Best BG3 Paladin Build – Maximum Holy Damage!

Welcome to the Best BG3 Paladin Build. The Paladin is primarily a hybrid melee and spellcaster class that can act as the backbone of your party. They get access to unique spells that use Lay on Hand and Oath Charges. The Paladin Build BG3 works for both PC and Console (PS5/XBOX Series X/S).

Please visit our Best BG3 Builds overview page for more builds or check out our optimized Paladin companion BG3 Minthara Build. To get an overview of all classes please visit the BG3 Classes overview page.

For this build, we’ll be using the Oath of Ancients subclass of the Paladin, which specializes in channeling the powers of the natural world to hinder enemies and aid allies.

Table of Contents for the BG3 Paladin Build:

1. Introduction to the Paladin Class
   1. BG3 Paladin Class Guide
   2. Subclasses Comparison
   3. Why Choose the Oath of Ancients Subclass
2. Paladin Build Leveling Progression
   1. Paladin Character Creation (Level 1)
   2. Early-Game Level 2-4
   3. Mid-Game Level 5-8
   4. Late-Game Level 9-12 & Endgame Respec
3. Paladin Equipment
   1. Early-Game Paladin Gear
   2. Best Paladin Gear (Late-Game)
4. Paladin Build Extras and Tips & Tricks
   1. Paladin Tips & Tricks
   2. OP Paladin Healing Gear Combo
   3. OP Potions for the Paladin
   4. Illithid Powers

Here is a quick overview of the main Strengths and Weaknesses of the Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3:

BG3 Paladin Class Guide

A BG3 Paladin is a great melee fighter and they also have access to healing spells from the start of the game. They can also cure party members, this will be often needed. Especially if you are new to the game you are likely to get cursed and poisoned a lot. Paladins are best played in melee but you can also equip a ranged weapon and use it if really needed. However, in most cases there are just better things you can do than attack with your ranged weapon.

Paladins class-specific mechanic is your Oath. You have access to one Oath Charge and Lay on Hands Charges that can be used to cast Paladin-specific spells like for example the Healing Radiance action (Oath Charge) or the Lay on Hands spell (Lay on Hands Charge). You will always only have one Oath Charge available. But you will get more Lay-on Hands Charges when you level up your Paladin Build in BG3. Lay-on Hands Charges can be replenished after a long rest, whereas Oath Charges can be replenished after a short rest.

At level 2 you also get access to your Divine Smite spell. This allows you to infuse your next weapon attack with a lot of extra Radiant Damage. This is even more powerful if used against Undead or Fiends. When you level up further you will gain access to even more powerful Smite spells.

We are using the Duelling Fighting Style and therefore our best option is a one-handed weapon with a shield. In the equipment section of the Paladin Build we are going to showcase early game and endgame gear that you can obtain in BG3.

Additionally, our Oath of the Ancients Paladin Build gets access to the Misty Step spell at level 5. This will increase our mobility quite a bit because now we can simply teleport to a specific location instead of having to move there. You can use your Oath Charges to cast Misty Step.

To summarize, the Paladin is a fierce melee fighter that can infuse weapons to hit even harder and also has super high mobility thanks to spells like Misty Step. The Paladin can also cast plenty of healing spells and cure group members. And because you have Spell Slots, Lay-on Hand Charges and an Oath Charge you can use a good mix of spells without running out too fast.

BG3 Paladin Subclass Comparison

In this section, we’ll take a quick look at the Paladin subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3 to see each one’s strengths and weaknesses. If you want to get straight into the build, you can scroll past this section.

Oath of the Ancients

You fight on the side of light in the cosmic struggle against darkness to preserve the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature.

These Paladins have extra proficiency at healing themselves and their allies. Later on, they gain abilities that allow them to manipulate the powers of nature, restraining enemies, speaking with animals and protecting their allies from the elemental attacks.

At Level 7 they unlock the Aura of Warding, which gives their party 50% Resistance to all damage from Spells. The Aura will disappear if the Paladin falls unconscious.

Oath of Devotion

Following the ideal of the knight in shining armour, you act with honour and virtue to protect the weak and pursue the greater good.

Devotion Paladins can create a vengeful aura around themselves that deals a small amount of Radiant damage to anyone who attacks them. Later on, they can turn their weapon into a Sacred Weapon, adding their Charisma Modifier to their Attack Rolls (this effectively makes their weapon more accurate).

At Level 7, they unlock an aura that prevents their allies from being Charmed.

Oath of Vengeance

You have set aside even your own purity to right wrongs and deliver justice to those who have committed the most grievous sins.

Vengeance Paladins can imbue their weapon with additional Radiant damage, equal to their Charisma Modifier. Later on, they can use their powers to Frighten enemies or make a target easier to hit, gaining Advantage on Attack Rolls against them.

The Vengeance Paladin gets a pretty good selection of spells, including Misty Step, Haste, Bane and Hold Person. However, their Level 7 passive is a bit lacking – while most Paladins get an aura that buffs their whole group, Vengeance Paladins just get a passive that rewards them with extra Movement Speed on their next turn, if they land a successful Opportunist Attack. This can occasionally be useful but it’s often wasted.

Oathbreaker

You have broken your sacred Oath in pursuit of power and ambition. Only darkness remains to fuel you now.

To become an Oathbreaker, you must begin the game as one of the other Paladin subclasses and carry out an action that breaks your Oath. You will then get a visit from the Oathbreaker Knight, giving you the chance to change your subclass to the Oathbreaker Paladin.

Oathbreaker Paladins are particularly well suited for more evil playthroughs, since they gain some Necrotic powers. They can put a nasty debuff on an enemy that deals a small amount of Necrotic Damage each turn, and gives you Advantage on Attack Rolls against them.

Later on, you get the ability to exert control over undead, forcing them to fight for you, and you can use your powers to Frighten nearby enemies.

At Level 7, the Oathbreaker gets an aura that grants bonus damage equal to your Charisma Modifier to nearby Undead and Fiends. This makes for a powerful synergy if you also have a Necromancy Wizard in your party. The Oathbreaker Paladin can also summon their own undead from Level 9 onwards.

Oath of the Crown

You’ve been sworn to uphold the principles of law. Stay true to your oath and you’ll be rewarded with the power to aid your allies and disrupt your foes. Guide your companions in battle with Righteous Clarity, taunt enemies with strategic interrupts, and keep your party standing strong with Divine Allegiance, absorbing their damage while restoring their health.

Not much more is known about the Oath of the Crown Paladin at the moment. It’s due to become available with Patch 8 in 2025.

Why We’re Using the Oath of the Ancients Subclass

Our BG3 Paladin Build’s subclass of choice is the Oath of the Ancients. Oath of the Ancients is by far the best option for our setup because it has the best healing capabilities in the game for the Paladin, and later on unlocks some spells and passives that help the whole party. Already at level 1 you get access to Healing Radiance which is an AoE healing action that gets continuously stronger with higher levels.

At level 3 we gain Speak with Animals, Ensnaring Strike, Nature’s Wrath and Turn the Faithless. This allows us to speak to animals and restrict enemies. At level 5 we get a huge increase in mobility thanks to Misty Step and we get the powerful spell Moonbeam. Misty Step is one of the best spells to increase our mobility, because now we can simply teleport to enemies and attack them from behind.

At level 7 we gain the powerful Aura of Warding. This applies Resistance to damage spells to allies, basically halving incoming damage. This is incredibly powerful. At level 9 we get Protection from Energy and Plant Growth for our Oath of the Ancients subclass. This will further increase damage reduction and hinder enemy movement.

To summarize, the main reason why the Oath of the Ancients is our subclass of choice is because it gives us access to powerful AoE healing through Healing Radiance and the Aura of Warding halves incoming spell damage for the whole group if you stand inside the aura. Additionally, Misty Step increases our mobility greatly and Moonbeam is a great damage spell that you can use to hit several enemies from a distance.

Having said all of that, you could use a different Paladin subclass if you wanted, and this build would still work fine. The various Paladin subclasses are distinct but not leagues apart from one another.

Character Creation (Level 1) for BG3 Paladin Build

In this section, we’ll walk you through the Character Creation process for the BG3 Paladin Build. Here we’ll explain the basics of how the Paladin works and how it should be built, along with the best race, skills, abilities, spells, etc.

Race

Your race has no bearing on your Ability scores, which are the most important factor at play. This gives players more freedom to choose any race and class combination that they wish, without having to worry about being pigeon-holed into a “meta” race for their class.

However, there are still some useful passive features sourced from your race and subrace, which may be of advantage when it comes to the BG3 Paladin build. Our top 5 Paladin races are:

1. Half-Orc – Gets an additional damage dice when landing a Critical Hit with a melee weapon (3 dice instead of the usual 2). This makes for a nice boost to your melee damage potential. While other melee classes like the Fighter and the Barbarian are better at utilizing this passive, it still works nicely on Paladins. You also get Darkvision, Intimidation Proficiency (fits especially well since the Paladin has high Charisma) and can resist being downed once per Long Rest.
2. Duergar – Gets Advantage on Saving Throws against being Poisoned, Resistance to Poison damage, Superior Darkvision, Advantage on Saving Throws against Illusions and against being Charmed or Paralysed, and unlocks the Enlarge and Invisibility Spells after a few levels. The downside is their small stature means they have lower base Movement Speed. This is a nice collection of buffs that makes your Paladin harder for enemies to mess around with.
3. Zariel Tiefling – Gets Resistance to Fire Damage, Darkvision, and unlocks the Searing Smite and Branding Smite spells after a few levels up. You can, of course, already get these spells by virtue of being a Paladin, but having them from your race means that you can cast them without needing a Spell Slot once per Long Rest, which is handy.
4. Wood Elf (or Wood Half-Elf) – Gains Perception and Stealth Proficiency, Advantage against being Charmed, immunity to magical Sleep, Darkvision and 1.5 metres of extra Movement Speed. We recommend the Wood Elf highly on a lot of our builds, mostly due to their extra Movement Speed which we’ve found is very helpful in all sorts of situations. The Wood Half-Elf has most of the same buffs, but loses out on the Perception Proficiency.
5. Dragonborn, Any – Dragonborns get access to a special Breath attack they can use once per Short Rest, which deals elemental damage in a directional AoE. They also get 50% Resistance to the same element. The damage element in question depends on which Dragonborn variant you choose. Since we’ll be spending a lot of time in melee, the Dragonborn Breath attacks can fit in quite nicely with the Paladin playstyle.

Class Selection

Next up you want to select the Paladin Class.

Subclass Selection

For our BG3 Paladin Build we want to select the best subclass option Oath of the Ancients. For now, this just gives us one extra Channel Oath ability, Healing Radiance. This is a very powerful ability that heals the entire party, as long as they’re in range. Even better, it’s a Bonus Action, which means you can still make an attack on the same turn that you use it.

We’ll unlock more Oath of Ancients Abilities as we level up.

Background

The most important Abilities for this Paladin Build are Strength and Charisma, so it’s a good idea to choose a Background that gives you Proficiency with Skills that are based on those two Abilities. Examples of suitable Backgrounds include:

• Soldier (best pick!) – Athletics (STR) and Intimidation (CHA)
• Entertainer – Acrobatics (DEX) and Performance (CHA)
• Outlander – Athletics (STR) and Survival (WIS)

Abilities

We need to attain high Charisma to improve our Spellcasting, and high Strength for our Melee attacks. Constitution is also fairly important – it’s usually advised to have at least 14 points in this to make sure you have a decent amount of HP. Constitution is also taken into account on Concentration Checks (if the effects of an ongoing Concentration Spell will continue after you take damage). While many of our builds recommend putting points in Dexterity to improve your Armour Class, this is not required here since the Paladin can wear Heavy Armour.

Go for an Ability Allocation that looks something like this:

• 16 Strength
• 10 Dexterity
• 14 Constitution
• 8 Intelligence
• 10 Wisdom
• 16 Charisma

Skill Proficiencies

The BG3 Paladin can choose two additional Skills to be Proficient with, choosing from the following:

• Athletics (STR)
• Insight (WIS)
• Intimidation (CHA)
• Medicine (WIS)
• Persuasion (CHA)
• Religion (INT)

Try to use a combination of your selected Background and your two free Skill choices to make sure you have Athletics, Intimidation and Persuasion covered. These Skills are the best match for the Abilities that this build will be focused on.

Paladin Actions Explained

The Paladin has two types of special class actions.

First is Lay on Hands, a powerful healing action that consumes Lay on Hands Charges when used. When depleted, you must take a Long Rest to replenish the charges. You will sometimes gain additional charges when you Level Up. Lay on Hands can be cast with the following variants:

• Lay on Hands: Cure – Imbue your hands with divine power to cure all diseases and poisons affecting a creature. Uses 2 charges.
• Lay on Hands: Lesser Healing – Imbue your hands with divine power to heal an ally for (Paladin level x 2). Uses 1 charge.
• Lay on Hands: Greater Healing – Imbue your hands with divine power to heal an ally for (Paladin level x4). Uses 2 charges.

Additionally, you gain access to Channel Oath Abilities. The exact Channel Oath abilities available to you will depend on your subclass. For now, we just get 1 Channel Oath Charge, which must be replenished via a Long Rest, but again more can be gained from levelling up.

Early-Game Leveling Progress for BG3 Paladin Build

Now we are going through the whole leveling process from level 2 to max level 12. If you follow this, you will have a great paladin build for your character. You can, of course, change things here and there, and the build will still work just fine.

We’ll start by looking at the early-game levels, 2-4.

Level 2

The Paladin Build starts off with many of its class features unavailable, but fear not, at Level 2 we already start to see this change.

First of all you’ll get two First Level Spell Slots, allowing you to cast two Spells per Long Rest.

Next, you unlock the Divine Smite Reaction, which lets you spend a Spell Slot and a Reaction to infuse your current Melee Weapon Attack with 2-16 Radiant Damage. Fiends and Undead will take an additional 1-8 damage.

You’ll need to select a Fighting Style for your Paladin Build at Level 2. For this build, we are using a two-handed weapon, so we’ll naturally go with Great Weapon Fighting, which rerolls your weapon damage dice if they land on a 1 or a 2, helping to ensure you always get decent damage output when you hit an enemy. If you want to deviate slightly from this build and choose another option (like a sword and shield, which has less damage potential but is safer), then change the Fighting Style accordingly. However, the Paladin already has a pretty good Armour Class, and in this case, I’d strongly argue that attack is the best defence (within reason).

You’ll be able to select a number of Prepared Spells here too. The formula for the exact number is (Paladin Level + Charisma Modifier), and this will be recalculated each time you level up. For now, if you have 16 Charisma you’ll get five Spells.

We recommend choosing the following Spells:

• Compelled Duel – Use a divine command to compel an enemy to attack only you. The target gains Disadvantage on Attack Rolls against anyone but you. Requires Concentration. This spell is effectively a taunt, allowing your Paladin to act as a tank for your Party. Since you can only have one Concentration effect active at a time, it’s not possible to taunt multiple enemies by casting the spell again on subsequent turns.
• Divine Favour – Your prayer empowers you with divine radiance. Your weapons deal an additional 1-4 Radiant Damage. Requires Concentration. This Spell only consumes a Bonus Action, so you can attack your opponent on the same turn after casting the spell.
• Searing Smite – Your weapon is imbued with heat, dealing additional Fire Damage on impact.
• Thunderous Smite – Your weapon rings with thunder as you strike, pushing your target 3m away and possibly knocking them Prone. If the spellcaster misses the initial Attack, the spell slot and Bonus Action are not consumed. You can sometimes use this to knock enemies off ledges or cliffs for extra fall damage, potentially one-shotting them.
• Wrathful Smite – Your weapon absorbs your wrath as you strike, possibly Frightening your target. If the spellcaster misses the initial Attack, the spell slot and are not consumed. Frightened Enemies are unable to move so this is a great way to lock down a dangerous enemy for a while.

Use your Smite spells against stronger enemies to bring down their HP with powerful attacks.

Level 3

At Level 3 you gain the Divine Health passive effect, giving immunity to disease. You also gain another Spell Slot, bringing your total to three.

You’ll gain two new Oath of Ancient actions for your BG3 Paladin Build:

• Nature’s Wrath – Invoke Primaeval Forces to Restrain an enemy for 10 turns. They cannot move, Attack Rolls against them have Advantage, and their Attack Rolls and Dexterity Saving Throws have Disadvantage. Does not require Concentration. Consumes one Channel Oath Charge.
• Turn the Faithless – Channel your Oath using ancient words to Turn nearby fey and fiends for 3 Turns. They are forced to flee from you, and cannot willingly move to within 9 metres of you. The effect will end early if they take damage. Consumes one Channel Oath Charge.

Note that Nature’s Wrath does not require Concentration, so if you need to immobilize an enemy but already have a Concentration spell ongoing (or plan to cast one) then this is the ability you’ll want to use.

You can also unlock another Spell from the Paladin Spell List. I recommend going with Bless, which can be used to give a 1d4 buff to your allies’ Attack Rolls and Saving Throws.

Finally, you’ll gain another two Spells from your subclass. These are:

• Speak with Animals – Gain the ability to comprehend and verbally communicate with beasts.
• Ensnaring Strike – Your attack summons thorny vines, possibly Ensnaring your target, in addition to the standard Weapon Damage of the attack. Ensnared creatures cannot move and take 1-6 Piercing damage at the start of each turn. An ally can use its Help action to try and tear away the vines. Requires Concentration.

Speak with Animals is great for discovering things about the world that you would otherwise miss. Ensnaring Strike is a more powerful immobilise effect than Nature’s Wrath, as it also damages the target each turn. So if you aren’t Concentrating on another Spell and don’t plan to do so soon, then this is the preferred option.

Level 4

At Level 4, you’ll need to choose a Feat for your Paladin Build. Feats are strong passive features that can be used to enable a specific build, or simply provide additional Ability buffs.

Choose the Ability Improvement Feat, which will give you 2 extra Ability Points to spend. Put both of the points into Strength, which will improve your melee attacks.

You’ll also gain an extra Lay on Hands Charge at this level, taking your total amount up to 4.

You should gain another slot for a Prepared Spell now. For now, get the Command spell which can be used to stun an enemy. However at the next level we will be replacing it.

Mid-Game Paladin Build Levelling Guide – BG3

We’ll now look at levelling through the mid-game levels, 5-8.

Level 5 Paladin Build for Baldur’s Gate 3 PS5/PC

At Level 5, your Paladin Build becomes considerably more powerful.

First of all, you gain an extra attack, which is fairly self-explanatory. Being able to make two attacks each turn is going to massively improve your potential damage output.

You gain another First Level Spell Slot, taking your total up to 4, and you also get two Second Level Spell Slots.

As mentioned at Level 4, you should be able to choose two additional Spells now (one from the new unlocked slot, and one replacing Command from Level 4), so we can grab a couple of Second Level Spells right away! We recommend going for the following options:

• Aid – Heals the entire party for 5 HP, and also increases their Maximum HP by 5 until the next Long Rest. This is obviously very useful for improving everyone’s survivability, and it’s definitely worth casting this soon after your Long Rest.
  • Important: If you have a Cleric in your party, then the Cleric should get this spell instead. This is because they’ll be able to upcast it to a higher degree than your Paladin, providing a larger HP buff for your party. In that case, replace Aid with another spell of your choice.
• Branding Smite – Your weapon gleams with astral radiance as you strike and possibly mark your targets with light, preventing it from turning Invisible. If the spellcaster misses the initial Attack, the spell slot and Bonus Action are not consumed. This is great for keeping tabs on tricky enemies who are likely to start sneaking around.

The Paladin also unlocks two new Spells from your subclass at Level 5 (these don’t need to be Prepared like those mentioned above):

• Misty Step – Surrounded by silver mists, you teleport to an unoccupied space you can see within 18m. Great for teleporting to an advantageous position or getting out of trouble.
• Moonbeam – Call down a silvery beam of pale light that deals 2-20 Radiant damage to any creatures that enter it or start their turn in the light. You can use an action to move the beam 18m. On a successful save, targets still take half damage. Requires Concentration.

Moonbeam is a very powerful AOE spell, since you can keep moving it each turn to follow enemies around, as long as you maintain Concentration.

Level 6

At Level 6, you’ll unlock the Aura of Protection Action. When activated, you and allies within 3 meters of you will have your Charisma Modifier added to their Saving Throws. This helps to protect your team against enemy spells and effects, and will improve the longevity of everyone it applies to. However, the fairly small AOE does make this difficult to use in some situations.

You can also unlock another spell from the Paladin spell list. We already have all of the best picks so far, so you can grab anything that’s remaining.

Level 7

At Level 7, the Paladin Build gains the following features:

• Another Second Level Spell Slot, bringing your total to three.
• Aura of Warding – You and any nearby allies take only half the damage from spells. The aura disappears if you fall Unconscious.

Aura of Warding is another useful action to use in fights where there are dangerous spellcasters among the enemies. Halving the damage of hostile spells is really a massive bonus, so keep this in mind when you’re facing a tough fight.

You can unlock another Paladin spell of your choice.

Level 8

At this Level, you’ll need to choose another Feat for your character.

I recommend again choosing Ability Improvement and putting both of the points into Strength, which should take it up to 20.

You can choose another spell to unlock here. You might want to save the slot for the next level though, where we’ll gain access to some third level magic.

Late-Game Paladin Levelling Guide – BG3

Finally, let’s go through the late-game Paladin levelling up, at levels 9 and above.

Level 9

At Level 9 you will unlock third level Spells, and recieve two third level Spell Slots so you can begin casting them.

You can unlock two new spells (including one slot that we saved from Level 8). I recommend getting the following spells:

• Blinding Smite – Deals a hefty chunk of Radiant Damage to the target, and possibly Blinds them.
• Revivify – Allows you to revive a dead party member without the need for an expensive Revivification Scroll.

You’ll also unlock two spells from your subclass. Once again, these spells do not need to be prepared:

• Protection from Energy – Touch a creature to grant it 50% Resistance to Acid, Cold, Fire, Lightning, or Thunder damage.
• Plant Growth – Weeds burst from the ground and smother the area. Creatures moving through the weeds have their Movement Speed quartered.

Level 10

At Level 10, you’ll earn the Aura of Courage for your Paladin Build in BG3. This is another passive aura, this time allowing you to give you and your allies immunity to becoming Frightened. The aura disappears if you fall Unconscious.

You will also get another Lay on Hands Charge at level 10, along the usual HP increase.

Finally, you can choose one more Paladin spell to prepare. I recommend getting Warden of Vitality, which gives you a special buff for the next 10 turns. This buff allows you to give a 2d6 HP to you or an ally each turn, using your Bonus Action. The great thing about this spell is it doesn’t require Concentration, and you can get quite a lot of healing done for just one Spell Slot.

Level 11

At this Level, you gain Improved Divine Smite, a nice buff to the Divine Smite feature we unlocked way back at Level 2. This basically adds another damage die to your Divine Smite, meaning it can now do 3-24 damage per hit.

You’ll also earn an extra Third Level Spell Slot, taking your total up to three. And like always, your HP also increase.

You can choose one more spell to prepare. We’ve got all of the best options now, but another decent spell is Elemental Weapon, which imbues your weapon with elemental power, giving it a +1 bonus to Attack and Damage Rolls, and 1d4 bonus damage (per hit) of a chosen elemental type. This is a Concentration Spell that can last for a long time if you manage to avoid losing Concentration (this is easier said than done, however).

Level 12

You have now reached the maximum level for your BG3 Paladin Build! At Level 12, it’s time to select one final Feat for your character. We recommend choosing the Savage Attacker Feat, which will allow you to roll two damage dice on your weapon attacks, automatically choosing the highest one for your damage value. This will considerably improve the damage from your melee attacks, and fits in nicely with the Paladin’s playstyle of smiting enemies at close range.

If you struggle with health points often in combat, you could also select the Tough Feat, which will increase your HP by 24.

You can unlock one more Paladin spell, too. I recommend getting Crusader’s Mantle, which gives you and your nearby allies a buff that causes their weapon attacks to deal 1d4 bonus Radiant Damage for the next 10 turns. However, this is a Concentration spell, so be careful not to take damage too recklessly while it’s active, or the effects may end early.

Important: End-Game Respec

Well into Act III, you’ll have an opportunity to obtain an item called Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength. We strongly recommend picking this item up and equipping it on your Paladin. You can find out more about how to obtain the item in the Late Game Equipment section below.

When equipped, these Gauntlets will set your Strength rating to 23, which is more than anything we’ve been able to do with the Ability Improvements mentioned above. When you’ve achieved this, you should visit Withers in your camp and respec your Paladin. Do everything the same as before, except change the Ability Improvements to boost your Charisma instead of your Strength. This allows you to have 23 Strength and 20 Charisma, enjoying improved melee prowess and better spellcasting at the same time.

Another option is to increase your Constitution to 20 for more HP and better resistance during Concentration Checks. But if you decide to use the Amulet of Greater Health on your Paladin, then this is not needed and you should definitely put the Ability Improvements into Charisma.

BG3 Paladin Build Equipment

Now let us take a look at the equipment for our Paladin Build in Baldur’s Gate 3. The early game gear can be obtained in Act 1 and early Act 2. The Endgame gear is mostly from the end of Act 2 and Act 3.

Early Game Gear

The early game equipment for the BG3 Paladin Build can be found in Act 1 or at the start of Act 2. Don’t sweat it if you can’t find some of the items. Your build will work fine without any of these. The only thing you need to have is a melee weapon that isn’t versatile or two-handed. We can’t use two-handed or versatile because of the Dueling passive that will give us two extra damage on non-versatile and non-two-handed weapons.

Slot	Icon	Item	Effects	Location
Head		Helmet of Smiting	+1 to Constitution Saving Throws Applying a condition with a Smite spell gives you THP equal to your Charisma Modifier	Found in the Selunite Outpost
Cloak		Cloak of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn
Chest		Adamantine Splint Armour	Enemies cannot land Critical Hits on you Reduces all incoming damage by 2 Melee attackers are sent Reeling, reducing their Attack Rolls by 1	Must be crafted at the Adamantine Forge.
Gloves		Hellrider’s Pride	Healing an ally grants them Resistance to physical attacks +1 to Strength Saving Throws	From Zevlor as a reward for completing the Save the Refugees quest
Boots		Boots of Aid and Comfort	You gain 3 THP when you heal an ally	Purchase them from Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp
Necklace		Amulet of Restoration	Lets you use Healing Word and Mass Healing Word once per Long Rest, without using a Spell Slot	Awarded by Derryth Bonecloak after you complete her quest
Ring 1		Ring of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Steal the Sacred Idol in Druid Grove (quest)
Ring 2		The Whispering Promise	Healing a creature gives them the Blessed buff	Purchase from Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp
Main Weapon		Blooded Greataxe	One of the best melee weapons in Act I for pure damage output Deals 1d4 bonus damage if your HP is below 50%.	Purchased from either Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp or Roah Moonglow in Shattered Sanctum
Second Weapon		Any Ranged Weapon	We aren’t focusing on ranged combat much, so you can use whatever you find here. Heavy Crossbows and Longbows tend to be the highest damage options.	N/A

Now let’s take a look at where you can get the early game gear for the Paladin.

Helmet of Smiting

The Helmet of Smiting can be found inside a chest at the Selunite Outpost in the Underdark. You get a +1 to Constitution Saving Throws and when you apply a condition with one of your Smite spells, you gain Temporary Hit Points equal to your Charisma modifier. And because our Charisma is pretty high you get a lot of THP.

The easiest way to get there is through the Goblin Camp front door into the Shattered Sanctum. Then from there enter the Defiled Sanctum and go downstairs, open the hidden wall via the hidden lever (Perception Check). Now you can enter the Underdark and get right into the Selunite Outpost where the helmet can be found. Don’t forget to activate the Waypoint there too.

For an in-depth guide on Underdark passages please read the How to Enter the Underdark.

Cloak of Protection

The Cloak of Protection is one of the few cloaks in BG3 that you can get right at the start of Act 2. This item can be purchased by Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn, it doesn’t cost that much either so it is a good pick. The cloak gives you extra +1 Armour Class and +1 Saving Throw.

You can also read our in-depth guide on How to get the Cloak of Protection in BG3 which explains everything in detail.

Adamantine Splint Armour

The Adamantine Splint Armour is one of the best Heavy Armour you can acquire and you already get to do that in Act 1 of Baldur’s Gate 3. While wearing the Adamantine Splint Armour enemies can’t land a critical hit on you and all incoming damage is reduced by 2. Additionally, if an enemy is hitting you with a melee attack they will get the Reeling condition (Recovering from a terrible blow or hitting a strong metal. -1 penalty to Attack Rolls for every turn remaining.)

The armour can be obtained during the Adamantine Forge quest. While progressing the game you will naturally end up in this location, but you could still miss it. While this armour has a long process of getting it, it is still totally worth it because of how powerful the equipment is. The Adamantine Forge is located in the Grymforge. You reach the Grymforge via a boat in the Underdark. The fights are tough, come prepared.

Additionally, to craft the Adamantine Splint Armour you need Splint Mould and Mithral Ore which you also all find in the Grymforge area (marked on the map).

Chain Mail +1 (Easy to get)

You can get the Chain Mail +1 earlier and without much hassle. This is also a good starter option. When you are inside the Druid Grove go talk to Dammon the Blacksmith, you can buy it from him. The only requirement is that you are level 4 for the heavy armour to show up.

Hellrider’s Pride Gloves

The Hellrider’s Pride gloves are great for our early-game Paladin gear. Whenever you heal someone, they gain Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage dealt by weapon attacks. So it is basically a free protection buff that is applied to the healed creature. Additionally, you also get +1 Strength Saving Throws.

You can get the Helldrider’s Pride gloves from Zevlor inside the Secluded Chamber that you reach through the Druid Grove as a reward for completing the Save the Refugees quest.

Hellrider’s Pride works great in combination with The Whispering Promise ring.

Note: There are also Paladin-specific gloves called Gloves of Heroism worth picking up.

Boots of Aid and Comfort

The Boots of Aid and Comfort are great together with Hellrider’s Pride and The Whispering Promise because they all synergize with each other. The boots give you 3 Temporary Hit Points when you heal a target.

You can buy them from Grat the Trader inside the Goblin Camp in Act 1 of BG3. Sometimes traders won’t have all items available at the same time. You can use a Long Rest to reset the traders items, you don’t need to use any camp supplies. You might have to try several times until the item shows up.

Amulet of Restoration

The Amulet of Restoration is a great early game amulet for the BG3 Paladin Build. It gives you the Healing Word and Mass Healing Word spell. You can the Amulet of Restoration from Derryth Bonecloak after you complete her quest in the Myconid Colony in the Underdark (Guide: How to enter the Underdark).

Ring of Protection

The Ring of Protection is a really good ring that you can obtain early in Act 1. The ring gives you a +1 to Armour Class and +1 to Saving Throws. You get the ring by completing the Steal the Sacred Idol quest. To start the quest head into the Tiefling Hideout in the Druids Grove and talk to Mol. She is the gang leader and wants you to steal the Idol of Silvanus. The Idol is used as a ritual in the middle of the Druid, it won’t be easy to steal it.

The Whispering Promise

The Whispering Promise ring applies Blessed to a healed creature. Giving them a 1d4 bonus to Attack Rolls and Saving Throws for 2 turns. This ring synergizes well with Hellrider’s Pride and Boots of Aid and Comfort.

You can buy them from Grat the Trader inside the Goblin Camp in Act 1 of BG3. Brem inside the Zhentarim Hideout also has the item. Roah Moonglow also has the item. Sometimes traders won’t have all items available at the same time. You can use a Long Rest to reset the trader’s items.

Blooded Greataxe

We recommend the Blooded Greataxe because it is a highly damaging weapon that can be obtained very early in the game. Greataxes in general are excellent DPS weapons since they come with a 1d12 die, the largest damage die in the game for weapons. The Blooded Greataxe grants your melee weapon attacks an extra 1d4 Slashing Damage whenever you are below 50% Health. In the hands of a strong melee class like the Champion, this weapon will carry you well into Act II even if you’re a complete beginner at the game.

This weapon can be purchased from either Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp or Roah Moonglow in Shattered Sanctum. If the weapon does not appear in their wares, try Long Resting which will reshuffle the vendor items. You don’t need to spend any camp supplies on a Long Rest for this purpose.

Endgame Gear

Below you can find the best endgame gear setup for our BG3 Paladin Build with the Oath of Ancients subclass. You might notice that you often see two options, this is because some of the items are very hard to get or are already likely equipped by another group member.

There are plenty of amazing items that you can get. I want to point out that the Helldusk Boots are my favorite gear piece here because they will once again increase our movement by a lot.

Slot	Icon	Item	Effects	Location
Head		Helm of Balduran	You cannot be Stunned Enemies cannot land Critical Hits on you Heals you for 2HP every turn +1 bonus to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Defeat Ansur the dragon below Wyrm’s Crossing. See below for more details.
Cloak		Cloak of Protection	+1 to Armour Class and Saving Throws	Purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn
Chest		Adamantine Splint Armour	Enemies cannot land Critical Hits on you Reduces all incoming damage by 2 Melee attackers are sent Reeling, reducing their Attack Rolls by 1	Must be crafted at the Adamantine Forge.
Gloves		Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength	Increase your Strength to 23 +1 to Strength Saving Throws Important for this build, see the Endgame Respec section above!	Taken from a pedestal in the archive of the House of Hope.
Boots		Helldusk Boots	You are immune to Difficult Terrain You cannot be forcibly moved by enemy spells or actions You can use Hellcrawler to teleport and deal Fire Damage	Found in Gortash’s personal chest at the top of Wyrm’s Rock Fortress
Necklace		Amulet of Greater Health	Increases your Constitution to 23 Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws	Can be taken from a pedestal in the archive of the House of Hope.
Ring 1		Ring of Regeneration	You heal 1d4 HP at the start of every turn.	Sold by either Rolan or Lorroakan’s Projection in Sorcerous Sundries
Ring 2		The Whispering Promise	Healing a creature gives them the Blessed buff	Purchase from Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp
Main Weapon		Balduran’s Giantslayer	Good base damage Doubles the damage bonus from your Strength Modifier Advantage when attacking foes who are Large or above Use Enlarge once per Short Rest, making your character bigger and stronger	Looted from Ansur in the Dragon’s Sanctum
Second Weapon		Any Ranged Weapon	We aren’t focusing on ranged combat much, so you can use whatever you find here. Heavy Crossbows and Longbows tend to be the highest damage options.	N/A

Now let’s see where you can get the endgame gear for your Paladin Build in Baldur’s Gate 3:

Helm of Balduran

The Helm of Balduran is a legendary item that is one of the most powerful items in Baldur’s Gate 3. It gives you the following perks:

Amulet of Greater Health

The Amulet of Greater Health is another item that is immensely powerful. It will boost your Constitution score to 23, increasing your health tremendously. Like the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength and Orphic Hammer it can also be found inside the Archive in the House of Hope that you reach via Devil’s Fee.

You can also read our in-depth guide on How to get the Amulet of Greater Health in BG3.

Ring of Regeneration

The Ring of Regeneration lets you restore 1-4 Hit Points at the beginning of your turn. The ring synergizes well with The Reviving Hands, Hellrider’s Pride, The Whispering Promise and Boots of Aid and Comfort. You could sort of create a chain reaction with all these items if you want to.

The Ring of Regeneration is sold by either Rolan or Lorroakan’s Projection in Sorcerous Sundries. If Lorroakan has been killed, the ring can instead be found in Rolan’s inventory in Ramazith’s Tower.

The Whispering Promise

We are using The Whispering Promise which we also used in the early game setup. The synergy effect in combination with the other gear we use is just too good to pass up.

Balduran’s Giantslayer

Balduran’s Giantslayer is a Legendary Greatsword that allows your Paladin to hit like a truck. Not only does it have good base damage, it also doubles the damage bonus from your Strength Modifier, which will result in 12 bonus damage per hit if you have the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength equipped, or 10 without them. You also gain Advantage when attacking foes who are large or above, and can use the Enlarge spell to make yourself bigger once per Short Rest, which has the side effect of increasing your damage output further.

Balduran’s Giantslayer is found in the same place as the Helm of Balduran mentioned above – defeat Ansur in the Dragon’s Sanctum.

Note: If you want to check out all paladin-specific equipment that you can find in the game, then please view the Paladin Class Specific Items Guide for BG3.

Paladin Build Tips & Tricks for BG3

Since we have a few different Concentration Spells with this build, it’s important to stay mindful of which ones require Concentration and which ones don’t. Remember that casting a Concentration Spell will immediately end the effects of your previous Concentration Spell, if they were not already broken.

On a similar topic, taking damage while Concentrating on a spell will always subject you to a Concentration Check, and failing the Check will end the spell. It’s good to be mindful of this when you have a lot of enemies nearby – it might not be a good idea to cast a Concentration Spell with the intention of keeping it active for a long time, if you’re currently dealing with multiple melee assailants.

The Paladin makes for a good synergy with a Warlock, who can cast Hex on an enemy to reduce their Strength, reducing their chances of performing a Strength Save against your Ensnaring Strike or Nature’s Wrath.

Overpowered BG3 Paladin Healing Synergy Gear Combo

The Oath of Ancients Paladin Build for BG3 allows you to set up a powerful gear combination that causes chain reactions.

The following items trigger on healing:

• Boots of Aid and Comfort – Get 3 Temporary Hit Points when the wearer heals a target.
• The Whispering Promise – When you heal someone, they also get Blessed and gain 1d4 bonus to Attack Rolls.
• Hellrider’s Pride – When you heal someone, it gains Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing damage from weapon attacks.
• The Reviving Hands – When you heal someone, it gains Blade Ward. Resistance to Bludgeoning, Piercing and Slashing attacks.
• Broodmother’s Revenge – When the wearer is healed, their weapon inflicts extra 1d4 Poison Damage.

All of these above are triggered by:

• Devotee’s Mace – Healing Incense Aura heals nearby allies at the start of the turn by 1-4 HP.
• Ring of Regeneration – Heal 1-4 HP at the start of your turn
• All your healing spells

This should simply give you an idea of how you could build a gear combo in Baldur’s Gate 3. Of course, for certain spots, there are better items that you can equip. We don’t use all of the above listed for our setup, but this should give you a good idea of what you can theoretically pull off with the right gear for your BG3 Paladin Build.

Overpowered Potion Combo for BG3 Paladin Build

The Potion of Speed is arguably the most powerful potion in Baldur’s Gate 3 – it is good on any character, but it is especially valuable on classes like the Paladin who can make multiple attacks per turn even without the potion.

The Potion of Speed doubles your Movement Speed and gives you an extra Action each turn. This means that a high-level Paladin can make 4 attacks from Actions per turn, instead of the usual 2.

One drawback of this potion is that when it expires, your character will be Lethargic for one turn, unable to move or take any Actions. So you should be careful not to have your character stranded in a dangerous position when the potion runs out!

You can craft the Potion of Speed in the alchemy menu by combining Ashes of Hyena Ear with any Salt. Create ashes, salts and other alchemy concentrates by combining three of the same ingredients together – for example, combining three Hyena Ears will create Ashes of Hyena Ear. Hyena Ears can normally be looted from either Hyenas or Gnolls – you can find a lot of them around the Risen Road in Act I, for a good supply of them which should last you a while.

This also works well with the Elixir of Bloodlust, which gives you an extra Action when you kill an enemy, once per turn. Since its an Elixir and not a Potion, it will last until your next Long Rest and can be stacked with the Potion of Speed (but you cannot have any other Elixirs active at the same time). With both items combined, your Paladin can get three Actions per turn, offering up to 6 attacks (on Honour mode this Elixir is deliberately made weaker, so the extra action gained from Bloodthirst can only yield one attack, ignoring your Extra Attack passive). To craft the Elixir of Bloodlust, combine Ashes of Worg Fang with any Salt. Worgs, and their fangs, can often be found in and around areas inhabited by Goblins.

BG3 Paladin Build Illithid Powers (optional)

Illithid Powers are unlocked later in BG3 when you learn more about Mind Flayers and Tadpoles. By eating Jars of Mind Flayer Parasites you gain one point. This is another optional skill tree that you can get access to if you want. Here are some of the best Illithid Powers for the BG3 Paladin Build with the Oath of Ancients subclass:

• Mind Blast: A conal blast of Psychic Damage that can also stun several targets at once. If your Paladin is outnumbered by several advancing enemies, then Mind Blast can help to swing things back in your favour.
• Cull the Weak: When you reduce a creature’s hit points below a certain threshold, this power instantly kills it and deals 1-4 psychic damage to nearby enemies. This is particularly effective when engaging groups of weaker foes, enabling you to thin their numbers rapidly.
• Fly: This can be used to reach hard to get to places or change positions in combat.
• Mind Sanctuary: This creates an area that allows all within to use Actions and Bonus Actions interchangeably. This typically means you can deal more damage, since you can use your Bonus Action as a normal Action. However, enemies who are inside the area will also enjoy its benefits. Be careful with your placement so that your party gets buffed by the Mind Sanctuary and not the enemies!
• Psionic Backlash: This is a top tier reaction from the Illithid Powers skill tree in BG3. This allows you to deal psychic damage when a nearby enemy casts a spell. This is especially useful if the target is casting a Concentration Spell. The damage from Psionic Backlash can immediately break their Concentration, ending the spell’s effects.

More Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds

• Druid Build – Circle of the Moon
• Bard Build – College of Lore
• Ranger Build – Hunter
• Monk Build – Way of Shadow
• Monk Build – Way of the Four Elements
• Monk Build – Way of the Open Hand
• Necromancer Build – Necromancy
• Fighter Build – Battle Master
• Barbarian Build – Berserker
• Warlock Build – Great Old One
• Cleric Build – Light Domain
• Rogue Build – Thief
• Sorcerer Build – Wild Magic
• Wizard Build – Evocation School
• More Baldur’s Gate Guides & Builds