Battle Master Fighter Build and Guide
In this Baldur’s Gate 3 build guide, we’ll be covering the Fighter’s Battle Master subclass.
The Battle Master Fighter’s unique aspect is their access to Superiority Dice and Maneuvers. These Superiority Dice give you the ability to influence and manipulate the flow of battle at key moments.
This includes providing massive damage, crowd control, survivability, and more, making the Battle Master a great choice for big-brain players.
Fighter gives you a class feature called Great Weapon Fighting allowing you to reroll 1 or 2 on damage rolls which can help these Dice along to ensure we can hit as much as possible.
Note that this guide goes up to level 5 so check back for more updates in the future as we progress through the game.
Find out where the Fighter ranks in our Baldur’s Gate 3 class tier list.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The most adaptable Fighter subclass due to their access to Maneuvers
- Resources refresh with Short Rests, making them shine in long dungeons/dangerous areas
- Able to analyze enemies with Know Your Enemy (Level 7)
Cons
- Worse in 1v1 combat/raw damage output in comparison to Champion
- Doesn’t get access to spells like the Eldritch Knight
- May be difficult for new players to use
Races
I find Shield Dwarf to be the best start with Dwarven Resilience giving you resistance and saving throws against poison damage and Darkvision.
Being a Shield Dwarf also gives you Light Armour Proficiency and Medium Armour Proficiency.
Other choices involve the Half-Orc, Githyanki, Halflings, or Human.
Stats, Backgrounds, and Proficiencies
Proficiencies include Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Two-Handed Weapons, Armour, and Bows. I would recommend staying up close as the tank for better use of the Superior Dice and Constitution Stats.
You are able to deal high damage, while also taking high damage making you a threat for anyone trying to reach your squishier characters. You also are super effective in Attack of Opportunity, making your damage increase for anyone trying to ignore you.
For background, the Outlander gives you Athletics and Survivor skills with the added Acrobatics and Perception skills, which I find best for a Fighter since you are a tank that needs to stay on the move, and reposition constantly while staying alive.
Your Stats priority should be Strength, Constitution, Dexterity, Wisdom, Charisma/Intelligence.
As a Battle Master, you are looking to survive, but still hit hard, meaning Strength will be our first priority. You will need Survivability to stay in the fight long enough to be useful since you are on the front lines making Constitution and Dexterity our second or third priority.
I recommend Constitution since a lot of damage in the game can ignore Armour Class. Wisdom, Charisma, and Intelligence don’t really matter, you want a little bit of Wisdom to basically help your Survivor skill.
Recommended Abilities
Choosing the Battle Master subclass means we get to choose three Maneuvers, of which I recommend Pushing Attack, Rally, and Riposte.
Pushing Attack is better of the three others available as a Push can end up being a 1 hit KO if the dice is in your favor.
Rally allows you to give Temporary Hit Points to someone in need, being someone else or yourself.
Riposte allows you to dish out more damage if someone misses an attack on you, the bread and butter of the Dice.
For feats, I recommend taking Weapon Master when given the choice, however, Martial Adept and Mobile are not bad options either depending on your playstyle. If you decide to take Martial Adept, I recommend Trip Attack and Disarming Attack. If you decide to take Mobile, you become a very quick fighter, able to be everywhere without the fear of rough terrain and Attack of Opportunity.
Lastly, the feat I recommend, Weapon Master, gives you the ability to be proficient in everything, and because we use a greatsword as our main weapon this helps a lot. But also allows you to use any weapon in the game with no downsides.
Equipment
There truly are a lot of options a Fighter can use, but I recommend just finding a two-handed magical weapon and sticking to it, for example, Everburn.
You are able to find Everburn really early in the game (minor spoilers ahead) which can be found from fighting Commander Zhalk, who is fighting the mind flayer during the intro ship scene.
Lastly, look to wear armor that best helps you in a particular situation, be it more damage, a higher armor class, or spells that can benefit you.
Conclusion
Overall, the Battle Master offers a more complex playstyle for the Fighter. There are many feats to take, and many choices you will be presented with, but I believe new players can still feel comfortable trying it in their first run. You are a master tactician in the field and ensure victory with your Maneuvers.
