Fighter

Fighters are one of the playable classes in and.

Fighters are trained in the arts of martial defense. They are extraordinarily difficult to hit and extremely durable in combat, capable of holding off a towering ogre or a swarm of xaurips with equal aplomb. Fighters are also reliable in melee, gaining weapon specialization and other abilities that make them valuable centers of any front line.

Background
Fighters are men and women trained to use a wide variety of traditional weapons in brutal combat. They are often put in—or put themselves in—harm's way and are built to take an extraordinary amount of punishment. They are known for their discipline, skill, and durability. In the Eastern Reach, they are often employed as caravan guards, soldiers, and personal bodyguards. Accustomed as they are to long marches, strange places, and life on the road, all fighters gain a minor skill bonus to Athletics, Lore, and Survival.

In combat, fighters are steadfast and stalwart. Even novice fighters enjoy the highest base Deflection defense of any class and the ability to passively recover a small amount of Endurance every second. Though not traditionally as mobile as the monk nor as likely to dish out individually withering attacks as a rogue, fighters are dependable and flexible, able to shift between a variety of attack modes that alternate between high damage, maintaining a strong defense, weakening opponents, and dealing harsh retribution to those who attack his or her allies. Some fighters build up arsenals of feints, knockdowns, and special attacks rather than rely on the "slow and steady" approach.

And while fighters are often thought of as being primarily melee-based, they can specialize in a variety of weapons, including bows, crossbows, and even firearms. They're unlikely to outclass rangers at their own game, but fighters can be almost as dangerous at a distance as they are up close. Though it may not look like it to see them in battle next to wizards and priests, fighters are just as able to tap into the power of their souls to devastating effect: accelerating their attacks to a superhuman speed, striking foes with such power that nearby opponents are knocked off their feet, and maintaining a phenomenal endurance that allows them to rapidly bounce back from even terrible wounds, to protect nearby allies from incoming attacks, to knock down groups of enemies, and even to yank enemy passersby into the fray.

List of abilities

 * Fighter abilities (in )
 * Fighter abilities and passives (in )

Discipline
Discipline is an additional "power pool" resource added in. Fighters begin combat with full Discipline (the amount of which is relative to their current level) and spend points to cast certain abilities, with more powerful abilities costing more points. After an encounter, Discipline is replenished.

Talents

 * Bonus Knock Down – Grants the fighter an additional use of Knock Down per encounter.
 * Wary Defender – Increases the fighter's awareness while in Defender mode, granting a bonus to all Defenses.
 * Rapid Recovery – Boosts the fighter's hardiness, increasing the rate of his or her Constant Recovery.
 * Weapon Mastery Adventurer –Add +10% bonus damage with weapon set.
 * Weapon Mastery Knight –Add +10% bonus damage with weapon set.
 * Weapon Mastery Noble –Add +10% bonus damage with weapon set.
 * Weapon Mastery Peasant –Add +10% bonus damage with weapon set.
 * Weapon Mastery Ruffian –Add +10% bonus damage with weapon set.
 * Weapon Mastery Soldier –Add +10% bonus damage with weapon set.

In

 * At character creation, fighters automatically learn the passive ability Constant Recovery.
 * Fighters are able to select one ability at every odd level (1, 3, 5, etc.).
 * At every odd level (1, 3, 5, etc.), the next tier of abilities are unlocked.
 * As with other classes, fighters learn one talent at every even level (2, 4, 6, etc.).
 * Fighter abilities specify their own max uses and restoration type, independent of the fighter's level.

In

 * At character creation, fighters select one 1st level ability (active only), and automatically learn the passive ability Constant Recovery. This does not change for multiclass characters.
 * As with other classes, fighters pick 2 abilities at every level where a new power level is unlocked excluding the first (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19), and one ability at all other levels (1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 20). Ability points may be spent on active or passive abilities, and on any currently-unlocked power levels.
 * Multiclass characters pick 1 ability from either the fighter ability tree or the other class tree at all levels where a new power level isn't unlocked, and 1 ability for both classes at all levels where a new power level is unlocked (1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19).
 * Fighters use Discipline (a power pool resource) to cast abilities. As with other power pool resources, the fighter starts with a pool of 3 Discipline, which is increased by 1 at every power level, capping out at 11.
 * As with other classes, new ability power levels are learned every second level from level 1 (1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13), then every third level from level 13 (16, 19). Multiclass characters may only learn up to (and including) power level 7 abilities, and unlock a new power level every third level from level 1 (1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19).

Subclasses
Fighters in are able to choose between four subclasses (or no subclass): Black Jacket, Devoted, Unbroken, and Tactician.

Black Jacket
Black Jacket fighters gain the passive ability Black Jacket, and a weaker variant of Constant Recovery.

Devoted
Devoted fighters gain the passive ability Devoted.

Unbroken
Unbroken fighters gain the passive abilities Unbroken and Shield Mastery.

Tactician
Tactician fighters gain the passive abilities Brilliant Tactician and Tactical Dilemma.

Suggestions
Fighters very much encompass what holds your front line together, when your five character group enters battle. If you want a tanky character, you start with the fighter class. They provide excellent damage to opponents and mitigation against incoming threats. You should highly avoid ranged weapons with this class. Fighter Stances provides too much of a good benefit to pass up, and you will lose this huge boost if you choose ranged weapons in most cases. On top of that, a fighter self-heals automatically at the same amount a Paladin can heal every one else, but the paladin must use actions to do so some times. Athletics makes a good skill choice to specialize in, since it provides a single free self heal once per battle. It would not be good though to have every party member focus in that.

If you want a character dedicated to purely tanking, then multiclass becomes your best option. While a single class fighter provides sufficient abilities and resources to handle them selves for a while, a time will come when their abilities just fall off and the character runs out of class resources. This can prove deadly in extended fights that last longer than half a minute, unless you have an option from an item or Spell buff to give you more. The Unbroken subclass is a great choice for a tanky fighter as a starter, and pairs best with a rogue Trickster. This pairing offers the best potential Deflection in the entire game. If you do not have a specific race in mind, then Mountain Dwarf offers a solid option for you with this pairing of classes. You would want to eventually top it off with a spear and large shield, although a decent magical spear will not come available until some what later in your game experience. If you fear too much damage may fall upon your tanky Fighter (Unbroken) / Rogue (Trickster), then you can use the modal large shield proficiency The Wall to reduce much of it. Mirrored Image on the Trickster side should be something to pick up as quickly as possible, and is available at Level 3 or 4.

Chanter ([Beckoner]]) and Paladin provide excellent choices for tanky types if you want a different type of multiclass. Paladins mostly tend towards good or strongly ethical alignments in how they value society and others if that causes a problem for you. Your defensive bonuses may significantly if you find it fitting your style of gaming. While not necessarily evil, Bleak Walkers are the closest to the "dark side" of Paladins, but they still remain highly ethical in game play standards in how you choose your conversations. Chanters generally boost the damage significance of your front line if you already have a melee intensive five character group. Chanter (Beckoner) allows you a better way to delay incoming damage mid-battle for when you need it.

Notable characters
Category:Pillars of Eternity s, 3 Category:The White March - Part I s, 3 Category:Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire s, 3