Avowed: Best Fighter abilities

Building a Fighter in Avowed? Combat in Avowed can be highly chaotic, with enemies lashing out at you from all sides and priests healing those enemies on the regular. It's very easy to be overwhelmed and stomped into oblivion, and the Fighter is the one class that can reliably act as a tank to fend off attackers. Whether you prefer to use a shield to soak up blows, or simply go full-on with damage via a two-handed axe, the Fighter possesses abilities that aren't particularly flashy but certainly shine in the midst of a boss battle.

Below, we've highlighted 10 of the best Fighter abilities that are appropriate for a tank or for supplementing a multiclass build.

Avowed: Best Fighter abilities

The best Fighter abilities in Avowed include the following:

• Charge
• Armored Grace
• Shield Bash
• Constant Recovery
• Barbaric Shout
• Brawn
• Power Jump
• Unbreakable
• Retribution
• Clear Out

These abilities are oriented around helping the Fighter soak up damage, control the movements of enemies, and deal pummeling AoE strikes that can change the flow of battle instantly. Depending on whether or not you use a shield, you may find some of these to be more helpful than others - Shield Bash, obviously, as opposed to Brawn. Rangers who are taking more of a front-and-centre approach in combat may also benefit from investing in this skill tree.

Charge

Charge (Level 1, 20 Essence, 10 second cooldown) lets the Fighter dash forward, smash anything in their way, interrupt enemies, and deal Explosive Damage to walls. You can also shatter frozen enemies, which is good fun especially if you're a multiclass who can cast ice magic. Since dealing Elemental and Explosive damage is such a major part of Avowed, this is a good ability for not just Fighters, but all classes, as long as your Constitution is high enough to endure possible retribution. Rank 2 increases the distance traveled during Charge by 100%, while Rank 2 increases the stun dealt by 50%.

Armored Grace

Armored Grace (Level 1) decreases the Stamina penalty for wearing Medium and Heavy armor by 15. A solid ability for Fighters, this is also useful for Rangers who want to outlast more punishment in the middle of a fight. Rank 2 decreases the penalty by 25, and Rank 3 by 30.

Shield Bash

Shield Bash (Level 1, 15 Essence, 40 Stamina, 3 second cooldown) lets you attack while holding down Block. You'll deliver a powerful slam to your enemy's face, stunning them, pushing them back, and potentially interrupting whatever attack or spell they're readying. For anyone working on a shield build, this is an essential and highly satisfying pick. Rank 2 increases the Stun, while Rank 3 increases the distance enemies are pushed back.

Constant Recovery

Constant Recovery (Level 1, 12 second duration) is an essential ability for tanks. After taking damage, you'll slowly regen 50% of the last amount of health you lost, letting you soak up hits and still keep on ticking. At Rank 2, you can regenerate 75% of your health, and at Rank 3, that percentage jumps up to 100 - potentially rendering you unstoppable as long as you can stay on your feet for the time it takes your health bar to refill!

Barbaric Shout

Barbaric Shout (Level 5, 40 Essence, 15 second duration, 15 second cooldown)) is your typical barbarian rage ability. Scream really loud, interrupt baddies, empower yourself against larger enemies with weapon attacks that deal higher stun. When you want to go Conan on the battlefield, it's an excellent skill to have in your pocket. You can upgrade this to Rank 2, which will grant temporary health and taunt nearby enemies, and Rank 3, which boosts the duration by 10 seconds

Brawn

Brawn (Level 5) ups damage with two-handed melee weapons by 25%. It's only worth taking if you're investing in hefty axes, maces, swords, and the like, which leave you way more open than you'd be if you were using a shield. But if you're interested in big hits, maybe that doesn't matter! Rank 2 increases the damage to 40%, and Rank 3 keeps it going to 50%.

Power Jump

Power Jump (Level 10, 30 Essence, 20 second cooldown) lets you do one of those superhero-style landings where you jump in the air and then slam down to interrupt everyone around you. It definitely makes a statement! Rank 2 renders you immune to non-lethal fall damage while Power Jumping, which is actually very handy for traversing the environment and surviving some big drops that would normally carve off chunks of your health. Damage dealt to foes scales with the height of your fall, as well. At Rank 3, Power Jump costs 0 Essence.

Unbreakable

Unbreakable (Level 15) is another one for shield-users, as it decreases Stamina cost while Blocking by 30%. This works well with Shield Bash to really make the most of your defensive off-hand tool. At Rank 2, Stamina cost decreases to 50%, and at Rank 3, 60%.

Retribution

Retribution (Level 15, 5 second duration) is a revenge skill for tanks that lets you deal +70% of the original damage you receive from a hit, as long as you attack within the next 5 seconds. Use it to reflect boss damage back at 'em. At Rank 2, you've got 8 seconds instead of 5, and you deal +100% of the original damage you received. At Rank 3, you've got 10 seconds, and you'll deliver a whopping +120% of damage back.

Clear Out

Clear Out (Level 20, 60 Essence, 30 second cooldown) is a spinning AoE ability that transforms your Fighter into the equivalent of a tornado, lashing out with whatever you've got equipped. You'll be uninterruptable as you do so, and this is the perfect ability to use when wading into a mob of lizard people and clearing them out as fast as possible. When upgraded to Rank 2, Clear Out lasts for two rotations, and at Rank 3, it lasts for three rotations.

That finishes our look at the best Fighter abilities in Avowed - be sure to take a peek at our best Wizard abilities and best Ranger abilities guides as well. For more on adventuring across the Living Lands, check out our Avowed beginner's guide and our guide on all Avowed Treasure Maps. If you'd rather focus on making your Envoy look good with lots of spiffy equipment - a nice set of Fighter heavy armour, perhaps - check out our guide on how to transmogrify.