Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - Help Tips & Tricks Elite Build for Warrior Please?

There are extremely few weapons that use finesse and a ton that use strength and yet only one class that uses strength, the warrior, and no builds for it. If someone doesn't mind, could someone please come up with a good build for the warrior? Hopefully one that doesn't include using Lae'zel. I don't like having to use evil based characters when three out of 5 characters are basically good, especially the cleric which has good tendencies and hates the warrior with a passion. I would like to create a custom warrior but in some circumstances like the gith patrol I keep getting my tuckas handed to me. I mean putting level 4 characters up against level 10 characters which get two attacks a round plus a red dragon... come on. That's a bit much. Anyhow, I haven't even barely made it into the underdark because of beasts like the Bullete except for one time when I got the Sussar Bark but that's as far as I got. I would really like to get farther but I feel that having a good fighter would really help a lot. Thanks.

Battlemaster's Menacing Strike is incredibly OP in Larian's implementation. If successful, the enemy loses their entire turn AND provokes opportunity attacks while running away. So take that subclass and that maneuver, using it every turn until you run out of superiority dice.

Do you want a STR-only warrior or do you just want a good warrior build? The former is difficult because Larian hasn't added many heavy armors to EA, so you'll be stuck with medium armor (steal Lae'zel's Githyanki Half Plate) or subpar heavy armor. So you'd still want some Dex - a score of 12 or 14 - in order to have high AC. A Dex warrior might be better because you can put all your points in Dex and Con instead of splitting between Str+Dex+Con.

If you want a STR-warrior, pick the Great Weapon Master Feat at level 4 for a possible +10 to damage (at a -5 to hit) with Heavy Weapons and use spells/abilities to get advantage (or bonuses - high ground/bless) on your attacks. For this playstyle, you'll want the Defense fighting style. Alternatively, just increase your Str by 2 at level 4 and use a shield+longsword, in which case you can pick the Dueling or Defense fighting styles.

If you're fine with a DEX-warrior, then use a shield+rapier or possibly dual wield light finesse weapons (scimitars or short swords). Again, take the Dueling or Defense fighting styles.

* I'm not sure if Larian coded the "Dueling" fighting style to work with a shield. It should work, but I'm not 100% sure if it does.

Start with a Shield Dwarf for +2 to both ST and CON and distrbute ST16, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 10, Wis 12, Cha 8.

For a good Armour Class (AC) take Laz' armour and use a shield (AC 19 or AC 21 if using Absolutes Warboard spell, that you can get later in the game)

For fight style take dueling for +2 to damage when using long sword/warhammer and shield

For your Feat either +2 to ST or take the mobile feat to overcome the Dwarfs reduce Speed.

Specialize in Battle master (4 uses per short rest at level 4), I find Mence, Push and what you want for the last one.

Back ground Criminal is good for stealth or Solder for talents that play into your strengths.

You can find a nice Blue Warhammer [Faith Breaker] +1 plus spell - giving you a plus 6/7 to hit - Normal damage is 1D8 plus 1 weapon + 2 Dueling + 3 Strength (1D8 +6) if using the warrhammers spell add another +2 Average (12.5) also using Battle master abilities add another 1D8 for average of (17) all adds reset on short rest. [Add +1 if you took +2 to ST at level 4]

Other magic items like Gloves of power, Crushers Ring [+3M to movement], Longbow +1, Ring of Poision Resistance ect are all good

* I'm not sure if Larian coded the "Dueling" fighting style to work with a shield. It should work, but I'm not 100% sure if it does.

Yes Dueling style work now, did not at start

Thanks for the advice. I was hoping for a two handed strength warrior for using weapons such as the 2d6+1d4fire sword you can get from the cambion on board the beginning ship if you kill the cambion fighting the mindflayer and loot him... it doesn't give any bonus to attack but it's damage is great and from what I have found it burns. Plus there is always the two handed Tyr's paladin sword too with the shield spell on it. I don't mind using the gith's armor but I like the idea of using the bigger weapons. The problem I seem to be running into is that I have found very few items cater to strength... almost everything caters to DEX. Don't get me wrong... when I played table top back in the day, I was the Ranger/Cleric or Ranger/Druid and always a two weapon style with bow and yes this was before Drizzt existed. I find them to be very deadly. I would just like to try something different. To be honest, I would love to try the evil route in the game just to use Laezel and Astarion because they both seem flat out deadly BUT Shadowheart has too many tendencies to Hate Laezel and also be good hearted if you look at her approval/disapproval guides and the other two characters are pretty much pure good so if I create just a single character to use with those two I am at least one character down unless I use shadowheart which will be a pain the entire way. Which is my primary reason for wanting to create a strength based fighter... to replace Lae'zel... a fighter that my cleric doesn't hate with a passion. What game designer thought up *that* idea? Have the cleric hate the tank? At this point, your pretty much stuck creating a DEX based fighter and had 'bout as well create a Ranger with Two Weapon Fighting style since you are stuck with DEX anyhow. I hate to say that but that's the way it comes across. I Love the superior die idea. That flat out rocks. I Love the Lae'zel character. I just wish she was usable with Astarion and TWO other characters. I can create another Cleric even but they wouldn't get along with Gale or Wyl. Astarion and Lae'zel both side with the bad guys and Wyl will leave if you help the Goblins. Not sure about Gale.

Yes, there are so many interesting Strength based weapons in the game, but only the Fighter class now to really use their full potential. Looking forward to Paladin (and Barbarian) class being introduced. I have had a lot of fun with a Strength Ranger.