Elf Fighter Build Guide

Levels 1-4

Start with the Dueling Fighting Style to add +2 damage to your one-handed weapon swings, making up for your mediocre +2 Strength modifier. At level 3, select the Battle Master archetype. Your maneuver picks are critical here: take Precision Attack to turn near-misses into hits, Trip Attack to knock enemies prone for follow-up advantage, and Menacing Attack to inflict the Frightened condition, locking enemies down. At level 4, do not take a standard Ability Score Increase. Instead, take the Heavy Armor Master feat. This bumps your Strength to 16 (giving you a +3 modifier) and reduces non-magical bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage by 3, which is incredibly potent at this tier.

Levels 5-10

Level 5 brings Extra Attack, doubling your base DPR to roughly 7.8 against standard ACs. At level 6, use your Fighter bonus ASI to bump Strength to 18. Level 7 grants you Know Your Enemy and more Superiority Dice. At level 8, your Wisdom is a glaring weak point at a flat 10. Take the Resilient (Wisdom) feat. Failing a Hold Person save in Tier 2 means death for a melee Fighter, and this proficiency will keep you in the fight. At level 10, pick up Bait and Switch to swap places with squishy allies and boost their AC.

Levels 11-16

Level 11 is the Fighter's major power spike: you now make three attacks per Attack action, pushing your baseline melee DPR to 10.73 before maneuvers. At level 12, max your Strength to 20. By level 14, you should look at survivability. Take the Tough feat to add 28 hit points instantly, scaling up as you level. Level 15 gives you Relentless, ensuring you always start combat with at least one Superiority Die. At level 16, grab the Alert feat; going first means you can position yourself to block choke points before the enemy swarm disperses.

Levels 17-20

At level 17, you gain a second Action Surge and a third use of Indomitable. Combined with Fey Ancestry, you are incredibly difficult to lock down with enchantment magic. At level 19, take Lucky to force rerolls on critical enemy attacks or to save yourself from a catastrophic saving throw failure. Level 20 unlocks your fourth attack per action. You are now a blender of steel, capable of attacking eight times in a single turn with Action Surge.

Heavy Armor Master

Take this at level 4. Because your starting Strength is 15, you desperately need a half-feat to reach 16. Heavy Armor Master provides that +1 to Strength while giving you flat damage reduction against non-magical weapon attacks. In Tier 1 and early Tier 2, subtracting 3 damage from every goblin scimitar or bandit crossbow bolt makes you exceptionally tanky.

Resilient (Wisdom)

Take this at level 8. Your starting Wisdom is 10, meaning you have a +0 to the most important saving throw in the game. By Tier 2, enemies are casting Fear, Hypnotic Pattern, and Dominate Person. Getting proficiency in Wisdom saving throws is non-negotiable for a Fighter who wants to actually play the game instead of watching from the sidelines.

Tough

Take this at level 14. Your Constitution is only 13, which means your hit point maximum is lower than a typical frontline Fighter's. Tough effectively acts as a +4 to Constitution solely for the purpose of calculating hit points, patching up your mediocre health pool so you can survive Tier 3 dragon breath weapons.

Tier 1 (Levels 1-4)

Start with Chain Mail, a Longsword, and a Shield. Your AC will be 18. Look for Splint Armor as soon as you accumulate 200 gold. Carry a few Javelins for when enemies are out of your 30-foot movement range, though your 15 Strength means your thrown accuracy will be subpar.

Tier 2 (Levels 5-10)

You need to acquire Plate Armor (AC 18 base, 20 with shield) to maximize your frontline durability. Seek out a +1 Longsword to help fix your lagging attack bonus. A Cloak of Displacement is mathematically superior to a +1 Shield here, forcing disadvantage on incoming attacks.

Tier 3 (Levels 11-16)

This is where you need a Belt of Fire Giant Strength. Jumping your Strength to 25 completely invalidates your awkward starting stats and skyrockets your DPR. Pair this with a Flametongue Longsword to add 2d6 fire damage to your three attacks per action.

Tier 4 (Levels 17-20)

Look for a Blood Fury Tattoo. It grants your attacks extra necrotic damage and heals you, which triggers wonderfully on your Action Surge turns. A +3 Shield will push your AC into the mid-20s, making you nearly untouchable by physical attacks.

As a Striker and frontline combatant, your job is to stand between the monsters and your squishy spellcasters while dishing out consistent single-target damage. Because your base Strength is lower than optimal for the first tier of play, you rely heavily on party buffs to land your hits.

A Cleric (Peace or Twilight) is your best friend. Bless adds a 1d4 to your attack rolls, which completely erases the penalty of starting with a 15 Strength instead of a 16 or 17. Furthermore, a Wolf Totem Barbarian standing next to you grants you advantage on all your melee attacks, drastically increasing your chance to land a crucial Trip Attack.

Barbarian 2 dip

Taking two levels of Barbarian for Reckless Attack is a fantastic way to generate your own advantage. Because your Strength tops out later than a perfectly optimized build, rolling twice on every swing ensures your attacks connect. You also gain Danger Sense, which pairs decently with your 14 Dexterity for avoiding fireball damage.

Rogue 2 dip

A two-level dip into Rogue grants you Cunning Action. Elves already have a decent base speed, and being able to Dash as a bonus action means you will never be kited by enemy archers. You also gain Expertise; putting that into Athletics makes your grapple checks incredibly reliable, even with a 15/16 Strength.

• Taking Elven Accuracy: This feat only applies to attacks made with Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma. Because you are attacking with Strength, this famously powerful Elf feat is completely dead for you.
• Ignoring your Wisdom saves: With a 10 Wisdom, you are prime real estate for enemy enchantment magic. If you skip Resilient (Wisdom), your Fey Ancestry advantage against Charmed won't save you from being Paralyzed by Hold Person.
• Using a Bow: Despite being an Elf, your Dexterity is 14 and your Strength is 15 (scaling to 20). If you try to play as a traditional Elven archer with this specific stat block, your damage output will be abysmal. Stick to thrown Javelins or just use your movement to close the gap.
• Forgetting to use Trance for watch duty: Trance allows you to finish a long rest in 4 hours. You should always be taking the longest shifts during the party's night watch, utilizing your free Keen Senses (Perception) proficiency to prevent ambushes.