Baldur’s Gate 3 provides an immersive role-playing experience rooted in Dungeons & Dragons lore. One of the standout character paths is the paladin’s Oath of Vengeance, which focuses on seeking justice by any means necessary. This oath grants paladins powerful abilities to fight and punish those who have committed great evils. However, as players progress, their character’s beliefs may change, leading them to explore different narrative outcomes or break their Oath of Vengeance.
Breaking the oath is a significant role-playing decision with consequences that impact both the narrative and in-game mechanics. Players should approach this choice with a clear understanding of the potential challenges and opportunities that may arise as the story of Baldur’s Gate 3 unfolds. It may lock out certain powers and alter the narrative experience of the game.
Ways to Break your Oath of Vengeance
| Action | Description |
|---|---|
| Helping Goblins | * Siding with the Goblins at the Blighted Village: Agree to help them fight the Tieflings. * Freeing Sazza in the Druid Grove: Help the goblin prisoner escape, leading to a confrontation and an Oathbreaker Paladin cutscene. |
| Targeting Civilians | * Attacking Zevlor and the Tiefling Refugees: Choose to attack the Tieflings after rescuing Lae’zel. * Killing Arabella and the Children at the Druid Grove: Slaughter the Tiefling children during the celebration. |
| Betrayals | * Allowing Arka to kill Sazza: Let the goblin hunter execute the caged Sazza in the Druid Grove. * Siding with Minthara: Join forces with the Goblin leader at Moonrise Towers. |
| Quest-Specific Choices | * Torturing Liam: During the “Speak with the Dead” quest, torture Liam for information. * Madeline’s Revenge: In the “Punish the Wicked” quest, either forgive Madeline, or encourage her revenge-fueled suicide and stop her at the last second. |
Important Considerations:
- Consequences: Breaking your Oath permanently changes your Paladin subclass to Oathbreaker, altering abilities and story interactions.
- Alternatives: Certain actions might seem like Oath-breaking but don’t actually trigger it. Weigh your options carefully.
- Point of No Return: There’s no way to revert to Oath of Vengeance once broken.
Key Takeaways
- The Oath of Vengeance is a binding commitment with unique abilities for paladins in Baldur’s Gate 3.
- Players may decide to break their oath as a role-playing choice, affecting their character’s narrative and abilities.
- The process of breaking the oath involves understanding the in-game mechanics and the story’s context.
Understanding the Oath of Vengeance
The Oath of Vengeance is a solemn commitment a Paladin makes to punish those who have committed grave sins. It emphasizes retribution and justice, enforcing a rigorous moral code. This subclass is a choice for Paladins who pursue a darker or more intense form of justice, targeting and eliminating evil.
Characteristics of the Oath of Vengeance:
- Focus: It targets individuals who have caused significant harm.
- Goal: To exact justice on those who evade lawful punishment.
Paladin Level and Spells:
Paladins select this subclass path typically at 3rd level. Once chosen, the character gains access to unique Oath Spells that reflect their commitment to seeking and dealing justice, such as bestow curse and inflict wounds.
Subclass Actions and Abilities:
Paladins under this oath receive additional abilities to battle fiends and other embodiments of evil, often dealing radiant damage, a form of pure, searing energy that scars the wicked.
Comparative Oaths:
- Oath of Devotion: Focuses on honor and duty, upholding the light.
- Oath of the Ancients: Embraces preserving the light and life against darkness.
- Oathbreaker Knight: Represents those who have abandoned or betrayed their original oath.
Breaking the Oath of Vengeance:
In the game, players who perform actions contradictory to their oath’s tenets, like sparing tieflings when pledged to harm them, may risk breaking their oath, potentially leading to a shift towards becoming an Oathbreaker.
Paladins who uphold their oaths use their powers to enforce their sacred vows. The breach of these tenets can shift the path of a Paladin from vengeance to a different, darker route. Understanding these aspects of the Oath of Vengeance aids players in making informed decisions for their character’s journey in “Baldur’s Gate 3.”
Breaking the Oath of Vengeance
In Baldur’s Gate 3, the Paladin class can choose the Oath of Vengeance to commit to a path of justice and retribution against evil. However, breaking this oath isn’t just a lore-friendly option; it’s a built-in mechanism within the game. To abandon the Oath of Vengeance, one must act against the tenets that define it: pursuing justice and showing no mercy to the wicked.
One such situation involves an NPC named Sazza, a goblin who can trigger an opportunity to break your oath. The action sequence typically follows these steps:
- Encounter Sazza, the female goblin, imprisoned and threatened.
- Act to protect her from harm, which may involve persuasion or combat.
- Your actions here decide how firmly you tread the path of vengeance.
Paladins who have taken the Oath of Vengeance embody an ‘Inquisitor’s Might,’ operating under the principle that evil must be purged without hesitation. Engaging with characters like Minthara demands a careful approach, as showing leniency could betray the very essence of the oath.
Breaking the oath leads to a transformation into an Oathbreaker, altering available class features like Abjure Enemy or Relentless Avenger. This change reflects a shift from a fierce avenger to one who rejects their previous commitments, potentially embracing darkness.
Table: Effects of Oath Breaking
| Commitment | Betrayal Act |
|---|---|
| No mercy for the wicked | Protecting an innocent person |
| Vengeance against evil characters | Showing leniency to evil |
Players should weigh their decisions carefully. The choice to break an oath can redefine a character’s story and gameplay in Baldur’s Gate 3, reflecting the complexity and adaptability of role-playing games.
Frequently Asked Questions
This section answers common questions about the Oath of Vengeance in “Baldur’s Gate 3” and what happens when a player character breaks it.
Can you switch from Oath of Vengeance to Oathbreaker in Baldur’s Gate 3?
In BG3, a paladin who breaks their Oath of Vengeance doesn’t automatically become an Oathbreaker; this transition depends on the game’s rules and story progression.
What actions lead to breaking the Oath of Vengeance in BG3?
Actions that go against the tenets of the Oath, like showing mercy when the character has sworn to pursue vengeance, or failing to punish wrongdoers, can lead to breaking the Oath of Vengeance.
Is there a specific quest or decision point that breaks the Oath of Vengeance in BG3?
There’s not just one single point in the game that causes a breach of the oath. Multiple choices and actions throughout BG3 intersect with the Oath’s tenets and can lead to breaking it.
How does breaking the Oath of Vengeance affect character progression in BG3?
Breaking the Oath impacts a character’s progression by altering their story path and potentially affecting their class features. This choice can both open and close different opportunities within the game.
What are the differences between Oath of Vengeance and Oath of the Ancients in terms of breaking it in BG3?
While the Oath of Vengeance focuses on punishing evildoers, the Oath of the Ancients is more centered on preserving the light and life. Breaking each oath will lead to different narrative and mechanical consequences in the game based on their distinct principles.
