Summary
Dungeons & Dragonsis primarily a cooperative fantasy story-telling game that encourages players to put thought into creating a layered, complex, and individual character. However, the mechanical side ofD&Dcannot be neglected. Stats, subclasses, racial bonuses, and choosing an ASI or a feat all must be taken into considerationduring character creationor leveling up.
Featsare bonuses that players can opt to take instead of boosting their ability scores at certain levels. Often, they are situational, which can render them nonfunctional under certain circumstances but extremely powerful under different ones. Knowing which ones to take can often be difficult, with there being so many options in the current state ofD&D. For characters who have chosenthe Fighter class, though, it’s hard to go wrong with these Feats.
Updated by Mara Cowley on July 22, 2025:Now that One D&D is available to the public, most groups will be gearing up for a brand-new adventure using the brand-new rule set. The 2024 version of the Player’s Handbook offers variations on the classes players all know and love, as well as adding new things. For example, the feat section has seen the addition of boons — high-level feats players can take for the late-game build to give them an edge in or outside of combat. As they are designed for high-level players, they offer some rather mighty benefits, making them strong contenders.Those feats that appear in both handbooks have the added 2024 description for comparison.
Some featured images are from unrelated video games and only serve as illustrations.
22Thrown Weapon Fighting
Not All Fighters Need To Get Up Close & Personal
Most players will assume fighters need to get in close and personal when engaging in combat, but while that may be the norm, it isn’t a must. After all, there is afighting style that is all about archerythat they can take.
As such, fighters who are more about ranged fighting should consider taking the Thrown Weapon Fighting, as it means they get more bang for their buck when using a weapon that has the thrown property, such as javelins and handaxes. If they successfully land an attack, they get +2 to their damage.
21Protection
Become The Shield Allies Need
There is always that awkward moment in combat when enemies bypass the upfront tankier party members to assault the squishy spell-slingers at the back. It is the smart thing to do, as the enemies can guarantee to at least put one party member at death’s door. But this is where the fighter can intervene, especially with this feat as part of their arsenal.
They can use their reaction when the enemy attacks an ally to block the attack with their shield, and impose disadvantage on any attack on that party member until the start of their next turn, and so long as they remain within 5 feet of them. This is the perfect feat that could certainly come in clutch protecting more vulnerable party members who are more adept at dishing out harm rather than soaking it.
2014 PHB:
2024 PHB:
Shield Master is one of the feats that appears in both handbooks, both of which have some similarities that make having a shield equipped very useful. They can reduce damage and be used offensively, showing just how useful a shield can be.
When attacking, the player can also use their shield to shove the creature back, or knock them prone in the 2024 rewrite. Both versions can mean players take 0 damage from a harmful effect if it calls for a dexterity saving throw, and if they succeed on the roll, which could be essential.
19Boon Of Recovery
Gain Resilience To Death’s Grip
A party member dropping to 0 HP is no fun for that player or the rest of the party, as having one member down can be the difference between victory anda total wipe. But with this boon, the fighter can propel themselves back into the fight by instead dropping to 1 HP and healing by up to half of their hit point maximum. Not only that, but they can expend a bonus action to tap into a pool of d10s to heal themselves, which they have 10 of in total.
The ability to self-heal without relying on finite resources like potions and spells is one that should not be overlooked, as they can essentially heal for free, as the expended charges will replenish the next die. For upfront melee combatants such as fighters, this is a vital part of their kit to ensure they can continue to do their jobas the party’s frontlinerfor longer.
18Boon Of Combat Prowess
Ensure Attacks Don’t Miss
Missing in combat is always the risk every player runs when going in for an attack, and it can be devastating when the hit doesn’t connect, especially when the target is running low on health because the odds are the party is as well, and they need to get out of the combat now to recover.
That is when having this feat is essential, as then the player can choose to have a missed attack strike, and they can do so once per turn. Being able to do this multiple times per combat is extremely powerful, as it allows them to bypass the fickle mistress luck and instead just guarantee to hit and damage their opponent.
Grapplingis one ofthe many conditions inD&Dthat can be afflicted on or by player characters. Grappled reduces a creature’s movement speed to 0, and as such, the grappled target will not benefit from any bonus to its speed. They can, however, still attack, and they can even be attacked by the creature that has grappled it.
Fighting in close quarters like this is something Fighters are best at, and they can make full use of such scenarios by taking the Grappler feat. Players can restrain the one they are grappling with, but more excitingly, they gain an advantage on all attack rolls they make against them to defeat their enemies before they are defeated. This can easily turn the tides of combat in their favor.
Fighters are one of the most athletic classes in all ofDungeons and Dragons, adept at fighting and having more moves in their arsenals than others.
Athletecan take a Fighter’s athleticism to another level, raising their Strength or Dexterity score, allowing them to stand and even make jumps using less movement. This extra mobility can have uses both inside combat as they don’t need to use their whole turn just to reach their foes, and outside of combat for quicker exploration, or escaping from tense situations.
15Soul Of The Storm Giant
Call Upon The Power Of Storms For Aid In Battle
Despite being a primarily weapon-focused class, Fighters are not completely against using magic, as they have access to an entire subclass dedicated to swinging spells. For those who opt for that subclass (or even those who don’t but want an injection of magic in their build), theSoul Of The Storm Giantfeat will be perfect for them.
Upon taking this feat, players can up their Strength, Wisdom, or Charisma by one, so it can fita myriad of builds. They can also surround themselves with a 10-foot wind and lightning spell by expending a bonus action. Attacks made against the player during this have disadvantage. On top of that, an opponent’s speed will be halved if they fail their Strength saving throw, preventing them from fleeing.
14Cohort Of Chaos
Causes A Random Magic Effect On A Critical Roll
D&Disall about rolling diceto see if players succeed or fail, with the d20 being the most important dice in the whole game. Rolling a 1 is always treated as a fail, and a 20 a success, but if players roll either of these numbers with theCohort of Chaosfeat, a randomly determined magical effect will take place, based on a d4 table:
All of these have their advantages and drawbacks, but they will certainly add some fun and variety to gameplay beyond Fighters just swinging their weapon at whatever enemy is in range.
D&Dplayers aren’t the only ones who try to sneak up on their foes to gain a surprise round - sometimes, a crafty DM will pull the same trick on their unsuspecting players, immediatelyplacing them at a disadvantage in combat.
Thankfully, players can gain immunity to being surprised with theAlertfeat, which also grants a +5 to initiative, or their proficiency bonus on thje 2024 reprint which might be more at higher levels. This is especially handy for Fighters who are more focused on strength than dexterity.
