Every party in Dungeons & Dragons is as varied in class as they often are in background. Breaking down into subclasses creates even more differences among party members, eventually giving everyone a very specific role as they adventure together. Fighters often rush to the frontline, providing protection and cover for the squishier members of the party by confronting enemies head on.
No matter what subclass a Fighter chooses, there are certain things to consider during the initial build, as well as during level-ups that offer opportunities for them to expand their arsenal. The right build guarantees that enemies will think twice before attacking the party head on because they won't want to come near the Fighter.
Most Powerful Fighter Build Summary
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Ability Scores (in order of importance) |
Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, Charisma |
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Race |
Orcs, Half-Orcs, Goliaths |
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Subclass |
Battlemaster |
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Weapons |
Longsword/Shield, Greatsword |
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Feats |
Tavern Brawler, Great Weapon Master |
Focus on the Fighter's Strength & Constitution
Being able to push back the enemy and defend the party is almost entirely reliant on one important stat: Strength. The stronger and more athletic a Fighter is, the easier it will be for them to make powerful attacks that keep foes focused on them. The Fighter can potentially become one of the physically strongest party members of the party, and it won't be long before others begin relying on them to move heavy objects, carry heavy equipment or climb difficult terrain to scope out the landscape. Getting STR to 20 as quickly as possible should be the Fighter's main priority.
Secondary to STR is Constitution. Fighters need to be able to take as much damage as they dish out, otherwise they fall quickly and leave the rest of the party vulnerable. CON is essential to building a deep pool of hit points enemies can chip away at while holding the line. A high CON will also ensure the Fighter's ability to fend off concentration-based attacks, and for Eldritch Knights and other magic-using Fighters, concentration is often key.
Almost equally important to CON is Dexterity. Fighters may not need to be as dexterous as Rogues, but having the ability to move efficiently (and quietly) into place increases their role as an asset. DEX also determined their armor class and determines the modifier they use when it's time to roll for initiative.
Best Races for Fighters
When looking for strong candidates during creation, it's hard to go wrong with races like Orcs, Half-Orcs, Goliaths, Tortles, Centaurs, Minotaurs, Bugbears and Dragonborn. Each one of these races starts the game with an automatic +2 STR bonus, giving them a major leg up as they strive toward 20 STR. Orcs, Half-Orcs and Goliaths are particularly powerful races to choose because they also gain a +1 CON Bonus during character creation.
Not quite as powerful as the others, the Triton is still a good race to choose because they get +1 STR and +1 CON. Leonin start out with +2 CON and +1 STR, making them another powerful choice.
Best Fighter Subclasses
There are currently 11 Martial Archetypes Fighters can choose from at level three, but not all are equally useful. Battlemaster is, hands down, one of the best choices because, for the Battlemaster, combat is as familiar as drawing breath. They have Combat Superiority, which grants special moves that deal extra damage when employed in battle.
The power of the Battlemaster's extra damage grows along with the Fighter, starting at d8, reaching a d10 at level 10 and becoming a d12 at level 18. To make them even more useful, they have the ability to study their enemies to determine whether or not they are superior or inferior opponents, allowing them to discover information about the enemy's stats that could prove useful in battle.
The Champion is another outstanding choice because as they level up, they can achieve a critical hit on a roll of 18, 19 or 20. Because critical hits deal double damage, having more opportunities to achieve it means this Fighter can become a relentless destroyer on the field.
For those who like to flavor their fighting with a magical flare, the Eldritch Knight has lots of potential. Not only do they have access to a number of useful spells, but they can bond with up to two weapons, allowing them to summon these so long as they are on the same plane of existence. As they gain levels, the Eldritch Knight earns the ability to cast a cantrip as an action, then make a melee attack as a bonus action.
Best Weapons & Feats for Fighters
One of the best things about Fighters is that they are proficient with all armor, shields, simple and martial weapons. That makes them incredibly versatile, and with the boost of a feat like Tavern Brawler, they could even use objects in their surroundings like chairs or bottles to create impromptu weapons.
A Fighter's best weapon bets, however, are either a longsword and shield or a greatsword. The longsword and shield combo offer a decent damage output, while also bolstering the wielder's defense. In a real jam, the Fighter can even chuck the shield and wield the longsword two-handed to increase their damage to 1d10. Greatswords may make it hard to grab onto anything else, including a shield, but they have a much better damage output because the Fighter rolls 2d6, rather than 1d10 or 1d12.
Damage output can also be increased by the Great Weapon Master feat, which allows the Fighter to take a -5 penalty on their attack to deal an additional +10 damage on a successful hit. This feat also allows the Fighter to take an additional hit as a bonus action with a melee weapon when they score a critical hit or reduce an enemy to zero hit points.