clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter Class Overview

Solve all of life’s problems with punching

Jeffrey Parkin (he/him) has been writing video game guides for Polygon for almost seven years. He has learned to love just about every genre of game that exists.

Baldurs Gate 3 has 12 classes for you to choose from when you create your character. The Fighter is the archetypical melee class.

Fighters are the most straightforward class in Baldur’s Gate 3, but they’re more than just good at punching. Sure, that’s how they start out, but, as they level up, they come to control every field of battle they encounter. Their primary stat is Strength.

Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Fighter class, and see if it’s the class you want to start with.


Fighter class features

Hit Points

  • Hit Dice — 1d10 per Fighter level
  • Hit Points at 1st Level — 10 + your Constitution modifier
  • Hit Points at higher levels — 6 + your Constitution modifer per Fighter level after 1st

Actions

At level 1, Fighters get Second Wind, a Bonus Action that restores 1d10 hit points once per long or short rest.

At level 2, Fighters get the Action Surge Action that allows you to take one additional action on your turn. Action Surge also refreshes with a short or long rest.

Fighting Style

Fighters choose a style of fighting to specialize in:

  • Archery — Gain a +2 to ranged weapon attacks
  • Defense — Gain a +1 to Armor Class while wearing armor
  • Dueling — Deal +2 damage when fighting with one one-handed weapon
  • Great Weapon Fighting — When you roll a 1 or 2 for damage with a two-handed melee weapon, that die is rerolled
  • Protection — When you have a shield, impose Disadvantage on an attack against your allies when you are within 5ft.
  • Two-Weapon Fighting — When you make an attack with your off-hand weapon, you can add your Ability Modifier to the damage of the attack.

Proficiencies

  • Weapons — Simple Weapons, Martial Weapons
  • Armor — Light Armor, Medium Armor, Heavy Armor, Shields
  • Skills — Athletics, Insight, Intimidation, Religion
  • Saving Throws — Wisdom, Constitution

Fighter subclasses

At level 3, Fighters choose from one of three subclasses.

Battle Master

Battle Master Fighters focus on maneuvers and tactics.

Battle Masters get four uses per short or long rest of the the Superiority Dice feature that power Maneuvers. You’ll also get to pick three Maneuvers from a list of 14.

Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter Battle Master Maneuvers

Name Description
Name Description
Commander's Strike Spend an action and a reaction to direct an ally to strike a foe.
Disarming Strike Spend a superiority die to make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage and possibly forces the target to drop their weapon
Distracting Strike Distract your target, giving your allies 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.
Menacing Attack Spend a superiority die to make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage and possibly Frightens the target
Precision Attack You can spend a superiority die to add it to the result of an Attack Roll
Pushing Attack Spend a superiority die to make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage and possibly pushes the target back 15 ft.
Rally Expend a superiority die to grant an ally 8 temporary hit points
Riposte When a hostile creature misses you with a melee attack, expend a superiority die to retaliate with a powerful strike that deals an additional 1d8 damage
Sweeping Attack Swing your weapon in a rapid, sweeping arc to attack multiple enemies at once
Trip Attack Spend a superiority die to make an attack that deals an additional 1d8 damage and possibly pushes the target back 15 ft.

Eldritch Knight

Eldritch Knight Fighters mix in some magic with their punching.

When you become an Eldritch Knight, you get two level 1 spell slots per long rest. You start out knowing two Cantrips and two Spells (from the lists below), and one Wizard spell.

You can choose two Cantrips from this list:

Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter Eldritch Knight Cantrips

Name Description
Name Description
Acid Splash Throw a bubble of acid that deals 1d6 Acid damage to each creature it hits
Bone Chill Prevent the target from healing until your next turn with 1d8 Necrotic damage. Undead receive Disadvantage on Attack Rolls.
Fire Bolt Hurl a mote of fire for 1d10 Fire damage
Poison Spray Project a puff of noxious gas (CON Save)
Ray of Frost Reduce the target's movement speed by 10ft with 1d8 Cold damage
Shocking Grasp Deal 1d8 Lightning damage and the target cannot use reactions
Blade Ward Take half damage from Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing attacks
Friends Gain Advantage on Charisma Checks against a non-hostile creature
Dancing Lights Illuminate a 30ft radius
Light Infuse an object with an aura of light
Mage Hand Create a spectral hand that can manipulate and interact with objects
Minor Illusion Create an illusion that compels nearby creatures to investigate
True Strike Gain Advantage on your next Attack Roll

Eldritch Knights start knowing two spells from this list:

Baldur’s Gate 3 Fighter Eldritch Knight Spells

Name Description
Name Description
Burning Hands Each flammable target is hit with 3d6 Fire damage
Chromatic Orb Hurl a sphere that deals 3d8 Thunder damage and possibly creates a surface on impact
Magic Missile Shoot 3 magical darts, each dealing 1d4 Force damage
Mage Armor Protect a target from attacks by making its AC 13 + DEX
Protection from Evil and Good Protect an ally against the attacks and powers of aberrations, celectials, elementals, fey, fiends, and the undead
Shield Use your reaction to increase your AC by 5
Thunderwave Release a wafe of thunderous force that pushes away all creatures and objects for 2d8 Thunder damage (CON Save)
Witch Bolt Link yourself to a target with a bolt of lightning for 1d12 Lightning damage and deal an additional 1d12 each turn

Champion

Champion Fighters do away with all the fanciness of the other subclasses and focus on hitting things real good.

Champions receive Improved Critical Hit that reduces the number you need to roll a Critical Hit by 1.


For more information on the classes in Baldur’s Gate 3, consult our overviews on the Barbarian, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. If you’re stumped by the choice, consult our guide on what class to start with.

Sign up for the newsletter Sign up for Patch Notes

A weekly roundup of the best things from Polygon