Breaking your Oath as a Paladin is a massive decision with huge ramifications in Baldur’s Gate 3 since it takes away your active subclass and replaces it with the Oathbreaker subclass. But all is not lost; the Oathbreaker class is exceptionally viable, meaning you don’t necessarily have to revert to a previous save.
If you’ve broken your Oath then look no further.
What is the Oathbreaker Paladin in BG3, explained
As the name suggests, the Oathbreaker Paladin is a Paladin who breaks their oath, and what this entails depends on which oath you’ve taken. When you break your oath, an Oathbreaker Paladin appears before you, weakening your paladin powers.
He then summons you to meet him at your camp, where he will bestow the Oathbreaker class on to you. There is a path back to reclaiming your oath, so don’t be afraid to test out being an Oathbreaker Paladin.
Best Oathbreaker Paladin build in BG3
There are many aspects to creating the best Oathbreaker Paladin build in BG3, but ultimately, you want to ensure you’re choosing the best spells, abilities, feats, stats, race, and background that synergize well with one another, even after becoming an Oathbreaker Paladin.
This means there are certain things you need to know when creating your Paladin and things to keep in mind as you’re progressing through the campaign, including:
- Best stats: Your primary focus will be on Strength, Charisma, and Constitution
- Strength: 16
- Dexterity: 10
- Constitution: 14
- Wisdom: 10
- Charisma: 16
- Intelligence: Eight
- Best race: Gold Dwarf or Half-Orc
- Best background: Soldier (for Athletics and Intimidation) or Noble (for History and Persuasion).
- Best weapons and gear: Heavy armor (Adamantine Splint Armor) and a Greatsword (Everburn Blade or the Sword of Justice).
The best early-game and endgame items will differ. But for the Oathbreaker Paladin, always look for gear and weapons that will give you an advantage on your attack rolls, give you a bonus action, or even ensure enemies can’t land critical hits.
- Best consumables: Elixir of Hill Giant Strength (Increases your Strength to 21 until your next Long Rest), and Potion of SPeed (You can an extra action, plus two to your Armor Class, an advantage on your Dexterity saving throws, and double the movement speed).
- Best companions: Gale (Wizard: Great for damage, crowd control, and out-of-combat abilities), Shadowheart (Cleric: Great for heals, crowd control, and buffs), Astation (Rogue: Great burst damage and good for Dexterity checks)
All Oathbreaker Paladin actions, oath spells, and features in BG3
Once you’ve broken your oath and have become an Oathbreaker Paladin, you’ll gain access to Oathbreaker Paladin-specific actions, spells, and features. While you don’t have too many to choose from, these are the best Oathbreaker Paladin abilities and spells to take at each level:
| Level | Action/Spell | Effects/Description |
|---|---|---|
| Level one | Spiteful Suffering (Action) | – Target takes 1d4 Necrotic damage each turn, and Attack Rolls against it have Advantage. – Lasts for three turns – Three-meter range – Resisted by Charisma save – Costs one Oath Charge. |
| Level three | Control Undead (Action) | – Gain control of an undead creature that follows you around and attacks your enemies. – Lasts until your next Long Rest. – Target must be lower level than you. – Costs one Oath Charge. – Resisted by Wisdom save. |
| Level three | Dreadful Aspect (Action) | – Unleash a pulse that Frightens nearby enemies for two turns. – Costs one Oath Charge. – Resisted by Wisdom save. |
| Level three | Hellish Rebuke (Oath Spells) | – React to your next attacker with flames that deal 2d10 Fire damage. – Costs one level one spell slot. – Resisted by Dexterity save. |
| Level three | Inflict Wounds (Oath Spells) | – Hit a character at melee range with 3d10 Necrotic damage. – Costs one level one spell slot. |
| Level five | Crown of Madness (Oath Spells) | – Instill madness in a humanoid enemy for three turns, making them attack the creature closest to them. – Costs one level two spell slot. |
| Level five | Branding Smite (Oath Spells) | – Deals Radiant damage and possibly marks the target with light, preventing them from turning invisible – Lasts for 10 turns – Requires concentration – Can be saved with Constitution |
| Level seven | Aura of Hate (Subclass Feature) | – You and any nearby fiends (and undead) gain an additional two to damage dealt with melee weapons. |
| Level eight | Bestow Curse (Oath Spells) | – Curse a creature at melee range – Costs one level three spell slot. |
| Level nine | Animate Dead (Oath Spells) | – Create an undead servant from a medium or small corpse. – Requires one level three spell slot. |
| Level 10 | Aura of Courage | – You and your nearby teammates can’t be Frightened. But it can disappear if you fall unconscious. – Permanent – Range: 3m |
What to choose at Oathbreaker Paladin Levels 11 and 12
As there aren’t too many level three spells worth taking after this point, you will want to multiclass and select Fighter abilities for Levels 11 and 12 as you will gain plus one Armour Class (AC) and Action Surge, which means you can get another action on that turn, by investing the two levels into Fighter in the following ways:
- Level 11 – Fighting Style: Defense (Passive)
- When you wear armor, you gain plus one to your Armor Class
- Level 12 – Action Surge (Action)
- You immediately gain an extra action this turn.
Multiclassing is a little tricky at first. But for this Oathbreaker Paladin build and playstyle, having that extra action and an extra layer of defense will make you tankier, and it means you can either go for another damaging attack, a CC ability, or even a heal. There have been countless times when I’ve been on the fence about whether to attack or use a CC ability, but with Action Surge, you can get the best of both worlds.
If multiclassing sounds too daunting, you can keep to the strict Paladin build and take Bestow Curse and Great Weapon Master or get the plus-two bonus to your Strength. Both options are excellent, and the best one for you will depend on your preferences and playstyle. And if you don’t like it, you can always see Withers at your camp and respec.
Best spells for Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3
As an Oathbreaker Paladin, your new abilities will alter your playstyle from a support/tank hybrid to more of an upfront damage dealer and necromancer. That being said, here are some of the best spells to take as an Oathbreaker Paladin:
- Cure Wounds: With less healing available after your Oath Charges are replaced, a heal secondary to Lay on Hands is good.
- Compelled Duel: Use this effectively as a taunt, turning enemies away from the spongier companions and toward you and all your damage dealing.
- Smites: Searing Smite and Thunderous Smite are great options for more formidable enemies, dealing extra damage and either setting them on fire or potentially knocking them Prone. Since you will eventually get Dreadful Aspect, I would not recommend Wrathful Smite since you already have a built-in ability that causes fear.
- Protection from Good and Evil: Protect yourself or an ally from aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends, and undead.
- Bless: Grants three creatures, including yourself if you choose, a 1d4 bonus to attack rolls and saving throws.
- Heroism: Grant an ally five temporary points of health per turn, up to a possible 10 turns.
Even though you’re an Oathbreaker Paladin, you still have access to all your Paladin spells and the various perks of progressing and leveling up your Paladin. This means you can still use some OP abilities like Divine Smite, Divine Sense, and Lay on Hands.
Best feats for Oathbreaker Paladin in BG3
The best feats for your Oathbreaker Paladin will offer specialized skills or passives that enhance your build, and these are the best ones to take at each level:
- At level four, take the Ability Improvement feat and get your Charisma up to 18. If it’s already at 17, spend the other point from this feat on Strength.
- At level eight, take the Great Weapon Master feat. This allows you to make a bonus attack if you land a critical hit or kill an enemy during that turn. Additionally, you can deal a bonus of 10 damage at the cost of -5 to your attack roll.
- At level 12, choose the Charger feat, allowing you to gain Charger: Weapon Attack and Charger: Shove, which are great tools for starting fights. Alternatively, you can use Ability Improvement again to increase your Charisma to 20 or your Strength.
Best Illithid Powers for Oathbreaker Paladins in BG3
You should embrace your Illithid Powers as an Oathbreaker Paladin in BG3 and take Luck of the Far Realms, Psionic Backlash, Ability Drain, Repulsor, and Cull the Weak.
| Illith Power | Type | Description | Pre-requisite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luck of the Far Realm | Reaction | When you land a successful Attack Roll against an enemy, you can change that hit into a Critical Hit. Requires a Long Rest | Favorable Beginnings |
| Psionic Backlash | Reaction | If an enemy within nine meters of you casts a spell, you can use this reaction to Psychic damage to the caster, depending on the spell’s level. | Concentrated Blast |
| Ability Drain | Feature | Once every turn, when you make an Attack, it will lower that target’s ability by one, and the reduced ability will be the same one used to make the Attack. So, for melee weapons, this is generally Strength; ranged weapons use Dexterity and your Spellcasting Ability for your spells. | Psionic Overload |
| Repulsor | Action | You can push your enemies back six meters and deal between two and 12 damage. | Force Tunnel |
| Cull the Weak | Feature | If you can bring down an opponent to the point that their hit points are lower than your number of evolved Illithid Powers, it will die, and all nearby enemies will take between one and four Psychic damage. | Concentrated Blast |
Embracing your Illithid Powers is purely a choice of personal preference. But if you’re already breaking your Paladin oath, you should also consider consuming the tadpoles and obtaining these Illithid Powers. I multiclassed into Fighter for my last two levels, and with Action Surge, having that extra action during a turn can be game-changing.
There were moments when enemies surrounded me, and while I wanted to attack, I also wanted to either heal or get out of melee range. But because they will automatically attack, it’s not worth it. So, I found that by using a healing ability and then Repulsor, I could get more breathing room and survive a little longer.
If you don’t plan on sticking to the Oathbreaker subclass and want to regain your oath, you may not want to embrace the Illithid Powers. But they are worth it.
Being an Oathbreaker Paladin offers many rewards and a unique gameplay style that may not suit everyone. However, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
