What Is the Paladin in Solasta 2?
The Paladin in Solasta 2 is a frontline warrior who wears any armor, wields most weapons, and backs up raw melee power with divine magic and healing. Unlike pure spellcasters such as Clerics or Wizards, the Paladin trades spell variety for the ability to channel Divine Smite, pouring extra Radiant Damage directly into weapon hits. The result is one of the most durable and punishing melee classes in the game, especially against undead and fiends. This guide walks you through every core feature, both subclasses, and the key decisions that shape a strong Paladin build from Level 1 to Level 12.
Paladin armor and weapon setup
Paladin Starting Proficiencies and Features
At Level 1, the paladin enters the game with one of the widest proficiency sets available. Here is everything you start with:
- Weapon Proficiencies: Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
- Armor Proficiencies: Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Shields
- Saving Throw Proficiencies: Wisdom and Charisma
- Skill Proficiencies: Choose 2 from Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Medicine, Persuasion, Religion
- Divine Sense: Reveals celestials, fiends, and undead in the environment
- Healing Pool: Grants 5 points per Paladin level, used for healing actions
- Lay on Hands: Spend Healing Pool points to restore HP to yourself or an ally
- Neutralize Poison: Costs 5 Healing Pool points to remove a poison effect
- Cure Disease: Costs 5 Healing Pool points to remove a disease
Heavy Armor proficiency right from Level 1 means you can prioritize Strength and Charisma without worrying about Dexterity for armor class, which makes ability score decisions much cleaner than most classes.
How Does the Paladin Level Up in Solasta 2?
Every level brings something meaningful. Below is a full breakdown of what unlocks at each Paladin level.
Level 2: Divine Smite and Spellcasting
Divine Smite is the defining feature of the class. When you land a melee weapon hit, spend a spell slot to add 2d8 Radiant Damage. Each higher spell slot level adds another 1d8 on top of that. Smiting against undead or fiends also adds a flat 1d8 bonus, making the Paladin especially dangerous in those encounters.
Spellcasting also unlocks here, giving you access to the Paladin spell list. You also choose a Fighting Style:
Level 3: Subclass and Channel Divinity
At Level 3, you swear your sacred oath and lock in your subclass. You also gain Channel Divinity, usable once per Short or Long Rest. The specific Channel Divinity actions depend entirely on which oath you choose (covered in the subclass section below).
Level 4 and Level 8 and Level 12: Feats
These levels each grant a Feat or Ability Score Improvement. Since Charisma drives your Aura of Protection saving throw bonus at Level 6, pushing Charisma to 20 as early as possible is a strong priority. After that, consider feats that improve your durability or action economy.
Level 5: Extra Attack
Extra Attack lets you strike twice per turn with the Attack or Shove actions. Combined with Divine Smite, this doubles your smiting opportunities each round. This is the level where Paladin damage output jumps significantly.
Level 6: Aura of Protection
One of the strongest passive abilities in the game. Your Charisma Modifier (minimum 1) adds directly to the Saving Throws of all nearby allies. A Paladin with 20 Charisma contributes a +5 bonus to every party member's saves within range, which is enormous in a tactical RPG where enemy spells and conditions can cripple a fight.
Level 10: Aura of Courage
You and all allies within 2 cells cannot be Frightened while you remain conscious. Fear effects appear frequently in Solasta 2 encounters, so this aura passively neutralizes a whole category of crowd control.
Level 11: Improved Divine Smite
An extra 1d8 Radiant Damage gets added to every melee weapon attack automatically, even when you are not spending a spell slot to smite. This makes your basic attacks meaningfully stronger in the late game without any additional resource cost.
Choosing smite spell slot level
What Are the Paladin Subclasses in Solasta 2?
There are currently two Paladin subclasses available in Solasta 2: Oath of Judgement and Oath of Liberation. Both are selected at Level 3 and define your Channel Divinity options and higher-level aura.
Oath of Judgement
The Oath of Judgement Paladin is built around punishing enemies and controlling the battlefield. The flavor is a hunter of the unjust, and the mechanics match that fantasy with restraint effects and damage-boosting auras.
Oath of Judgement Subclass Features
Level 3 Spells (always prepared):
- Guiding Bolt
- Protect from Evil and Good
Channel Divinity: Weight of Justice (Level 3): Use a Bonus Action to make your next melee attack Restrain the target. The target rolls a Charisma Saving Throw at the end of each of their turns to attempt to break free.
Channel Divinity: Purge Corruption (Level 3): Use a Bonus Action to remove Blinded, Deafened, Paralyzed, or Poisoned from an ally.
Level 5 Spells (always prepared):
- Enhance Ability
- Hold Person
Aura of Righteousness (Level 7): All nearby allies deal additional weapon damage equal to your Paladin's Proficiency Modifier. This scales as you level up and applies to every physical attack in your party.
Level 9 Spells (always prepared):
- Hypnotic Pattern
- Haste
Weight of Justice restraint setup
Oath of Liberation
The Oath of Liberation draws from the history of fighters who protected the vulnerable from the Manacalon Empire. Mechanically, this subclass focuses on disrupting enemy control effects and protecting allies from being locked down.
Oath of Liberation Subclass Features
Channel Divinity: Blinding Castigation (Level 3): Use Channel Divinity to Blind an enemy. At the end of each of their turns, they attempt a Charisma Saving Throw to end the effect. Creatures immune to blindness are unaffected.
Channel Divinity: Slip Away (Level 3): Use Channel Divinity to turn nearby allies Invisible for 1 turn. Note that during Early Access this currently applies a Blurred stance rather than true Invisibility, which is flagged for a fix.
Aura of Liberation (Level 7): You and all nearby allies cannot be Restrained or Paralyzed. This is a strong defensive aura in fights where enemies rely heavily on those conditions.
Oath of Judgement vs. Oath of Liberation: Which Is Better?
The Oath of Judgement is the stronger offensive pick. Aura of Righteousness adds your Proficiency Modifier to every party member's weapon attacks, which compounds across a full party of four over an entire fight. Haste and Hypnotic Pattern also give you strong late-game spell options that most Paladins would not otherwise have access to.
The Oath of Liberation is the better choice if your party already has strong damage output but struggles against enemies that use Paralyze or Restrain conditions. The Aura of Liberation at Level 7 makes those conditions irrelevant for your entire group, which can trivialize specific encounter types.
Core Paladin Build Tips for Solasta 2
Prioritize Charisma Early
Charisma is the most impactful stat for a Paladin. It feeds Aura of Protection at Level 6, improves your spell save DC, and boosts social skill checks. Getting Charisma to 20 through Ability Score Improvements should come before most other feat choices unless you have a specific feat that dramatically changes your combat style.
Use Divine Smite Selectively
Divine Smite consumes spell slots, and Paladins do not have many of those. Save smites for high-value moments such as finishing a dangerous enemy on a turn where you need the kill, or when you are fighting undead or fiends for the bonus 1d8. Burning all your slots on the first fight of a dungeon leaves you weaker for the encounters that follow.
Position Your Paladin Centrally
Both Aura of Protection (Level 6) and Aura of Courage (Level 10) require allies to be within a certain range of your Paladin. Keeping your Paladin near the center of the party formation ensures the whole group benefits. This matters especially in fights where the party tends to spread out.
Match Your Fighting Style to Your Weapon Choice Early
Decide at Level 2 whether you want to use a one-handed weapon with a shield or a two-handed weapon. Dueling plus a shield gives you better survivability and the option to pair with Protection later. Great Weapon Fighting gives you higher damage ceiling but no shield. Switching later is not possible, so commit to a direction at character creation.
Key Takeaways for Building a Strong Paladin
- Start with high Strength and Charisma, using Heavy Armor to avoid any Dexterity investment
- Choose your Fighting Style at Level 2 based on whether you want a shield or a two-hander, since this shapes your entire build direction
- Oath of Judgement offers stronger party-wide offense through Aura of Righteousness and high-value spells like Haste
- Oath of Liberation provides excellent defensive coverage against Restrain and Paralyze with its Level 7 aura
- Save Divine Smite for high-value targets and undead or fiend encounters where the bonus damage applies
- Keep your Paladin positioned centrally so both Aura of Protection and Aura of Courage cover the full party