Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Paladin Spells

Paladins can fulfill a lot of roles in a Baldur’s Gate 3 party, and thus, the best Paladin spells in BG3 are a mixed bag. The class is capable of casting some of the best party buffs in the game, perhaps second only to the Bard, but it’s far from disappointing in melee combat either.

A Paladin played as a support on the front lines can still use abilities like Searing Smite to annihilate enemies in close quarters. But Paladins’ true strengths lie in abilities like Crusader’s Mantle, Beacon of Hope, and Aid that push their party members’ defensives to new heights.

Aid

• Aid Effect: Bolster your allies with toughness and resolve to heal and increase their Hit Points maximum.

A relatively weak, but nonetheless useful, Paladin spell is Aid. Available from the beginning of the game, Aid is a healing spell that both boosts party members’ maximum HP and heals for a small amount when used.

The usefulness of this skill would be pretty low if it weren’t for the fact that it lasts until the next Long Rest. Cast Aid on the party at the beginning of the day, immediately after leaving camp, for easy extra HP all day long.

Revivify

• Revivify Effect: Revive a companion. They return to life with 1 HP.

Paladins have a lot of utility in BG3, and one of their most useful skills is the ability to revive party members. Though Resurrection Scrolls are relatively common, they can cost a lot of money when not looted. Revivify does a lot more than just save players money, though.

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This spell can be used in the middle of combat – say that the party Tank goes down, and it looks like enemies are about to charge into the weaker casters standing further away. Revivify lets that melee character stay in the fight and keep enemy attention, so that weaker casters can have more time to deal with them from afar.

Warden of Vitality

• Warden of Vitality Effect: While this aura lasts, you can cast Restore Vitality as a Bonus action to heal yourself or nearby allies.

As a semi-support class, Paladins can use the Warden of Vitality spell to great effect. Learned at Level 5, and using a level 3 spell slot, Warden of Vitality is a temporary Aura that lets the Paladin spend a Bonus Action to cast Restore Vitality instead of a Standard Action.

Though there are some good uses for a Paladin’s bonus action, being able to heal allies without losing much damage output for 10 turns is indeed a powerful skill. This is one of the best Paladin spells in BG3 because it doesn’t take much away from the class while providing a serious boost to its ability to keep a party going through tough combat.

Beacon of Hope (Devotion Only)

• Beacon of Hope Effect: Your allies will regain the maximum hit points possible when healed. They also gain Advantage on Wisdom Saving Throws and Death Saving Throws.

An Aura like Warden of Vitality, Beacon of Hope is an ability that only Devotion Paladins can learn at Level 5. This simple ability gives allies Advantage on both Wisdom and Death saving throws, and ensures that the maximum HP possible is healed whenever party members are the target of healing.

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This spell is best used alongside a party member that is capable of healing, like a Cleric, though the Paladin’s own selection of healing spells is significantly buffed with this effect active. In general, choose the Warden of Vitality if the Paladin is the only healer in the group, but choose Beacon of Hope if heals are more spread out among party members.

Crusader’s Mantle

• Crusader’s Mantle Effect: Radiate a holy power that emboldens nearby allies. Their weapon attacks deal an additional 1d4 Radiant damage.

Another Aura available at Level 5, Crusader’s Mantle is one of the best Paladin abilities because it directly, and succinctly, improves all party members’ damage. Though it doesn’t improve hit chance, it does make it so that all weapon attacks made by allies will deal an extra d4 of Radiant damage.

This, of course, does not apply to spells and attacks that don’t rely on weapons for determining damage. But for melee attackers, and ranged non-casters, Crusader’s Mantle can be a big damage boost in the mid-to-late game.

Searing/Divine Smite (And Other Smite Skills)

Perhaps the most iconic Paladin ability in BG3 is its suite of Smite skills. The first is Searing Smite, which is unlocked at Level 1, and deals a chunk of extra Fire damage on top of players’ normal weapon damage, and possibly brands them for 1d6 burning damage at the end of each turn, too. Alongside it is Divine Smite, which does extra Radiant damage instead.

It’s essentially an upgraded melee attack, and Paladins get access to a handful of different varieties as they level up. Searing Smite, Divine Smite, Thunderous Smite, Wrathful Smite, Branding Smite, and Blinding Smite all give a boost to weapon damage as well as the chance to proc a useful debuff, and each is useful for different situations and enemy types.

Baldur’s Gate 3

Released

August 3, 2023

ESRB

M for Mature: Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Violence