Fighters are excellent in warfare because they can beat their adversaries, direct the course of the conflict, and survive such sorties. Few can equal fighters for pure fighting prowess, despite the broad range of strategies they may employ thanks to their unique tools and techniques.
In the 5th edition of D&D, fighters share an unmatched mastery of armor and weaponry as well as a profound understanding of battle techniques. They are familiar with death; they deal it out and they stare it down boldly.
Thanks to its numerous subclasses, it works well as an introductory class for new players and offers a high degree of versatility, however, it gets to a point when their travels bring them into contact with more sinister foes, rendering their nonmagical equipment useless.
Once this happens, it becomes time to upgrade and to help you separate the straw from the hay, we’ve compiled a list of the best items for fighters in 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons!
20. Belt of Giant Strength
Aren’t you tired of being limited to a score of 20 Strength? Don’t you want to be buffer than a bear? You can make your dreams come true with a Belt of Giant Strength!
Simply put, this item changes your strength score to a score granted by the belt, the rare it is, the higher it gets.
At this tier, you could get a Stone/Frost Giant belt for a score of 23, or you can embark on a perilous quest to grab a Fire Giant belt for a whopping score of 25!
Why the Belt of Giant Strength is Great for the Fighter:
- Thanks to the 5th edition’s bound accuracy, every number counts. An extra +1 to hit and damage can spell the difference between victory and defeat.
- Normally, you can’t increase a score beyond 20, this is one of the only ways available to push your Strength to the utmost limit and become a pinnacle of power.
Belt of Giant Strength full details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:belt-of-giant-strength
19. Brooch of Shielding
The Brooch of Shielding bestows resistance to the damage type and gives immunity to Magic Missiles, one of the most prevalent forms of force damage.
While it's not always a given, parties who are aware they will be fighting a spellcaster adversary with Magic Missile would be advised to give the fighter a Brooch of Shielding to assure that the fighter will be able to take blows no matter what.
Why the Brooch of Shielding is Great for the Fighter:
- Obtain resistance to the least resisted damage type.
- complete resistance to one of D&D's few instant-hit spells.
Brooch of Shielding details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Brooch%20of%20Shielding#content
18. Moon-Touched Sword
You will likely be outclassed by your foes and creatures in the dark at low levels. You won't be able to differentiate friend from foe even with darkvision.
A moon-touched sword is a common, magical weapon that doesn’t require attunement. You could pick one up relatively early to help you fight the good fight!
Why the Moon-Touched Sword is Great for the Fighter:
- The sword sheds bright light, helping you differentiate colors, foes, and allies in the dark.
- Since it’s a magical weapon, you will bypass damage resistance, and immunity, to nonmagical slashing damage with something as simple as a common magic item!
- Unlike most wondrous items, it does not require attunement.
Moon-touched sword details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:moon-touched-sword
17. Ring of Evasion
Area-of-effect strikes from several creatures require players to succeed on a Dexterity saving throw.
Even outside of combat, several traps and other situations not related to dungeon crawling may call for Dexterity saving throws. While certain combatants will be more agile than others, a Ring of Evasion would help every warrior.
Why the Ring of Evasion is Great for the Fighter:
- Makes up for a fighter’s lack of proficiency in the game’s most common saving throw.
- Doesn’t punish you for going strength-based.
Ring of Evasion details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Ring%20of%20Evasion#content
16. Boots of Speed
With benefits comparable to a feat, these boots let you use a bonus action to double your walking speed and grant disadvantage on opportunity attacks against you!
This is perfect for getting out of hairy situations, nabbing the Macguffin in the nick of time, and beating your allies in a race.
Why the Boots of Speed are Great for the Fighter:
- Most characters are stuck with 30 feet walking speed, this means that, by doubling it, you can outrun most foes.
- Attacks of opportunity can be lethal, and sometimes you just can’t waste your action of disengaging.
Boots of Speed full details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:boots-of-speed
15. Dwarven Thrower
If Mjolnir is your favorite weapon, then this is the right hammer for you.
With an amazing +3 to Attack and damage rolls, this hammer has the thrown property and, immediately after the attack, it flies back to your hand while dealing extra damage!
Why the Dwarven Thrower is Great for the Fighter:
- Thrown weapons can use your Strength for attack and damage. With this bad boy, you can give your Barbarian or Strength based fighter an amazing ranged option.
Dwarven Thrower full details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Dwarven%20Thrower#content
14. Horn of Valhalla
A powerful, double-edged item that can make for some pretty epic moments.
Four kinds exist, each with requirements to use, but if you meet them, you can summon a host of phantasmal berserkers from Ysgard to fight by your side!
Why the Horn of Valhalla is Great for the Fighter:
- With reckless attack, 67 Hit Points, and a +5 to Hit, Berserkers are a threat to any creature when summoned in numbers.
- A portable army of roided-out spirits can open a world of possibilities.
Horn of Valhalla full details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:horn-of-valhalla
13. Manual of Bodily Health
Remember earlier how we talked about pushing your ability scores beyond the boundaries of 20?
The manual of bodily health increases your Constitution score as well as your maximum after reading it for 48 hours.
Why the Manual of Bodily Health is Great for the Fighter:
- It increases your Constitution by 2 and your maximum for it as well, granting you more Hit Points and the equivalent of an ability score increase.
- After 100 years it can be used again, if your character is a long-lived race or can’t age, it can, in theory, continue to increase its Constitution every century.
Manual of Bodily Health full details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:manual-of-bodily-health
12. Ring of Regeneration
Did somebody say portable 7th-level spell? Seriously, this ring is amazing.
Every 10 minutes you recover 1d6 Hit Points and you can regrow missing body parts!
The weakest ability that does something similar is a 7th-level spell, and this effect is always active.
Why the Ring of Regeneration is Great for the Fighter:
- You can save up on healing spells by letting the ring do its magic.
- You can take bigger risks knowing your limbs can be safely regrown.
Ring of Regeneration full details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:ring-of-regeneration
11. Manual of Gainful Exercise
Welcome to arcane calisthenics, for after reading this tome for 48 hours, your Strength score increases by 2, as does your maximum for that score.
This equals an Ability Score Increase, a boon you get only once every four levels (unless you are a fighter).
Why the Manual of Gainful Exercise is Great for the Fighter:
- From your carrying capacity to attack and damage, Strength is a pivotal ability for many builds. By breaking past the limit you can rival even greater foes.
Manual of Gainful Exercise full details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:manual-of-gainful-exercise
10. Scimitar of Speed
Whistling through the air with deadly sharpness, this curved sword strikes with supernatural speed.
This +2 Scimitar is made deadlier by the fact that you can make one attack with it as a bonus action, perfect for a sword and board build.
Why the Scimitar of Speed is Great for the Fighter:
- Since you can attack a bonus action with this weapon, you could easily cast a spell and cut down a foe in a single round!
- Since this is a +2 magical weapon, this trusty Scimitar will always be a good choice.
Scimitar of Speed Details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Scimitar%20of%20Speed#content
9. Sentinel Shield
With an eldritch eye emblazoned on it, this shield protects their wielder in ways no other can, by heightening their senses so no blow comes undetected!
The reason for the Sentinel Shield’s awesome potential is that, while wielding it, you get advantage on all initiative checks, which is incredibly handy, and you have advantage on all Wisdom checks that involve perception, benefits so great that they are comparable to a feat, or even better.
Why the Sentinel Shield is great for the Fighter:
- Tired of rolling low on the initiative? We got you covered. This bad boy grants your Fighter advantage on all initiative checks, giving you a second chance to strike fast in combat.
- Unlike most wondrous items, the Sentinel Shield does not take up an attunement slot, that’s right, you can benefit from this powerful magical item without it affecting your ability to equip another.
Sentinel Shield details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:sentinel-shield
8. Winged Boots.
Wounded, the dragon took to the skies, a red gemstone against the blazing sunlight, there was no way the knight could slay it then, no sword could reach it…those were its last thoughts before the knight’s boots sprouted wings, propelling the holy warrior towards the wurm’s neck, severing its head.
Tired of seeing your enemies fly away? Winged boots are the solution to your problem. These bad boys grant your Fighter a flying speed equal to your walking speed for 4 hours, much longer than any combat normally lasts, and longer than the fly spell does.
Why Winged Boots are great for the Fighter:
- The Fighter’s ability kit is geared towards a melee fighting style, which means that, once your foe is out of reach, it is extremely difficult to pursue. These boots solve that issue, by having a flying speed, you no longer need to rely on ranged combat to deal with these foes.
- A lack of mobility is our Fighter’s main weakness more often than not, even outside of combat encounters. The ability to fly allows us to circumvent extremely dangerous situations, and not only that, doing so for 4 hours straight lets us traverse severely long distances with relative ease.
Winged Boots details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Winged%20Boots#content
7. Defender
Taking the saying “the best offense is a good defense” to a whole new level, this powerful blade, which can be any sword, allows their wielder to sacrifice some of their damage in exchange for a better Armor Class (AC).
This +3 legendary blade lets your Fighter transfer some or all of the sword’s bonus to your AC instead of using it on an attack, and guess what? It stacks with the AC bonus from wielding a shield, and even the shield of faith spell, raising your AC through the roof.
Why the Defender is great for the Fighter:
- Since it’s a flat bonus, the Defender stacks with both a shield, which gives a +2 to AC, and the shield of faith spell, which grants another +2 to AC. This means that, if you wanted to focus on defense, you could give yourself a +7 bonus to Armor Class and become an impregnable fortress of holy wrath.
- Since the defender can be any sword, you don’t have to worry about its shape or form, a sensible Dungeon Master will make sure to make the holy blade from the prophecy one you, conveniently, feel comfortable using.
Defender details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Defender#content
6. Animated Shield
After cleaving a fiend in half, the avatar of the All-Father stands their ground, wielding their flaming greatsword with ease, one might think their back an easy target, so tantalizingly open…until a flying shield stops the assassins blow from an impossible angle, letting them gulp one last time before their head says goodbye to their neck.
Are you a fan of grabbing the biggest, meanest weapon around and crushing your foes with it, but, do you like seeing your Armor Class (AC) be so high your DM has to open the fun part of the Monster Manual to challenge you? Then an Animated Shield is right up your alley!
Why the Animated Shield is great for the Fighter:
- An animated shield is essentially a hands-free +2 bonus to AC, which means your Fighter can wield the holiest two-handed weapon it can find to cleave its foes and more!
Animated Shield details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Animated%20Shield#content
5. Cloak of Displacement
While you wear this cloak, all creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against you, but if you take damage, the property ceases to function until the start of your next turn. Since Fighters are proficient with heavy armor and shields, as well as gain access to defensive spells, this makes you incredibly hard to hit!
Since it gives disadvantage to all attacks, this includes spells, meaning that you’ll incredibly lower the chances any attack will even scratch you.
Why the Cloak of Displacement is great for the Fighter:
- This cloak essentially gives your Fighter the benefits of the blur spell, except it does not require concentration and lasts virtually forever!
- As a Fighter, you’ll have about 16 to 18 Armor Class (AC) or higher, depending on your armor choice. Mathematically, disadvantage on attacks against you is roughly equivalent to a whopping +3 bonus to AC, making you incredibly hard to hit.
Cloak of Displacement details: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/cloak-of-displacement
4. Spellguard Shield
Evil warlocks, terrifying liches, and mad wizards are a common threat in any Dungeons & Dragons campaign, so making sure you can shrug off their magic is a priority if you wish to survive.
A Spellguard Shield has you covered. While wielding one, you have advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects, but wait, there’s more! Spell attacks also have disadvantage against you.
Why the Spellguard Shield is great for the Fighter:
- Spellcasters, especially high-level ones, have access to magic which can render even the bravest adventurer useless. Permanent advantage when saving against them, coupled with the Fighter’s aura of protection gives you a good chance to succeed reliably.
Spellguard Shield details: https://roll20.net/compendium/dnd5e/Spellguard%20Shield#content
3. Adamantine Armor
Any medium or heavy armor can be fashioned out of adamantine, a rare metal famed for its hardness and endurance.
Armors made out of adamantine are often sought and sold at insane prices, for the protection they offer is just too good.
If you, our brave champion, wear a heavy mail of adamantine, any critical hit against you becomes a normal hit!
Why Adamantine Armor is Great for the Fighter:
- When a creature scores a critical hit against you, all of its damage dice are doubled, potentially killing you on the spot. Now, even if you get hit, you can essentially guarantee that all damage taken will be normal.
- Adamantine is one of the hardest substances in existence, meaning it can’t be easily destroyed or tarnished. This armor is made to last.
Adamantine Armor details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:adamantine-armor
2. Armor of Invulnerability
This set of plate armor was forged by a clan of dwarves, wrought from the finest alloys, the Armor of Invulnerability makes its wearer resistant to all forms of non-magical damage, that’s right, even lightning and flame as long as it's natural.
As if it weren’t enough, our Fighter can make themselves immune to non-magical damage for 10 minutes, and, since most enemies in 5th edition don’t have the means to deal magical damage, this turns you into an undying crusader!
Why the Armor of Invulnerability is great for the Fighter:
- Since it makes you resistant to all non-magical damage, this means you now have effectively twice as many Hit Points against mundane damage, letting you outlive your enemies.
- Since the Armor of Invulnerability is a set of plate and Fighters are proficient with heavy armor, this means you’ll have an AC of at least 18.
Armor of Invulnerability details: https://www.dndbeyond.com/magic-items/armor-of-invulnerability
1. Vorpal Sword
It is a +3 weapon, the greatest bonus we can acquire in 5e, and it does damage regardless of any resistance. That in itself would be sufficient justification to pick up this rascal.
Thankfully, there are a lot more. Or, to put it another big thing.
If you roll a 20, you can simply chop off a creature's head. The beast you're battling will usually die right away if you do this. That is really potent.
Why the Vorpal Sword is Great for the Fighter:
- You get a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls with this sword, increasing your odds at killing the enemy fast.
- Since the fighter gets the most attacks in a round, paired up with action surge, your chances at rolling a natural 20 are the highest out of any class in the game.
Vorpal Sword details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/wondrous-items:vorpal-sword
You May Also Like:
[Top 100] Good D&D Cleric Names You Can Use
[Top 100] Good D&D Fighter Names You Can Use
[Top 100] Good D&D Elf Names You Can Use
[Top 15] D&D Best Puzzles To Make Your Campaign Fun
D&D Best Ranger Subclass (All Ranger Subclasses From Weakest To Strongest)
