The Complete Fighter Vanguard Tank Build – Neverwinter Mod 30 As Above, So Below

Welcome to our Fighter Vanguard Guide, updated for Mod 30: As Above, So Below.

In Neverwinter, the Fighter Vanguard is a tank that can hold its own against the toughest of enemies. The Fighter Vanguard is a tank class that excels at taking hits and holding enemies in place. They are the perfect class for players who want to be up close and personal with their enemies. If you want to dish out some damage, consider a Dreadnought build loadout as well.

In this guide, we will discuss everything you need to know about playing this class effectively. We’ll cover important stats, skills, and gear for the Fighter Vanguard, as well as some tips on how to survive in Neverwinter’s harsh environments.

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 Vanguard Info

Below is all the basic information for the Vanguard, from race choices to stats.

Other Fighter Builds

• Fighter Dreadnaught DPS Build
• All Neverwinter Class Builds

Race

What race you play doesn’t play a huge role, but will give you a small boost. Generally, I would advise you to play a race that you enjoy.

• Aasimar – 2% Power, Outcoming & Icoming Healing, Defense and Max Hit Points – +2 to any two stats – 2% max hit points to party members
• Menzoberanzan Renegade – Reduce Defense and Damage of mobs by 3% – +2 Dex and Cha or Wis – 5% Deflect Severity
• Human – 1% Bonus to all stats – +3 To any Ability Score
• Dwarf – 20% Resistance to Knock and Push – +2 Con and Str or Wis – 5% Defense bonus
• Drow – Darkfire – +2 Dex and +2 Cha or Wis – 5% Deflect Severity
• Metallic Ancestry Dragonborn – Recieve 5% more healing – +2 to Any two Ability Score – 3% Critical Strike – 3% Power
• Dragonborn – Recieve 5% more healing – +2 to Any Ability Score – 3% Critical Strike – 3% Power
• 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%
• Halfling – 5% Deflect – +2 Dex and +2 Cha or Con – 10% Bonus to Control Resistance

Ability Score Priority

Put all your available Ability Scores into Strength and Constitution. Alternatively, put some points into Charisma instead of Strength depending on what you need.

Stat / Rating Priority

Your cap for each stat is based on your item level. To cap a stat, the numbers of the stat need to be equal to or higher than your item level.

If your stat number is higher than your item level, you are wasting stats and should try to allocate stats differently.

For every 1000 points, a stat is lower than your item level you lose 1% in that stat.

As a tank, your main focus should be on Defensive stats.

Paragon Path Feats, Powers & Rotation

This part is all about optimizing the Vanguard with the best feats, powers, and boons.

Combat Powers

At-Will Powers

• Tide of Iron or Threatening Rush
• Brazen Slash

Encounter Powers

• Enforced Threat
• Knight’s Valor
• Linebreaker

Daily Powers

• Bladed Rampart or Earthshaker
• Second Wind

Class Features

• Greater Endurance or Enduring Warrior
• Steel Recovery

Feats

• Staying Power
• Rising Tide
• Combat Balance
• Sharpened Senses
• Shake It Off

Rotation

Tide of Iron > Artifact and Mount Powers when available > Knight’s Valor > Enforced Threat > Linebreaker > Daily

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.

Tier 1 Boons

• Critical Avoidance – 0.2% Critical Avoidance Per Rank
• Cultist Bulwark – 0.2% HP Per Rank
• Cultist Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. Cultists.

Tier 2 Boons

• Defense – 0.2% Defense Per Rank
• Demonic Bulwark – 0.2% HP Per Rank
• Demonic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. demons.
• Marathon Runner – 2.5% Movement Speed Per Rank
• Lingering Medicine – 1% Increase effectiveness of healing potions.

Tier 3 Boons

• Awareness – 0.2% Awareness Per Rank
• Dino Bulwark – 0.2 HP Per Rank
• Dino Power – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. dinos.
• Deflect Severity – 0.2% Deflect Severity Per Rank
• Lingering Fortification – 1% Increase effectiveness of healing potions.

Tier 4 Boons

• Disenchanting Aura – 0.2% Control Resistance
• Deflect – 0.2% Deflect Per Rank
• Necrotic Bulwark – 0.2% HP Per Rank
• Necrotic Mastery – 1% Increased damage and damage resistance vs. undead.
• Lingering Power – 1% Increase effectiveness of healing potions.

Advanced Boons

• Welcome Blessing – 1% Incoming Healing Per Rank
• Quick Turnaround – 1% Recovery Speed per rank.
• Second Wind – 1% Stamina Regen
• Call of Power – 1% Action Point gain per rank
• Masterclass – 1% Forte per rank

Master Boons

• Blessed Resilience 3/3
• Enhanced Application 3/3
• Blessed Advantage 3/3
• Life Lessons 3/3
• Focused Retaliation 3/3

Guild Boons

• Offense – Power or Critical Strike Bonus
• Defense – Awareness, Defence, Hit Point Bonus or Incoming Healing
• Utility – Revive Sickness

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.

Note that the best-in-slot for your build might vary depending on what stats you have.

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

• Best-in-Slot Rugged Sallet of the Dragon Hunter (Dragon Hunts)
• Mane of the Manticore
• The Dark Maiden’s Ward Helm (Temple of the Spider)
• Turban of Shifting Sands

Armor

• Enchanted Depthforged Breastplate (Lair of the Mad Dragon Master)
• Abyss Conqueror’s Provoker Cuirass (The Demonweb Pits Master)
• Rugged Mail of the Dragon Hunter (Dragon Hunts)
• Blessed Bone Devil’s Ribcage (Avernus Hunts)
• Forest Guardian’s Ward/Raid Scalemail (Vault of Stars)

Arms

• Best-in-Slot Ultraviolet Elven Gloves (The Imperial Citadel Master)
• Superior Crushers of the Dragon Hunter (Dragon Hunts)
• Abyss Conqueror’s Provoker Gloves
• Arms of the Last Resistance
• Midnight’s Grips
• Crag Scaler’s Gauntlets

Feet

• Best-in-Slot Rugged Sabatons of the Dragon Hunter (Dragon Hunts)
• Blessed Wisps of the Shadow Demon
• Slips of the Rain

Weapons

• Peer Into the Void Set / Voidtouched (The Imperial Citadel Master)
• Living Magma Set / Encased Magma (Master of Flame Campaign Store)
• Demonweb Empowerment / Perfect Set (Northdark Campaign)
• Dark Matter / Solarium & Starcore Set (Adventures in Wildspace Campaign Store)
• Scalebreaker’s Wrath / Duergar Set (Dragonbone Vale Campaign)

Main Hand Modification

• Tide of Iron

Offhand Modifications

• Forte
• Incoming Healing

Rings

• Darklake Ward Ring +1
• Topaz Abyssal Loop
• Dreadbreaker Hoop
• Stalwartneedle Ring of Bulwark
• Malachite Abyssal Loop
• Stalwartneedle Ring of Celerity
• Darklake Ward Ring +1
• The Living Silver Fern
• Waywatchers Ring of Precision
• Ring of the Overwhelmed +5
• Ring of the Condemned +5

Neck & Waist

• Tiamat’s Prized Possesions: Tiamat’s Golden Necklace, Tiamat’s Golden Sash, Tiamat’s Arcane Globe
• Valhalla’s Rebuke: Cloak of Valhalla, Belt of Valhalla

Shirt

• Dazzling Flarefiber Shirt
• Lolth’s Embrace
• Rugged Dwarven Body Pattern
• Shirt of the Dragon Cult
• Vale Tunic
• Upper Pact Brands (Avernus Hunts)

Pants

• Covert Branche Scout Breeches
• Cerebral Predator Ink / Ocean’s Predator Ink
• Rugged Dwarven Limb Pattern
• War-Worn Pants
• Lower Pact Brands (Avernus Hunts)

Artifacts

Primary Artifact

• Bloodbrass Pistol
• Demogorgon’s Reach
• Mythallar Fragment
• Wyvern-Venon Coated Knives

Secondary Artifacts

Choose secondary artifacts based on the stats you are lacking.

• Mythallar Fragment
• Bloodcrystal Raven Skull
• Gond’s Anvil of Creation
• Illusionist’s Mask
• Sigil of the Bard/Ranger/Warlock
• Symbol of Water

Enchantments

When getting enchantments, always get the ones with the stats you are lacking in with your gear, boons, etc in mind.

Offense Enchantments

• Garnet Enchantment

Defense Enchantments

• Jade Enchantment
• Amethyst Enchantment
• Cobalt Enchantment

Utility Enchantments

• Cobalt Enchantment

Bonus Enchantments

• Movement Or Recharge

Combat Enchantments

• Fortified Nature
• Flash Freeze

Overload Enchantments

• Unholy Protection
• Resiliency of the Depths / Bulwark Of Brimstone from Hell Pit
• Various Marks from Stronghold Vendor
• Corrupt Black Ice / Lethal / Piercing
• Black / Red Dragon Glyph

Armor Reinforcement Kits

• Any stat you might need

Jewelry Reinforcement Kits

• Combat Awareness Jewel

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.

Pick one from each of the categories below depending on the stats you are lacking.

• Invocation Blessing: Grace of Battle / Gift of Awareness / Righteous Boon / Gamber’s Fortune
• Stronghold Food: Chocolate
• Event Food: Caprese
• Elixir: Elixir of Steadfast Devotion
• Potion: Crafted Potion of Defense
• Belt: Stone of Health, Dragonfire, Chain of Scales

Companions

Summoned Companion

For your summoned companion you have the choice between using Augmented companions which will make it easier to cap stats or an active combat companion which will do damage. At the moment Active/Striker companions are usually better than augment companions.

Active Companion Choices

• Spined Devil
• Drizzt Do’Urden
• Portobello Davinchi
• Tutor
• Stalwart Golden Lion
• Black Death Scorpion

Enchantment Power

• Armor Break
• Redemption
• Dulled Senses
• Vulnerability
• Slowed Reactions
• Weapon Break
• Any stat you might need

Companion Powers

Below is a selection of viable companion powers.

Offense Powers

• Tamed Velociraptor (Raptor’s Instincts) – Part of the Pack (Good in Groups)
• Golden Deep Crow’s Presence – 7.5% Awareness
• Rimefire Golem’s Presence – 15000 HP and 3.8% Critical Severity
• Neverwinter Knight (Neverwinter Knight’s Discipline) – 7.5% Outgoing Damage

Defense Powers

• Lich (Undying Overload) – Reduce Incoming Damage by 7.5%
• Duergar – 7.5% Critical Avoidance
• Bruenor – 4.7% Awareness and Defense
• Frost Mimic – 3.75% Awareness and Defense
• War Dog – 3.75% Awareness and Defense
• Skeleton – 3.75% Critical Avoidance and Defense
• Faithful Initiate – 3.75% Critical Avoidance and Defense
• Myconoid – 3.8% Critical Avoidance and Awareness
• Harper bard – 15000 HP and 3.8% Awareness
• Red Dragon Ioun Stone – 3.8% Incoming Healing and 15000 HP
• Moonshea Druid’s Wisdom – 15.000 HP and 3.8% Critical Avoidance
• Iron Golem’s Presence – 15.000 HP and 3.8% Defense
• Minstrel – 3.8% Power and 3.8% Awareness
• Green Slime – 7.5% Defense

Utility Powers

• Golden Deep Crow – 7.5% Awareness
• Regis – 4.7% Defect Chance and Severity
• Watler – 7.5% Deflect
• Xegyi’s Insight – 30000 Hit Points
• Energon – 30000 Hit Points

Mounts

Mount Insignia Bonuses

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

Insignia bonuses are mostly down to preference. Some boost damage a bit, and some boost survivability, while others add utility.

As a tank, the self-healing bonuses are the most valued.

Insignia Type

• Fortitude
• Courage

Mount Collars

• Supportive Crescent Collar
• Sturdy Barbed Collar
• Wayfaring Barbed Collar
• Unified Regal Collar

Fighter Vanguard Mount Powers

Mount Equip Power

• Pack Tactics
• Runic Aura
• Mystic Aura
• Any defense stat power

Mount Combat Power

• Eclipse Armament (Eclipse Lion)
• Swarm (Bat Swarm)
• Tyrannosaurus Rex’em (Tyrannosaur or King of Spies)
• Magnificent Inspiration (Pegasus)
• Hell’s Impact (Balgora)
• Cauldron (Cauldron)
• Aureal Armament

If you have any questions or suggestions about our Neverwinter Fighter Vanguard guide, please leave a comment below!

Updates

• 29.08.2024: The build has been updated for module 29: Mountain of Flame. Basic info including stat priority, skills, mounts, enchantments, artifacts, and gear has been updated. Unrelevant info and fluff have also been removed to make the guide easier to read.
• 11.02-2025: Updated with Mod 30 gear.