Best Fighter Feats In BG3

Key Takeaways

• Make the right choices – there are only a few chances to learn new Feats in Baldur’s Gate 3, so choose wisely to make a lasting impact.
• Boost hit points with Tough feat – gain 24 extra hit points by level 12, critical for Fighters on the front lines of battle.
• Improve core skills with Ability Score Improvement – increase Strength or Constitution to maximize a Fighter’s potential in combat.

In the Dungeons & Dragons universe, a Feat is an extra ability or skill that characters can choose at certain levels. Baldur’s Gate 3 features a generous catalog of 41 Feats adapted from D&D’s 5th Edition. These Feats are used to customize a character’s build once a player has decided on a role within the party along with their strengths, weaknesses, and backstory.

Fighters, a vintage class that has been in RPGs of all brands and types since the genre began, learn Feats at levels four, eight, six, and ten. This gives them one extra than other classes, who only get three Feats and skip level 6.

Feats provide extra opportunities to make Fighters more effective and powerful. It’s extremely important to get the right Feats for a specific build or a character’s progression to the next level, with a total of six for a player that reaches the level cap of 12. so making the right choice is a uniquely important decision.

Updated December 1, 2024 by Kristy Ambrose:The Fighter is one of the more forgiving classes when it comes to broken builds thanks to its versatility when it comes to armor and weapon options. Some experimentation might be worth the cost for those who want to try multiclassing options, and the Fighter combines well with other class skills and party roles. Fighters can be archers and assassins along with defenders or melee DPS dealers, and some Feats can give the Fighter some spellcasting or extra attack abilities.

15 Tough

A Nice Boost To Hit Points

• Stats: The character’s hit point maximum is increased by 2 for every level, up to level 12.

Fighters will often find themselves on the front lines of battle, meaning they’ll likely be taking just as many hits as they are dishing out. It’s important to be able to stand up to the most brutal of punishment as a Fighter, and Tough is a great feat to help with this.

Tough grants two extra hit points for every level gained. This means that by level 12, a Fighter will gain an extra 24 hit points, which is more than decent. For some characters, this can represent a large percentage increase in available HP. It will no doubt allow a character to keep swinging in even the most tense of battles.

14 Martial Adept

Better Melee Skills

• Stats: Choose two Maneuvers from the Battle Master subclass and receive 1 more Superiority Die, which regenerates after a Short or Long Rest.

Martial Adept is a Feat that’s ideal for any melee fighting build, so don’t be afraid to use it with Rogues or Barbarians in addition to Fighters. There are 14 different Maneuvuers on this list, so even for those who already have chosen the Battlemaster subclass, this will make them even more effective.

The use of the Superiority Die is another bonus to this Feat. The Fighter gets to roll four, and it adds up to an impressive number. Before level 7, these dice are D8s, which is already generous. When the Fighter progresses to level 10, these become D10s.

13 Ability Score Improvement

For Better Core Skills

• Stats: Increase a single ability score by two, or two ability scores by one.

Fighters will often rely on two primary ability scores, Strength and Constitution. An ability score improvement is perhaps one of the more mundane Feats, but it is not to be underestimated. When creating a Fighter in Baldur’s Gate 3, a single core ability score can be as high as 17, but to achieve a Fighter’s maximum potential, players will want to get their Strength or Constitution up to 20.

Ability Score Improvements allow a character to increase a single ability score by two, or two ability scores by one. This makes it a great option to bolster a Fighter’s Strength or Constitution to give them a boost to their attack rolls, or their hit points.

12 Charger

Gain Additional Attack Options

• Stats: Grants 2 additional attack types, Charger: Weapon Attack, and Charger: Shove.

Charger is a great feat to expand a Fighter’s pool of options in battle. It grants two additional attack types, Charger: Weapon Attack, and Charger: Shove. They both give a Fighter the ability to charge forward. Weapon Attack slams the Fighter’s weapon into the first enemy in their path, and Shove pushes them off-balance, possibly Prone.

While this expands the options available to a Fighter during combat, it can be pretty situational and comes with a hefty resource cost of one action and one bonus action. The trade-off here is that it allows new possibilities to be opened up, and can potentially create a scenario for a spellcaster in the backline to drop a hefty fireball after an enemy is shoved within range of their attacks.

11 Durable

Regenerate More Hit Points

• Stat: Increases Constitution score by +1.

Durable is a feat that lends itself well to those playing on higher difficulties, where long rests are generally more scarce. It increases the Fighter’s Constitution score by one, inching it ever close to that coveted 20. It also allows a Fighter to regain all of their hit points on a short rest, which typically only restores 50% of total hit points.

As a Fighter is generally going to be on the front lines of battle, their hit points are an extremely valuable resource. While this may seem a little underwhelming on the surface, this feat allows Fighters to keep battling without the need for long rests, and will generally save on resources like healing spells and healing potions, which leave them available for squishier members of the adventuring party, like Wizards and Sorcerers.

10 Shield Master

Ideal For A Defender

• Stats: +2 to Dexterity bonus when holding a shield, and the Shield Master: Block ability

Fighter builds that are based on ranged or melee damage might not benefit as much from this Feat, but it’s excellent for defensive roles or for a Fighter that needs more AC. The Dexterity bonus can top up a character with a high ability score already, and for a Fighter that has a higher Strength, it gives them a better dodge and block chance.

Shield Master: Block is intended to protect the Fighter from magical attacks. When they make their Dexterity saving throw to dodge a spell, the Fighter can use a Reaction to use the shield to diminish the incoming damage. Even on a losing throw, they still only take half damage.

9 Savage Attacker

Maximize Damage Output

• Roll the damage dice twice on every attack, and use the higher result.

Savage Attacker effectively grants a permanent advantage on all attacks, which is quite powerful. When a Fighter makes a weapon attack, they will roll their damage dice twice, and use the higher result to hit their opponents.

This also prevents weak taps, which can sometimes be the bane of martial characters, especially in a high-stakes fight with a powerful enemy. This feat will ensure that the Fighter is outputting more damage on average, which is usually their role in the adventuring party.

8 Athlete

Better Mobility And Recovery

• Get up faster from Prone, improve Strength or Dexterity score by +1, and better Jump distance

The best time to get this Feat is at level 4 when the character and their party are exploring places in the Underdark and the ability to jump longer distances comes in handy. This part of the game is filled with secrets and awkward paths through the darkness, so getting up faster when falling is also useful. The monsters here are also bigger, such as minotaurs and beholders, which can knock a player Prone or even launch them off a nearby cliff.

This Feat also gives the character a chance to increase either their Strength or Dexterity ability scores. Melee fighters should choose Strength unless they specialize in finesse weapons, which means rapiers and scimitars. These Fighters, and those that rely more on ranged weapons, should choose Dexterity.

7 Great Weapon Master

Gives A Fighter More Attacks

• Make an additional melee attack after a Critical Hit with a melee attack.

Great Weapon Master is an excellent feat that has toggleable features, which can provide excellent versatility depending on what is needed in the heat of battle. After choosing this feat, a Fighter that lands a critical hit, or kills a target with a melee weapon attack, is then able to make an additional melee weapon attack as a bonus action that turns.

When attacking with a heavy melee weapon that the Fighter is proficient with, there is an option that can be toggled on or off that deals an additional 10 damage, with the caveat that there is a -5 attack roll penalty. A Fighter can stack these and ensure they are dishing out up to 3 attacks per turn, and when combined with a feat like Savage Attacker or Sentinel, this provides a huge boost to their attack power.

6 Mage Slayer

• Grants Advantage on all saving throws against a spell cast within melee range, and allows the user to attack the caster using a Reaction.

Mage Slayer is an exceptionally deadly feat that allows Fighters to take on spellcasters with ease. Spellcasters can be particularly formidable opponents, especially when utilizing area-of-effect attacks, or attacks that force a saving throw from the target.

This feat grants Advantage on all saving throws against a spell that is cast within melee range of the Fighter and allows for the Fighter to use their reaction to attack the caster. If this wasn’t powerful enough, it also imposes a disadvantage on Concentration saving throws after a Fighter makes a melee attack against a spellcaster, ensuring their powerful spells come to an end.

5 Alert

Secure A Fighter’s Position In Combat

• Grants a +5 bonus to Initiative. The character cannot be Surprised.

The concept of Initiative works slightly differently in Baldur’s Gate 3 than it does in Dungeons & Dragons. Instead of rolling a d20 and adding a Dexterity modifier, a d4 is rolled instead and then combined with a Dexterity modifier. This means that Initiative orders are usually much closer, and any additional bonuses to Initiative rolls are exceedingly helpful.

Alert provides a whopping +5 bonus to Initiative, meaning that the Fighter will almost always take the top spot, or will be near enough to the top spot in the initiative order. It also prevents the Fighter from ever being surprised in combat, which can prevent devastating ambushes as the Fighter is always ready to jump into battle.

4 Sentinel

Provides Additional Protection To Nearby Allies

• Use a reaction to make a melee attack against an enemy when they target an ally. This will only work when the targeted ally doesn’t have the same Feat.

Sentinel is an excellent feat that further allows for a Fighter to provide much-needed support to their squishy allies. This feat allows a Fighter to spend their reaction to make a weapon attack against an enemy who attacks an ally, provided that the enemy does not also have the Sentinel feat.

This Feat also grants the Fighter an advantage on opportunity attacks, and on a successful hit, prevents the creature from moving for the rest of their turn. That means any enemy attempting to retreat is sorely hindered and left vulnerable for the rest of the party.

3 Dungeon Delver

Great For Most D&D Character Builds

• Stats: Grants the abilities of Dungeon Delver: Perception and Dungeon Delver: Resist Traps

In a game with “dungeon” in the title, this Feat is almost too obvious, but it is a good one even when playing an adventure that doesn’t involve a conventional dungeon. The abilities that improve Perception and Resist Traps also work in castles, prisons, hideouts, and a variety of other locations.

The Perception side of this helps the Fighter detect hidden or obscured objects and secret doors and gives them Advantage on their saving throws. Resist Traps, on the other hand, doesn’t help find traps. It means that the character has a better resistance to damage caused by traps.

2 Tavern Brawler

Not Just For Rough Nights At The Bar

• Stats: Strength or Constitution is increased by +1 up to a max of 20. The user’s Strength modifier is doubled and added to the Attack roll for unarmed or improvised weapon attacks.

Barbarians and Paladins can also get a lot from this Feat because they are classes that prioritize Strength. The main stat of the Fighter is also Strength, and this Feat relies on that ability, which is one of the reasons why Tavern Brawler is one of the best choices.

What makes Tavern Brawler a popular Feat in the game is the variety of opportunities available for improvised weapon attacks. Players can throw almost anything provided they have the required Strength, and options include crates, chests, bottles of water, or even other characters.

1 Polearm Master

Gain Additional Attacks, And Increased Opportunity Attacks

• Stats: Make an additional attack with a Bonus Action using the butt of the character’s equipped Glaive, Halberd, Quarterstaff, or spear.

This is a great feat in both Baldur’s Gate 3 and Dungeons and Dragons. Any Fighter wielding a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear is granted the ability to make an additional attack using the butt of their weapon. It only costs a bonus action, which provides a huge boon to martial characters and allows them to deliver the final killing blow on a weak enemy.

Polearm Master also provides a cool twist on Opportunity Attacks, which typically are only triggered when a target moves out of melee attack range. With this feat, Fighters can make Opportunity Attacks whenever a target moves within their range. This makes them into a fearsome character that enemies will not want to trifle with.