The fighter is one of the most versatile and consistent martial classes in Baldur’s Gate 3.
With a focus on melee and ranged combat, fighters can fill a variety of party roles from damage-dealer to tank.
This class guide will provide an overview of the fighter, including subclass options, optimal races, feats, and tips for success.
Overview of the Fighter Class
Fighters excel at dishing out damage in close quarters with weapons and armor. While not as flashy as spellcasters, a well-built fighter’s consistent DPS and survivability are invaluable assets to any adventure.
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Key Class Features
- Proficiency with all weapons, armor, and shields
- The Fighting Style feature provides benefits like increased accuracy or damage. Options include Archery, Defense, Dueling, Great Weapon Fighting, Protection, and Two-Weapon Fighting.
- Action Surge allows an extra action on your turn. This can be used for an additional attack, dash, or other action.
- Multiple attacks at higher levels via the Extra Attack feature. You get a second attack at 5th level, third at 11th, and fourth at 20th.
- Tougher than other martial classes with the highest hit dice (d10s) and access to the Second Wind healing ability.
Subclass Options
At 3rd level, you’ll choose one of three fighter subclasses:
Battle Master – Gain maneuvers that let you perform special combat options like tripping attacks, pushing enemies, and more. Adds flexibility and utility in combat. Some maneuvers can be used at range as well.
Eldritch Knight – Gain the ability to cast spells like a wizard. This gish subclass blends martial skills with magic. Focuses on buffs, defense, and utility.
Champion – Improves your critical hit range and adds features to boost your basic weapon attacks. Simple but very effective at maximizing damage.
Optimal Races for a Fighter
When selecting your fighter’s race, prioritize strength and constitution. Some top options:
- Half-Orc – Relentless Endurance helps you survive big hits that would knock you unconscious. Savage Attacks improves your critical damage by allowing you to roll an extra weapon die on a crit.
- Mountain Dwarf – Get boosts to strength and constitution right away. Dwarven Resilience grants advantage on poison saves and resistance to poison damage. Great for maintaining concentration spells.
- Dragonborn – A strength boost pairs well with a breath weapon for AoE damage. Good for Battle Masters who want options besides maneuvers.
- Variant Human – The extra 1st level feat gives quick access to essential feats like Polearm Master, Great Weapon Master, etc before other races.
Checkout the best multiclass builds in BG3 that you just try.
Helpful Feats for Fighters
Fighters get more opportunities than other classes to take ability score improvements or feats. Here are some top feats to consider:
- Polearm Master – Great for Battle Masters, this gives you increased opportunity attacks and a bonus action attack when you take the Attack action. Works very well with a reach weapon like a glaive or halberd.
- Great Weapon Master – Deals extra damage when two-handing a heavy weapon and allows a bonus action attack when you score a critical hit or kill. Riskier but has a very high damage ceiling.
- Savage Attacker – Lets you reroll a weapon’s damage dice once per turn. Great for boosting your overall DPR with any weapon.
- Sentinel – Improves your opportunity attacks and lets you reduce enemy speed to zero as a reaction. Great for controlling the battlefield as a tank.
Playing an Effective Fighter
Here are some tips and strategies to optimize your fighter:
- Always be using the best available weapons and armor. Prioritize increasing your strength modifier to get attack and damage bonuses.
- Take advantage of your fighter’s extra attacks at 5th, 11th, and 20th level to dish out lots of punishment each round.
- Use Second Wind as a bonus action to replenish HP during battles. Action Surge gives you an extra action for more attacks or utility.
- Increase your AC through armor, shields, and feats like Defense. Absorb Elements helps against elemental damage. Resilient can boost weak saves.
- Use Battle Master maneuvers like Disarming Attack, Maneuvering Attack, and Trip Attack to gain advantages in combat. Goading Attack compels enemies to attack you instead of allies.
- Eldritch Knights can pick spells like Shield, Absorb Elements, and Find Familiar to increase durability on the frontlines. Focus on non-concentration buffs so you can still make weapon attacks.
- As a Champion, use Great Weapon Master and Improved Critical (expanded crit range) to land devastating critical hits. Rerolling damage dice (Savage Attacker) also synergizes well.
- Take the Archery fighting style and use ranged Battle Master options to be an effective archer fighter.
- Dual wielding can be very effective if you take the Two Weapon Fighting style and Dual Wielder feat. Use light weapons like shortswords.
Conclusion
The fighter shines as a formidable frontline combatant that excels at delivering raw weapon damage. With subclass choices that cater to a variety of playstyles, fighters make a fantastic addition to any Baldur’s Gate 3 party. Mastering your equipment, abilities, and action economy will turn you into a true weapon master.
Hopefully this fighter guide gives you a strong foundation for building effective fighters in Baldur’s Gate 3. Let me know in the comments if you have any other fighter tips or tricks!
