If you want to become an Oathbreaker in Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll need to know how to break your oath as a Paladin. Since there are multiple Oaths you can select, the way to break them will vary. Luckily, you’ll come across story choices in-game that give you opportunities to break your Oath if you want. This guide will go over how to become an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3, by breaking the tenets set by your chosen Oath.
How to Break a Paladin Oath in Baldur’s Gate 3
- A paladin’s Oath can be broken by going against the tenets in the subclass description.
- An Oath can be taken again at any time.
- Retaking an Oath costs 2,000 gold.
- You can only retake an Oath once.
When you’re creating your Paladin, you’ll select one of three subclasses. In the case of Paladins, these are Oaths you take with certain tenants. Normally you would try to stick to these tenants, but not so if you are striving to become an Oathbreaker Paladin in Baldur’s Gate 3. You’re going to need to go against what you’ve sworn to make that happen.
At the moment your Oath is broken, you’ll have a cutscene with the Oathbreaker Knight who will tell you that he’ll be at your camp waiting to speak with you when you take your next Long Rest.
How to Break Oath of the Ancients
The Oath of the Ancients has you swear to “fight on the side of light in the cosmic struggle against darkness to preserve the sanctity of life and the beauty of nature.” Its tenants are, in short, to:
- Kindle the Light.
- Shelter the Light.
- Preserve your own Light.
This is the oath that I chose to start with Healing Radiance, and it’s the default when making a Paladin. To break the Oath of the Ancients, you need to commit acts that harm life or nature. Some choices you’ll come across to do this are listed below:
- Kill wildlife (that isn’t hostile).
- Free Sazza.
- Kill Pandima.
- Participate in necromancy.
- Deny help to the innocent or kill them.
How to Break Oath of Devotion
The Oath of Devotion has you swear to “follow the ideal of the knight in shining armor, and act with honor and virtue to protect the weak and pursue the greater good.” Its tenants are a follows:
- Courage.
- Compassion.
- Duty.
To break the Oath of Devotion, you need to not protect the weak, lie, or go back on your word. As with the previous oath, I’ve listed ways to break this one below as well.
- Let Arka kill Sazza.
- Betray NPCs or go back on your word.
- Torture Liam in the Shattered Sanctum.
- Steal.
- Let the weak be harmed or harm them yourself.
How to Break Oath of Vengeance
The Oath of Vengeance has you swear to “set aside even your own purity to right wrongs and deliver justice to those who have committed the most grievous sins.” Its tenants are a little less straightforward than the other two:
- Fight the Greater Evil.
- No Mercy for the Wicked.
So, it’s very much an Oath with the view that the end justifies the means. The way you’ll break the Oath of Vengeance it is by obstructing justice, which can be done through choices like freeing Sazza if you have the opportunity. This might make it seem like the worst option if you’re aiming for Oathbreaker, but the Inquisitor’s Might Class Action that Oath of Vengeance brings with it is an amazing buff worth having around.
How to Retake Your Oath After Breaking It
It’s very possible you might not want to remain an Oathbreaker for the entirety of a playthrough. Luckily the only real hoop you’ll have to jump through is to get enough money. It costs 2,000 gold to retake your Oath and get on the straight and narrow as a Paladin again.
An Oathbreaker Knight will appear at camp after you’ve broken your Paladin Oath, and he’ll be much obliged to take your coin to restore your honor. Have a look around camp and you’ll find him easily enough.
With that all said, you now know how to break each of the three Paladin Oaths and how to become an Oathbreaker in Baldur’s Gate 3. That’s a lot of gold to return to your Paladin’s original Oath, but at least it’s an option for those who broke Oath by accident or decided it wasn’t worth it. Check out some of our other BG3 guides like how to revive Gale and how to change my dice skin.
