Summary

  • Dip into a Multiclass for new abilities and better action economy.
  • Take Feats for valuable benefits, especially at higher levels.
  • Use non-combat actions, defer your turn, and prepare for concentration checks.

Combat is always going to be a highly important aspect of Dungeons & Dragons. Even if your campaign is mostly roleplay-focused, there are always going to be moments where you'll need to sharpen your combat skills. If you're a high-level player, this is even more important.

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So, if you're playing in a high-skill, expert-level campaign, what can you do to improve your combat prowess? Even if you think you've exhausted every option, there are actually some things you can do to improve both your build and your combat skills. Here are the best combat tips and tricks for high-level Dungeons & Dragons players.

10 Dip Into A Multiclass

Diversify Your Build

Divine Smite by Bryan Sola

While a full multiclass isn't for everybody, there are so many multiclass options available that only require a few levels for you to increase your action economy. For example, taking a level in a spellcasting class for a non-spellcasting character can grant you access to so many new abilities that can really diversify your turns.

Additionally, taking a few levels in a class like rogue or monk can up your action economy significantly, granting you the ability to turn things that would normally be actions into bonus actions. This can prove extremely helpful at high levels of play.

9 Take A Feat

Especially At Higher Levels

Study Session via Wizards of the Coast

As you get into higher levels, you'll soon find that it's pretty easy to max out your ability scores. While some magic items might allow you to level past level 20, make sure you take advantage of the ability score improvement level-up ability and select a feat instead. While it can be fun to max out every stat, feasts are sometimes more worth it.

For example, for melee classes, taking an armor feat will prove far more useful than simply upping your Constitution skill yet again. Plus, many feats also give you the option to raise a certain ability score anyway, meaning you can have the best of both worlds.

8 Defer Your Turn

Patience Is A Virtue

The Plague by Paul Scott Canavan

Holding your action, or deferring your turn, is a highly underrated tactic in Dungeons & Dragons combat. This is especially true for healing or support classes. Sometimes, a cleric might waste their turn at the top of the initiative order while everyone still has a lot of HP, and then realize that as the turn progresses, their players are going to need healing before a deadly lair action kicks off again.

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This is why you should opt in to deferring your turn if it makes sense, particularly as a support class. Just remember, once you do this, some DMs may rule that you'll have to stay in that order in the initiative for the rest of the combat encounter.

7 Use Non-Combat Actions

Grant Advantage

Druid by Jessica Fong

There are so many additional actions you can take in combat besides just attacking. The best of these is the Help action, which can bestow advantage upon your fellow players. The best time to do this is when the enemy you're fighting is looking really rough.

If you're playing a non-melee class or a class that doesn't necessarily do all that much damage, you might want to consider helping an ally who can potentially deal a final blow. Giving them advantage in this crucial moment might end the encounter faster than you'd expect!

6 Prepare

Take Your Time

Rakshasa Conspirators by Andrea Piparo

A good defense is a good offense, and a good fight requires good preparation. Before you go into a difficult combat encounter, make sure you take a moment to cast protective spells like Mage Armor, Fire Shield, and more. Or, for non-spellcasters, make sure you slick ammunition with poison or other substances, or equip the right weapons.

Whatever your prep work entails, it's extremely important that you do this before you go into battle. There's nothing worse than wasting your first turn or two taking actions like casting Mage Armor. This severely weakens your action economy, and high-level DMs will take advantage of this mistake.

5 Initiate Surprise Rounds

Stealth Is Key

Assassin by Viko Menezes

Asking your Dungeon Master about their rulings on surprise rounds is a great way to really turn a combat encounter on its head. Depending on which ruleset your DM subscribes to, initiating a surprise round could get you a full extra round on your enemies without them being able to retaliate.

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Again, though, every DM is different, and some rule on surprise rounds differently. Either way, any advantage you can get going into the top of the fight is going to prove well worth it. Fight smarter, not harder.

4 Exploit Vulnerabilities

Pay Attention To Your DM's Description

Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica Cover Art by Magali Villeneuve

Many Dungeon Masters might try to give you advice on how to fight a certain enemy through a visual description. For example, if a monster is immune or resistant to fire damage, and you attack the creature with fire, your DM might tell you that the attack didn't look as potent as you might expect.

The reverse goes for vulnerabilities. Even if your DM doesn't describe how a vulnerability looks, ask them when you deal a certain type of damage how the creature reacts, implying that you want to try to glean its resistances or vulnerabilities. If you can figure out what damage type to exploit, you can end a combat encounter in a few rounds if you're smart.

3 Support Spells Over Healing Spells

Support Not Healer

Lesser Restoration by Martin Mottet

We've all heard the classic expression 'support not healer.' This is true not just in hero-based shooters, but in Dungeons & Dragons as well. Clerics, paladins, and bards are not healer classes, they're support classes, meant to buff you in addition to heal you.

While, at times, as a support class, it might feel like the best thing you can do is simply heal your compatriots, you should also look into spells like Haste, Enhance Ability, Blindness/Deafness, and others that can buff your party and nerf your enemy rather than just blindly heal. Of course, if someone is on the brink of death, healing is still preferred, but that doesn't mean there aren't other options at your disposal, too.

2 Prepare For Concentration Checks

Prepare For The Inevitable

Vitriolic Sphere by Ignatius Budi

Concentration checks can really make or break a spellcaster's prowess on the battlefield. If you can find ways to make your concentration checks, which require a Constitution saving throw, more powerful, you'll find yourself doing more damage overall.

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The two best ways to do this are to either raise your Constitution score through ability score improvements or magic items, or by taking feats like Mage Slayer and War Caster. Both of these feats also give you ability score improvements in other areas, which is helpful.

1 Take Advantage Of Cover

It's There For A Reason

Rogue by Bryan Sola

Cover is one of the most underutilized aspects of Dungeons & Dragons combat. A lot of the time, players will simply move out into the open, cast spells or sling shots, and then stand around, leaving themselves exposed.

If the environment allows for it, and you have enough movement left, you should consider making your ranged attack, and then moving behind some cover to give yourself a buff to your armor class. Of course, melee combatants can't always do this thanks to attacks of opportunity, but if you're fighting at a range, you should take advantage of cover whenever you can.

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Dungeons and Dragons

9.0/10 Franchise Dungeons & Dragons Original Release Date 1974 Publisher Wizards of the Coast Designer E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson Player Count 2+ Expand Collapse