Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter guide

Last Updated: March 17th, 2022

The all-rounder when it comes to D&D classes, this is the easiest one to understand and can be a very rewarding class to play. Fighters are hardy, resilient, and can be a formidable foe to go up against, and if you can get the right set-up and build going, you will be a fearsome opponent to your enemies. In Baldur’s Gate 3, you’ll have the option between two subclasses: Eldritch Knight and Battle Master. Both of which have their own pros and cons. In this guide, we’ll weigh these two options and see which suits you depending on your playstyle.

Fighters in Baldur’s Gate 3

When it comes to fighters in BG3, you’ll be seen as the DPS tank. You can take hits and dish them out just as good, thanks to Fighters’ main feature, Action Surge, you can plan out your turns a whole lot easier than other classes. And thus, Fighters tend to be the tactical class, you can focus on dealing damage or using your items to pose disadvantages onto other players, you can open the fight up more to allow your teammates to find the ideal weak spot in your foes.

Fighters are – however – some of the more demanding classes. Because, to get a good fighter, you’ll need good Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. Meaning you’ll be taking away any valuable points from your more social and story-driven stats. Then again, if you’re not much of a story-player and you want to enjoy the nitty-gritty turn-based isometric combat of BG3 then Fighters are perfect. They don’t have much story-wise, and there aren’t many conversation options that are unique to Fighters but they’re the most valuable asset for combat.

In this guide, we’ll cover all you need to know when making your Fighter, either your own custom one or using the ever-so-lovely Lae’Zel.

Best Races for Fighter

Because of how demanding the Fighter Class is in terms of stats, this choice is a little more important than other classes. You’ll want to try and round up your Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution to as high as you can. And so, picking a good starting race with the right stat bonuses is important, that’s why we’d recommend:

• Shield Dwarf: +2 Dex and +2 Strength will get the ball rolling immediately. Then you can allocate your points to Dexterity and before you know it, you’ll have a good level 1 Fighter.
• Githyanki: +2 Stre and +1 Int, any bonus to strength is a necessity.
• Human: +1 to all stats, reasonable and can help you get that general stat round-up.

Class Passives

As a Fighter, you’ll get to pick a class passive form, these can be:

• Archery: You gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls you make with ranged weapons.
• Defense: You gain a +1 bonus to AC while wearing armor.
• Dueling: When you are wielding melee weapons in one hand and the other hand is empty, you gain a +2 bonus to damage rolls with that weapon, increasing your chance to do heavy damage.
• Great Weapon Fighting: When you roll a 1 or 2 on a damage die for an attack with a two-handed melee weapon, you can reroll the die and must use the new roll.
• Protection: When you have a shield, impose disadvantage on an enemy who attacks one of your allies when you are within 1.5 m. You must be able to see the enemy.
• Two-Weapon Fighting Style: When you attack with two weapons, you can add your ability modifier to the damage of the offhand attack.

Although your passive might depend on your particular playstyle, the best one to select is always going to be – in our eyes – Great Weapon Fighting.

Eldritch Knight or Battle Master?

Both Fighter subclasses add a level of customizability to the class. Granting you the option to use spells or battle maneuvers. If you want to keep spells out of your fighters then go for Battle Master, but if you want to have that extra ace up your sleeve then Eldritch Knight can make your Fighter a lot more versatile. But while Eldritch Knights have spells, Battle Masters have maneuvers they can use by spending Superiority Dice.

Battle Master

This subclass’s gimmick comes from its use of maneuvers. Special abilities that can be used are:

• Menacing Attack: Spend a superiority die to deal 1d8+3+1d8 Piercing and possibly Frighten the target.
• Pushing Attack: Spend a superiority die to deal 1d6+3+1d8 Piercing and possibly push the target back 4.5 m.
• Rally: Expend a superiority die to bolster the resolve of a friendly creature. It gains an additional 8 hit points.
• Riposte: When a creature misses you with a melee attack, expend a superiority die to retaliate and deal 1d6+3+1d8 Piercing.
• Trip: When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to knock the target down. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and if the target is Large or smaller, it must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, you knock the target prone.
• Disarming Attack: When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to attempt to disarm the target, forcing it to drop one item of your choice that it’s holding. You add the superiority die to the attack’s damage roll, and the target must make a Strength saving throw. On a failed save, it drops the object you choose. The object lands at its feet.

However, the best ones to have are Riposte and Menacing Attack. When enemies are frightened of you, they will need to run away from you, possibly invoking an opportunity attack. And if you can get your AC quite high, your opponents will be more likely to miss their attacks, thus activating Riposte. However, Pushing Attack is equally good if your targets are near a cliff, but be wary, you can’t loot any bodies that fall into the void (as I’ve learned the hard way).

Eldritch Knight

Contrary to Battle Master, Eldridge Knight focuses on spellcasting. Granting Fighters access to a few spells, and combining Spellcasting with Melee can lead to a formidable build. However, the Eldritch Knight spells will work off your Intelligence, which – unless you’ve managed to spread out the stats well – you won’t have a very high score of. So the spells you should focus on are the ones that won’t rely on a high score. So no need for a saving throw or attack roll.

Spells for Eldritch Knight

These are the recommended spells for your Fighter:

Final Thoughts

The Fighter is a great class, and both subclasses lend it great power but our personal pick will always be a Shield Dwarf Eldritch Knight!

Share this article…