Best Feats for Eldritch Knight 5e
by Prince Phantom
Combining martial prowess with a pinch of spellcasting, Eldritch Knights are one of the best Fighter subclasses around. The actual features of the subclass are pretty lacking in comparison to the major power spike that the addition of spellcasting brings to a martial class.
For this reason, feat selection can be tough. Do we improve our martial or casting abilities? Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves, we are not full or even half casters. The majority of the time we will be making weapon attacks during combat, sprinkling in a spell or two when applicable. Because of this, our feat selection will look like most fighters, with a few very notable exceptions.
Best Feats for Eldritch Knight 5e
Sharpshooter/Crossbow Expert (ASAP): As stated, we are making weapon attacks, so we need to prioritize them first to have a meaningful effect on combat. Due to the nature of spellcasting in D&D, being a ranged Fighter is definitely more optimal than a melee one for us. Being at range protects our concentration, gives us better ability to aim certain spells, makes us able to pick our targets more strategically, and means we are useful in a fight with enemies more than 30ft away at the start of combat. If you insist on melee, take Polearm Master and Great Weapon Master instead. Additionally, Crossbow Expert and Polearm Master both add more average damage than the power attack feats at early levels, so if you get a feat at level 1, take them first.
Fey Touched (Lv 6): Misty Step would require one of our very limited free spell selections, as we can normally only get abjuration and evocation spells. We also couldn’t get 2nd level spells until level 7, so this feat is helping us in a ton of ways. As for the second spell, the schools we select from are also ones we don’t normally get access to, so pick your favorite. Bless is a great choice if you don’t have a good concentration spell yet and will add a lot of damage with a party who makes a lot of attacks. More spells is just good, and the flexibility of being able to cast them with our slots means we gain a ton of versatility with this choice.
Resilient (Lv 6): We already have proficiency in Constitution saves, so we should take this for Wisdom. This subclass is asking us for Strength/Dexterity, Constitution, and Intelligence (though you can work around this by picking spells that don’t call for saves or attacks). Wisdom is going to be very tough for us to get a good score in, and Wisdom saves are some of the most debilitating in the game. Failing a Wisdom save typically means you are out of the fight for the entire combat, potentially even turning against your own party. We love to optimize, but when your own optimization is turned against your party, you will realize how you’ve been making your DM feel all game.
Shadow Touched (Lv 6): This ranks highly for the same reasons as Fey Touched, but lower because the spells it grants are generally worse. Invisibility is less broadly applicable than Misty Step, but still an exceptional spell. The choices for 1st level necromancy and illusion spells is much worse however. False Life isn’t awful if you have no other sources of temporary hit points in your party, but I would spring for Silent Image. A creative player can do so much with this spell, from creating full cover to tricking a guard. An option like this really helps your Fighter stand out in exploration and social interactions, and this feat is perfect if you want to go for more of a rogue feel for your Fighter.
Magic Initiate (Lv 8): Further increasing our magical repertoire, Magic Initiate adds two cantrips and a first level spell. If you choose not to take Find Familiar as your unrestricted first level spell choice, this will provide it for you. Even if you already have a familiar, this feat could still be worth it. We are cantrip starved, and a good selection of utility cantrips can really give you some extra options in all phases of play. As for 1st level spells besides Find Familiar, here are some of my favorites. Healing Word is great for emergencies, Disguise Self is fun for shenanigans, Fog Cloud turns off all advantage or disadvantage for the majority of creatures and turns off the majority of spellcasting, Silvery Barbs can be great support for full casters in the party, and Goodberry provides a flat 10hp every day that can be used by our familiar to bring up downed allies.
Lucky (Lv 10): Lucky is generally good for everyone, and we are no different. The main problem with Lucky is that while it is good, it synergizes with practically nothing and only ever adds a slight amount of consistency to any build. This makes it hard to find a place for Lucky on most builds, as most characters can only select 3-4 feats assuming they make it to level 20 (and most don’t). Fighters remedy this by giving us more feat selections, so we can definitely fit Lucky on as a filler feat of sorts. Be picky about how you use your luck points, they are best used to reroll saving throws or attacks that you are certain will kill what you are fighting.
Piercer (Lv 10): Take this as a stand in for all 3 of the damage type feats (Slasher and Crusher are the other two). Piercer is what you’ll take if you are a ranged Fighter, and it adds about 1 damage per round. This is a good choice if you need to round out your attacking stat. As for the other two, I would take Crusher over Slasher. The 5ft push synergizes nicely with Booming Blade.
Telekinetic (Lv 10): Our bonus action is frequently called for by either Crossbow Expert or Polearm Master, but if you either didn’t choose one of those or see a good opportunity for it, Telekinetic can be a great toolbox-like addition to our combat skillset. The 5ft push on enemies isn’t that impactful most of the time, so instead look for ways to push our allies out of bad situations. The wizard grappled by that orc that you know you can't down with another attack? Push the wizard out of the orc’s reach, and the grapple immediately ends, no chance of failure. Mage Hand is also a great cantrip, and gaining it or upgrading it are both worthwhile options.
War Caster (Lv 12): If you insisted on being a melee Fighter, take this all the way back at level 6. You need this to protect your concentration and make opportunity attacks with Booming Blade. For the rest of us, we can afford to let our proficiency in Con saves carry us to this point. However, enemies are starting to hit really hard now, and advantage on those saves will help us keep our spells up. Keep in mind that us dropping concentration is much worse than a wizard doing the same. There is a very good possibility that we do not have the slot available to recast that spell.
Metamagic Adept (Lv 14): Okay, this one is just plain fun. Take Quicken Spell and use it to set up a control spell like Web before making our three attacks. This is a great opener to our biggest combat of the day, but I would not take this until I had maxed out the stats I care about. Thankfully, Fighter gives us plenty of opportunities to do just that.
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