BG3 Champion Fighter Build Guide – Maximum Power!

Welcome to the best Champion Build for Baldur’s Gate 3. For this build we will be using the Champion subclass of the Fighter class, which focuses on dealing as much melee damage as possible, at the expense of the special abilities or spells of the other Fighter subclasses, namely Battle Master and Eldritch Knight. The Champion Build works for both PC and Console (PS5 and Xbox Series X/S).

Please visit our Best BG3 Builds overview page for more builds or check out our Best BG3 Fighter Build with the Battle Master subclass. To get an overview of all classes please visit the BG3 Classes overview page.

The Fighter is able to choose a Fighting Style and prioritize it, gaining an edge when wielding a certain type of weapon. For this build, we’ll be using Great Weapons (two-handed melee weapons).

Table of Contents:

• Champion Character Creation (Level 1)
• Level Progression Guide
• Equipment
  • Early-Game
  • Late-Game
• Potions

Champion Build Character Creation (Level 1) for BG3

In this section, we will go over the basic Character Creation options for your BG3 Champion build, namely Background, Race, Skills and Abilities.

Background

The best Backgrounds to choose for the Champion are either Outlander or Soldier, as these both give Proficiency in Athletics, the only Strength-based skill available through the Background selection.

However the Background isn’t hugely important – it has little direct impact on combat situations, so if you want to choose something else then it won’t ruin the build.

Race

While in Early Access your race choice was a very important component of your build, this is no longer the case. This is because your race now has no bearing on your Ability scores, which are the most important factor at play. This gives players more freedom to choose any race and class combination that they wish, without having to worry about being pigeonholed into a “meta” race for their class.

The best race for the Champion subclass is the Half-Orc. This is because Half-Orc rolls three damage dice when they crit, instead of the normal two. This synergises perfectly with the Champion’s improved Critical chance. Ordinarily, you need to roll a perfect 2o on an Attack Roll in order to land a critical hit, however the champion rolls a Critical on either a 19 or a 20, effectively doubling their Critical chance before any other bonuses are applied.

If you want to use another race (or use this build for Lae’zel) then it will still work well – Half-Orc is the perfect option but the build remains viable for other races too.

Skills

For Skills, you should already have Proficiency in Athletics from your Background. The only other option that’s fairly important is Acrobatics, since this helps you to resist being pushed around in combat. For the second option you can choose whatever you want.

Abilities

It’s important for the efficacy of the Champion Build that you have Strength and Constitution as high as possible at Level 1.

These are the only two skills that are vital for this build. In many of our other builds we recommend putting a few points in Dexterity for your Armour Class, however this is not needed here since we’re going to be using Heavy Armour.

Distribute your Ability points to look something like this:

• 17 Strength
• 12 Dexterity
• 16 Constitution
• 9 Intelligence
• 10 Wisdom
• 10 Charisma

Fighting Style

For this build we’re going to concentrate on Great Weapons, so we recommend choosing the Fighting Style that matches that. Great Weapon Fighting will automatically reroll a damage die that rolls a 1 or a 2 (once per attack), which helps to ensure we don’t deal terrible damage on any of our weapon attacks.

If you want to deviate from that then you can also go with Two-Weapon Fighting, which adds your Ability Modifier to the damage of offhand attacks. The build will still work fine if you follow everything else.

Levelling Progression for the Champion Build

In this section, we will walk you through every level up for your Champion build in BG3, from levels 2 to 12. Where needed we will advise the best choices to pick when leveling up.

The Champion is one of the most linear classes in BG3 when it comes to the choices you can make when levelling up, so this section will be a bit more sparse than it is on some of our other builds.

Level 2

At Level 2, you can make use of Action Surge. This grants you an extra Action on your current turn, and it can be used once per Short Rest.

Level 3

At Level 3 it’s time to select your subclass. For this build we are using the Champion subclass.

The Champion immediately gains Improved Critical Hit, reducing the Attack Roll required for a Crit by 1. At this stage of the game, this reduces it from 20 to 19, effectively doubling your crit chance.

Level 4

At Level 4 you need to choose a Feat for your Champion.

We recommend choosing Ability Improvement and increasing your Strength to 19. This will improve your Attack Rolls and damage output with melee weapons, helping to boost your overall damage.

Level 5

At Level 5, you will gain an extra attack. This means that every Action will now grant you two weapon attacks, instead of the usual one. Bonus Actions and Reactions are unaffected by this change.

This is very powerful and hugely increases your damage potential per turn.

Level 6

At Level 6 you can choose another Feat. The recommended option here depends on your situation:

• If your Strength is still at 19, then get the Resilient feat and use it to improve your Strength to 20.
• If you’ve already improved your Strength to 20 or above by another method, then get the Savage Attacker Feat. This causes you to roll all of your melee damage dice twice and use the highest result, improving your damage output.

Level 7

At Level 7, the Champion gains a couple of fairly minor passive features:

• Remarkable Athlete: Jump – Increases your Jump range by 3 metres.
• Remarkable Athlete: Proficiency – Add half of your Proficiency Bonus to any checks that you are not Proficient with. This improves your chances of succeeding a wide range of skill checks.

Level 8

At Level 8, you can choose another Feat for the Champion.

If you didn’t already get Savage Attacker, then choose it here.

Otherwise, go with Great Weapon Master. This lets you make an additional attack as a Bonus Action whenever you land a Critical Hit or kill a creature with a Great Weapon. You can also toggle a passive feature on or off, increasing weapon damage by 10 at the cost of a -5 penalty to your Attack Rolls.

Level 9

At Level 9, you get the Indomitable passive. Once per Long Rest, this lets you automatically reroll a Saving Throw that you failed.

Level 10

At Level 10, the Champion can choose another Fighting Style. There are two options that are decent here, depending on your preferences:

• If you prefer more ranged damage potential, then choose the Archery style for a +2 bonus to Ranged Attack Rolls.
• If you would prefer better defences, then get the Defence style, which gives you +1 extra Armour Class whenever you are wearing Armour (which is probably all the time)

Level 11

At Level 11, your Extra Attack is replaced by Improved Extra Attack, which gives you three attacks per Action. At this point, your melee damage potential is getting huge.

Level 12

This is the highest level in Baldur’s Gate 3 – once you reach this point, you have finished levelling up your character.

You can choose one more Feat at Level 12. If you didn’t already get Great Weapon Master, then I recommend choosing it now. Otherwise, go with the Tough Feat, which will give you an extra 24 HP (2 HP per level).

Equipment for the Champion

In this section, we will list the best equipment for the build. We have provided both an early-game and a late-game version of the list, so you can begin using the build early in the game instead of having to wait until Act III.

We have also included information about each item below the tables, such as how to obtain the item and any other notable information.

Don’t worry if your set-up is not exactly the same as one of those outlined below – the build will still work fine if you’re missing some of the items. Also, don’t be afraid to experiment with new items if you find something else that you like.

Early Game Equipment

Early-game equipment is found in either Act I or the earlier parts of Act II.

Grymskull Helm

The Grymskull Helm prevents enemies from landing Critical Hits on you, which is a very useful defensive bonus. You also have a 50% resistance to Fire damage when wearing it. It is looted from Grym in the Adamantine Forge area of Grymforge.

Cloak of Protection

The Cloak of Protection is one of the earliest cloaks available in the game, and provides a modest defensive buff – you gain a +1 bonus to your Armour Class and Saving Throws when wearing it. It can be purchased from Quartermaster Talli in Last Light Inn.

Adamantine Splint Armour

The Adamantine Splint Armour is a very powerful armour piece that can be obtained fairly early in the game, and will probably last you until well into Act III. It reduces all incoming damage by 2, and sends your melee attackers Reeling for 2 turns, giving them a -1 penalty to Attack Rolls for every turn of Reeling remaining. This armour must be crafted at the Adamantine Forge, by finding the Splint Mould and some Mithral Ore – both can be found in the vicinity of the Adamantine Forge.

Gloves of the Growling Underdog

The Gloves of the Growling Underdog give you Advantage on your Attack Rolls when you are surrounded by 2 or more foes. Advantage means that you will roll 2 dice for your Attack Roll and use the one that rolled with the highest number, considerably improving your chances of a good roll. You also get a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws. These gloves can be looted from Dror Ragzlin’s treasure crates in the Shattered Sanctum.

Boots of Genial Striding

The Boots of Genial Striding prevent difficult terrain (such as spikes, mud and grease) from reducing your Movement Speed. However, beware that these boots will not negate any other harmful effects from a surface, such as damage from spikes or the chance to slip over when walking on ice. They can be purchased from Blurg in the Myconid Colony, in the Underdark (Act I).

Amulet of Misty Step

The Amulet of Misty Step grants you access to the Misty Step spell, which allows you to teleport to a visible location within 18 metres, for a Bonus Action. This is great for quickly closing the gap to an enemy so you can get into melee where this build is at its strongest, or for escaping from a bad situation. The Amulet is located in a chest in the Defiled Temple, near the Ogre called Polma.

Crusher’s Ring

Crusher’s Ring simply increases your Movement Speed by 3 metres per turn. This is another useful item for closing the gap to enemies quickly so that you can spend your turns dealing melee damage instead of running between targets. The ring is looted from Crusher in the Goblin Camp.

Ring of Protection

The Ring of Protection has the same effect as the Cloak of Protection – it improves your Armour Class and Saving Throws by +1. It is awarded to you by Mol for completing the quest to steal the Sacred Idol in the Druid’s Grove.

Blooded Greataxe

We recommend the Blooded Greataxe because it is a highly damaging weapon that can be obtained very early in the game. Greataxes in general are excellent DPS weapons since they come with a 1d12 die, the largest damage die in the game for weapons. The Blooded Greataxe grants your melee weapon attacks an extra 1d4 Slashing Damage whenever you are below 50% Health. In the hands of a strong melee class like the Champion, this weapon will carry you well into Act II even if you’re a complete beginner at the game.

This weapon can be purchased from either Grat the Trader in the Goblin Camp or Roah Moonglow in Shattered Sanctum. If the weapon does not appear in their wares, try Long Resting which will reshuffle the vendor items. You don’t need to spend any camp supplies on a Long Rest for this purpose.

Any Heavy Crossbow

Our ranged weapon isn’t the focus of this build – you should aim to be in melee as much as possible because this is where the Champion excels. Having said that, it still makes sense to have a decent ranged weapon as a backup for those turns when you simply cannot reach an enemy to make melee attacks. You can use any ranged weapon here, but we recommend a Heavy Crossbow since the Fighter class has Proficiency with this weapon, and it’s the best type of ranged weapon in terms of its damage potential.

Late Game Equipment

Late Game equipment can be found in the latter parts of Act II, and Act III. This is the most powerful version of the build, with access to the best items in the game.

Helm of Balduran

The strongest helmet in BG3, the Helm of Balduran prevents enemies from landing Critical Hits on you, prevents you from being Stunned, heals you for 2 HP per turn, and gives a +1 bonus to Armour Class and Saving Throws. Obtaining this item is a multi-stage process – we wrote a detailed guide on how to find it.

Cloak of Elemental Absorption

Once per Short Rest, the Cloak of Elemental Absorption will absorb elemental damage, and infuse your next attack with 1d6 of that damage type. This is a fairly minor effect, but it can still generate a nice damage boost. It can be looted from an Opulent Chest inside Ketheric Thorm’s Chambers in Moonrise Towers.

Armour of Persistence

Another powerful armour piece, the Armour of Persistence reduces all incoming damage by 2, and passively grants Resistance (1d4 bonus to all Saving Throws) and Blade Ward (50% resistance to bludgeoning, slashing and piercing damage). Note that gaining the Resistance and Blade Ward conditions from other sources will have no effect, as these buffs cannot stack with themselves.

The Armour of Persistence is purchased from Dammon in the Forge of the Nine in the Lower City, Act III.

Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength

The Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength increase your Strength to 23, and give you a +1 bonus to Strength Saving Throws. This will increase your damage and accuracy with Strength-based attacks, most notably your melee weapon. The gloves can be taken from a pedestal in the archive of the House of Hope.

Boots of Persistence

The Boots of Persistence permanently grant the wearer Freedom of Movement and Longstrider, improving your movement speed and preventing you from being slowed by difficult terrain, entangled, paralysed or magically restrained. This reduces the amount of ways that enemies can try to stun or immobilise your Champion Fighter. These boots can be purchased from Dammon in the Forge of the Nine in the Lower City, Act III.

Amulet of Greater Health

The Amulet of Greater Health sets your Constitution to 23 and gives Advantage on Constitution Saving Throws. A higher Constitution means more HP. Can be taken from a pedestal in the archive of the House of Hope.

Killer’s Sweetheart

With the Killer’s Sweetheart ring equipped, once per Long Rest, you gain a guaranteed Critical Hit on your next attack after killing an enemy. This item would be better if it could be triggered more frequently, but it’s still a useful effect. It is found inside the Self-Same Trial in the Gauntlet of Shar.

Balduran’s Giantslayer

A Legendary Greatsword, Balduran’s Giantslayer is arguably the strongest melee weapon in the game. It doubles the damage bonus from your Strength Modifier when attacking (if you have the Gauntlets of Hill Giant Strength, this improves a +6 modifier to +12). It grants you Advantage when attacking large, huge or gargantuan enemies, and once per Short Rest allows you to enlarge yourself, gaining extra damage, Temporary HP and Advantage on Strength checks.

Balduran’s Giantslayer is looted from Ansur in the Dragon’s Sanctum. To find out how to access the Dragon’s Sanctum, follow this guide on How to find the Helm of Balduran – both items are located in the same room.

Overpowered Potions for the Champion Build

In this section, we will talk about the best Potions and Elixirs for this Baldur’s Gate 3 Champion build.

Potions are consumables that generally last for a few turns and provide powerful but short-lived bonuses. You can have several Potions active at a time.

Elixirs on the other hand give your character an effect that lasts until the next Long Rest. Each character can only have one active Elixir at a time – drinking another Elixir will replace the effects of the previous one. Fully utilizing alchemy so that your characters use suitable Potions and Elixirs in tandem is a vital aspect of combat in BG3, especially if you are playing on Tactician difficulty.

Potion of Speed

The Potion of Speed is arguably the most powerful potion in Baldur’s Gate 3 – it is good on any character, but it is especially valuable on classes like the Fighter who can make multiple attacks per turn even without the potion.

The Potion of Speed doubles your Movement Speed and gives you an extra Action each turn. This means that a high-level Fighter can make 6 attacks from Actions per turn, instead of the usual 3. This is why these potions are so much more valuable on classes like the Fighter – a Cleric would only get 1 extra attack per turn out of the Potion of Speed, while we are getting 3.

One drawback of this potion is that when it expires, your character will be Lethargic for one turn, unable to move or take any Actions. So you should be careful not to have your character stranded in a dangerous position when the potion runs out!

You can craft the Potion of Speed in the alchemy menu by combining Ashes of Hyena Ear with any Salt. Create ashes, salts and other alchemy concentrates by combining three of the same ingredient together – for example, combining three Hyena Ears will create Ashes of Hyena Ear. Hyena Ears can normally be looted from either Hyenas or Gnolls – you can find a lot of them around the Risen Road in Act I, for a good supply of them which should last you a while.

Elixir of Bloodlust

The Elixir of Bloodlust combines extremely well with both the Potion of Speed and the Champion Fighter class.

When under the effects of this Elixir, killing an enemy grants you 5 Temporary HP and an extra Action on your current turn. This effect can only trigger once per turn, to prevent you from completely wiping out entire groups of enemies on turn with one character. Despite that limitation, this is still very powerful.

With both the Elixir of Bloodlust and the Potion of Speed active on a Champion who is Level 10 or above, in the best-case scenario, you can make nine attacks from Actions in a single turn – 3 attacks per Action, with an extra Action gained from the Potion of Speed and another one awarded from the Elixir of Bloodlust if you killed an enemy on the current turn. If you have a Bonus Action available that allows you to perform a special weapon attack, then you can potentially increase this to 10 attacks in a turn. And once per Short Rest you can throw in the Action Surge to increase this to 12-13 attacks in one turn.

Again, this is the best-case scenario and you won’t always be able to pull it off, but it can be done with reasonable frequency, and it helps to illustrate how important Alchemy is for this build.

You can craft the Elixir of Bloodlust by combining Ashes of Worg Fang with any Salt. Worg Fangs are looted from Worgs and sometimes found on other characters or in containers. They are especially common in areas where you can find Goblins, such as the Goblin Camp and Shattered Sanctum in Act I.

More Baldur’s Gate 3 Builds

• Druid Build – Circle of the Moon
• Bard Build – College of Lore
• Ranger Build – Hunter
• Monk Build – Way of Shadow
• Monk Build – Way of the Four Elements
• Monk Build – Way of the Open Hand
• Necromancer Build – Necromancy
• Fighter Build – Battle Master
• Barbarian Build – Berserker
• Warlock Build – Great Old One
• Cleric Build – Light Domain
• Rogue Build – Thief
• Sorcerer Build – Wild Magic
• Wizard Build – Evocation School
• More Baldur’s Gate Guides & Builds

If you want to check out the map of Baldur’s Gate 3, please visit the Baldur’s Gate 3 Interactive Map.