Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter guide

Are you ready to bring the Fighter to Baldur’s Gate 3?

Table of Contents Table of Contents

Want to learn more about the Fighter class in this Baldur’s Gate 3 guide? The Fighter class is one of the best races to use with regard to proficiency and critical hit. They are also the easiest ones 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 three subclasses: Eldritch Knight, Battle Master, and Champion. All of which have their own pros and cons.

As you set out on your journey, you’ll have to do some animal handling, in which you can obtain an Owlbear Cub or perhaps Scratch. Or maybe, you’re more curious about obtaining the impulsive Lae’zel. Therefore more, in this guide, we’ll be explaining more about what the Fighter class entails in Baldur’s Gate 3.

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.

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.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter class level progression

As you progress with your Fighter build, you can increase your class level progression to Level 12. Along with the level increase, you will also obtain extra abilities.

Fighter Level	Feature
Level 1	Pick a Fighting Style – Great Weapon Fighting (Second Wind)
Level 2	Action Surge
Level 3	Choose a Fighter subclass (Battle Master, Eldritch Knight, Champion)
Level 4	Feat
Level 5	Extra Attack
Level 6	Feat
Level 7	Subclass feature
Level 8	Feat
Level 9	Indomitable
Level 10	Subclass feature
Level 11	Improved Extra Attack
Level 12	Feat

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.
• Commander’s Strike: Spend an action and reaction to direct an ally to strike a foe.
• Distracting Strike: Distract your target, giving allies an Advantage on their next Attack Roll against the target.
• Evasive Footwork: You can evade attacks by imposing Disadvantage on melee attacks against you for a round
• Feinting Attack: You can use both your action and bonus action on a turn to attack a target with Advantage and deal an additional 1d8 damage
• Goading Attack: Deal an additional 1d8 and attempt to goad the target into attacking you. Target receives Disadvantage on attacking any other creature.
• Maneuvering Attack: Spend a superiority die make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage. On a hit, select which friendly creature will gain half its movement speed. It will not provoke attacks of opportunity.

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.

Champion

The primary ability of the Champion is Strength, and will have proficiencies in simple weapons, martial weapons, and heavy armor. If you’re looking for a subclass with Improved Critical Hits, this is the Fighter subclass you should invest in.