Thanks so much! I'm really glad they're helping :D

Thanks so much! May it serve you well :D I had wanted to get this out sooner but the patch breaking modding tools delayed it - minthara is ready to rock now though!

Thanks so much! I really appreciate hearing that :D One of my favorite things about BG3 is how many new and returning players it's gotten to take a look at one of my favorite hobbies

Thanks so much! I really appreciate hearing that :D

This was anything but concise. Says a lot without saying much at all.

Awesome! Hope you enjoy :D

That's incredible - clearly a bug, but I love the idea that you can just declare that your own worst enemy is yourself, and then take it out on everyone around you. Realistic, at least!

This is one of the most self loathing bugs in the game, but it is really all Oath of Vengeance has going for it. The auto-advantage ring or gloves that gives you this bugged Vow of Enmity for free really drain the value right out of Vow of Enmity. Other items in this game can land you around 24-25 STR without a potion of STR, coupled with the Tiefling +2 hit gauntlets, you should have a 95% chance to hit in ACT III, which also makes Oath of Devotion only worthwhile for Charm immunity (and Charm removal), but given the other saving throw buffs you get is almost useless. Oathbreaker is probably the most bang for the buck oath, but... it buffs almost every enemy you run into in ACTS II / III, so Oath of Ancients ends up being the least harmless / most beneficial Oaths. Radiant Retort is the only real threat to a Paladin duel wielding Deva Maces in ACT III this game, enemies without that buff will be bulldozed. All in all, RIP Oath of Vengeance by Act II.

@@nm2358 The Vengeance spell list does include Haste, so it's not all bad.

@@nm2358 What tiefling gauntlets that give u a +2 to hit?

@@thedoomslayer5863 Legacy of the Masters gloves from Dammon in BG

Thanks! And thanks for the feedback as well :D

That's true, but remember you can convert spell slots into sorcery points and can exceed your maximum that way - not always worth doing since we want those slots for smites, but essentially lets you spend a level 1 spell slot casting haste, so it's definitely useful sometimes!

@@Cephalopocalypse didn't know that. Thanks

Thanks so much! I really appreciate the kind words :D

Definitely a strong variant I should have mentioned! I think because Minthara gets to add additional damage dice, GWF is worth it for her still, but may be less so for a Tav paladin. On Minthara it's still worth ~2.5 damage per smite with savage attacker (compared to ~5 without) if my napkin math is (close to) right. That may or may not be worth a point of AC This may be the only video where I don't spend a full minute singing the praises of Alert, so you'll get no argument from me there :D

​@@Cephalopocalypsewhat about minthara's dual maces default goblin camp build it's so cool and the hold person and dual wield fked me up on the first time I played

Hey, thanks so much! May it serve you well :D

@@Cephalopocalypseyou gonna keep doing these lazy 1-12 builds in the same Demn location every time? How about some gameplay where you showcase your builds as in fighting bosses/ enemies and don’t say it’s not worth it because I have seen people with less views and subscribers who keep doing the build guide’s with actual fights in them. It’s kinda boring watching people like you complaining about not being worth it because no one watches them, really?? No I don’t think so. And to be honest it’s kinda embarrassing ngl.

@@Tobykanobi1lmfao then go watch those KZfaqrs? Clearly they looked at the numbers and the bump in views (if any) doesn’t outweigh the extra time and effort to do a full play through everytime they want to make a build video.

Yeah - it's funny that she's so hard to access!

Thanks very much! Yes, you can definitely go to paladin 12 and be just fine. Honestly I don't think there's any classes that won't work if you just take 12 levels of them - the game is pretty well-balanced that way!

Nice! That's pretty close to what my upcoming swords bard guide will look like ;)

That's true! It costs you heavy armor proficiency though, which for this low dex build I don't think is usually a good tradeoff

That is the best version honestly. I've played 3 paladins polearm master was the worst great weapon master burns through Smites way too quickly. Sword and board had pretty much no downside great damage high ac less attribute dependence, more spell slots paladin specific weapons in ac 3 are great.

Interesting! I'll need to test that further. It's too bad if that doesn't work because it definitely should - in fact, the slight change in savage attacker to just roll 2 and use the higher from the tabletop version should make it work *better* in BG3. If that's bugged then for the version with savage attacker you definitely want defense style instead, which is already a strong consideration anyways. Polearm Master is great and a very strong consideration as well! It does conflict a little with Minthara because of her native bonus action, but is especially good for a Tav paladin. Great tips!

@@Cephalopocalypse So, my understanding is GWF still rerolls your 1s and 2s on the initial dice roll. So the 2d6 forthe Greatsword, the 2d4 for soulbrad, the 2d8 (or more) for smite. It's only when it rerolls that damage a second time it doesn't apply. And it's still going to take the higher die. So If you roll for example (1,6) on your first weapon attack, it'll reroll the one, get a 3 leaving you with a (3,5) set. Now if it rolls a (1,6) it'll keep the (3,5) because 8 is higher than 7. That's the other thing, it rolls them in the sets. So as you roll more damage die, particularly on things like smite, mauls or greatswords, it will take the higher overall set. I do want to note for anyone else who reads my comment on Polearm Master (disclaimer: I love polearms) While the bonus attack does NOT proc riders (like those from Crusader's Mantle), it does proc divine smite as I said. Furthermore, it will ALSO still give you the option to cast a smite when the attack hits as well.

@@Cephalopocalypse I don't remember where I found it. Savage Attacker is like a 33% damage increase like you said, but with GWF it's still like a 20% damage increase. So it's not like they're bad together, they're just, not QUITE as powerful as each is individually. They're still Good together. But, as you get later in the game and do get savage attacker and/or polearm master (or both), I do think you're better off using a 1her and using a shield for the extra defense/bonuses at that point. Since shields in BG3 have MANY strong options on top of the minimum +2 to AC.

Check out my Lockadin guide that just went up this morning! The main appeal of the sorcerer dip is access to Haste and level 4 smites, which warlock doesn't get (You'd need to be warlock 7 to get level 4 smites, and then you give up Aura of Protection from Paladin 6).

It's like I always say, it's bad to be MAD but it's rad to be SAD

Yes? If you want to use a different build you have to build the character differently.

Yes! I go over that in the second half of the video :)

Zariel Tiefling definitely isn't a *bad* choice, but the main issue is that their racial smites eat your concentration, which is very important for paladins. Still a solid pick though!

Sure - in fact, I already have! One you can find in my video "The Best Assassin in BG3" and another in "The Invincible Tank Wizard" :D

You tell me! And also your friends, then we can fix that ;)

That's right - they got rid of favored classes entirely as a concept in 5e, and BG3 made it even easier to multiclass, requiring no minimum stats. IMO, an excellent change! Yes, some of the companions have unique abilities to that character only, based on their story or history - they're mostly pretty minor and won't change the build that much, but Minthara's are particularly good. I think drow to rhyme with "cow" is how they say it in the game, but honestly that's just how I've always said it - for made up words, personally I think just go with your gut!

@@Cephalopocalypse Thanks for the info. I hope the game isn't far too easy with all the build flexibility, hopefully there's a hard difficulty setting and I won't regret turning it on.

Yep basically that. If you wanna trade off spell slots for pact of blades versatility on your character you can always do that. Then you can invest in Str less

Thanks very much! I try to keep these builds as independent from specific items as possible, since different people will find different ones throughout the game, but for this build you'll want: - Anything that increases your CHA - The highest AC Heavy Armor you can find (you're right that helldusk is better than the plate) - Anything that increases movement speed - Anything that gives you extra damage, particularly damage dice (eg. some gloves add a d4 of fire damage to your weapon attacks, those are perfect here) Hope that helps!

@@Cephalopocalypse thank you very much for your answer. i agree with you about the "independent from specific items"-builds, but some general infromations or "honourable mentions" about the other equipment slots could be useful.

True, definitely a sick item! I personally don't like recommending it since it uses some oddities of the game engine to get it, but once you have it it's certainly best in slot for just about every character Astarion is stronger endgame for sure, but that happens so late in the game I think Minthara is more powerful for longer. Very close between the two of them though!

The reason I put Astarion above Minthara is his bite even early game is pretty much +1 to everything. I could be wrong there

You should still boost charisma over wis (at least after you hit level 6), because it provides every save thanks to the aura - it's just strictly better than increasing wisdom at that point

It definitely would if that were possible! Your 14th and 15th point in an attribute cost 2 points each, and you can't raise them over 15 (except with the +1 and +2 bonus), so you can at maximum have one 17 and one 16. Hope that makes sense!

Yes, absolutely! This build is great for a main character as well.

I just realised you mentioned this at the end and I hadn't watched the whole video yet haha

Agreed that this is the strongest combo. Especialy with Oathbreaker subcalss and Aura of Hate. But to be honest, i bellive Larian just broke d&d balance allowing pact of the blade stuck with multiattack. I actualy would they to fix this, so i can play some another build 🙂

I cover one version of a lockadin build in "The Best Melee Warlock in BG3" and have another one upcoming, so stay tuned!

Idk about "obviously best". Theyre both great. Padlock 3 attacks (level 3 spell slots) are nice but capped at level 3. Padlock still wins on DPR even with lower level slots... 3 whacks per action cant be slept on. The problem i found during solo play is that i straight up ran out of spell slots on a few fights. Sorcadin is better for grouped play imo for reasons he mentioned in this video. Twin casting haste is just ridiculous. Sorceres have more and higher level spell slots, sorceres can get counterspell at sorc lvl 5. They are also tankier with shield reaction and up to lvl5 Armor of Agathys from White draconic bloodline.

That's also a very strong build! I cover one version of it in "The Best Melee Warlock in BG3" and have another lockadin video coming soon :D The main downside of Pal 9/lock 3 is you lose out on level 4 spell slots by not taking a full casting class (warlock levels count separately), but you get better saves and spell DCs for when you actually want to cast spells. With lock 7 you get level 4 slots, but don't get access to Haste or Aura of Protection. All 3 variants are good though!

@@Cephalopocalypse Makes sense. Thank you for the fast answer. You rock!

@@Cephalopocalypsei cannot wait for the new lockadin video! i wanna go for an 'original' dark urge white dragonborn run and lockadin seems like the best option for dragonborn, as you gain armor and weapon proficiencies through paladin and also darkvision through warlock devilsight, which many of the other races get through their racial bonuses. not to forget about cold damage resistance which can get handy when spamming hadar a lot. the only downside compared to the classic (half) wood elf is going to be the basic move distance but i look badass asf which pretty much outweighs it imho haha

@@Cephalopocalypse Yea that's why i go 7 ancient pala 5 bladelock and use the haste provided by bow, get the 2 auras and give up on the 4th lvl slots. I find it more well rounded that way.

Astarion basically gets +1 to every d20 roll, which is extremely strong. Minthara gets +2d4+1 to selected attacks, which I think is slightly better for a damage dealer (plus the illithid powers for free). Both are extremely powerful though!

@@Cephalopocalypse astarion is by far the strongest character in the game in the end game. on top of the +1 to all d20 rolls (including attack hit rolls), in act 3 he gets a d10 of necrotic damage without expending his bonus action to all weapon attacks (ranged or melee), although Minthara does get soul branding upon joining in act 2 so she has better weapon damage bonuses earlier on (although a +1 to hit is probably pretty comparable to 3-9 fire damage since it's a pretty middling element)

Definitely a good idea! I do a 6/6 split with abjuration wizard in my Eldritch Knight build guide, and it should be pretty much the same idea (even getting better spell access). Also a more wizard-focused version in "The Invincible Tank Wizard" if you're looking for inspiration ;) Sadly though the fire shield isn't an abjuration spell for arcane ward, though I agree it should be!

Not a dumb question at all - you definitely can! Unless I specifically say otherwise, all my builds are designed to work for main characters as well :D

@@Cephalopocalypsethank you so much! loved the video :)

Haha, always a danger! 1000 gold should be easy to come by fairly soon, just make sure you're looting any armor you find on enemies, even nonmagical armor sells for a lot

It's certainly an option, but paladins mostly need hit chance to land smites more than they need damage, especially at early levels

That's true, though it is a bug

@@Cephalopocalypse after this many patches might as well consider it a feature

Paladin uses Charisma for its level 6 aura, which gives you increased saving throws. It's a key stat for them because that's such a powerful effect

@@Cephalopocalypse thanks for clarifying!

For sure, this is a super complicated and confusing game! This build is aimed at optimizing for tactician, so you may not need all of it depending on your difficulty settings - I think if you follow the guide then even as a new player it should get you through tactician though! I'll also have a series aimed at more basic builds for new players coming out soon, so stay tuned!

You can't start the game as her, but she can join your party if you side with her during the quest she gives you in act 1. Be warned this locks off several other companions for that playthrough though, so I don't really recommend it if it's your first time through the game - though obviously you should make the choice you think is most fun and in character :D

@@Cephalopocalypse oh thanks d^_^

@@arturius9715you can get minthara without siding with her though,it’s just a bit complex

Just so no one gets confused: this poster is wrong, watch the video for explanations of why these things are true.

@@Cephalopocalypse I don't know what you're smoking to think Paladin's have low AC for melee characters, but I want some lol. Paladins usually wear plate which is base 18 AC to start not counting a shield that many Paladins choose to use. Monks and Barbs have low AC for melee characters typically 14-16 ish not counting if they use a shield, which typically is not used for them. You've got a wild take and passing it off as a norm, that is my contention here. As for Paladin being MAD. As you describe it, every class would be MAD for wanting to have better saving throws from WIS, DEX, INT, CHA, etc. MAD is used to describe a class that requires multiple stats to be competitive. Paladins require really only 2 sometimes 3. STR for armor and CHA for spellcasting/weapon attacks if you dip Hexblade. CON for concentration, but the aura and CHA fill that void so its not needed as much as a full spellcaster. Every class wants for other attributes in search of better-saving throws. Don't tell people its needed as a restriction though lol. That is just misinformation.

Exactly! Though for drow it's usually the men lamenting

There's story reasons! But also BG3 actually makes kind of a weird choice by making all (player character) paladins good - that's very much a holdover from older editions of D&D. In more recent editions including the 5e that bg3 is based on, there can be paladins of all kinds of concepts and gods, including evil ones.

@@Cephalopocalypse oh ok. I don’t know much about her, I can’t bring myself to invade the grove, I always just kill her. I’ve tried being a paladin though. I was a seladine drow and I got a bad roll of the dice and the tieflings that caught Lae’zel in the cage attacked first and my oath still broke . Doesn’t seem fair for the oathbreaker to judge you so harshly when they were being racist and you didn’t even start the fight :( lol To be honest, I don’t think paladin is for me, I’m not sure what exactly breaks the oaths and earning it back is too expensive. And paladins kill vampires but I don’t want to be mean to him lol

A Vengance Oath Paladin sworn to Lolth. Sounds evil to me.

@@Lunakitty1234 paladins don’t necessarily need to be good. They’re just warriors that have sworn an oath. So while under the influence of the Absolute she was probably more a paladin of devotion. Also good news is that you don’t need to sacrifice the grove to get her anymore. I just picked her up in the second act and saved the grove.

@@grigoregruesome3606 how is she oath of devotion? Doesn’t devotion mean you can’t lie or kill innocents or something? Wouldn’t she be breaking her oath with all the stuff she does? Nice to know you don’t have to invade the grove to get her. I guess if you want her, you just non-lethal her ass when you fight the goblin camp and you see her later when you get to moonrise. Im probably going to kill her every time though lol I’ve seen videos and I don’t love the way she talks to Astarion . Shes so disrespectful and mean . He deserves better.

How stupid do you have to be to click a 33 minute build showcase and then call someone a yapper lmao, absolute jackass