The Complete Fighter Dreadnought DPS Build – Neverwinter Mod 19 Avernus

All builds will be updated for Mod 20 Sharandar and the Combat Rework as soon as we have done enough testing.

Welcome to our Fighter Dreadnought Guide, updated for Mod 18: Infernal Descent and Mod 19 Avernus.

To learn more about the new mod, check out our Mod 19 Avernus Guide.

In this guide, we will give you tips and info on how to play the Fighter class.

The Dreadnought is the DPS build for the Fighter class in Neverwinter. They use a sword and shield to deliver blows to their enemies.

See our Fighter Vanguard Tank build if you want to run a tanking loadout as well.

The purpose of our class guides is not just to show you a build that you can copy and use on your character, but to show you a base build and teach you the mechanics and stats of the game, so you can understand and play your class to its fullest capabilities.

Try different gear, feats, and powers and learn to tailor your own build for your playstyle. See our guide to making your own build for more info.

Basic Fighter Dreadnought Info

Other Fighter Builds

• Fighter Vanguard Tank Build
• All Neverwinter Class Builds

Best Fighter Dreadnought Races

1. Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – 3% + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
2. Dragonborn – 3% HP + Healing – +2 to Any two stats – 1500 Crit – 3% Increased Damage
3. Tiefling – 5% + Damage to targets below 50% health – +2 Cha and +2 Con or Int – 10% to reduce damage of target for 5 sec by 2.5%
4. Half-Orc – 5% Crit Severity – +2 Dex and +2 Con or Str – 10% Movement Speed for 3 sec when entering combat

Fighter Dreadnought Ability Score Priority

Put all your available Ability Scores into Strength and Dexterity

Fighter Dreadnought Stat / Rating Priority

Offensive Stats:

1. Armor Penetration (Caps at 90K)
2. Critical Strike (Caps at 90k)
3. Accuracy (Caps at 90k)
4. Combat Advantage (Caps at 140k)
5. Power (No Cap)

Defensive Stats:

1. Defense (Caps at 90K )
2. Deflection (Caps at 90K)
3. Critical Avoidance (Caps at 95K)
4. Awareness (Caps at 100K )
5. Health (No Cap)

Fighter Dreadnought Paragon Path, Feats, POwers & Rotation

Fighter Dreadnought Combat Powers

At-Will Powers:

• Heavy Slash
• Brazen Slash

Encounter Powers:

• Commander’s Strike (Single Target) – Onslaught (AoE)
• Bull Charge (Single Target) – Shield Slam (AoE)
• Anvil of Doom

Daily Powers:

• Mow Down
• Determination

Class Features:

• Enduring Vengeance
• Momentum (Single Target) – Combat Superiority (AoE)

Fighter Dreadnought Feats

• Weight of Vengeance
• Prepared Slam
• Roiling Hatred
• Striker’s Mark
• Executioner’s Cut

Fighter Dreadnought Boons

You should always choose boons based on what stats you currently need. Therefore a selection of several viable boons is available to you for each tier.

At end-game, you should hit the stat caps without needing any of the boons.

Tier 1 Boons

• Recruit’s Training – 250 Power
• Critical Strike – 250 Crit
• Cultist Bulwark – 1000 HP
• Cultist Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. Cultists.

Tier 2 Boons

• Squire’s Training – 250 Power
• Armor Penetration – 250 Armor Penetration
• Demonic Bulwark – 1000 HP
• Demonic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. demons.

Tier 3 Boons

• Knight’s Training – 250 Power
• Combat Advantage – 250 Combat Advantage
• Dino Bulwark – 1000 HP
• Simple Support – 2% Companion Influence
• Dino Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. dinos.

Tier 4 Boons

• Captain’s Training – 250 Power
• Accuracy – 250 Accuracy
• Necrotic Bulwark – 1000 HP
• Necrotic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. undead.

Tier 5 Boons (Choose 2)

• Severe Criticism – 1% Crit Severity per rank
• Welcome Blessings – 1% Incoming Healing

Master Boons

• Blood Lust 3/3

Guild Boons

• Offense – Power
• Defense – Hit Points

Fighter Dreadnought Weapons & Gear

If you are new to Neverwinter and need to know how to get better gear and increase your item level, check out our Gearing Up Guide.

The best way to gear up in Neverwinter is by making a lot of Astral Diamonds, check out our Astral Diamond Guide to learn all the secrets of AD farming.

Head

• Lion Guard’s Sallet
• Fancy Duelist’s Mask of Cormyr (Bosses)

Armor

• Ebonized Breastplate

Arms

• Spiked Defender Vambrace (Best in Slot)

Feet

• Rusted Iron Leggings (Best in Slot)
• Infernal Forged Boots

Weapons

• Celestial Set
• Lionheart Set
• Legion Guard Set
• Alabaster / Burnished Set

Main Hand Modification:

• Heavy Slash

Offhand Modifications:

• Critical Severity

Rings

• Ring of Fallen Power +5
• Ring of the Brutal Fiend +5
• Gold Ring of the Herald
• Striking Ring of the Veteran
• Ring of the Shadowstalker +4/+5

Neck & Waist

• Dark Remnant’s Set (Book of Vile Darkness, Whip of Erinyes, The Engine Master’s Mantle)
• Apprentices’ Spoils (Jhesiyra’s Tattered Mantle, Trobriand’s Conduction Cable, Arcturia’s Music Box)
• Orcus Set (Demogorgon’s Girdle of Might, Baphomet’s Infernal Talisman)

Shirt

• Ebony Stained Shirt

Pants

• Infernal Trousers
• Protégé’s Pants

Fighter Dreadnought Artifacts

Primary Artifact

• Envenomed Storyteller’s Journal
• Wyvern-Venom Coated Knives
• Decanter of Atropal Essence

Secondary Artifacts

Choose secondary artifacts based on the stats you are lacking.

• Frozen Storyteller’s Journal
• Flayed Storyteller’s Journal
• Darkened Storyteller’s Journal
• Arcturia’s Music Box
• Trobriands Ring
• Staff of Flowers
• Halaster’s Blast Scepter

Fighter Dreadnought Enchantments

When getting enchantments, always get the ones with the stats you are lacking in with your gear, boons, etc in mind. For example, if you’ve capped Crit with your gear and boons, don’t get azure enchantments for your offense slots. If you still need to refine your enchantments, see our Refinement Guide for tips on how to farm refinement.

Offense Enchantments

• One Tenebrous Enchantment
• Radiant Enchantments

Defense Enchantments

• Radiant Enchantment

Utility Enchantments

• Dark Enchantment
• Tactical
• Fey’s Blessing / Dragon’s Hoard / Quartermaster’s Enchantment

Armor Enchantments

• Elven Battle Enchantment
• Barkshield Enchantment
• Shadowclad Enchantment

Weapon Enchantments

• Vorpal Enchantment (ST)
• Lightning (AoE)

Overload Enchantments

• Demonic Empowerment / Bulwark Of Brimstone from Hell Pit
• Various Marks from Stronghold Vendor
• Corrupt Black Ice / Lethal / Piercing
• Black / Red Dragon Glyph

Armor Reinforcement Kits

• Power Kit

Jewelry Reinforcement Kits

• Combat Advantage Jewel

Fighter Dreadnought Consumables & Buffs

Consider getting VIP for the Power of VIP HP buff if you aren’t already. Also always stand in campfires to get the +1 ability campfire buff.

Get one from each of the rows below:

• Empowered Chain of Scales (Best in Slot) > Adorable Pocket Pet > Tymora’s Lucky Coin
• Wild Storm Elixir > Elixir of Fate
• Squash Soup > Watermelon Sorbet

Fighter Dreadnought Companions

Summoned Companion

The most important thing to consider for a summoned companion is to get an Augment Companion. There are a bunch to choose from, some have more useful powers than others.

• Bulette Pup
• Deepcrow Hatchling
• Owlbear Cub
• Ioun Stones
• Quasit

Enchantment Power

• Potent Precision

Companion Powers

Below is a selection of viable companion powers.

Offense Powers

• Tamed Velociraptor – 2000 Power per party member using it.
• Staldorf – 8000 Combat advantage
• Deepcrow Hatchling – 8000 Power
• Batiri – 4% Damage against bosses

Defense Powers

• Minstrel – 4000 Power and 2000 Awareness
• Broom – 4% Critical Severity
• Ioun Stone of Allure – 2000 Power, 10% Incoming Healing
• Splinters – 4% Critical Severity and 2000 Critical Avoidance
• Green Slime – 8000 Defense
• Phase Spider – 2000 Critical strike and 4000 combat advantage

Utility Powers

• Alpha Compy – 5% Power
• Owlbear Cub – 10% chance to hit for 50% of you Power

Companion Equipment

Double offense slotted “Of the Companion” gear

Companion Runestones

• Empowered Runestone
• Any runestone you might need for stats

Fighter Dreadnought Mounts

When choosing a Legendary Mount for the Mount Powers, look for a mount that has both a useful equip and combat power.

What other mounts you use is not that important. What is important is to get the right insignia bonuses, and many different mounts can offer the various bonuses. To find out what mount has the bonus you want, check out our Insignia Bonus Guide.

Mount Insignia Bonuses

All classes and specs should consider using Wanderer’s Fortune before you have refined all your gear and enchantments, for extra refinement every day.

• Assassin’s Covenant
• Cavalry’s Warning
• Combatant’s Maneuver
• Artificer’s Persuasion
• Gladiator’s Guile
• Survivor’s Gift
• Survivor’s Blessing
• Barbarian’s Revelry
• Knight’s Rebuke

Insignia Type

Brutality / Dominance for Power, or alternatively any other with stats you need. You can also use Insignia’s to get your defensive stats to cap for survivability.

Mount Equip Power:

• 5000 or 10000 Power

Mount Combat Power:

• Bat Swarm (Swarm) (Best in Slot)
• Tenser’s Transformation

If you have any questions or suggestions about our Neverwinter Fighter Dreadnought guide, please leave a comment below! More info about the Fighter class can be found at The Neverwinter Reddit.