A poll conducted in the Baldur's Gate 3 subreddit (organized by user Fable_Nova) showed the Paladin topping the poll with over 5,000 votes in less than a week. This was followed by three other charisma-based classes: the Bard, the Sorcerer, and the Warlock.

"By class, the Paladin was the most popular (16.49%), followed by the Bard (14.59%), Sorcerer (11.5%), and Warlock (9.39%). People clearly prefer to play Charisma characters," Fable_Nova wrote. In [Dungeons & Dragons] 5th Edition (the tabletop system on which Baldur's Gate 3 is based), Charisma governs all the skills that deal with talking to people; Deception, Intimidation, and Persuasion all fall under this umbrella. All four cool kids in this poll use Charisma as a spell status, making them naturally suited to be party leaders and faces.

So why Paladin? Fable_Nova also notes that the Paladin's "Oath of Vengeance" subclass (a Batman-style anti-hero who can mark his enemies for holy justice) "received more votes than all other Oaths combined" and was by far the most popular He stated that the Paladin was the most popular class. But even though paladins received more votes as a class, the most popular subclass in the overall voting was the bard's sword academy. I guess people really like cursed swords.

Of course, while the poll is quite large, 5,000 players do not represent the entire player base of the game. At the time of this writing, more than three times that many players have played the Steam early access version of Baldur's Gate 3. Still, as a longtime player of the 5th edition, it is not at all shocking to me that the Paladin won the gold award. It's a fun, tanky class that lets you hit ravenous beasts with your sword and make them explode like radiantly seared guts. What's not to love about this?

I myself would probably split my half-elf paladin and rogue and lock in Baldur's Gate 3. Or maybe a Barbarian plus a Champion Fighter. Fraser seems to like the Circle of Spore druid, so I might give it a try. Then again, I've heard a lot about druid/barbarbarian hybrids. Looks like I'll be here for a while.