Baldurs Gate 3 Fighter Build: The Core Kit Before You Specialise

A Baldurs Gate 3 fighter build starts from the same base no matter which subclass you eventually pick — Fighter is the class with the plainest, most reliable core kit in the game, and everything else is layered on top of it.

The features every Fighter gets

• Second Wind (level 1). A bonus action that heals you for 1d10 plus your Fighter level, recharging on a short rest — a free safety net that costs nothing but a bonus action.
• Action Surge (level 2). A full extra action on your turn, also on a short-rest recharge. This is the feature that makes Fighter hit disproportionately hard in any fight you can afford to go all-in on.
• Extra Attack (level 5). A free additional attack after a weapon or unarmed strike, the point where Fighter's damage output pulls ahead of classes without it.
• Improved Extra Attack (level 11). Extra Attack upgrades again, adding a further two attacks on top of your main-hand strike.

The four subclasses, and what they actually change

• Champion — the simplest option, built around a wider critical hit range and raw physical performance rather than new resource systems.
• Battle Master — trades simplicity for superiority dice spent on combat manoeuvres, giving battlefield control options the other subclasses lack.
• Eldritch Knight — adds genuine spellcasting from the Wizard list on an Intelligence base, covered in more depth on its own.
• Arcane Archer — leans into ranged combat, layering magical arcane shots on top of weapon attacks.

Choosing between them

If you want a class that stays simple turn to turn, Champion is the low-maintenance option. If you want tactical options in every fight, Battle Master rewards the extra bookkeeping. Eldritch Knight and Arcane Archer suit players who picked Fighter for the survivability but still want a spell list to lean on.