Baldur’s Gate 3 players explain why Paladin is game’s most popular class

Baldur’s Gate 3 players have shared what makes Paladin the game’s most popular class, and it’s not just their charisma.

Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a smash hit for Larian Studios, with critics and gamers alike praising the lengthy RPG for its complex characters and riveting story.

The game also offers loads of replayability not just via the different story paths and dialogue options players can choose, but also thanks to its expansive class system.

Still, despite there being so many classes and builds for players to experiment with, one has emerged as a clear favorite with fans of the game.

A post on r/BaldursGate3 from a new player posed the question to the community, “Why do so many choose” Paladin? Accompanying the post was a screenshot of player class choices, showing Paladin leading the charge.

According to the stats, around 220,000 players have chosen Paladin for their BG3 play-through. So, what is it that makes the class so popular?

There were a few different reasons put forth in the comments. Among them the high survivability of the class, and their ability to “be a good party face”.

However, there was one reason which dominated the discussion: the skill, smite.

Larian Studios

The companion character, Minthara, is a Drow Paladin and difficult for players to recruit on a first play-through.

In fact, a post that simply said smite in all capitals was the most upvoted response in the thread.

“The sweet crackling sound smites make is reason alone to play paladin,” said one.

Most commenters seemed to agree the skill was one of the class’s biggest draws.