Best Feats For Fighters In Dungeons And Dragons

Summary

• D&D players should carefully consider stats, subclasses, and feats when creating a character for optimal gameplay.
• Feats like Alert, Charger, and Great Weapon Master enhance a Fighter’s combat abilities in unique ways.
• Choosing feats like Sentinel or Gunner can provide Fighters with strategic advantages in different combat scenarios.

Dungeons & Dragons is primarily a cooperative fantasy story-telling game that encourages players to put thought into creating a layered, complex, and individual character. However, the mechanical side of D&D cannot be neglected. Stats, subclasses, racial bonuses, and choosing an ASI or a feat all must be taken into consideration during character creation or leveling up.

Feats are bonuses that players can opt to take instead of boosting their ability scores at certain levels. Often, they are situational, which can render them nonfunctional under certain circumstances but extremely powerful under different ones. Knowing which ones to take can often be difficult, with there being so many options in the current state of D&D. For characters who have chosen the Fighter class, though, it’s hard to go wrong with these Feats.

Updated by Mara Cowley on February 4, 2024: Now that One D&D is available to the public, most groups will be gearing up for a brand-new adventure using the brand-new rule set. The 2024 version of the Player’s Handbook offers variations on the classes players all know and love, as well as adding new things. For example, the feat section has seen the addition of boons — high-level feats players can take for the late-game build to give them an edge in or outside of combat. As they are designed for high-level players, they offer some rather mighty benefits, making them strong contenders. Those feats that appear in both handbooks have the added 2024 description for comparison.

Some featured images are from unrelated video games and only serve as illustrations.

22

Thrown Weapon Fighting

Not All Fighters Need To Get Up Close & Personal

• +2 damage to attacks with weapons with the Thrown property

Most players will assume fighters need to get in close and personal when engaging in combat, but while that may be the norm, it isn’t a must. After all, there is a fighting style that is all about archery that they can take.

As such, fighters who are more about ranged fighting should consider taking the Thrown Weapon Fighting, as it means they get more bang for their buck when using a weapon that has the thrown property, such as javelins and handaxes. If they successfully land an attack, they get +2 to their damage.

21

Protection

Become The Shield Allies Need

• The character uses a reaction to use their shield.
• The creature has disadvantage in attack roles against the protected target.

There is always that awkward moment in combat when enemies bypass the upfront tankier party members to assault the squishy spell-slingers at the back. It is the smart thing to do, as the enemies can guarantee to at least put one party member at death’s door. But this is where the fighter can intervene, especially with this feat as part of their arsenal.

They can use their reaction when the enemy attacks an ally to block the attack with their shield, and impose disadvantage on any attack on that party member until the start of their next turn, and so long as they remain within 5 feet of them. This is the perfect feat that could certainly come in clutch protecting more vulnerable party members who are more adept at dishing out harm rather than soaking it.

20

Shield Master

Shields Aren’t Just For Protection

2014 PHB:

• After an attack, the player can use a bonus action to shove a creature within 5 feet.
• The shield adds its AC bonus to any harmful effect that requires a dexterity saving throw.
• If a dexterity saving throw reduces a harmful effect by half, the player can use a reaction to take no damage.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength score by 1.
• After making an attack on a creature, the player can use their shield to bash them, forcing that creature to succeed a Strength saving throw, knocking them prone or back 5 feet on a fail.
• If a dexterity saving throw reduces a harmful effect by half, the player can use a reaction to take no damage.

Shield Master is one of the feats that appears in both handbooks, both of which have some similarities that make having a shield equipped very useful. They can reduce damage and be used offensively, showing just how useful a shield can be.

When attacking, the player can also use their shield to shove the creature back, or knock them prone in the 2024 rewrite. Both versions can mean players take 0 damage from a harmful effect if it calls for a dexterity saving throw, and if they succeed on the roll, which could be essential.

19

Boon Of Recovery

Gain Resilience To Death’s Grip

• Increase one ability score by 1.
• Instead of dropping to 0 HP, drop to 1 and regain vitality.
• Gain access to a pool of d10s for self-healing.

A party member dropping to 0 HP is no fun for that player or the rest of the party, as having one member down can be the difference between victory and a total wipe. But with this boon, the fighter can propel themselves back into the fight by instead dropping to 1 HP and healing by up to half of their hit point maximum. Not only that, but they can expend a bonus action to tap into a pool of d10s to heal themselves, which they have 10 of in total.

The ability to self-heal without relying on finite resources like potions and spells is one that should not be overlooked, as they can essentially heal for free, as the expended charges will replenish the next die. For upfront melee combatants such as fighters, this is a vital part of their kit to ensure they can continue to do their job as the party’s frontliner for longer.

18

Boon Of Combat Prowess

Ensure Attacks Don’t Miss

• Increase one ability score by 1.
• Choose to make a missed attack roll hit.

Missing in combat is always the risk every player runs when going in for an attack, and it can be devastating when the hit doesn’t connect, especially when the target is running low on health because the odds are the party is as well, and they need to get out of the combat now to recover.

That is when having this feat is essential, as then the player can choose to have a missed attack strike, and they can do so once per turn. Being able to do this multiple times per combat is extremely powerful, as it allows them to bypass the fickle mistress luck and instead just guarantee to hit and damage their opponent.

17

Grappler

Become More Adept At Wrestling Opponents

2014 PHB:

• The character has advantage on attack rolls against a creature they are grappling.
• Players can expend an action to try to pin the grappled creature. To do so, they must make another grapple check. If they succeed, the target is restrained until the grapple ends.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength or Dexterity score by 1,.
• When attacking creature with an unarmed strike, the player can use both the damage and the grapple option.
• Gain advantage on attack rolls against a creature grappled by you.
• The player doesn’t have to spend extra movement to move a creature grappled by them if the creature is the same size or smaller.

Grappling is one of the many conditions in D&D that can be afflicted on or by player characters. Grappled reduces a creature’s movement speed to 0, and as such, the grappled target will not benefit from any bonus to its speed. They can, however, still attack, and they can even be attacked by the creature that has grappled it.

Fighting in close quarters like this is something Fighters are best at, and they can make full use of such scenarios by taking the Grappler feat. Players can restrain the one they are grappling with, but more excitingly, they gain an advantage on all attack rolls they make against them to defeat their enemies before they are defeated. This can easily turn the tides of combat in their favor.

16

Athlete

Rival The Prowess Of Olympic Athletes

2014 PHB:

• Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1.
• When the character is prone, standing up uses only 5 feet of movement.
• Climbing doesn’t cost extra movement.
• Players can make a running long jump or a running high jump after moving only 5 feet on foot, rather than 10 feet.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1.
• Gain a climb speed equal to your movement speed.
• When prone, standing only costs 5 feet of movement.
• The player can make a running long or high jump after moving only 5 feet.

Fighters are one of the most athletic classes in all of Dungeons and Dragons, adept at fighting and having more moves in their arsenals than others.

Athlete can take a Fighter’s athleticism to another level, raising their Strength or Dexterity score, allowing them to stand and even make jumps using less movement. This extra mobility can have uses both inside combat as they don’t need to use their whole turn just to reach their foes, and outside of combat for quicker exploration, or escaping from tense situations.

15

Soul Of The Storm Giant

Call Upon The Power Of Storms For Aid In Battle

• Ability Score Increase: Increase Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1 (to a maximum of 20).
• Maelstrom Aura: As a bonus action, the player is surrounded by an aura of magical wind and lightning that extends 10 feet in every direction but not through total cover. With the aura, the player gains the following:

1. Resistance to lightning and thunder damage.
2. Attack rolls against the player have disadvantage,
3. Whenever another creature starts its turn within the aura, they can force the creature to make a Strength saving throw (DC equals 8 + proficiency bonus + the modifier of the ability increased by this feat). On a failed save, the creature’s speed is halved until the start of its next turn.

Despite being a primarily weapon-focused class, Fighters are not completely against using magic, as they have access to an entire subclass dedicated to swinging spells. For those who opt for that subclass (or even those who don’t but want an injection of magic in their build), the Soul Of The Storm Giant feat will be perfect for them.

Upon taking this feat, players can up their Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma by one, so it can fit a myriad of builds. They can also surround themselves with a 10-foot wind and lightning spell by expending a bonus action. Attacks made against the player during this have disadvantage. On top of that, an opponent’s speed will be halved if they fail their Strength saving throw, preventing them from fleeing.

14

Cohort Of Chaos

Causes A Random Magic Effect On A Critical Roll

D&D is all about rolling dice to see if players succeed or fail, with the d20 being the most important dice in the whole game. Rolling a 1 is always treated as a fail, and a 20 a success, but if players roll either of these numbers with the Cohort of Chaos feat, a randomly determined magical effect will take place, based on a d4 table:

1. Battle Fury – A creature of choice that the player can see is filled with reckless fury. It has advantage on attack rolls and disadvantage on ability checks.
2. Disruption Field – Every creature that starts its turn within 5 feet of the player or moves into that area for the first time on a turn takes 1d8 force damage.
3. Unbound – When the player moves, they can use some or all of their walking speed to teleport once to an unoccupied space in sight (along with all equipment) up to the distance used.
4. Wailing Winds – Winds swirl in a 15-foot-radius sphere centered on the player. They and any other creatures in that area have disadvantage on Wisdom saving throws.

All of these have their advantages and drawbacks, but they will certainly add some fun and variety to gameplay beyond Fighters just swinging their weapon at whatever enemy is in range.

13

Alert

Become Immune To Surprise

2014 PHB:

• Players gain a +5 bonus to initiative.
• Can’t be surprised while conscious.
• Other creatures don’t gain advantage on attack rolls.

2024 PHB:

• When rolling initiative, can add your Proficiency Bonus to the roll.
• Immediately after rolling initiative, the player can swap their initiative with the initiative of one willing ally in the same combat.

D&D players aren’t the only ones who try to sneak up on their foes to gain a surprise round – sometimes, a crafty DM will pull the same trick on their unsuspecting players, immediately placing them at a disadvantage in combat.

Thankfully, players can gain immunity to being surprised with the Alert feat, which also grants a +5 to initiative, or their proficiency bonus on thje 2024 reprint which might be more at higher levels. This is especially handy for Fighters who are more focused on strength than dexterity.

12

Charger

Allows Fighters To Dash And Attack

2014 PHB:

• When a character uses their action to Dash, they use a bonus action to make one melee weapon attack or to shove a target.
• If they move at least 10 feet in a straight line immediately before taking this bonus action, they either gain a +5 bonus to the attack’s damage roll (if they choose to make a melee attack and hit) or push.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1.
• When taking the dash action, the players speed increases by 10 feet.
• When moving at least 10 feet in a straight line toward a target immediately before hitting it with a melee attack, choose one of the following effects: gain a 1d8 bonus to the attack’s damage roll, or push the target up to 10 feet away if it is no more than one size larger.

Dashing is a very handy mechanic for squishy characters looking to escape close-quarters combat and for the more tanky characters hoping to get to the front lines where they belong. Charger is a very useful feat to have for such moments, as the Fighters won’t have to use up their whole turn just to get into position.

This means they can get ahead in combat situations, instead of getting in range and having to wait until their next turn to make their attack, which would mean the enemies are ahead in terms of damage.

11

Polearm Master

Perform More Attacks Per Turn

2014 PHB:

• When players take the Attack action and attack with only a glaive, halberd, quarterstaff, or spear, they can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. This attack uses the same ability modifier as the primary attack. The weapon’s damage die for this attack is a d4, and the attack deals bludgeoning damage.
• While wielding a glaive, halberd, pike, quarterstaff, or spear, other creatures provoke an opportunity attack when they enter the reach of that weapon.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Dexterity or Strength by 1.
• Immediately after attacking with a quarterstaff, a spear, or a weapon that has the heavy and reach properties, the player can use a bonus action to make a melee attack with the opposite end of the weapon. The weapon deals Bludgeoning damage, and the weapon’s damage die for this attack is a d4.
• While holding a quarterstaff, a spear, or a weapon that has the heavy and reach properties, the player can take a reaction to make one melee attack against a creature that enters the reach of that weapon.

One of the greatest draws of the Fighter class is the number of attacks they can perform per turn, especially at higher levels, giving them greater action economy than other classes. The only way to improve this is to take feats that can give Fighters an even greater action economy.

The Polearm Master feat does exactly that, allowing fighters to gain more bang for their buck when using weapons with the Reach property (such as a glaive, spear, or quarterstaff). They can then make an additional attack with the other end of the weapon, even in the 2024 version of this feat.

10

Magic Initiate

Gain Access To Reliable Cantrips

2014 PHB:

• Players can choose a class (bard, cleric, druid, sorcerer, warlock, or wizard) and learn two cantrips from the chosen class’ spell list.
• In addition, players can choose one 1st-level spell to learn from that same list. Using this feat, this spell can be cast once at its lowest level, and the character must finish a long rest before they can cast it in this way again.
• The spellcasting ability for these spells depends on the chosen class (Charisma for bard, sorcerer, or warlock; Wisdom for cleric or druid; or Intelligence for wizard).

2024 PHB:

• Learn two cantrips from the Cleric, Druid, or Wizard spell list. Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma is the spellcasting ability for this feat’s spells.
• Choose a level 1 spell from the same list selected for this feat’s cantrips. The player can cast it once without a spell slot once per Long Rest.
• Whenever they gain a new level, they can replace one of the spells from this feat with a different spell of the same level from the chosen spell list.
• This feat can be taken more than once, but with different spell list each time.

D&D classes are divided between melee classes, casters, and partial classes. It can be tough to choose which kind of combatant to play as, but this is where feats can come in and help mix things up.

Magic Initiate allows Fighters to learn cantrips and first-level spells from a casting class of their choice. This provides Fighters with greater versatility during combat and means that they can still attack enemies that are just out of their reach. They fact that it can be taken more than once if using the 2024 reprint means they can increase their magical prowess even further.

9

Fighting Initiate

• The character learns one Fighting Style option from the fighter class but must be different from any they have already learned.
• Whenever they reach a level that grants the Ability Score Improvement feature, they can replace this feat’s fighting style with another one from the fighter class that they don’t have.

Fighters must always choose a fighting style that determines how they will fight and with what weapons they will use. Normally, Fighters will only be able to take the one fighting style that they choose at level one, but this particular feat changes that.

Taking the Fighting Initiate feat allows a character to take one more fighting style, such as archery, dueling, or great weapon fighting. Having access to more fighting styles can open the door for more versatility while in combat, giving players a plethora of new options to prevent combat from growing too stale.

8

Dual Wielder

Wield Two Weapons At Once

2014 PHB:

• Gain a +1 bonus to AC while wielding a separate melee weapon in each hand.
• Use two-weapon fighting even when the one-handed melee weapons being wielded aren’t light.
• Draw or stow two one-handed weapons when players would normally be able to draw or stow only one.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1.
• When taking the attack action with a weapon that has the light property, make one extra attack as a bonus action with a different weapon, which must be a melee weapon that lacks the two-handed property.
• The player can now draw or stow two weapons that lack the two-handed property instead of one.

There is only one thing better than having a sword in one’s hand — and that’s having two. While some classes already come equipped with the ability to dual-wield weapons, the feat Dual Wielder gives players bonuses when fighting with a separate weapon in each hand.

Specifically, this feat provides a bonus to AC, or ability scores in the 2024 version, the ability to wield two weapons that don’t have the Light property, and the ability to draw or sheathe two weapons simultaneously instead of just one. With all these features, this versatile feat is sure to give Fighters a boost in combat.

7

Slasher

Allows Players To Debuff Enemies

• Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1.
• Once per turn, when players hit a creature with an attack that deals slashing damage, they can reduce the speed of the target by 10 feet until the start of their next turn.
• When players score a critical hit that deals slashing damage to a creature, they grievously wound it. Until the start of their next turn, the target has disadvantage on all attack rolls.

Introduced in the supplement book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Slasher is another great feat to introduce to the Fighter class. It has multiple benefits that affect the stats of the user, as well as ways to handicap enemies during combat.

The additional damage and other effects it inflicts give the Fighter an edge in combat as they can reduce their movement and even their prowess in battle. For these effects alone, every Fighter should look into making this feat a priority.

6

Great Weapon Master

Grants Access To Additional Attacks

2014 PHB:

• On their turn, when the player scores a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduces a creature to 0 hit points with one, they can make one melee weapon attack as a bonus action.
• Before they make a melee attack with a heavy weapon they are proficient with, players can choose to take a -5 penalty to the attack roll. If the attack hits, they add +10 to the attack’s damage.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength score by 1.
• When they hit a creature with a weapon that has the heavy property, the player can cause the weapon to deal extra damage to the target equal to proficiency bonus.
• Immediately after scoring a critical hit with a melee weapon or reduce a creature to 0 Hit Points, they can make one attack with the same weapon as a bonus action.

Great Weapon Master is a must-have for those looking to hit hard and fast. It grants bonuses to those who wield weapons that have the Heavy property, such as greataxes or greatswords. It makes rolling that d20 an even more monumental occasion.

Instead of just dealing double damage on a crit, the Great Weapons Master feat grants the wielder an additional attack using a bonus action, giving the player the option to bag the kill and the glory that comes with it. The player also has the option to suffer a -5 on their attack rolls to gain an additional 10 damage on successful attacks, making for a high-risk, high-reward play that can make for some truly epic moments in combat. The reprint may have gotten rid of this feature, but the ability to make an another attack could still prove useful for finishing an enemy.

5

Sentinel

Stop A Foe In Their Tracks

2014 PHB:

• When players hit a creature with an opportunity attack, the target’s speed becomes 0 for the rest of the turn.
• Creatures provoke opportunity attacks even if they take the Disengage action before leaving the Fighter’s reach.
• When a creature within 5 feet of them makes an attack against a target other than the player (and that target doesn’t have this feat), they can use the reaction to make a melee weapon attack against the attacking creature.

2024 PHB:

• Increase Strength or Dexterity by 1.
• Immediately after a creature within 5 feet of the player takes the disengage action or hits another target, they can make an opportunity attack against that creature.
• When taking an opportunity attack, the creature’s speed becomes 0 for the rest of the current turn.

The Sentinel feat allows Fighters to protect their allies by attacking enemies who flee from their reach. Sentinels can successfully stop a creature in their tracks by making their target’s movement drop to 0 on an attack that connects. The feat also gives the user other benefits to make sure that no one escapes a skirmish alive against this Fighter.

Whereas the disengage action could allow foes to slink away avoiding taking an attack of opportunity, the Sentinel feat isn’t going to make it so easy for them. For Fighters who want to be the shield between enemies and their friends, Sentinel is definitely the feat for them.

4

Savage Attacker

Reroll And Maximize Damage Output

• Once per turn when the player rolls damage for a melee weapon attack, they can reroll the weapon’s damage dice and use either total.

For Fighters who want to cut loose and put some more force behind their attacks, Savage Attacker is the feat for them. Though the feat has fewer abilities than some others, it is still worth considering for Fighters who value strength above all else.

Savage Attacker allows the user to reroll their damage dice and use the damage total of their choosing upon every turn, ensuring they can maximize their damage output.

3

Gunner

Bring Guns To A Sword Fight And Deal Damage From A Distance

• Increase Dexterity score 1 (to a maximum of 20).
• Gain proficiency with firearms (see “Firearms” in the Dungeon Master’s Guide).
• Ignore the loading property of firearms.
• Being within 5 feet of a hostile creature doesn’t impose disadvantage on the character’s ranged attack rolls.

For Fighter PCs who want to try their hand at the Gunslinger subclass, Gunner is a must-have feat. By choosing it, Gunslingers get an increase to their Dexterity score and gain proficiency with firearms. (This aspect will only benefit players who didn’t choose Gunslinger as a subclass since the subclass gains this proficiency at level 3.)

They can also ignore the Loading property to allow for more fluid attacks in combat, as well as ignore the disadvantage that would have been imposed on their attack if they were within melee range of an enemy. The diversity of this feat makes this an essential one for Gunslinger Fighters in D&D.