One of the strongest classes in Baldur's Gate 3 is the Paladin, whose subclass Oaths test your ability to follow a character's beliefs to best use their abilities. Not every path for this class is created equal, with some traits only providing small benefits that become weaker as you level up. With different Auras, spells, and features, each type of Paladin wields both weapons and magic that might fit your playstyle.

There are three main Paladin Oaths, which have Tenets that are essentially your character's motivations when interacting with others along your journey. A secret fourth Oath named the Oathbreaker is a subclass you can become if you break these Tenets by committing actions that go against your morals. Every path has a unique requirement in order to break a Paladin Oath in Baldur's Gate 3.

4 Oath of Devotion

A paladin holds a glowing weapon aloft as they're surrounding by a golden magic circle.

The Oath of Devotion unfortunately doesn't compare well to the other subclasses for the Paladin, but it still has some decent traits. The Holy Rebuke feature at level 1 lets you provide a veil over you or a party member for 2 turns to inflict a d4 of radiant damage to anyone who hits that person. However, this does take a whole action to activate, which may not be worth it when you could attack or cast a spell in Baldur's Gate 3.

The Oath of Devotion has some of the hardest Tenets to follow among Paladin subclasses, making it far to easy to accidentally become an Oathbreaker through any action the game deems "evil".

This trend continues for many of this Oath's abilities, with Sacred Weapon and Turn the Unholy at level 3 being only useful in very specific situations. Even the Aura of Devotion seen at level 9 only prevents your party from being Charmed in Baldur's Gate 3, a lackluster effect. Gaining spells like Protection from Evil and Good, Lesser Restoration, and Remove Curse are the best parts of this Oath.

3 Oath of Ancients

A Baldur's Gate 3 paladin character with incredibly shiny armor.

Unlike the Oath of Devotion, the Oath of Ancients lets you create a character with utility that could actually help both in and out of combat. The spells Speak with Animals and Misty Step gives your characters new ways to interact with the world of Baldur's Gate 3. However, the best magic received from this Oath is arguably Protection from Energy, which can give someone in your party resistance to a damage type.

The Healing Radiance effect at level 1 with this Oath lets you heal your allies both on the turn it is used as an action, and the next. This can be very strong at early levels, where everyone's Hit Points will be relatively low. Although many of this subclass' abilities get weaker at higher levels, the Aura of Warding at level 7 helps by causing you and nearby friends to only take half damage from spells in Baldur's Gate 3.

2 Oathbreaker

The Baldur's Gate 3 NPC players encounter when a paladin breaks their oath, a ghastly, undead knight with shining red eyes and ornamented armor.

The dark side can be a path to many abilities, throwing away the obedience to Tenets in exchange for some truly terrifying actions. Control Undead gives you an extra companion in battle, while Dreadful Aspect can Frighten your enemies to give your character the advantage in fights. Spells like Hellish Rebuke and Inflict Wounds in Baldur's Gate 3 deal huge amounts of damage, sometimes in response to enemies hitting your character.

This subclass excels in single-target damage, using Spiteful Suffering at level 1 to cause one foe to take bonus necrotic damage. Your character also has advantage on attacks against that marked creature, making this a relentless Oath in Baldur's Gate 3 that shows no mercy. Combined with the Aura of Hate at level 7, which increases the damage dealt by all nearby allies on any attack, and your character can be nearly unstoppable.

1 Oath of Vengeance

Minthara of Baldur's Gate 3 scowls in displeasure.

The best subclass for the Paladin is the Oath of Vengeance, due to how it balances great damage potential with magic that assists other of your party in Baldur's Gate 3. While the Oathbreaker works best alone, abilities here like Inquisitor's Might allow you and your allies to deal additional radiant damage or Daze enemies for up to two turns. Vow of Enmity also gives your character advantage against enemies for a consistent buff.

Effects like Abjure Enemy can also inflict the Frighten condition, giving your friends a chance to attack enemies that are hard to hit. Bane, Hunter's Mark, Hold Person, and Haste are all spells that can be applied to your character or someone else to best adapt to different battles. Those who pick the Oath of Vengeance for their Paladin in Baldur's Gate 3 have the best chance to dominate any combat the game throws at them.