The Fighter is famous as Dungeons & Dragons‘ most straightforward class, and D&D 5e does little to challenge this assertion. Outside of more complex subclasses like the Rune Knight or Battle Master, it presents a simple, flexible series of abilities any player can master.
That doesn’t mean that building a Fighter in D&D 5e has to be boring. The low floor gives plenty of room for players to flex their character-building muscles. Few choices are more impactful to D&D 5e Fighter builds than race or lineage.
The best Fighter races in D&D 5e add new tools to an otherwise limited toolbox. Alternatively, they double down on combat prowess to create a genuine force of nature on the battlefield.
Even better, some D&D 5e Fighter races do both.
Updated August 16th, 2024: The best D&D 5e Fighter races are unchanged, but my blog isn’t. I’ve revisited this post to help it fit in better with more recent content and to provide the boring technical and SEO tweaks that are the true reason I blog.
Variant Human and Custom Lineage Rear Their Head Once More
Hello, Variant Human, my old friend. Even the unique nature of the Fighter in D&D 5e isn’t enough to make the Variant Human and Custom Lineage not the best races for almost any build.
A free feat remains a top-tier race feature for any class. This is even true for the Fighter, which innately gets more feats than any other build in D&D 5e (two more, even without one from lineage).
It might be easy to assume more feats cheapen the Variant Human and Custom Lineage as the best D&D 5e races for Fighters. In practice, however, they simply open up new combinations for players who want power.
A Variant Human (or Custom Lineage) Fighter is the only D&D 5e build that can have two feats (like Crossbow Expert and Sharpshooter) and still max out their Strength or Dexterity by level 8. One of without falling behind the curve, it’s definitely not worth turning your nose up at.
Other features, such as Darkvision or free skill proficiencies, do nothing to make the Variant Human and Custom Lineage worse Fighter races in D&D 5e.
Duergar Cancels Out Many Common Fighter Weaknesses
Fighters are one of D&D 5e‘s best tank and frontline classes. At the same time, they have poor mental saving throws and very few weaknesses against magical afflictions. Charm or Stun effects can leave a Fighter helpless and the rest of the party vulnerable.
Countering this is just one of the reasons Duergar are among the best Fighter races in D&D 5e. Psionic Fortitude gives advantage on rolls to resist Charm or Stun effects. Combined with Indomitable, even poor saving throws stand a chance of rolling well.
This is only one of the protective features Duergar gives in D&D 5e. Dwarvish Resilience also gives advantage against the Poisoned condition and resistance to Poison damage. Given how common this damage type is, resistance is ideal on a D&D 5e Fighter.
However, the Duergar’s benefits as a D&D 5e Fighter race aren’t limited to the defensive. Duergar Magic gives the Enlarge/Reduce spell. Although not a top-tier buff, this suits a Fighter well. Enlarge gives them advantage on checks to grapple or shove targets while also letting them target Huge or smaller creatures. It’s also a welcome damage buff.
Invisibility isn’t ideal for combat, but it’s still a fantastic way for the Fighter to contribute to out-of-combat intrigue or stealth situations.
In a single package, the Duergar offers protection, offence, and utility. As a result, it’s one of the best races for any D&D 5e Fighter build.
Owlin Makes An Ideal Ranged Fighter
One thing that can hold Fighters is their lack of innate flight. Many enemies can fly or use other means to keep away. Alternatively, many battlefields have hazards that make walking dangerous.
Even without those, it’s just flat-out useful to be able to fly. You’d want it in real life as well.
Owlin is one of several lineages that give at-will Flight. It doesn’t come with underwhelming other features (like the Aarakocra) or drawbacks in size (like the Fairy) to limit it as a Fighter race in D&D 5e.
The Owlin’s kit is simple. It gets Flight, Darkvision, and proficiency in the Stealth skill. This is a perfect, straightforward package for a Dexterity Fighter build in D&D 5e that wants the offensive, defensive, and utility benefits of flight.
Park yourself in the air, wield a Longbow (or Heavy Crossbow, or Hand Crossbow), and fire several Sharpshooter shots. The Owlin has already paid for itself as one of the best Fighter races in D&D 5e.
Half-Orc Fits a Striker or Tank Well
Half-Orc is one of the oldest races available in D&D 5e, and one of the few that can almost hold its own against power creep. There are better races for offensive or defensive features in D&D 5e, but the Half-Orc still holds a place for some Fighter builds.
Savage Attacks is a nice race feature for any D&D 5e Fighter. Fighters make more attacks and thus get more critical hits than other classes. Combine it with an improved critical hit rate (from the Champion) or frequent advantage (from the Samurai), as well as the biggest weapon you can find, and you have a simple but lethal combo.
Relentless Endurance is the other reason Half-Orc is still a decent race choice for Fighter in D&D 5e. Dropping to one hit point instead of going unconscious is invaluable. This is doubly true as a high-level Fighter can regain reasonable hit points (through Second Wind) without breaking their stride.
As far as the Half-Orc’s other features go, proficiency in Intimidation can prove its worth outside combat, and Darkvision is always welcome.
The Half-Orc gets a more simple ability package than other races, but its combat focus is front-and-centre. As a result, it’s one of the best races for Fighter builds in D&D 5e.
Warforged Is Almost Unbreakable
Fighters boast some of the best durability of any D&D 5e class. They combine excellent hit points with many ability score improvements and the best armour in the game. Only a handful of races let them double down on inherent protection.
One of the Warforged’s most notable benefits as a D&D 5e Fighter race is a +1 to Armour Class. This may seem inconsequential, but it’s more valuable for the Fighter than almost any other class.
Due to how rolling to hit works, Armour Class in D&D 5e becomes more valuable the more of it you have. Turning a 10 to hit into an 11 doesn’t have much of an impact. Turning a 17 to hit into an 18 cuts out a quarter of the damage that character might take.
A D&D 5e Warforged Fighter can get some of the highest possible Armour Class in the game without falling back on spells or magic items. A nearly untouchable AC from the start of the game that is reliable and can’t be switched off.
Advantage and resistance against Poison, immunity to magical sleep, and free skill and tool proficiencies are all welcome for a D&D 5e Fighter build.
Earth Genasi Provides Mobility and Durability
Fighters can struggle with their movement in D&D 5e. On top of that, being the party frontliner often involves taking an obscene amount of damage.
If both of these bother you, then the Earth Genasi is the best race for your D&D 5e Fighter build.
Earth Walk lets a character ignore difficult terrain as long as they’re walking. Plants, magic, inclement weather, and more cannot stop a D&D 5e Earth Genasi Fighter from reaching the best battlefield position possible.
The Earth Genasi spellcasting is also invaluable. Blade Ward is a niche D&D 5e cantrip, but it makes an excellent bonus action. Even a handful of times a day, the ability to halve almost all damage that round is a godsend.
Walk into a horde, watch their weapons bounce off, laugh. Rinse and repeat until they’re dead.
Pass Without Trace also gives the Fighter some stealth utility they often lack. It’s effectively an ‘I win’ button for the entire party’s stealth. Eldritch Knights can even cast it more often if they like (and have some interesting D&D 5e Fighter build uses for Blade Ward).
Gem Dragonborn Provide Unique Options
Dragonborn started life as one of D&D 5e‘s worst races for any class. Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons saved them and added a new type. Conveniently, the new Gem Dragonborn are one of the best D&D 5e Fighter races.
Psionic Mind is one of those features that provides unmatched utility in D&D 5e. There are many times when talking out loud is inadvisable or impossible. The Fighter lacks any conventional magical means to overcome this.
The Draconic Resilience types available to D&D 5e Gem Dragons are situational, this is true. Against spellcasters, Illithid, or Gem Dragons, however, you’ll be grateful for resistance to Psychic, Force, or Thunder damage.
The Breath Weapon provides an area-of-effect attack, something most D&D 5e Fighters lack. Don’t cut through enemy hordes one-by-one. Wipe them out en-masse with a single attack and then mop up the stragglers (maybe with another breath attack).
On top of that, the situational damage resistances apply the other way, making rarer damage types even better for Gem Dragonborn Fighters in D&D 5e.
As if that weren’t enough, they also get temporary flight at fifth level. This will last one fight or challenging obstacle and comes with no restrictions on equipment.
This wide array of unique features cements the Gem Dragonborn as one of the best D&D 5e Fighter races.
Bugbears Provide Enemy-Melting Damage
The Bugbear Fighter is a simple combination as far as D&D 5e races and classes go. Bugbears are one of the few races to add bonus damage to every attack. Fighters make more attacks than anybody else.
Combine the two and profit.
It’s easy to be glib, but it’s very hard to overstate how good the Bugbear is as a Fighter race in D&D 5e. Surprise Attack synergizes so well with their features that it’s almost obscene.
An extra 2d6 damage against enemies who haven’t acted is already lethal. Combine that with up to four attacks, Action Surge, more feats for Bonus Action attacks, and other damage effects for maximum profit.
Long-Limbed is also an effective Fighter feature for those who use it tactically. Strike enemies with a melee weapon and retreat untouched, or take a polearm and absolutely melt foes who are 15 feet away from you.
Sneaky and Fey Ancestry provide a bit of rounding, in case already being one of the wasn’t quite enough.
Goliaths Can Trivialise Damage
Goliaths in D&D 5e tend to be physically hardy and resilient. Fighters, particularly frontline ones, benefit from being resilient and physically hardy. It’s a match made in heaven.
Free Athletics proficiency is basically any skill you want, given how few Fighters don’t take it. But Little Giant is far from the main attraction.
Few race features in D&D 5e reduce as much damage over the course of an adventuring day as Stone’s Endurance. Fighters can even boost their Constitution higher than most other classes to benefit more from it.
Between high Armour Class, high hit points, self-healing or buffing features like Second Wind and Fighting Spirit, and Stone’s Endurance, a D&D 5e Goliath Fighter build can laugh in the face of almost any damage they experience.
Resistance to Cold damage doesn’t hurt either.
Stone’s Endurance is the main feature a Goliath brings to the table, but it’s more than enough in its own right. With that alone, the Goliath becomes one of the best races for D&D 5e Fighters.
Shadar-Kai Ignore Obstacles and Damage in Equal Measure
Fighters are one of the many D&D 5e classes cruelly denied Misty Step, a top-tier teleportation spell with immense utility either in or out of combat.
The Shadar-Kai remedies this by giving them a better version of Misty Step that doesn’t require any spell slots.
Blessing of the Raven Queen teleport to any spot they can see within 30 feet as a bonus action. Is an enemy behind an obstacle, on the high ground, over a chasm, or otherwise hard to reach? Suddenly, now they’re not.
Similarly, a Fighter in over their head can vanish and retreat to safety.
It gets even better. For most of the game. Blessing of the Raven Queen gives resistance to all damage for a turn. This is above and beyond many class features, let alone those from races.
Your Shadar-Kai Fighter can appear in the nick of time, shrug off a rain of blows, and save a teammate from almost any threat.
Trance is less helpful for Fighters, given they’re already proficient in all weapons and have limited use for tools. Nonetheless, it only providing a slight buff over a top-tier one isn’t enough to stop the Shadar-Kai from being one of the best D&D 5e Fighter races
These have been a whole ten races that make one of my favourite D&D 5e classes, the Fighter, even better. These are far from the only options, however. As always, I appreciate any feedback, shares, or comments about this article. Please do read some more Artificial Twenty content. Thank you!
For more character-building tips in D&D 5e, check out ‘‘.
If your party already has a fighter, check out ‘‘ to help make them even more lethal.
