Larian Studios revealed the last content patch that Baldur’s Gate 3 will release shortly. The update adds the Paladin class, reworked Reactions, and the ability to reach level 5. The game won’t be updated again until August 2023, which is when the game will be leaving Early Access and releasing fully.
As in the official D&D lore, Paladins are bound by oath, and in Baldur’s Gate 3, you can take one of two oaths. The first, Oath of the Ancient, sees you pledge to protect the natural world; you can call upon your oath to cast Healing Radiance and heal nearby allies. The second, the Oath of Devotion, requires you to pledge to protect justice and order. You can use this oath to deliver a holy rebuke. This spell surrounds an ally with an aura that deals 1d4 damage to anyone who makes a melee attack. Paladins of any subclass can spend a spell slot to cast Divine Smite and add radiation damage to weapon damage.
Paladins who break the tenets of their oath become Oathbreakers and gain a new set of abilities and disadvantages, as well as new dialogue and story moments. Paladins can break their oaths for good, nefarious, or ambiguous reasons. The Oathbreaker subclass allows you to explore your Paladin’s potential beliefs and motivations.
Other additions include the ability for players to progress to level five, get stronger and unlock new skills, powers, and spells. Spellcasters can cast level-five spells like Fireball, Counterspell, and Animate Dead. The Fly spell can be utilized in and out of combat to explore new areas, flank enemies, or flee tough battles. Weapon-focused classes like Paladins, Fighters, Barbarians, and Rangers can attack a second time per turn with their weapon for free.
In addition, the reaction system was retooled. Players can now choose to react to enemy actions when appropriate. Now, if an enemy tries to walk past you in a way that triggers an attack of opportunity, you can choose to attack or not.
Baldur’s Gate 3 will launch in August 2023 for PCs only.
