Which Feats Do I Take

In this topic, I will not be focusing on every single feat but rather on those which you train as you level. This is due to the overwhelming number of feats. In addition, the feats that I will feature here are those that have a noticeable impact on a build. This means that the lesser used feats such as skill focus: jump, etc will not be discussed. So the question is, what are feats? Feats are abilities which a character gets as part of class based abilities or through leveling. Regardless of the class, all characters will get 1 feat at level 1, 3, 6, 9, 12,15 and 18 for a minimum of 7 trainable feats. Some classes also get trainable feats as part of the class ability, they are the fighters, wizards, rogues, monks and rangers. Feats are divided into passive and active feats. Passive feats are feats which impart an ability all the time without the need to activate. Active feats are feats which will produce an effect when activated. There are much more to feats but I will not spend time differentiating them. What is more important is how the important feats work.

Casting Feats
Mental Toughness (Passive) Increases spell points by 10 for level 1 and 5 per level thereafter for a total of 105. This feat is usually taken by wizards and clerics to boost their spell point totals. Sorcerors and favored souls have less need for this feat due to their higher spell point total and a lack of feats.

Pre-requisite: Ability to cast spells

Improved Mental Toughness (Passive) Increases spell points by 10 for level 1 and 5 per level thereafter for a total of 105. This feat is usually taken by wizards and clerics to boost their spell point totals. Sorcerors and favored souls have less need for this feat due to their higher spell point total and a lack of feats.

Pre-requisite: Ability to cast level 3 spells, mental toughness

Spell Penetration (Passive) Increase caster spell penetration checks by +2. I would recommend all crowd control casters to take this feat as many of the crowd control spells will need a spell penetration check against mobs, especially in the end game. Nuker caster generally do not need this feat as damage spells do not need spell penetration checks.

Pre-requisite: Ability to cast spells

Greater Spell Penetration (Passive) Increase caster spell penetration checks by +2 which stacks with the bonus from spell penetration. I would recommend all crowd control casters to take this feat as many of the crowd control spells will need a spell penetration check against mobs, especially in the end game. Nuker caster generally do not need this feat as damage spells do not need spell penetration checks.

Pre-requisite: Ability to cast spells, spell penetration

Character Feats
Dodge (Passive) Gains a +1 to armor class which stacks with all other armor class bonuses. Important feal for tempest rangers as it is a pre-requisite to open up the prestige class. Fighters desiring to be stalwart defenders may take this feat to qualify for tier I of the enhancement. Many tanking melees will also take this feat to get their armor class higher but only so when they have excess feats.

Pre-requisite: 13 dexterity

Mobility (Passive) Add +4 to armor class while tumbling. This feat is predominatly taken to qualify for the tempest prestige class.

Pre-requisite: Dodge

Spring Attack (Passive) Eliminates the -4 to attack while moving. Similar to mobility, this feat is taken usually to qualify for tempest prestige class.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +4, mobility

Extra Turning (Passive) Increases the number of turns by 4. Healing clerics will often take this feat as the turning attempts are also used for the enhancements divine healing and divine vitality.

Pre-requisite: Turn undead

Quick Draw (Passive) Allows faster weapons and armor changing. There is a hidden effect of the ability to activate boosts faster. This feat is often taken by melees that use combat feats such as trip and stunning blow so that they can switch to a damage dealing weapon after they have successfully neutralised a mob with their trip or stun weapons.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +1

Toughness (Passive) Increases hit points by 3 for level 1 and 1 per level thereafter for a total of 22. This feat will also open up race and class toughness enhancements. One toughness feat is all you need. If you have extra feats, spend it on other areas to improve your character.

Combat Feats
Cleave (Active) When cleave is activated, your character will make a sweeping attack on enemies within an arc in front of your character. Multiple targets can be hit. Cleave has a 5 second cooldown. Cleave is also a prequisite for the frenzied berzerker prestige class.

Pre-requisite: Power attack

Great Cleave (Active) When great cleave is activated, your character will make a sweeping attack on enemies within an arc, larger than that of cleave, in front of your character. Multiple targets can be hit. Great cleave has a 10 second cooldown. Many players like to use cleave and great cleave combinations to bring a large group of mobs down.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +4, cleave

Improved Trip (Active) When improved trip is activated, your character will make an attack to attempt to trip a mob. The difficulty of improved trip is 14 + strength modifier + weapon vertigo + racial enhancement + class enhancement + prestige class bonus. Tripped mobs will lay prone on the ground, unable to fight back. Note that some mobs are immune to trip, ie fire elemental, mephits. Improved trip has a 10 second cooldown.

Pre-requisite: Combat expertise

Stunning Blow (Active) When stunning blow is activated, your character will make an attack to attempt to stun a mob. The difficulty of stunning blow is 10 + strength modifier + weapon weighted + racial enhancement + class enhancement + prestige class bonus. Stunned mobs will stand still, unable to fight back and subject to critical hits. Note that some mobs are immune to stunning blow, ie undead, elementals. Stunning blow has a 15 second cooldown.

Fighting Style Feats
Two Handed Fighting (Passive) Decreases the attack penalty of glancing blows, from -5 to -2 when using a two handed weapon, and increases the damage of glancing blows. Taking this feat opens up the two handed fighting line of fighting style which is a marked improvement from sword and board as it is possible for weapon effects to proc with glancing blows. All melees should take two handed fighting or two weapon fighting style of fighting to increase the damage output when a high armor class is not required.

Pre-requisite: 15 strength

Improved Two Handed Fighting (Passive) Increases the damage of glancing blows when using a two handed weapon.

Pre-requisite: 17 strength, base attack bonus +6, two handed fighting

Greater Two Handed Fighting (Passive) Increase the chance of glancing blows when attacking while moving, if you have spring attack, and late in the attack chain.

Pre-requisite: 17 strength, base attack bonus +11, improved two handed fighting

Two Weapon Fighting (Passive) Reduces the to-hit penalty when using two weapons at the same time from -6 with main hand and -10 to off hand to -4 for both main and off hand weapons. The penalty will be -2 for both weapons if a light weapon is used in the off hand. All melees should take two weapon fighting or two handed fighting styles of fighting to increase the damage output when a high armor class is not required.

Pre-requisite: 15 dexterity

Improved Two Weapon Fighting (Passive) Adds an additional off hand attack in the attack chain.

Pre-requisite: 17 dexterity, base attack bonus +6, two weapon fighting

Greater Two Weapon Fighting (Passive) Adds another off hand attack, in addition to the one gained from improved two weapon fighting, in the attack chain.

Pre-requisite: 17 dexterity, base attack bonus +11, improved two weapon fighting

Oversized Two Weapon Fighting (Passive) Reduces the penalty when using a heavy weapon in the off hand. Most strength base melees will take this feat so they can wield two heavy weapons, ie 2 khopeshs or 2 dwarven axes. Oversized two weapon fighting can also be used to meet the pre-requisite of the tempest III enhancement.

Pre-requisite: 12 strength, two weapon fighting

Two Weapon Defense (Passive) Grants a +1 to armor class when fighting with two weapons. When fighting defensively, this bonus increases to +2. This feat is taken by many dexterity based melees to boost their armor class. More importantly, this is implemented as a feat bonus and will stack with the shield spell which is a shield bonus. Two weapon defense can also be used to meet the pre-requisite of the tempest III enhancement.

Pre-requisite: 15 dexterity, two weapon fighting

Metamagic Feats
Empower Healing Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat increases the efficiency of healing spells by +50% but cost 10 more spell points. Many healing clerics will take this feat. With investment in items and enhancements to lower the metamagic cost, there is little need to deactivate it. Unlike maximise spell and empower spell, empower healing spell affect the level 6 heal spell. This feat has a cooldown of 1 second.

Pre-requisite: Be able to cast spells

Empower Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat increases the efficiency of damage spells by +50% but cost 15 more spell points. This feat is usually taken together with maximise spell by casters to boost their damage spells by a total of +150%. Although there are items and enhancements to lower the metamagic cost, it can deplete spell points rapidly when left unchecked. Nuking sorcerors with their higher spell point pools are likely to have this feat active. Empower spell also increases the efficiency of healing spells by +50% but it does not affect the level 6 heal spell. This feat has a cooldown of 1 second.

Pre-requisite: Be able to cast spells

Enlarge Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat doubles the range of spells but cost 10 more spell points. Enlarge spell is good for enchantment casters or long range nuking but due to the lack of range issues it is not often taken by casters. The best use if probably to increase the range of healing spells but again, experience will allow players to be able to find that sweet spot to let you heal without inviting danger. In my opinion, the other metamagic feats are more crucial than enlarge spell, take it only if you have extra feats. This feat has a cooldown of 1 second.

Pre-requisite: Be able to cast spells

Extend Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat doubles the duration of spells but cost 10 more spell points. Extend spell is a must for most nuker casters. The use of area of effect spells such as firewall or blade barrier will not have as much efficiency if their duration is too short, and thus unable to kill the mobs before it expires. Buffs are also more time efficient as they do not need to be repeatly recasted. Do take note in quests where debuffing is common, there is no need to cast extended buffs as they will be dispelled. Casters that have a lower spell point pool such as wizards and clerics should manage the use of extend spell, even though there are ways to reduce the metamagic cost. This feat has a cooldown of 1 second.

Pre-requisite: Be able to cast spells

Heighten Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat allow your spell to be casted at you maximum caster level. The cost of the spell will be that of the highest level spell you can cast, ie a level wizard cast a hold person (spell level 1) with heighten activated, the spell will be casted at spell level 3 (highest level spell a level 5 wizard can cast) and will cost 20 spell points. This feat serves to increase the difficult check on the spell. The damage of the spell does not change. Heighten spell becomes more important at level 9 and beyond due to the increasing saves on the mobs. It is a must have feat for crowd control casters, nuker casters will also take this feat to allow them some flexibility if there is a need to use crowd control spells or to make their nuking spells more difficult to save.

Pre-requisite: Able to cast level 2 spells

Maximise Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat increases the efficiency of damage spells by +100% but cost 25 more spell points. This feat is usually taken together with empower spell by casters to boost their damage spells by a total of +150%. Although there are items and enhancements to lower the metamagic cost, it can deplete spell points rapidly when left unchecked. Nuking sorcerors with their higher spell point pools are likely to have this feat active. Maximise spell also increases the efficiency of healing spells by +100% but it does not affect the level 6 heal spell. This feat has a cooldown of 1 second.

Pre-requisite: Be able to cast spells

Quicken Spell (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, this feat decreases the casting time of the spell as well as making it un-interruptable at the cost of 10 more spell points. This feat ranks high for all casters and healers due it allowing spells without interruption. A healer with quicken will be able to heal through damage, keeping the party alive while one without will find many of the heals being wasted. Casters are in a similar position when casting spells with a long casting time ie blade barrier. It is a must for warforged casters especially to land that repair spell on himself without failure. Careful use of quicken spell is needed to preserve spell points.

Pre-requisite: Be able to cast spells

Monk Feats
Stunning Fist (Active) Philosophy: Path of Harmonious Balance (Passive) Philosophy: Path of Inevitable Dominion (Passive)

Ranged Feats
Point Blank Shot (Passive) Characters with this feat gains a +1 to attack and damage when using ranged weapons on a target within 30 feet.

Precise Shot (Passive) Characters with this feat will only strike their targets, ignoring all other enemies in between, when using a ranged weapon.

Pre-requisite: Point blank shot

Improved Precise Shot (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, characters with this feat will strike their target and all enemies within the line of sight when using a ranged weapon.

Pre-requisite: 19 dexterity, base attack bonus +11, precise shot

Rapid Shot (Passive) Characters with this feat are able to attack and reload faster when using a ranged weapon.

Pre-requisite: 13 dexterity, point blank shot

Bow Strength (Passive) Characters with this feat is able to apply there strength modifier to damage when using a bow.

Pre-requisite: Point blank shot, weapon focus: ranged weapon and any of power attack, combat expertise or weapon specialisation: ranged

Manyshot (Active) When activated, characters will be able to shoot multiple arrows at their targets when using a bow. At base attack bonus +6, 2 arrows are fired with -4 attack penalty, 3 arrows at +11 with -6 penalty and 4 arrows at +16 with -8 penalty. There is a cooldown of 2 minutes before this ability can be used again.

Pre-requisite: 17 dexterity, base attack bonus +6, point blank shot, rapid shot

Rapid Reload (Passive) Character with this feat are able to reload crossbows and repeating crossbows faster.

Pre-requisite: Proficient in light crossbow

Ranger Feats
Favored Enemy: Abberation, Construct, Elemental, Evil Outsider, Giant, Undead (Passive) Favored enemy grants a ranger a +2 damage bonus when fighting the specified enemies. This bonus increases by +2 at ranger level 5, 10, 15 and 20 for a total of +10 damage. There are enhancements which can increase the attack, damage, armor class and resistance bonuses. Due to the large number of of evil outsiders at the end game, favored enemy: evil outsider is a must have. At the lower levels, favor enemy undead and giant help a lot. Rangers get favored enemy feats at levels 1, 5, 10, 15 and 20.

Pre-requisite: Ranger only

Rogue Feats
Crippling Strike (Passive) All sneak attacks inflicts 2 points of strength damage. This is a must have feat for rogues. A good rogue will be able to not agro the mobs and hence have a lot of sneak attacks. With this feat, you will inflict a lot of strength damage. When a mob is at 0 strength, it will be helpless and also stunned for 6 seconds. More importantly, helpless mobs are subject to sneak attacks.

Pre-requisite: Rogue level 10

Defensive Roll (Passive) Defensive roll allows a rogue with less than 20% health to have a chance equal to the reflex save modifier of taking 50% damage from melee or ranged attacks. In addition, any special damage that can be negated by shield blocking is also evaded. In my opinion, this would be the last I would select among the 4 feats listed due to its criteria. Most of the time, healers will keep you hit points up and thus this feat does not really come into play.

Pre-requisite: Rogue level 10

Improved Evasion (Passive) Rogues with this feat will take no damage with a successful reflex save and only half damage when the save is unsuccessful. This is the third rogue class feat I would take after crippling strike and slippery mind. The reason is that rogues have a high reflex save and thus it is likely that this feat would only be used for 5% in situations which requires evasion.

Pre-requisite: Rogue level 10

Slippery Mind (Passive) Grants a rogue a second attempt at avoiding enchanments should he or she fails the first will save. Due to the low will save of most rogues, this is a highly recommended feat which can keep harmful will based spell effects away.

Pre-requisite: Rogue level 10

Saves Feats
Bullheaded (Passive) Characters with this feat gains a +1 to will saves and +2 to intimidate. This feat is taken generally by fighters to boost their will saves as well as to maximise their intimidate skill.

Force of Personality (Passive) Characters with this feat will use the charisma or wisdom modifier, whichever is higher, for will saves. In general, 3 classes would benefit from this feat, paladins, sorcerors and bards. Paladins do not need it due to their already high will saves while bards are very feat starved. Sorcerors, especially warforged, will take this feat so that they will not be subject to will based spells from enemy casters.

Pre-requisite: 13 charisma

Insightful Reflexes (Passive) Characters with this feat will use the intelligence or dexterity modifier, whichever is higher, for reflex saves. This feat should be taken by all wizards due to the low hit points as well as low reflex saves, which make wizards very susceptible to trap and area of effect damage.

Pre-requisite: 13 intelligence

Iron Will (Passive) Characters with this feat gain a +2 to will save. This is highly recommended for fighters as they will saves are extremely low and they have the feats to spare.

Lightning Reflexes (Passive) Characters with this feat gain a +2 to reflex save. This feat is generally taken by build where it is splashed with 2 levels of rogue or monks to gain the evasion feat. The main reason is to make full use of the feat while having a lower investment in terms of dexterity.

Luck of Heroes (Passive) Characters with this feat gain a +1 to all saves. I would only recommend this to fighters with low will saves and a lot of feats to spare.

Shield Feats
Shield Mastery (Passive) Characters with this feat gains an extra +3 in blocking damage reduction. This is an important feat for intimitanks which holds the agro of a large group of mobs while shield blocking to reduce the damage dealt. It is also taken to help qualify for stalwart defender I.

Pre-requisite: General shield proficiency

Improved Shield Mastery (Passive) Characters with this feat gains an additional +3 in blocking damage reduction, in addition to that from shield mastery. Similar with shield mastery, this is taken by intimitanks that thrive on shield blocking while spamming intimidate.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +8, shield mastery

Tower Shield Proficiency (Passive) Characters with this feat ignores the penalties when using a tower shield untrained. Most builds that would want this feat would take 1 level of fighter rather than spending a feat on it. Tanking paladins will most likely take this feat to be able to use tower shields to get that extra +2 to armor class.

Pre-requisite: General shield proficiency

Skill Feats
Negotiator (Passive) Characters with this feat gains a +2 to dilpomacy and haggle skills. This feat is only taken by hagglebot bards to improve their haggle score so that they can buy stuff cheap and sell loot for more.

Skill Focus: Haggle, Intimidate or Using Magical Device (Passive) Characters with these feats gains a +3 to the skill specified. Skill focus: haggle is only taken by hagglebot bards to help with buying and selling. Skill focus: intimidate is often taken by intimitanks to reach an intimidate score high enough to intimidate raid bosses. Skill focus: using magical device is typically taken by characters that has using magical device skill to ensure that they hit a sufficiently high score to not fail attempts. The no fail using magical device score is usually set at 39 for use of level 6 spells, especially heal, without fail.

Spell School Feats
Spell Focus: Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion or Necromancy (Passive) Casters with this feat recieves a +1 to the difficulty check of spells from the school specialised. Specialist casters will often take the spell focus feats to ensure that enemies fails more often. Typically wizards tend to specialise due to the greater number of feats they have as well as a lower spell point pool which makes it more costly if a mob makes the save.

Pre-requisite: Able to cast spells

Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment, Evocation, Illusion or Necromancy (Passive) Casters with this feat recieves a +1 to the difficulty check of spells, in addition to spell focus, from the school specialised. Specialist casters will often take the spell focus feats to ensure that enemies fails more often. Typically wizards tend to specialise due to the greater number of feats they have as well as a lower spell point pool which makes it more costly if a mob makes the save.

Pre-requisite: Able to cast spells

Stance Feats
Combat Expertise (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, combat expertise increases a character's armor class by +5 while taking a -5 penalty to attack. This feat is usually taken by tanking melees. It is also taken by fighters to help qualify for stalwart defender I. Do take note that casting a spell, using a clicky or certain potions can result in the stance being deactivated.

Pre-requisite: 13 intelligence

Power Attack (Active, remains "on" until deactivated) When activated, power attack increases a character's base damage by +5 while taking a -5 penalty to attack. The increase in damage for two handed fighting is +10 with the same penalty to attack. All strength based melees should have this feat and dexterity based melees should take it if the number of feats allow. For most strength based melees, this feat account for approximately 10% of the damage output. Barbarians wanting to become frenzied berserkers require this feat to qualify.

Pre-requisite: 13 strength

Warforged Feats
Mithral Body (Passive) Mithral body grants a warforged +5 bonus to armor class. This counts as light armor and caps the maximum dexterity bonus to +5. It imparts a 15% chance of arcane spell failure and characters take a -2 armor check penalty.

Pre-requisite: Warforged only

Adamantine Body (Passive) Adamantine body grants a warforged +8 bonus to armor class and damage reduction 2/adamantine. This counts as heavy armor and caps the maximum dexterity bonus to +1. It imparts a 35% chance of arcane spell failure and characters take a -5 armor check penalty.

Pre-requisite: Warforged only

Improved Damage Reduction (Passive) Improved damage reduction allows a warforged to gain damage reduction 1/adamantine or to improve exisiting damage reduction by 1.

Pre-requisite: Warforged only

Weapon Feats
Exotic Weapon Proficiency: Khopesh, Bastard Sword, Heavy Repeating Crossbow, Light Repeating Crossbow (Passive) Exotic weapon proficiency allows a character a proficiency in a specified weapon, thus eliminating the -4 attack penalty when using the exotic weapon. The khopesh proficiency is most favored among the exotic weapons due to it being the most damaging one handed weapon. Some players will choose the bastard sword but mostly due to it higher base damage for non-crittable mobs and also because they are cheap to accumulate. The two repeating crossbow feats are generally taken at the lower levels by archer builds as there superior rate of fire means instant death for low level mobs. There is a slight preference to the heavy repeating crossbow due to its higher base damage.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +1

Weapon Focus: Slashing, Piercing (Passive) The weapon focus feat provides a +1 attack bonus when using weapons of the specified type. This feat is a must have for all fighters as it is a pre-requisite for the weapon specialisation feat. Bards that desire to go the warchanter route will also take this feat in order to qualify for the prestige class.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +1

Greater Weapon Focus: Slashing, Piercing (Passive) The greater weapon focus feat provides an additional +1 attack bonus, in addition to that afforded by weapon focus, when using weapons of the specified type. This feat is a must have for all fighters as it is a pre-requisite for the greater weapon specialisation feat.

Pre-requisite: Fighter level 8, weapon focus

Superior Weapon Focus: Slashing, Piercing (Passive) The superior weapon focus feat provides an additional +1 attack bonus, in addition to that afforded by the other two weapon focus feats, when using weapons of the specified type. This feat is a must have for all fighters that are going for the kensai III prestige class as it is a pre-requisite.

Pre-requisite: Greater weapon focus, greater weapon specialisation

Weapn Specialisation (Passive) The weapon specialisation feat provides a +2 damage bonus when using weapons of the specified type. This feat is a must have for all fighters as it is the base of a fighter's fighting prowress. Fighters that are going for kensai I will need this feat to qualify.

Pre-requisite: Fighter level 4, weapon focus

Greater Weapon Specialisation (Passive) The greater weapon specialisation feat provides an additional +2 damage bonus, in addition to that afforded by weapon specialisation, when using weapons of the specified type. This feat is a must have for all fighters as it is the base of a fighter's fighting prowress. Fighters that are going for kensai II will need this feat to qualify.

Pre-requisite: Fighter level 12, weapon focus, weapon specialisation

Improved Critical: Slashing, Piercing, Ranged (Passive) The improved critical feat doubles the critical threat ranged of the specified class of weapons, ie an axe will crit with a 20 is rolled and the critical confirmed, with improved critical: slash, the axe will crit on 19 and 20. This feat is a must for all melee and ranged characters as it increases the damage by a margin as large as +15% depending on the weapon used.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +8

Weapon Finesse (Passive) The weapon finesse feat allows the use of the dexterity modifier to be used to determine the attack bonus rather than the strength modifier. This only applies with light weapons and rapiers. This feat is a must for dexterity based melees in order for them to hit consistently. Note that only the attack bonus is based on dexterity, the damage is still based on strength.

Pre-requisite: Base attack bonus +1