In the world of Baldur's Gate 3, Paladins are known as paragons of virtue and righteousness. Each one is sworn to uphold all that is good according to the oath they took, and they are all expected to follow such oaths without fail. This doesn't mean Paladins can't go against their promise, however.
An Oathbreaker Paladin is exactly what it sounds like — a Paladin who has gone against their creed, whether they wanted to or not. Obviously, this is a bad thing for virtuous Baldur's Gate 3 players who want to keep their RP game strong, but everyone else who wants to dabble into the darker side of the divine may want to willingly break their oaths for a different kind of power.
How to Break the Paladin's Oath
Generally speaking, if a Paladin does something unbefitting of someone of their kind, then the holy blessing they draw power from will get rescinded. There are some nuances regarding each Paladin Oath beyond just being a roleplay gimmick, and some acts may not be as unforgivable to one oath compared to another based on their respective Tenets.
For example, those who took the Oath of Devotion need to maintain a strong sense of courage, compassion, and duty. These are the Paladins who help the weak, obey just laws, and charge fearlessly into battle. If a Devotion Paladin kills an innocent person regardless of the reason, they will become Oathbreakers.
Paladins under the Oath of the Ancients, on the other hand, are sworn to be champions of love and kindness. Any act of malice, such as killing the Owlbear cub in the cave or getting Arabella killed in the Emerald Grove, will lead to nullification of the Oath of the Ancients.
The Oath of Vengeance has the most leeway among the three Paladin subtypes. They are sworn to mercilessly strike down the cruel and the wicked and to deliver righteous judgment to the accused. Sparing Auntie Ethel's life or freeing the goblin Sazza breaks the oath.
Breaking an oath will cause the Oathbreaker Knight to visit the player. Talk to him back at camp to formally become an Oathbreaker.
What Does an Oathbreaker Do?
Oathbreakers lose access to their holy spells and gain access to unholy ones. Instead of having a hybrid support and frontline fighter role, these Paladins have a higher focus on inflicting damage, casting offensive magic, and controlling the dead instead of smiting them. Players will still have access to Divine Smite.
In terms of playstyle, Oathbreakers come close to the Warlock's sword-and-sorcery style of fighting, weaving in melee attacks with Necrotic magic to damage or debilitate targets. Some notable spells include:
- Spiteful Suffering - Targets take Necrotic damage, and attacks against it have Advantage
- Control Undead - Gain control over any lower-level undead
- Hellish Rebuke - React to an attack and deal Fire damage to the attacker
- Animate Dead - Create an undead minion from a nearby corpse
- Aura of Hate - Passively increases the melee damage of the Paladin and their allies based on the caster's Charisma modifier
Baldur's Gate 3 is available now on PC, with a PS5 version releasing September 6, 2023.