 Constitution, 16 Charisma. Wear heavy armor. Wield a greatsword for maximum smite damage. Take Great Weapon Master at level 4 for the bonus action attack on critical hits and kills.

Oath of Devotion

The classic Paladin fantasy. Sacred Weapon adds your Charisma modifier to attack rolls, making you incredibly accurate. Turn the Unholy trivializes encounters against undead and fiends. The Devotion Paladin excels in a tank role, protecting allies while maintaining consistent damage.

Oath of the Ancients

The nature-themed Paladin. Healing Radiance provides area healing that scales well. The Ancients Paladin gains resistance to spell damage at higher levels, making them exceptionally durable against magic-heavy encounters. This is the most supportive Paladin subclass.

Oathbreaker

Breaking your oath unlocks a dark alternative. Spiteful Suffering deals necrotic damage to nearby enemies. Dreadful Aspect frightens enemies in a large area. The Oathbreaker excels as an offensive powerhouse, trading defensive utility for raw damage output.

Multiclass option: A two-level dip into Fighter grants Action Surge, which lets you smite multiple times in a single turn for devastating burst damage. This combination is one of the highest damage builds in the game.

For companion builds that complement your Paladin, check our BG3 party composition guide. If you enjoy Paladin’s martial-magic hybrid style, see our guide on the best hybrid classes in fantasy RPGs.

Equipment Priority

Prioritize weapons with bonus damage effects. The Sword of Justice, available in Act 1, grants Shield of Faith and is an excellent early weapon. Later, look for weapons with additional radiant or thunder damage that synergize with your smites.

For armor, the Adamantine Splint Mail from the Underdark forge is exceptional for Paladins. It reduces all incoming damage and prevents critical hits against you. Combined with a shield, your AC becomes very difficult for enemies to overcome.

Ring of Protection and Cloak of Protection each add +1 to AC and saving throws. These stack and are available in Acts 1 and 2 respectively. The Amulet of Greater Health sets your Constitution to 23 in Act 3, which is transformative for your hit point pool.

Spell Selection

Paladins prepare spells from their full list each long rest. Essential prepared spells include Bless, which adds 1d4 to attack rolls and saving throws for three allies. Shield of Faith provides +2 AC for concentration. Command forces enemies to flee, grovel, or drop weapons. Cure Wounds handles emergency healing.

Save most of your spell slots for Divine Smite rather than casting spells. The exception is Bless, which is worth concentrating on throughout most encounters because the party-wide accuracy boost exceeds the damage from a single smite.

At higher levels, Aura of Protection adds your Charisma modifier to all saving throws for allies within 10 feet. This passive ability is one of the strongest in the game and makes Charisma your most important stat after Strength.