Best Feats for Arcane Trickster 5e

by Prince Phantom

The Arcane Trickster is probably the best Rogue subclass on account of its spellcasting alone. It’s really amazing what just a pinch of magic can do for a martial class. The actual features of the subclass aren’t much to build around (though the upgraded Mage Hand is so good that I wish that was just how Mage Hand worked for everyone) so when looking for feats we are mostly trying to expand our casting abilities and take feats that are good for Rogues in general.

I’ll be writing this assuming that you are playing a ranged Rogue, as that is optimal. If you do decide to go melee, first off, good luck, second, take Booming Blade and have fun while you are still alive.

Best Feats for Arcane Trickster 5e

Sharpshooter/Crossbow Expert (ASAP): Dread it, run from it, these feats still arrive all the same. Yes, you can play a Rogue without these feats, and no, you will not deal acceptable damage in any capacity. I understand if you’re tired of this combo being a basic requirement for every weapon user in 5e, and I agree with you. But, I don’t make the math, I just tell you what it says. Crossbow Expert is especially necessary for Rogues because it gives us another chance to land our sneak attack, and not landing sneak attack on a turn is a really bad feeling.
Fey Touched/Shadow Touched (Lv 8): These feats are pretty equal for a Rogue, but I rate Fey slightly higher because our subclass makes getting Invisibility and illusion spells very easy, even though those are probably more relevant spells for a Rogue than the one’s Fey gives. Having another person in the party with Silvery Barbs is also a huge boon, and Misty Step will get us out of situations that a bonus action dash cannot (like grapples).
Fighting Initiate (Lv 8): We’re here for the Archery style, as it greatly compensates for Sharpshooter’s accuracy penalty and makes our damage most consistent overall. A single level dip in Fighter can also provide this, as can two in Ranger, and neither are bad multiclasses.
Magic Initiate (Lv 10): We probably either chose Find Familiar or Shield as our restriction free pick at level 3, and this can give us the other option plus some more utility cantrips. I must mention that a single or even few level dip into Wizard is absolutely amazing for this Rogue, expanding our spellcasting abilities massively and giving us access to rituals. I’d take a Wizard level before I’d take this feat.
Gift of the Gem Dragon (Lv 10): Take this if you either find that you’re running out of slots for Shield, or you didn’t pick the spell up in the first place. Gift of the Metallic Dragon is also worth considering, but creatures have so many attacks at this level that negating one or two just isn’t that impactful. Gem’s ability to potentially negate multiple attacks is worth much more, just beware that super beefy enemies probably aren’t failing the save. Use wisely.
Resilient (Lv 12): This is rough. Rogues get Dexterity as their good save, and while Dex saves are common, they are also the least debilitating on average. Mostly you’re just saving to take half damage, and by this level we already take half damage anyway. We have to pick between Constitution and Wisdom, and I think the choice is campaign dependent. On average, Con will serve you better as at this point you have access to amazing control spells like Hypnotic Pattern and with our limited slots we really don’t want to lose them. If however, your DM is constantly throwing Wisdom saves at you and you find your character standing around doing nothing (or worse, fighting your friends), take it for Wisdom saves. I really pray you are not in the latter campaign. That sounds awful.
Telepathic (Lv 16): This is more of a thematic pick, though telepathic communication is very handy in stealth scenarios. Detect Thoughts is a favorite spell of mine thanks to the myriad of potential ways it can be used, from checking a room for hidden enemies to determining if that shopkeeper is lying about how much that magic item is worth (or if it’s even magic at all). It’s a little DM dependent, but if your’s is willing to run with it and have some fun, I’d give this a shot.
Tough (Lv 16): Ah Tough, always a good standby when no more feats offer much synergy and you just want your character to be mathematically better than they were last level.

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