Dungeons and Dragons has dozens of feats to choose from, with many of them helping to enhance a character's prowess in combat.

For character builds that choose to utilize them, choosing the right feat in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition can massively influence the playstyle and effectiveness of nearly any character. With such a large amount of feats available to choose from, it is only natural that some will be more useful in particular situations than others.

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There are plenty of feats that are oriented towards combat, with many that focus on enhancing a certain style of fighting. While some feats are useful under any circumstances, selecting one that synergizes well with the class and abilities of a character can go a long way towards maximizing that character's potential in combat.

Wearing heavy armor is typically among certain classes such as fighters, paladins, and clerics, so getting the most of that equipment can be important, particularly at low levels where magical armor is not always readily available.

The Heavy Armor Master feat can be a good choice for anyone looking to round out their strength score with an extra +1, and it provides a nifty damage reduction of three points to any bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage from non-magical weapons. This can be massive in the early game or in low-magic settings, though its effectiveness tapers off quickly at higher levels.

In D&D, playing a Dexterity-based warrior is a perfectly viable alternative to the traditional heavily-armored, thick muscled bruiser. However, getting the most out of one of these builds often requires a good choice in feats to complement that playstyle.

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Even with a high Dexterity stat, it will be difficult to match a heavy armor and shield combination. But the Defensive Duelist feat will give a tidy bonus to anyone wielding a finesse weapon, as they can then use their reaction to add their proficiency bonus to their AC, meaning it scales at higher levels as well.

It is usually a no-brainer for any combat character using a one-handed weapon to use a shield along with it, as the bonus to AC can make a big difference, especially at lower levels. Beyond that small boost, they just really don't do much other than take up one free hand.

That all changes with the Shield Master feat, which gives three nice bonuses that really enhance this piece of equipment. Not only does it allow a shoving attack as a bonus action, but it also provides a bonus to Dexterity saving throws and even prevents the damage entirely on successful saves versus certain spells and effects.

For any player looking to use a crossbow as their main weapon, the Crossbow Expert is a must-have feat as long as that character has access to multiple attacks per turn. While it may seem like a waste to take a feat that essentially makes crossbows equal to normal bows, there are some advantages that make this a viable choice for certain builds.

The main bonus of course is the removal of the loading properties that all crossbows have, meaning they can be shot multiple times on the same turn. With a heavy crossbow in the hands of a fighter or rogue with multiple attacks, this can mean truly devastating amounts of damage. It also prevents being in close range from giving disadvantage, as well as a bonus attack with hand crossbows that can come in handy as well.

The initiative order in combat in Dungeons and Dragons is one of the most important elements when considering strategy and tactics. The order in which the players and enemies can carry out their actions will have a massive influence on what they choose to do and when to do it.

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The Alert feat is perfect for characters who want to take the lead in combat, conferring a hefty +10 to initiative rolls along with a few other lesser bonuses. Acting first in combat can confer a great advantage, but only when used to its full potential. Getting in the first few swings with a sword is fine, but combat casters can fully utilize this by starting combat off with some powerful AoE or battlefield manipulation spells that will turn the advantage in their party's favor right off the bat.

Maneuvers are an integral part of the Battle Master subclass that offer a variety of different abilities for the fighter to use both in and outside of combat. The Martial Adept feat gives access to two of these, which compounds well with fighters that have taken that subclass already but is also extremely useful for any other combat class as well.

The best thing about maneuvers is just how well they can complement any kind of playstyle. Which such a wide variety of offensive, defensive, support, and utility options available, anyone with access to them can enhance their effectiveness pretty significantly with the right choice of maneuvers.

Movement is an integral part of combat in D&D, particularly when playing on a grid. The Mobile feat, which grant an additional 10 feet of movement, removes the difficult terrain penalty when using the Dash action, and prevents opportunity attacks from creatures the character has attacked that turn provides a massive bonus in this regard.

This feat synergizes particularly well with the Monk class as it favors a strike-and-retreat style of combat, but almost any melee-oriented class can make use of these abilities to dominate the battlefield by closing the distance on any enemies and avoiding their attempts at retaliation.

Characters that have chosen to wade into battle with heavy weapons should greatly consider taking the Great Weapon Master feat, which gives a bonus attack when scoring a critical hit or reducing an enemy's hit points to zero and allows a massive attack that deals +10 damage with a -5 penalty to the attack roll.

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While the first part of this feat may not come into play multiple times every fight, a few bonus attacks can still translate into a hefty amount of extra damage. The additional feature is even more useful, especially against large, easy-to-hit enemies, as the bonus essentially doubles the damage done by the attack.

For anyone looking to play a sniper-type character, the Sharpshooter feat is key to maximizing the effectiveness of that particular build. It removes the disadvantage penalty at long range, allows the character to ignore the enemy's cover bonuses, and allows an attack that does +10 damage with a -5 penalty to the attack roll.

Combined, these features mean that any ranged character with this feat will be far more effective than one without, attacking enemies across vast distances and dealing huge amounts of damage from range regardless of whether the enemy has something to hide behind.

Controlling the battlefield can be integral for any tactical-minded players. For those lacking the spells to do so, the Sentinel feat fills that gap nicely. The first two features allow the player to keep foes from fleeing their reach, and the second allows a reaction attack when nearby allies are targeted by enemies.

For a frontline combat character, these advantages can be huge. With careful positioning, this feat can be used to prevent enemies from reaching the more vulnerable backline, and it becomes even more effective when using a weapon with the reach property, as any opponent coming anywhere near the character has the chance of being rooted in place in preparation from the inevitable beat-down.

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Jared King is a writer and content creator with extensive experience in the fields of gaming and entertainment and now writes as a contributor to CBR. Having worked his way up from burger flipper to a manager in a successful restaurant, he decided to take the plunge and pursue his passion of writing and creating full time, which he continues to this day in many forms of media across the internet. His love of storytelling has given him wide expertise on all things entertainment, from video games and tabletop roleplaying to television and movies, which he uses to inform his work in many ways.

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