Baldur’s Gate 3 allows players to choose from a plethora of classes and Oathbreaker Paladin is one such hidden sub-class in the game.
Baldur’s Gate 3 offers extensive character customization, enabling players to delve into a variety of classes, subclasses, and races to create unique and powerful characters.
While there are tons of options, one can be a little hidden, as it’s inside another class. The Oathbreaker Paladin can only be achieved when breaking your oath, so has to be treated with care. So, to ensure you create this tricky character perfectly, here’s the best Oathbreaker Paladin build in Baldur’s Gate 3.
How to become an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3?
Unlike the likes of a Necromancer, you can’t just become an Oathbreaker Paladin at the beginning of Baldur’s Gate 3. Instead, you need to choose an Oath and then break it, which will lead to you speaking to the Oathbreaker Knight.
So, to help you know how to break your Oath, here’s each Oath and the actions required to break it:
Oath of Ancients:
- Kill the Owlbear and it’s cub.
Oath of Devotion:
- Kill Findal under the Emerald Grove.
Oath of Vengeance:
- Free Sazza
- Kill Nymessa and Damays when you find Lae’zel.
- Reanimate Mayina’s husband.
- Complete the ‘Avenge Glut’s Circle’ questline.
If you’re looking for a quick and painless way to become an Oathbreaker, then we suggest choosing the Oath of Vengeance since you can either kill Nymessa and Damays near the beginning or just free Sazza instead. You should still be level 2 by the time you do this, meaning you can get the most out of the build and its features.
Best race for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
When it comes to the ideal race for an Oathbreaker Paladin, there are quite a few choices thanks to some handy features:
- High Half-Elf
- Human
- Mephistopheles Tiefling
- Half-Orc
With a focus on damage over any control spells, we suggest opting for the Half-Orc thanks to its Darkvvision, Savage Attack, and Relentless Endurance, as you’ll likely be upfront in battle. Alternatively, if you want a few more spells, we recommend going for the High Half-Elf.
Best background for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
Thankfully, the Oathbreaker Paladin isn’t too dissimilar from the traditional Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3, especially when it comes down to their specific base build, including race and background.
So, with that in mind, and in line with our Paladin build guide, we recommend choosing the Soldier background for proficiency in Athletics and Intimidation. Alternatively, if you want a bit more of a charisma-based character, then Noble is your best bet, for proficiency in History and Persuasion.
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Best abilities for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
You need to allocate your points to the right abilities to make the strongest build. Here are the best options we found:
| Ability | Points to allocate |
|---|---|
| Strength | 16 |
| Charisma | 16 |
| Constitution | 14 |
| Wisdom | 8 |
| Dexterity | 10 |
| Intelligence | 10 |
Best feats for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
For a strong Oathbreaker Paladin guide, you will need stats that make your character hard-hitting. Here are some feats you can choose:
| Feat | Effect |
|---|---|
| Alert | • Gain +5 Initiative.• You can’t be surprised. |
| Great Weapon Master | • Landing a Critical Hit or killing a target with a melee weapon can make another melee weapon attack as a bonus action that turn.• You can deliver an extra 10 damage with attacks using heavy melee weapons that you are proficient with, but doing so will result in a -5 Attack Roll penalty. (You can switch this off) |
| Crusher | • Gain +1 strength or constitution.• Your target will move five feet when you strike with a weapon that causes bludgeoning damage.• If you use a weapon that does bludgeoning damage and score a critical hit, all of your subsequent strikes against that target will have an advantage. |
Best spells for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
While spells aren’t a huge part of the Oathbreaker Paladin, some can greatly increase your damage and control over the battlefield:
- Level 1: Bless
- Level 1: Cure Wounds
- Level 1: Compelled Duel
- Level 1: Divine Favour
- Level 1: Searing Smite
- Level 1: Thunderous Smite
- Level 1: Protection from Good and Evil
- Level 1: Inflict Wounds
- Level 1: Hellish Rebuke
- Level 1: Heroism
- Level 2: Crown of Madness
- Level 2: Lesser Restoration
- Level 3: Animate Dead
- Level 3: Revivify
Best armor and weapon for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
Since your Oathbreaker Paladin will likely be up close and personal with the enemy, you need a good weapon and armor that will protect you from any oncoming hits.
For your weapon, you’ll want to keep an eye out for two-handed weapons, like Greatswords. We suggest looking for the Sword of Justice due to its cleave action and other features. You’ll find this with Anders in Act 1.
Then, for your armor, it’s good to look into Adamantine Splint Armor, which you can make from the Grymforge. It reduces your incoming damage and has some great features to keep you alive, as well as increasing your armor class tenfold in the game.
Best build for an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
Race: Half-Orc
Background: Soldier
Skills: Persuasion, Insight
Weapon / Armor: Sword of Justice, Adamantine Splint Armor
Companions: Gale, Shadowheart, Astarion
| Level | Features |
|---|---|
| 1 | Oath of the Ancients |
| 2 | Spiteful Suffering — Divine Smite — Spells: Cure Wounds, Compelled Duel — Fighting Style: Great Weapon Fighting |
| 3 | Divine Health — Control Undead — Dreadful Aspect — Spells: Hellish Rebuke, Inflict Wounds |
| 4 | Ability Improvement: Strength +2 — Spells: Searing Smite |
| 5 | Extra Attack — Spell: Crown of Madness, Lesser Restoration |
| 6 | Aura of Protection — Spell: Magic Weapon |
| 7 | Aura of Hate — Spell: Thunderous Smite |
| 8 | Ability Improvement: Strength +2 |
| 9 | Spells: Animate Dead, Revivify |
| 10 | Aura of Courage — Lay on Hands Charge — Spell: Blinding Smite |
| 11 | Spell: Bestow Curse |
| 12 | Feat: Great Weapon Master |
That’s all there is to know about the best Oathbreaker Paladin build in Baldur’s Gate 3. Check out how to respec your character if you wish to explore other build options. You can also take a look at the best Sorcerer build, the best Bard build and the best Barbarian build.