Best Battle Master Fighter Maneuvers In Baldur’s Gate 3

Summary

• Feinting Attack grants bonus damage but uses up both a Standard and Free Action in one go.
• Distracting Attack provides Advantage against enemies and inflicts additional damage.
• Commander’s Strike lets Fighters direct allies to make attacks, ideal for defender builds.

The Fighter is one of the oldest RPG classes, and although they’re often cited as a simple class for beginners, they can also have a complicated and unique build. When a Fighter in Baldur’s Gate 3 reaches level 3, they can choose their subclass, and those who decide on Battle Master have 14 special moves from which to choose.

The best Battle Master Maneuvers in BG3 are ones that Fighters should prioritize learning first, with more specialized moves reserved for lower levels. Each character has access to seven Battle Master Maneuvers by the time they reach level 12, and they have to be selected from a list at Levels 3, 7, and 10. There are 14 total Battle Maneuvers in BG3, which are available to choose from when selecting the Battle Master subclass.

Updated on February 26, 2025, by Kristy Ambrose: Baldur’s Gate 3 serves as a worthy addition to the legendary series, letting old and new fans experience a level of role-playing that has been missing from the industry for some time. Every stat, score, and buff in BG3 matters, and players must make it a point to build their character to ensure that they can take out the toughest enemies without too many issues. The Fighter class is perfect for beginners and experienced players thanks to the high level of customization, and specializing as a Battle Master ensures that players can use some of the best BG3 maneuvers in order to turn the tide of battle.

14

Feinting Attack

• Action Type: Melee, standard + bonus action

Any attack that allows players to strike an enemy with Advantage and hit for bonus damage is bound to be useful for obvious reasons, and the Feinting Attack more than fits the bill in this department. It’s an excellent attack against a tanky opponent, depleting their hit points with ease.

However, one important detail that stops the Feinting Attack from being the best Battle Master Maneuver in BG3 is the fact that it uses both a standard and Free Action in one go. In a game like Baldur’s Gate 3 where making the most of the action economy is crucial to coming out victorious, players may not appreciate having to put all their eggs in one basket for a single attacking move.

13

Distracting Attack

Grants Advantage Against An Enemy

• Action Type: Melee or ranged, standard action

By having the Fighter move early, an array of actions can be done to enable the other party members to be more efficient with their attacks, such as having the Fighter use a Distracting Attack against an enemy on the battlefield. By successfully connecting the attack, other party members will be able to attack the enemy hit with the Maneuver with Advantage, increasing their chance to hit.

Moreover, the Maneuver also gives an extra bit of damage to the Fighter’s attack, enabling it to be more deadly than the usual normal attack. As an opener to a battle, Distracting Attack can quickly turn the tide of a fight when facing a difficult enemy, like an Act boss, and enable other party members to dish out additional, reliable damage.

12

Commander’s Strike

Direct The Attacks Of Other Team Members

• Action Type: Action + bonus action

Commander’s Strike is handy for defender builds or Fighters who take a leadership role, but this situational power will not be useful until later in the game when characters have better movement and combat skills. Fighters who choose this skill would do better to pick it up later, at level 7 or 10, when the fights have higher stakes and need to be organized a few turns in advance.

This Battle Maneuver allows the Figher to direct one of their allies to make a melee weapon attack. This attack takes the form of a reaction, so the other characters won’t lose any of their actions for this turn. Since this only applies to physical attacks, it’s even more limited, and it’s only useful when directed at another melee DPS class like a Rogue.

11

Sweeping Attack

Cleaving Attack To Damage Multiple Enemies

• Action Type: Melee, standard action

Sweeping Attack is a melee-only attack that cleaves enemies in an arc around the Fighter. It’s unlocked at Level 3 when players can select the Battle Master subclass for the first time, and it’s not a bad one to pick for the early-game, especially if one’s Fighter is the only front-line melee character in the party.

Sweeping Attack gives Fighters access to an early AoE ability, which the class lacks compared to casters and other classes in BG3. Shoring up this weakness, Sweeping Attack proves to be one of the best Maneuvers Battle Master Fighters can learn. That said, it’s not the most impactful in the late-game when players have many more AoE options as a Fighter. It’s recommended that players pick this if the party lacks melee party members in the early game, but they should consider swapping it out later, courtesy of Withers, for something more interesting, like Evasive Footwork.

Defensive Maneuver To Tank Incoming Damages

Evasive Footwork is a simple ability that’s much better than it initially seems. Though other Maneuvers give Fighters higher-damage combat skills or the ability to control enemies, Evasive Footwork is one of the few self-buffs that lasts well into the late-game.

If the player’s Fighter ends up being the party member who takes the brunt of melee damage, Evasive Footwork is almost essential. For the cost of a Superiority Die – but as a Free Action –, the Fighter will impose Disadvantage on incoming attacks until their next turn. When players know that a big hit is incoming, or if the Fighter is surrounded by enemies waiting to wail on them, a cast of Evasive Footwork can vastly improve the chances of making it out unscathed.

9

Disarming Attack

Force Enemies Into Dropping Their Weapons

• Action Type: Melee or Ranged, standard action

Being disarmed is one of the most annoying things players can experience in Baldur’s Gate 3, especially if they don’t have a second weapon to rely on. This leads to players having to waste an action picking up and re-equipping thier weapon, a problem that is made even worse if said character is a dual-wielder.

However, these issues can plague enemies, too, especially if the player unleashes a Disarming Attack and succeeds in making these NPCs drop their weapons. It’s one of the best Battle Master Maneuvers in BG3, forcing enemies to waste a turn and leaving them as sitting ducks while they’re forced to scramble and recover their equipment.

8

Rally

Supporting Maneuver To Increase The Party’s Survivability

• Action Type: Melee or Ranged, standard action

The Rally Battle Maneuver isn’t one that Fighters will use against their enemies. Instead, it gives the Fighter a way to support their allies with temporary HP. With this ability, the Fighter can give an ally 8 temporary HP if they are within 18m. Because Rally is a Bonus Action, players can still get a hit (or two after level 5) and still use the ability to support an ally.

Rally is better at lower levels because the amount of temporary HP granted to allies doesn’t increase. No matter what, the target will gain 8 temporary HP. For that reason, it’s best to choose this Battle Maneuver with the first batch of three options at Level 3, because by Level 5 and later, its usefulness wears thin.

7

Goading Attack

A Taunting Maneuver To Divert Attention From Frail Allies

• Action Type: Melee or Ranged, standard action

When having multiple party members who can dish out heavy damage, there is a chance that they can also be quite frail in terms of sustaining damage against difficult enemies. This is especially true at higher difficulty levels, like the Tactician Mode, which can turn a normal battle into a deadly one with the risk of a party wipe.

With the help of Goading Attack, a Fighter will be able to divert any attention from other allies onto themselves, which can be beneficial in numerous ways and is essential for a defense build. In addition, if the enemy still manages to attack a party member other than the Fighter themselves, it will receive Disadvantage on the Attack Roll, increasing other party members’ survivability. When used correctly, Goading Attack can be a very useful Maneuver to have at a Fighter’s disposal, as long as the player knows when to use it optimally and efficiently.

6

Riposte

A Parrying Maneuver To Deal With Incoming Attack

• Action Type: Melee reaction

Unlike most of the other Battle Maneuvers BG3 Fighters can choose, Riposte is not an Action that players have to take. Instead, it’s a Reaction, one that players can toggle on and off as they like, but it’s usually a good idea to keep it turned on.

When an enemy misses with an attack, players can choose to spend one Superiority Die to retaliate. This attack deals base weapon damage plus 1d8, which can be a game-changing amount when the die rolls high. On top of that, it doesn’t even cost an action.

5

Maneuvering Attack

Increase Movement Speed Via Attacks

• Action Type: Melee or Ranged, standard action

Maneuvering Attack is one of the most useful party-complementing Battle Maneuvers that a Battle Master can choose. On a hit, Maneuvering Attack lets the Fighter select one friendly target and restore half of their overall Movement Speed. When they move this turn, that friendly target will no longer cause Opportunity Attacks.

This ability can also be used on the Fighter themselves, allowing them to get out of a tricky situation with ease. This Battle Maneuver is best used to get weak allies out of the melee range of enemies, though spellcasters, for instance, have Disadvantage on enemies if they are too close, and they also have relatively low HP, which makes them particularly vulnerable to Opportunity Attacks. Players should protect these companions by keeping them safely away from enemies with this maneuver.

4

Menacing Attack

An Offensive Maneuver To Paralyze An Enemy With Fear

• Action Type: Melee or Ranged, standard action

Menacing Attack is a much more directly offensive Battle Maneuver than Rally, Riposte, and Maneuvering Attack. While those three abilities aren’t used to inflict a status on enemies directly, Menacing Attack can inflict the Frightened effect.

The Frightened condition is a powerful effect in Baldur’s Gate 3 because it essentially shuts down an opponent, especially if they are a melee fighter not in range to make an attack. While Frightened, enemies cannot move, and any ability checks or Attack Rolls they make have Disadvantage. Menacing Attack is one that players can afford to wait to learn, instead picking up Rally and Riposte while they are useful abilities, as it remains a powerful Battle Maneuver throughout the rest of the game.

3

Trip Attack

A Disabling Maneuver To Knock Down An Enemy

• Action Type: Melee OR Ranged, standard Action

Knocking an enemy down to a Prone position is extremely useful in any state of the battlefield, as it allows other party members to pile on the attack reliably and have the enemy itself skip a turn. Therefore, having the Trip Attack at one’s disposal can make victory far more likely. Players won’t have to worry about an enemy’s reprisal, as long as the attack successfully connects and knocks the enemy down.

The potential of the Trip Attack can be useful in many situations, such as when facing difficult enemies. However, it needs to be noted that a huge enemy will not be vulnerable to the Maneuver, therefore rendering Trip Attack ineffective against an enemy of such size.

2

Pushing Attack

A Displacement Maneuver With High Chance Of Being Deadly

• Action Type: Melee or Ranged, standard action

Pushing Attack is like a combination between the Shove action and an empowered attack from the Fighter. Though it doesn’t inflict a status effect like Menacing Attack, nor does it support allies like Maneuvering Attack or Rally, Pushing Attack is great because it is the only ability that can outright kill the enemies it hits under the right circumstances.

Manipulating the placement of enemies on the battlefield is a powerful way to approach Baldur’s Gate 3, as there are a lot of cliffs, high walls, and chasms to fall into. As such, Pushing Attack goes from being a relatively weak option in tabletop D&D to one of the best Battle Maneuvers in BG3. Players should pick this one up early and use it often to push enemies off ledges and move foes away from the party to prevent Opportunity Attacks.

1

Precision Attack

Ensure That Attacks Don’t Miss

It can be the most frustrating thing in the world to unleash an attack and hope to strike an enemy, only for said attack to miss entirely and cause players to waste a precious turn. This is especially true in the case of a melee-focused fighter who excels at taking out enemies as quickly as possible.

This is where the Precision Attack can prove to be one of the best Battle Master Maneuvers in BG3, allowing players to enhance the likeliness of their attack landing and causing substantial damage. It’s a simple move, but it’s one that can be integral in a fight against tough opponents where every hit counts.