Patch 8 introduced 12 new subclasses toBaldur’s Gate 3, opening up countless new build options for all sorts of playstyles. Tank builds, especially, are eating well with the release of Patch 8 thanks to the addition of subclasses like the Oath of the Crown Paladin and the Drunken Master Monk.
Multiclassing is a huge part ofBaldur’s Gate 3’sbuild variety, too, and the new subclasses allow for some incredible new multiclass builds. This guide will explain some of the strongest tank builds you may make using Patch 8’s new subclass options.
Oath of the Crown Paladin
Easily the most obvious entry on this list, the Oath of the Crown is a defensively focused Paladin subclass that specializes in drawing enemy attention. Going 12 levels into Oath of the Crown will naturally result in a character who excels at drawing enemy attention and shrugging off their attacks, utilizing their Channel Oath: Champion Challenge to impose disadvantage on attacks that target their allies. They also receive the Compelled Duel spell, which is perfect for getting a dangerous foe to focus on them over squishier allies.
Warding Bond, Spiritual Weapon, and Spirit Guardians are excellent spells available to this subclass, with the former allowing them to strengthen their allies' defenses while the latter two provide them with more damage options to tear through the enemies they draw in.This setup benefits from the usual Paladin equipment and can also make good use of Radiating Orb equipment to debuff enemy attack rolls.
Hexblade Warlock with Oath of the Crown Paladin
The Hexblade Warlock pairs tremendously well with the Oath of the Crown Paladin, allowing them to use their Charisma modifier for attack and damage rolls with their melee weapon of choice and thus reducing the number of stats you need to invest in. If you’re planning to wear heavy armor, this combo allows you to completely ditch strength and dexterity in favor of pumping up Constitution and Charisma, and even with a build using medium or light armor it reduces the stat investment needed to maximize your melee and magic capabilities.
A 7/5 Paladin/Warlock split will result in a solid, defensively focused build with access to most of the important Oath of the Crown abilities, though you’ll miss out on Spirit Guardians and Crusader’s Mantle. The five Warlock levels will allow you to get access to third-level Warlock Spell Slots, which recharge on a Short Rest and are perfect for spending on Smites, and allow you to select three Eldritch Invocations. If you aren’t playing on Honor Mode, Pact of the Blade’s Extra Attack at level 5 will stack with Paladin Extra Attack and give you three attacks per turn. If you’re playing on Honor Mode, pick up Pact of the Tome instead for access to some very useful spells, including Thorn Whip for pulling enemies closer.
For this setup, we recommend Devil’s Sight so you’re able to see through even magical darkness, Agonizing Blast to power up your Eldritch Blasts as a ranged option, and Sign of Ill Omen to inflict curses on your foes. Hexblade’s Curse will provide you with healing when a marked creature dies, which can help a lot when you’re drawing enemy attention in a tank build like this, and Hexblade Warlocks get access to spells like Shield and Elemental Weapon to enhance their offensive and defensive capabilities further.
Recommended Equipment
During Act 1, you’ll want to prioritize the various pieces of Paladin-specific equipment you can find, and ideally procure a decent set of medium or heavy armor. The two Paladin-specific items in Act 1 are the Gloves of Heroism (hidden beneath the Toll House on the Risen Road) and the Helmet of Smiting (southwest of the Selunite Outpost in the Underdark). The former will apply Heroism to you whenever you use a Channel Oath ability, giving you five temporary hit points and immunity to fear effects. The latter will give you temporary hit points equal to your Charisma Modifier whenever you inflict a condition with a Smite Spell. These will help you to mitigate damage that gets through your defenses.
Other valuable items for a tanky paladin in Act 1 include the Safeguard Shield (Sold by Dammon in the Emerald Grove, Grants +1 to all Saving Throws) or Absolute’s Warboard (Dropped by Priestess Gut, functions as a better Safeguard Shield if you get the Absolute’s Brand), the Boots of Striding (Dropped by Minthara, Make you immune to being pushed or falling prone while concentrating on a spell and grant Momentum for 1 turn), and the Luminous Armour (Found in the Selunite Outpost, cause Radiating Shockwaves when dealing Radiant Damage which apply the Radiating Orb condition).
Circle of Stars Druid with Monk (Open Hand or Drunken Master)
Another fantastic tank setup available in patch 8 is the combination of Circle of Stars Druid with the Monk class. There are a few different ways to go about this, but all of them will use theRadiating Orb equipment found throughout Acts 1 and 2.
One great way to create a strong attacker who also makes it really hard for enemies to hit anything is by mixing six levels of Circle of Stars Druid with six levels of Open Hand Monk. This will get you access to most of the Circle of Stars abilities up to Cosmic Omen, allowing you to increase or decrease attack rolls, saving throws, and allied ability checks. This will make it harder for hostile creatures to hit you or your allies. You’ll also be able to utilize Starry Forms to gain a ranged attack (Archer) or a breath attack (Dragon). Using Starry Form Dragon is ideal since it also guarantees a roll of at least 10 on all concentration saving throws, allowing you to concentrate on spells like
Six levels of Open Hand Monk give you access to various debilitating Flurry of Blows effects, which can be used to manipulate enemy positions and keep them from reaching your allies. It also allows you to use Manifestation of Soul to add Radiant Damage to your unarmed strikes, which will pair exceptionally well with the Radiating Orb gear to apply stacks and lower enemy attack rolls. Wholeness of Body is also handy since it lets you restore your Ki Points and temporarily gain an additional bonus action.
Alternatively,you could take levels in Drunken Master Monkand benefit from Intoxicating Strike and Life of the Party, enhancing your AC and attack rolls while leaving your foes drunk. This also allows you to use Redirect Attack and dish out extra unarmed damage as a reaction. you may use the Seraphic Pugilist Gloves, available during Act 3, to add Radiant Damage to your unarmed strikes and apply Radiating Orbs using the Luminous Armour’s shockwave whenever Redirect Attack gets triggered, which can be a great way of debuffing their future attack rolls.
As mentioned a few times in this section already, the Radiating Orb equipment is crucial to making this build as tanky as possible.You can pick up the Luminous Armor from the Selunite Outpost in the Underdark, then the Luminous Gloves from the Ruined Battlefield in Act 2. You should also pick up the Callous Glow Ring from the Gauntlet of Shar and the Coruscation Ring from beneath Last Light Inn to spread Radiating Orbs more efficiently. Equipping the Blood of Lathander in your main hand (available in the Githyanki Creche during Act 2) is also a good idea, since it’ll blind fiends and undead creatures that fail a saving throw whenever they get close to you, provides another source of Radiant Damage, and allows you to cast Sunbeam once per long rest. The free revival and healing burst once per long rest is also very helpful.
Until you can reach the Luminous Gloves,you should use the Gloves of Beligerent Skies (obtained in Creche Y’llek)to apply Reverberation whenever you deal Radiant, Thunder, or Lightning damage. These three damage types are easily accessible for a Druid, and you might consider keeping these gloves even after the Luminous Gloves become available, to inflict Reverberation along with Radiating Orbs and benefit from the physical saving throw penalties and the chance to knock a creature prone.
In Act 3, you may get the Mantle of the Holy Warrior, giving you access to Crusader’s Mantle once per short rest, imbuing yourself and your allies with additional Radiant Damage. The Thunderskin Cloak is also a solid choice, dazing creatures that deal damage to the wearer if they have stacks of Reverberation. You could also use the Cloak of Displacement to give all enemies disadvantage on attacks against you until the first time you get hit on each turn.
