Which subclasses are best and what are they good at?
There are 4 paladin subclasses in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. Each subclass represent a different set of tenets that are followed by that paladin. Some are oathbound to protect, some are bound to exact justice upon evil while others seek to become legendary heroes.
While each subclass grants different powers, paladin subclasses do not change your role in the party in a substantial way. All paladins make charismatic tanks with some spells at their fingertips and a decent damage output.
However, different subclasses do lean a little more heavily into ways these roles manifest. To help you choose your paladin subclass, I’ve outlined how each subclass works, what it’s good at and scored how well I think it performs.
Oath of devotion
What are they?
Like the knights in shining armor from legends of old, devotion paladins are sworn to protect the weak and defenceless. They are self-sacrificing heroes that place the needs of others above themselves, upholding the law and bringing justice to the land.
These paladins are better at protecting allies and being more accurate with their attacks.
Key abilities
Sacred weapon lets you add your charisma modifier to melee weapon attack rolls. Your aura of protection gets enhanced with immunity to charmed while you also grant half cover to allies in your aura for a turn when you cast divine smite.
As with other paladin subclasses, you also get a bunch of prepared spells which lean more towards protective spells and buffs than the other subclasses.
What are they good at?
Protection and accuracy. These paladins will hit more often and be hit less often. They’re also the best at protecting allies. Unfortunately, their best feature doesn’t kick in until level 15, half cover when casting divine smite (which can be often) for allies in their aura, is very powerful though!
How effective are they?
Pretty effective. You’ve basically got near immunity to charmed for the whole party, much more accurate attacks and regular half cover for the party wherever you are. You are a little limited tactically by making mostly melee attacks and using divine smite a lot. But let’s be honest, that’s pretty typical for most paladins anyway!
Holy nimbus is a bit situational (even if an aura of damage is quite good). There are also better prepared spells among the paladin subclasses, but largely, this is a pretty good subclass.
Score: 4/5
Oath of glory
What are they?
While devotion paladins perform heroic acts for the goodness of the deed, glory paladins perform them for the reputation they bring. While still altruistic and seekers of goodness, these paladins also seek to become legends in their own right. Known for their courage and incredible acts of bravery.
Key abilities
Granting temporary hit points when you cast divine smite, enhancing their athletics abilities, making themselves and allies faster and being able to reactively protect your allies. At level 20, you can also become nearly perfect at charisma checks, saving throws and attack rolls.
What are they good at?
These paladins are all about buffing themselves and allies as well as charging headlong into the fray. If you’ve got a party that wants to close the gap between the enemy and last longer in a fight, then a glory paladin is a good option.
How effective are they?
Living legend is a phenomenal feature, but as most characters won’t reach level 20, needs to have its impact tempered slightly. Other features are pretty good too though. Temporary hit points and enhanced speed for the party are going to be useful for any group. A reaction to both protect and attack at level 15 is also quite strong and easy to make use of the often unused reaction.
All of this make the glory paladin a pretty solid option.
Score: 4/5
Oath of the ancients
What are they?
Paladins that take the oath of ancients are less concerned about justice and morality and more about the protection of life and nature. They are (unsurprisingly) an ancient order of paladins and the oldest in existence.
Key abilities
Nature’s wrath lets you use your channel divinity to restrain enemies within 15ft of you. Your aura also gains 3 resistances and your level 15 feature will let you avoid hitting 0hp once per day and give you significant healing instead.
The spells are a mixed bag. You get some control spells like ensnaring strike and utility options like speak with animals and misty step which all give you options in and out of combat. Overall though, these spells are weaker than for other subclasses.
What are they good at?
Beyond being extra tanky, ancients paladins are also great at controlling the battlefield and providing some extra utility options to your repertoire. If you want to do more than just punch and protect, they’re a decent option.
How effective are they?
Nature’s wrath is probably the most effective use of channel divinity available. Undying sentinel is a strong late game feature while elder champion combines nicely with some save or suck spells so you can refashion the way you play at level 20 using nasty saving throw spells as bonus actions while you spend your action smashing.
This is tempered a little bit by more mediocre things at earlier levels. Your aura enhancement may not always be useful depending on what you’re fighting (you’ll be great against lots of undead, but less so against most fiends or monstrosities). The spells are a mixed bag with some great options and some quite poor options.
The oath of ancients is probably the best paladin subclass for battlefield control and disabling enemies. At level 20, it can become a 5, but most players will never meet those lofty levels so most playing as an ancients paladin will experience a 4/5 subclass.
Score: 4/5
Oath of vengeance
What are they?
Some paladins vow to eradicate certain forms of evil. They are dogged in their quest to purge such individuals, enacting a strict form of justice. These paladins make an oath of vengeance; to hunt down and kill those that harm or abuse the weak and defenceless.
Key abilities
Vengeance paladins hit more reliably than other paladins through their vow of enmity. Your opportunity attacks can stop enemies escaping your influence and you can take reaction attacks against targeted enemies that make attacks.
You also get a strong set of spells including several save or suck spells, misty step and hunter’s mark.
What are they good at?
Taking on powerful enemies one at a time. You can easily combine vow of enmity and hunter’s mark on a single target for very accurate attacks that do more damage. You can also add things like smites into the mix as well.
Alternatively, you can use spells to disable certain targets while focusing attacks on other enemies.
How effective are they?
Very effective. Personally, I like the idea of dual wielding for the potential 4 attacks giving Hunter’s mark and vow of enmity even more attacks to be applied to. You probably have the best spell list of any of the paladin subclasses but a more muted level 20 feature.
At low levels, I’d say that this is the most effective paladin subclass with performance balancing out at later levels. If you want to go for aggressive damage and a merciless hunter of evil, then this is a great subclass.
Score: 4/5
Which paladin subclass is best?
It’s a little boring, but all the paladin subclasses perform pretty well without being overpowered. I do think the devotion paladin gets sucked into one way of being used which can be easier for newer players, but more boring and less versatile for experienced players.
At level 20, I think the ancients paladin is outstanding, but most players won’t play at that level. That means I think the vengeance paladin edges the ratings with probably the best repertoire of spells, strong options for enhancing damage and ways to nullify enemies. It is consistently just a little better than the other subclasses in my opinion.
However, they’re all pretty good options and you should feel confident that whichever subclass you choose, you’ll have something interesting and fairly powerful to use.
Which paladin subclass do you think is the best? Let me know why in the comments below.
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