One D&D Paladin Subclass Tier List
Full Subclass Tier List
The subclass rankings are based solely on other available subclasses within the same base class, not necessarily how they would perform in a game or compared to subclasses from other base classes. For a more holistic view on the power level of each subclass, reference the Full Subclass Tier List above.
*All classes with an asterisk (*) are in the 2024 PHB*
S Tier
None
A Tier
Watchers Paladin – Paladins are mainly there for their aura (literally) and having an aura that gives your squad a substantially better initiative score is really powerful. That said, the Watchers Paladin may be much weaker than it used to be as a lot of creatures in the Monster Manual have incredibly high initiative scores, but that may also make the Watchers even more important to potentially go before your enemy. Definitely hard to say, but improved initiative is powerful.
B Tier
Vengeance Paladin* – Great spells and solid abilities make up a very solid Paladin. Not getting an aura ability is a bit brutal which keeps this out of the top tiers, but you’ll never be mad at having a Vengeance Paladin on your squad.
Conquest Paladin – Rather than just solely having solid abilities, the Conquest Paladin focuses a lot more on its synergy between abilities where you want to make your enemies frightened of you, and then keep them close enough where they can’t move. This offers a surprising amount of battlefield control for someone who can simultaneously dole out a lot of damage. The issue is that your subclass doesn’t do much if you can’t make enemies afraid of you, but you have a lot of opportunities to do so.
C Tier
Oathbreaker Paladin – You get an ok spell list, ok abilities (barring your level 7 aura that you really need to build around or is actually going to be detrimental to your party), but a very strong Channel Divinity making this a solid subclass all around.
Devotion Paladin* – Funny enough, from the spell list to the abilities, the Devotion Paladin is really not very good and barely got any updates from the weak 5e version. However, your Channel Divinity is quite strong which saves this from D Tier.
Redemption Paladin – The opposite of the other C tier subclasses, your Channel Divinity sucks, but your abilities are actually quite good. The main issue with Redemption Paladin is that it’s an incredibly slow starter as it’s going to feel very weak until level 7 where you get your Aura ability (which is only really good as you are higher level), then level 9 is your next big power jump and you only get stronger with each level.
D Tier
Glory Paladin* – I’m pretty saddened by the changes to Glory Paladin compared to the 5e edition as at least the old Glory Paladin was a sick grappler, but now it’s just pretty mediocre compared to your other options. Your Channel Divinity and Aura of Alacrity are decent, but the rest is pretty underwhelming.
Ancients Paladin* – Endemic to D tier subclasses, there are a few good things going for it, but everything else is unexciting. Your Channel Divinity is passable early, getting Misty Step and Plant Growth is solid, and your level 15 ability is alright, it just obviously comes really late. Not a terrible subclass by any means, but much less exciting than your other options.
F Tier
None
