When it comes to swinging big in Dungeons and Dragons, few can do it as well as the Fighter. It is the only class that naturally gets more than two strikes during the Attack action, along with one of the most powerful Short Rest resources in the game: Action Surge. The 2024 rules refresh was also very good to them, especially with the addition of Weapon Masteries—a feature they use better than any other class. It is no surprise that Fighters are considered the most popular class in Dungeons and Dragons.
Like most classes, Fighters pick a subclass once reaching third level in D&D, giving them a set of tools that let them specialize their skillset in and out of battle. There have been over a dozen Fighter subclasses from official sources over the years, and while some are incredible, others leave much to be desired. Every Fighter will be able to tear it up on the battlefield, but some will have a much easier time doing so.
Offensive and defensive capability, core ability unlock levels, skill support, versatility, and required ability scores are all major factors considered when making this list.
Dungeons and Dragons Best Paladin Oath Tier List
Paladins are one of the most iconic and powerful classes in Dungeons and Dragons, but not all of its subclasses are created equally.
S-Tier: Master-Class Combatants That Keep On Coming
- Battle Master
- Cavalier
- Psi Warrior
- Rune Knight
In an already-popular Dungeons and Dragons class, the Battle Master stands as one of the most popular subclasses. Its core mechanic is Combat Superiority, which uses Maneuvers that can not only turn the tide of battle, but also increase their damage, defense, and even skill checks. Most of their other features are either flavorful ribbons or ones that make their Maneuvers better. With a tool for every occasion, the Battle Master can be a versatile and potent subclass for any type of Fighter.
With Unwavering Mark, Warding Maneuver, Hold the Line, and Vigilant Defender, the Cavalier is the best option for Fighters who want to become quintessential tanks. Despite their name, Cavaliers are skilled both in and out of the saddle, able to lock down the battlefield and punish foes who attempt to strike their allies. These Fighters are like the Sentinel feat became an entire subclass, and if its buffs in a recent Unearthed Arcana are any indication, Dungeons and Dragons is making the Cavalier even stronger when it is reprinted in the near future.
The Psi Warrior is a psychic subclass in D&D that, like the Rogue’s Soulknife, is fueled by Psionic Energy Dice. That said, the Psi Warrior is much more powerful than the Soulknife. While it may quickly run out of Psionic Energy Dice at low levels, its versatile tricks increase their damage and allow them to protect their allies to great effect. The ability to gain a Fly Speed and remove the Charmed and Frightened conditions covers some of the Fighter’s greatest weaknesses at level 10, meaning Bulwark of Force’s mobile cover buffs and Telekinetic Master’s Telekinesis make for some incredible icing on an already-powerful cake. Their reliance on Intelligence makes the Psi Warrior a little MAD, but the potency of their abilities makes up for this.
In Dungeons and Dragons, MAD means “Multiple Ability (Score) Dependent” as opposed to SAD “Single Ability (Score) Dependent.” SAD D&D classes like Sorcerer or Wizard are easy to build, as one just pumps their main stat all the way up first, but Fighters are a moderately MAD class that usually must build for Strength and/or Dexterity, plus Constitution. Fighter subclasses reliant on Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma can exacerbate the issue further.
But among all the Fighter subclasses in D&D, the Rune Knight may be the best. Rune Carver grants strong passive skill bonuses and mighty activated combat abilities, with more choices and uses unlocked as they gain more levels. Beyond that, Giant’s Might dominates the battlefield with extra damage, reach, and physical presence as the Rune Knight grows up to Large and later Huge size. Rune Knights have so many Bonus Action effects between Giant’s Might and Hill, Frost, and Storm Rune, and Reaction abilities between Runic Shield and Cloud, Stone, and Storm Rune, but their versatility and potency mean they can still literally stand a head above most other Fighters..
A-Tier: Solid Soldiers With Reliable Skills
- Arcane Archer
- Echo Knight
- Eldritch Knight
The Arcane Archer from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything was decent at best, but a recent Dungeons and Dragons Unearthed Arcana gave them some much-needed buffs. With Arcane Shots now scaling on the Fighter’s Intelligence mod, the Arcane Archer will run out of resources much slower at high levels, especially with Ever-Ready Shot improvements. Additionally, Magical Ammunition and Masterful Shots are brand-new bonus features that give even more utility in and out of combat. The Arcane Archer’s only major downside is that they are MAD, due to their reliance on Intelligence.
Echo Knights Fighters in D&D are a difficult subclass to use, as it requires precise use of Manifest Echo to master it. However, doing so grants these Fighters the ability to do long-range scouting and teleportation. That said, one of their most frightening abilities is Unleash Incarnation, which grants an additional attack for free when taking the Attack Action. Though limited in use, this can allow a high-level Echo Knight to attack 10 times in one turn when using Action Surge.
As the only Fighter subclass that gains access to Spellcasting, the Eldritch Knight is incredibly solid, especially with its changes in D&D's 2024 rules refresh. War Magic at level 7 is particularly noteworthy, as they can replace an attack with Booming Blade or Green Flame Blade to essentially get free bonus damage. Moreover, Improved War Magic lets them easily slap on buff spells like Mirror Image or Blur without sacrificing their entire Action. Eldritch Strike and Arcane Charge both help counter save DC and mobility drawbacks, meaning the only thing keeping Eldritch Knight from S-Tier is their Intelligence dependency.
B-Tier: Decent Choices With Limiting Niches
- Champion
- Gladiator
Almost every class has a subclass that doubles down on its core identity, and for the Fighter, that is the Champion. With advantage on Athletics, Initiative, and Death Saving Throws, a second Fighting Style, low hit point regeneration, and a Heroic Inspiration battery, the Champion is the Fighter-est Fighter in Dungeons and Dragons, but its biggest selling point is its expanded critical hits range. Unfortunately, it is considered “boring” by many players, as most of its features are passive and focused on the role Fighters already fill.
The Gladiator, which has only appeared in D&D’s Apocalyptic Subclasses Unearthed Arcana so far, is in a similar spot. It doubles down on the Weapon Mastery feature in some interesting ways, allowing the Fighter to use some unique tricks that grant advantage on Saving Throws, inflict damage over time effects, and make counterattacks. However, it is a MAD subclass due to reliance on Charisma, and in practice, a Battle Master will probably end up being more versatile in and out of combat than a Gladiator would be.
C-Tier: Underwhelming and Outdated Options
- Banneret
- Samurai
The Banneret has seen a lot of iterations over the years. Originally launched as the Purple Dragon Knight in Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, which was renowned for its horribly underpowered subclasses, the subclass was notoriously bad even by that standard. Though it was briefly reinvisioned as an actual purple dragon-riding knight in an early Unearthed Arcana, it eventually was reworked as the setting-agnostic Banneret in D&D's Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun. Sadly, even with some much-needed buffs, it has little more than some skill and language support, plus the ability to share parts of Second Wind, Action Surge, and Indomitable with allies, meaning the Banneret struggles to find a niche beyond being a lukewarm supporting class. While abilities like Team Tactics and Inspiring Commander are pretty good, just about everything the Banneret can do is done better by another class or subclass.
In theory, the Samurai is a unique and interesting Fighter class that takes the archetypal determination and poise of the eastern warriors and applies it to the Fighter. Unfortunately, Fighting Spirit’s incredibly limited uses make it struggle to keep up with most other Fighters, even if Rapid Strike’s bonus attacks can be as good as Echo Knight when used carefully. Elegant Courtier’s skill support and Wisdom Saving Throw proficiencies help cover the Fighter’s major weaknesses, and while Strength Before Death is amazing, it is solely dependent on dropping to 0 hit points, which is far from ideal for a capstone. The Samurai has all the bones of a great subclass, but suffers mostly from needing an update, as it was also released by Dungeons and Dragons in Xanathar's Guide to Everything nearly nine years ago.
D-Tier: Subclasses That Weren’t Released For a Reason
- Brute
- Monster Hunter
- Scout
- Sharpshooter
While all the previous subclasses have either appeared in official books or recent Unearthed Arcana, several Fighter subclasses never made it past the playtesting phase, and for good reason. The Brute is one such subclass. A bonus die on damage and Saving Throws is the only unique feature they get, with everything else essentially being borrowed from the Champion Fighter or the Barbarian class in D&D. The Brute fails to perform particularly well and manages to actually be even more boring and basic than the Champion.
The Monster Hunter was an early foray into trying to standardize the Battle Master’s Combat Superiority for other subclasses. The result was a Battle Master with far fewer Maneuver options in favor of some anti-magic features, skill and Saving Throw support, and the abilities to cast Detect Magic and Protection from Evil and Good. It is no surprise that the basic idea of the Monster Hunter was retooled by D&D into the Monster Slayer Ranger later on.
The Scout Fighter followed a similar fate, starting as a poor Battle Master copycat with the Ranger’s Natural Explorer tacked on. That said, this subclass managed to have even fewer Maneuver options than even the Monster Hunter, none of which actually increased its damage. Like the Monster Hunter, the Scout Fighter was abandoned in favor of a Rogue subclass of the same name, which is actually one of the best Rogue subclasses in Dungeons and Dragons.
The Sharpshooter Fighter was playtested around the same time as the Samurai, and operates on similar mechanics. Unlike Fighting Spirit, the Sharpshooter gets its Steady Aim uses back on a short rest, allowing it to stay in the fight longer than its eastern counterpart. Unfortunately, most of its other abilities are copied from Inquisitive Rogue, Samurai Fighter, or a D&D Fighting Style, so it lacked anything unique to let it stand out. The Sharpshooter would be an interesting concept to see implemented for the Fighter, but this version would need a lot of work to make it viable in modern D&D.
- Franchise
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Original Release Date
- 1974
- Publisher
- Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
- E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson