Best Feats for Battlerager Barbarian 5e
by Prince Phantom
The flavor text for this subclass explains that the term “battlerager” in dwarvish translates literally to “axe idiot”. This is apt, as you’d have to be of that level of intelligence to think this subclass is worth even your attention. Ignoring the dwarf only restriction (because that’s what every table does), you have to wear sub-par armor for your abilities to even function, and the spike damage we deal is pitiful at all levels.
The only good feature we get is at 6th level, that being a sustainable source of temporary HP in combat. Following the standard optimization process for Barbarian feats doesn’t even work for us, as our spike armor bonus action attack competes with Polearm Master and makes taking that feat feel worse. However…
Best Feats for Battlerager Barbarian 5e
Polearm Master/Great Weapon Master (ASAP): So you may have noticed that both Polearm Master and our Spike Armor allow us to make a d4 bonus action attack, so why do we even care about taking the feat? Well, it’s pretty simple. Great Weapon Master applies to the Polearm attack, not the spiked armor attack. The other benefits from Polearm Master are also nice. The only difference for us is that we will take Great Weapon Master first if we get a feat at level 1, unlike most Barbarians who are better off taking Polearm Master at 1.
Sentinel (Lv 8): The combo with this and Polearm Master is very well known, and while it isn’t as strong as the community seems to think, it’s still good. Our large amount of sustainable temporary HP means we are well equipped to tank for our party, so keeping enemies close to us is preferred. With this plus Polearm Master, we are also very likely to get an opportunity attack almost every turn, greatly increasing our DPR.
Resilient Wisdom (Lv 12): Axe idiot that we are, we are very susceptible to Wisdom saves. Fix that, for your sake and for everyone else’s. A big ball of spiky death is best pointed at the enemy, not your friends. Wisdom saves get very common at higher levels, so do not neglect this.
Magic Initiate (Lv 16): Ok, so at this point you can pretty much take whatever you want. Nothing has amazing synergy with our abilities, so if you want something that’s just generically good, take something like Crusher or Slasher. If you want to get weird however, take Magic Initiate, but not for the spell you’re expecting. We’re here for Enlarge/Reduce, specifically the enlarge, and specifically for casting it on ourselves. Yes, we cannot rage while concentrating on this spell. It’s definitely better if someone else casts it on us instead. However, if we do it ourselves, we gain a few things. A slight damage bump that does about as much as our extra rage damage, advantage on strength checks (like grapples), and the ability to grapple up to huge creatures. This makes Enlarge something we break out when grappling an enemy has major benefits, and we’re actually way better than most at dragging since we can dash as a bonus action and we have better movement speed naturally just by being a Barbarian. Work with your spellcasting teammates to have them set up area of effect spells, your job is to keep enemies inside those areas. Teamwork in general is underrated in this game, use it more.
Thank you for visiting!
If you’d like to support this ongoing project, you can do so by buying my books, getting some sweet C&C merch, or joining my Patreon.
The text on this page is Open Game Content, and is licensed for public use under the terms of the Open Game License v1.0a.
‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and are used according to the terms of the d20 System License version 6.0.
A copy of this License can be found at www.wizards.com/d20.
