The Fighter is a classic class in both Dungeons & Dragons and Baldur’s Gate. It may seem like a boring class to some, but you can’t complain about the efficiency with which it deals damage. A Fighter doesn’t need to be in every party composition, but you’ll definitely be glad it’s there to pick up the slack in a tough fight. But with its subclasses, it can actually function in tons of different ways. So, here are the best Fighter subclasses in Baldur’s Gate 3.
Baldur’s Gate 3: Best Fighter subclasses, ranked
#3 Champion
Screenshot by PC Invasion
Alright, so while none of these subclasses are at all bad, the Champion is perhaps the most boring. It essentially takes what the Fighter is already good at and makes it better. Which isn’t a bad thing, and if want to hit harder than ever it’s actually a pretty good choice. However, it doesn’t offer anything substantial besides passive buffs that make your current moves better.
The main draw of the Champion subclass for the Fighter in Baldur’s Gate 3 is the Improved Critical Hit feature. This also stacks on top of other modifiers for critical hits so that the Champion can become a critical machine. Then at level 7, it can get Remarkable Athlete: Proficiency which lets you add half of your Proficiency bonus to any Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution check. It also gets Additional Athlete: Jump which increases its jump distance by 3m. Again, these aren’t bad by any means, they’re just a bit boring in comparison to what you could have.
#2 Eldritch Knight
Screenshot by PC Invasion
There’s only one thing cooler than swinging a giant sword, and that’s swinging a giant sword while simultaneously shooting out a fireball. That’s what the Eldritch Knight subclass gives the Fighter the chance to do in Baldur’s Gate 3. This subclass essentially gives you the opportunity of combining a Fighter with a Wizard without having to Multiclass. And that’s a massive positive in my book.
At level 3, the Eldritch Knight unlocks two level 1 cantrips and three Wizard level 1 spells. Now this magic won’t be anywhere near as powerful as the full-on Wizard class, but in conjunction with the Fighters abilities, you can pair it with some really useful spells and cantrips. For example, True Strike gives you advantage on your next attack roll, which is extremely useful for a Fighter to have. You also get to expand your ranged attack arsenal, allowing you to use the full suite of weaponry that Baldur’s Gate 3 has. Eldritch Knight is clearly a very cool class but it isn’t quite the best when we have our next pick.
#1 Battle Master
Screenshot by PC Invasion
Out of all three subclasses, the Battle Master is the one that brings out the Fighter’s true power. Beyond the ability to hit harder and use magic, the most important thing a Fighter can do is control the battlefield. And this is an extremely useful character to have, especially on Baldur’s Gate 3‘s Tactician difficulty.
At level 3 the Battle Master subclass lets you choose three maneuvers out of a total list of 14. And each of these moves offers very specific abilities. Disarming Attack, for example, spends a Superiority Die to make an attack that deals an extra 1d8 of damage, with the additional chance of disarming the target. Then we have more support-oriented abilities like Rally, which can give an ally an additional 8 temporary hit points. The Battle Master is a Fighter subclass that rewards strategy and critical thinking. In the right hands this subclass can truly shine, and it’s easy to see why it’s the best out of the three.
But with the nature of Baldur’s Gate 3 being what it is, there is no truly best option here. It all comes down to your own creativity and how you’d like to approach certain things. If you want to hit things harder, throw fireballs, or be a master tactician, then that’s all down to you.
Baldur’s Gate 3 is now available on PC.
