What is the Best Fighting Style for a Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3?

The best fighting style for a Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3 is generally considered to be Great Weapon Fighting. While situational factors and personal preference play a role, the re-rolling mechanic of Great Weapon Fighting synergizes exceptionally well with the Paladin’s core strengths: burst damage, Divine Smite, and heavy armor proficiency. It maximizes the potential for high damage output per hit, leveraging the high damage dice of two-handed weapons that are a Paladin’s preference.

Understanding Paladin Fighting Styles

Paladins in Baldur’s Gate 3 gain access to a selection of Fighting Styles at level 2, granting them a permanent passive benefit that significantly impacts their combat effectiveness. Choosing the right fighting style is crucial for optimizing your Paladin’s performance. Let’s examine each option and why Great Weapon Fighting stands out.

The Contenders

• Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack you are wielding with a two-handed melee weapon, you can reroll the die once. You must use the new roll.
• Defense: While you are wearing armor, you gain a +1 bonus to AC.
• Dueling: When you are wielding a melee weapon in one hand and no other weapons, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon.
• Protection: When a creature attacks an ally within 5 feet of you, you can use your reaction to impose disadvantage on the attack roll. You must be wielding a shield.

Why Great Weapon Fighting Excels

Great Weapon Fighting’s strength lies in its ability to mitigate low damage rolls, particularly on weapons that already deal significant damage, such as Greatswords, Greataxes, and Mauls. Considering that Paladins often use Divine Smite to add radiant damage dice to their attacks, the opportunity to reroll even one damage die can substantially increase their total damage output. This consistency is invaluable in crucial fights and contributes to the Paladin’s role as a hard-hitting melee damage dealer. Furthermore, the impact of rerolling a single damage die dramatically increases when empowered by Divine Smite, making Great Weapon Fighting exceptionally effective for Paladins focused on dealing heavy damage.

Alternative Considerations

While Great Weapon Fighting is generally superior, the other fighting styles have their niche uses:

• Defense: A +1 AC bonus is always welcome, especially in the early game when AC is lower. However, Paladins typically have high AC already due to heavy armor proficiency and shields, making the marginal benefit of Defense less impactful compared to the burst damage potential of Great Weapon Fighting.
• Dueling: This can be effective if you plan on using a one-handed weapon and shield, but it is suboptimal for a Paladin seeking maximum damage output. The +2 damage is consistent but doesn’t scale as well as Great Weapon Fighting, especially when Divine Smite is factored in.
• Protection: This is more suited for a supportive Paladin build, focusing on protecting allies. However, Paladins are better suited as damage dealers, and other classes, like Fighters or Clerics, can offer better support options. A reaction is also a valuable resource, and using it to grant disadvantage to an enemy attack might not be the most efficient use of it, especially when dealing heavy damage can end the fight faster.

Situational Adaptability

The “best” fighting style can shift depending on specific circumstances:

• Early Game: Before acquiring a powerful two-handed weapon, Defense might be a reasonable choice for added survivability, but focus on acquiring a powerful two-handed weapon as soon as possible.
• Specific Weapon Builds: While less optimal, if you specifically want to use a one-handed weapon for its unique effects, Dueling could become a viable option.

Optimizing Your Paladin Build for Great Weapon Fighting

To fully leverage Great Weapon Fighting, consider these build elements:

• Two-Handed Weapons: Prioritize acquiring Greatswords, Greataxes, and Mauls with high damage output and useful secondary effects.
• Feats: Great Weapon Master is a powerful feat that synergizes well with Great Weapon Fighting, allowing you to make an additional attack after a critical hit or killing a creature and granting a -5 penalty to attack rolls for a +10 bonus to damage.
• Stats: Focus on Strength for attack rolls and damage, Charisma for spellcasting and dialogue options, and Constitution for health and concentration saves.
• Multiclassing: While a pure Paladin build is viable, consider multiclassing into Fighter for Action Surge, providing an additional action per combat to further increase damage output.
• Spells: Focus on spells that buff your attack or offer utility, such as Bless, Shield of Faith, or Misty Step.

FAQs About Paladin Fighting Styles in Baldur’s Gate 3

Here are some frequently asked questions to address common concerns and further clarify the optimal Paladin fighting style:

Q1: Can I change my Fighting Style after choosing it?

No, you cannot change your fighting style after you have initially selected it at level 2. It’s a permanent choice, so carefully consider your options. If you’re using a mod that respecs more than the vanilla game does, your mileage may vary.

Q2: Does Great Weapon Fighting affect the damage of Divine Smite?

Yes, Great Weapon Fighting does affect the damage dice rolled for Divine Smite. If you roll a 1 or 2 on a Divine Smite damage die when using a two-handed weapon, you can reroll it.

Q3: Is Great Weapon Fighting useful if I don’t have the Great Weapon Master feat?

Yes, Great Weapon Fighting is still very useful without the Great Weapon Master feat. While the feat enhances its effectiveness, the rerolling mechanic is beneficial regardless.

Q4: Should I choose Defense if I’m new to Baldur’s Gate 3 or D&D?

While Defense provides a simple and straightforward benefit, it is still better to choose Great Weapon Fighting, even as a new player. The added AC is minimal, and focusing on dealing high damage helps you quickly defeat enemies.

Q5: Is Dueling better if I want to use a shield for survivability?

No, it’s better to have a shield for survivability, but not to select Dueling. If survivability is your primary concern, the +1 AC from Defense is a better option than Dueling, especially if you aren’t primarily using your one-handed weapon.

Q6: Does Protection work against ranged attacks?

Yes, the Protection fighting style works against both melee and ranged attacks, as long as the ally being attacked is within 5 feet of you.

Q7: How does Great Weapon Fighting interact with critical hits?

On a critical hit, you roll double the number of damage dice. Great Weapon Fighting allows you to reroll any 1s or 2s rolled on these dice, maximizing your crit damage even further.

Q8: What are the best two-handed weapons for a Paladin?

Some excellent two-handed weapons for a Paladin include: Silver Sword of the Astral Plane, Balduran’s Giantslayer, Sussur Greatsword, and any weapon with added elemental damage or on-hit effects.

Q9: Does Great Weapon Fighting work with polearms?

Yes, Great Weapon Fighting works with polearms as long as they are wielded with two hands.

Q10: Is it worth multiclassing as a Paladin to get another fighting style?

Typically, no. Multiclassing can be beneficial for certain builds, but the Paladin’s core features are strong enough that another fighting style from a different class is generally not worth sacrificing Paladin levels.

Q11: How important is Charisma for a Great Weapon Fighting Paladin?

Charisma is still important for a Great Weapon Fighting Paladin, as it determines the effectiveness of your spellcasting and Divine Smite. However, prioritize Strength for attack rolls and damage.

Q12: What other feats synergize well with Great Weapon Fighting besides Great Weapon Master?

Savage Attacker can be great, rerolling weapon damage. Beyond that, consider feats that improve survivability or utility like Resilient (Constitution) or Alert.

Q13: Does Great Weapon Fighting only apply to weapon damage, or does it work with added damage types as well?

Great Weapon Fighting applies to any damage dice rolled as part of the weapon attack, including elemental damage added to the weapon.

Q14: How does equipment that gives advantage on attack rolls impact the effectiveness of Great Weapon Fighting?

Equipment that grants advantage on attack rolls doesn’t directly impact the effectiveness of Great Weapon Fighting, but it indirectly improves its value by increasing the chances of landing a hit and therefore rolling damage dice that can be rerolled.

Q15: What Oath is best for a Great Weapon Fighting Paladin?

The Oath of Vengeance is exceptionally well-suited for a Great Weapon Fighting Paladin. Vow of Enmity grants advantage on attack rolls against a single target, and other features enhance damage output and mobility, synergizing perfectly with a damage-focused build. Oathbreaker is also a strong pick!

By focusing on Great Weapon Fighting and building your Paladin accordingly, you can create a powerful and effective character capable of dealing massive damage in Baldur’s Gate 3. Always consider your party composition and playstyle, but for raw damage output, Great Weapon Fighting remains the superior choice.