What are the best feats for a Paladin in Baldur's Gate 3?
When building a Paladin in Baldur's Gate 3, choosing the right feats is crucial to maximizing your character's effectiveness in combat, roleplay, and exploration. Paladins are versatile characters, excelling in both melee combat and support roles, thanks to their divine smites, healing abilities, and auras. Feats can enhance these strengths or cover weaknesses, depending on your playstyle and party composition. HereÔÇÖs a detailed guide to help you select the best feats for your Paladin.
First, letÔÇÖs discuss the mechanics of feats in Baldur's Gate 3. Feats are special abilities or bonuses that you can choose instead of increasing your ability scores when you reach certain levels (4th, 8th, 12th, etc.). Each feat offers unique benefits, such as improving combat effectiveness, granting new abilities, or enhancing your characterÔÇÖs utility. For Paladins, feats can complement their role as a frontline tank, damage dealer, or support character.
One of the best feats for a Paladin is Great Weapon Master. This feat allows you to take a -5 penalty to your attack roll in exchange for a +10 bonus to damage. Given the PaladinÔÇÖs high attack bonuses and the ability to use Divine Smite to deal massive damage, this feat synergizes exceptionally well. Additionally, if you score a critical hit or reduce an enemy to 0 hit points, you can make an additional melee attack as a bonus action. This makes Great Weapon Master ideal for Paladins wielding two-handed weapons like greatswords or greataxes.
Another excellent feat is Sentinel. This feat enhances your ability to control the battlefield by allowing you to make opportunity attacks even when enemies disengage. Additionally, when you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, its speed drops to 0 for the rest of its turn. This can prevent enemies from reaching your more vulnerable party members, making Sentinel a great choice for Paladins who want to protect their allies.
For Paladins who prefer a more defensive playstyle, the Tough feat is a strong option. This feat increases your hit point maximum by an amount equal to twice your level, making you significantly more durable in combat. Combined with the PaladinÔÇÖs already high hit points and healing abilities, Tough can make your character nearly unkillable.
If you want to improve your PaladinÔÇÖs versatility, consider the Magic Initiate feat. This feat allows you to learn two cantrips and one 1st-level spell from another classÔÇÖs spell list. For example, you could choose the Cleric spell list to gain access to useful spells like Guidance or Bless, or the Sorcerer spell list for offensive cantrips like Fire Bolt. This can add some much-needed ranged options or utility to your PaladinÔÇÖs toolkit.
When selecting feats, itÔÇÖs important to consider your ability scores. Paladins rely heavily on Strength for melee attacks and Charisma for their spellcasting and aura abilities. If your ability scores are not well-rounded, you might want to prioritize increasing them instead of taking a feat. For example, if your Strength is below 18, it might be more beneficial to increase it to improve your attack rolls and damage output.
One common mistake is choosing feats that donÔÇÖt align with your playstyle or party needs. For example, taking the Dual Wielder feat might seem appealing, but Paladins typically benefit more from using two-handed weapons or a sword and shield. Similarly, feats that enhance ranged combat, like Sharpshooter, are generally not useful for Paladins, who are primarily melee fighters.
Advanced players might consider multiclassing to further optimize their Paladin build. For example, a Paladin/Warlock multiclass can be incredibly powerful, as the WarlockÔÇÖs Pact Magic allows you to regain spell slots on a short rest, which can be used for Divine Smite. In this case, feats like War Caster, which allows you to perform somatic components of spells even when your hands are full and gives you advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration, can be very useful.
In summary, the best feats for a Paladin in Baldur's Gate 3 depend on your playstyle and party composition. Great Weapon Master and Sentinel are excellent for offensive and battlefield control, respectively, while Tough and Magic Initiate offer defensive and versatile options. Always consider your ability scores and avoid feats that donÔÇÖt align with your characterÔÇÖs strengths. With careful planning, your Paladin can become a formidable force on the battlefield, capable of both dealing and mitigating damage while supporting your allies.
First, letÔÇÖs discuss the mechanics of feats in Baldur's Gate 3. Feats are special abilities or bonuses that you can choose instead of increasing your ability scores when you reach certain levels (4th, 8th, 12th, etc.). Each feat offers unique benefits, such as improving combat effectiveness, granting new abilities, or enhancing your characterÔÇÖs utility. For Paladins, feats can complement their role as a frontline tank, damage dealer, or support character.
One of the best feats for a Paladin is Great Weapon Master. This feat allows you to take a -5 penalty to your attack roll in exchange for a +10 bonus to damage. Given the PaladinÔÇÖs high attack bonuses and the ability to use Divine Smite to deal massive damage, this feat synergizes exceptionally well. Additionally, if you score a critical hit or reduce an enemy to 0 hit points, you can make an additional melee attack as a bonus action. This makes Great Weapon Master ideal for Paladins wielding two-handed weapons like greatswords or greataxes.
Another excellent feat is Sentinel. This feat enhances your ability to control the battlefield by allowing you to make opportunity attacks even when enemies disengage. Additionally, when you hit a creature with an opportunity attack, its speed drops to 0 for the rest of its turn. This can prevent enemies from reaching your more vulnerable party members, making Sentinel a great choice for Paladins who want to protect their allies.
For Paladins who prefer a more defensive playstyle, the Tough feat is a strong option. This feat increases your hit point maximum by an amount equal to twice your level, making you significantly more durable in combat. Combined with the PaladinÔÇÖs already high hit points and healing abilities, Tough can make your character nearly unkillable.
If you want to improve your PaladinÔÇÖs versatility, consider the Magic Initiate feat. This feat allows you to learn two cantrips and one 1st-level spell from another classÔÇÖs spell list. For example, you could choose the Cleric spell list to gain access to useful spells like Guidance or Bless, or the Sorcerer spell list for offensive cantrips like Fire Bolt. This can add some much-needed ranged options or utility to your PaladinÔÇÖs toolkit.
When selecting feats, itÔÇÖs important to consider your ability scores. Paladins rely heavily on Strength for melee attacks and Charisma for their spellcasting and aura abilities. If your ability scores are not well-rounded, you might want to prioritize increasing them instead of taking a feat. For example, if your Strength is below 18, it might be more beneficial to increase it to improve your attack rolls and damage output.
One common mistake is choosing feats that donÔÇÖt align with your playstyle or party needs. For example, taking the Dual Wielder feat might seem appealing, but Paladins typically benefit more from using two-handed weapons or a sword and shield. Similarly, feats that enhance ranged combat, like Sharpshooter, are generally not useful for Paladins, who are primarily melee fighters.
Advanced players might consider multiclassing to further optimize their Paladin build. For example, a Paladin/Warlock multiclass can be incredibly powerful, as the WarlockÔÇÖs Pact Magic allows you to regain spell slots on a short rest, which can be used for Divine Smite. In this case, feats like War Caster, which allows you to perform somatic components of spells even when your hands are full and gives you advantage on Constitution saving throws to maintain concentration, can be very useful.
In summary, the best feats for a Paladin in Baldur's Gate 3 depend on your playstyle and party composition. Great Weapon Master and Sentinel are excellent for offensive and battlefield control, respectively, while Tough and Magic Initiate offer defensive and versatile options. Always consider your ability scores and avoid feats that donÔÇÖt align with your characterÔÇÖs strengths. With careful planning, your Paladin can become a formidable force on the battlefield, capable of both dealing and mitigating damage while supporting your allies.