So I've had a couple of attempts with EK now, and thought I'd write out my opinions on the class now that I think I've given it a fair go.
My first try of the class was a few years ago in a solo campaign (just me and the DM). I built it trying to imitate a swordmage and got to about level 3 before the game ended. My experience of the class wasn't enjoyable, but I put that down to inexperience with the system and the campaign style which DnD wasn't built around.
This time I've got to lvl 7 with a group which varies from 3-6, in what's been an enjoyable campaign which has gone on since January. I lost my barbarian part way through (such a fun class), and went looking for a swordmage build again with the 3e duskblade, 4e swordmage, and pathfinder magus in mid. The internet overwhelmingly assured me that EK was exactly what I was looking for.
The experience has been... not great. I've found that the class does not live up to the expectations of a magic warrior even remotely. Previous classes relied on spellstrike to merge their magic with their fighting rather than being just a fighter one turn and a caster the next, and EK lacks the ability to truly blend these together. It's like playing a barbarian without rage or a paladin without smite. Lack of the smite/strike spells which ranger and paladin get access to while EK inexplicitly doesn't just rubbed salt in the wound (seriously even cleric is getting some in its core list with the UA variants. I never thought I'd see the day when clerics spellstrike better than swordmages).
I hoped that war magic would solve the issue, but it took about 2 fights to realise that EK is far better off just using all its attacks instead which gives it a better damage output. The only time it really feels like a magic warrior is when using shield as a reaction. Things would be better if it could choose from other schools, as evocation is probably the worst possible choice for the class with how it's currently set up.
My verdict if you've not experienced a swordmage in other systems: Meh. It's a fighter with some magic, but apart from shield and a couple of other spells, you're better off just hitting things like a regular fighter.
My verdict if you've come to EK with a duskblade/swordmage/magus in your head: Run as far away from this class as you possibly can. You won't find what you're looking for here. Pick Paladin instead. At least it manages the half caster and spellstrike part.
Did booming blade, green flame blade, and shadow blade help make EK more fun? I want to like the subclass, but it does look kind of disjointed.
I'm honestly not a fan of the SCAGtrips. Their awkward to use, only allow a single attack, and come with weird conditions like the enemy must move or the enemy must be next to another enemy.
You're far batter off spamming attack.
The smite/strike spells which paladin and ranger (and soon cleric) get are far more satisfying. They allow you to use all your attacks, dish out some direct damage, and come with cool effects like knocking enemies prone or frightening them.
I agree with your dislike of the subclass. It's a cool idea, executed incorrectly. Their Extra Attack interferes with their spellcasting, and their spells don't help them with melee combat more often than not. The only very notable spells that they can get are Shield, Absorb Elements, Misty Step, Mirror Image, and Shadow Blade. The way they are designed is very disappointing and makes it one of my least favorite fighter subclasses (why do so many fighter subclasses suck? Arcane Archers, Eldritch Knights, Cavaliers, Purple Dragon Knights, and Samurai are all very bad compared to Battlemasters, Rune Knights, or Champions). Even at the few levels where they can pull off some cool combos (greenflame blade with a shadow blade and a bonus action attack), they are not a good fighter subclass long enough for it to count.
The SCAGtrips are really only useful for the Eldritch Knight for 6 levels of play (levels 3-4, and 7-10), which is severely disappointing. If a character want to blend arcane magic and melee weapon attacks, these cantrips are great, but not for the Eldritch Knight. They're much better for Arcana Clerics, Druids, Blade/Tomepact Warlocks, and Arcane Tricksters (I have a thread explaining how to be good with these spells). They're good spells, but are not great for most of the people who actually get them, due to Extra Attack. I actually really like level 7 Eldritch Knights due to War Magic being combined with a SCAGtrip, but they stop being good again at 11th level because of Extra Attack (2). It just feels like WotC were overly cautious in their attempt to balance this subclass. Just like the Four Elements Monk, it's a cool subclass executed in a near-unplayable way.
Even worse, multiclassing into this subclass barely gives you anything worthwhile. The best multiclass combo that I've found was Eldritch Knight 7/Bladesinger 13 to combine the SCAGtrips, War Caster, Bladesong, and Tenser's Transformation, but it still nowhere as good as playing a paladin. It sucks that this subclass sucks, for a lack of a better way to say it. It is just overall a mostly disappointing subclass. I feel sorry for anyone who has had the misfortune of playing this subclass.
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To be honest I'm not sure how it could have been done well.
It's a fighter, and subclasses are so minor that the main class is the only thing which really matters. If EK had been given satisfying combat magic it would have ended up OP because it still has action surge, tons of ASI's, and 4 attacks. It's the entire issue with 5e's subclass system. A subclass will always be completely overwhelmed by the main classes mechanics.
It's why I'm desperate for a swordmage full class, but at this point I'm 100% sure it's never coming.
I think it works pretty well personally, though it's definitely more fighter than mage overall.
While Green Flame Blade does limit you to one attack, when you get your second attack at level 5, GFB also becomes a lot stronger, adding d8 fire damage to your target, and dealing d8 + INT damage automatically to another, which depending upon your weapon can be better than attacking twice, especially if that second target is really hard to hit and/or vulnerable to fire. That's pretty good for a cantrip! Plus it gets even stronger at higher levels, and your later sub-class abilities let you attack after using a cantrip, so you can not only deal more powerful single attacks, but also throw out an extra attack for good measure anyway. Plus you can still Action Surge.
Meanwhile on spells you've got a few interesting choices; Shield on a Wizard can burn through slots quickly if you need it often, but on an Eldritch Knight you should already have high AC, in which case Shield is great for those rarer cases where it wasn't quite high enough. Otherwise I think it's often better to focus on control spells that can disrupt enemy mobs, as the bulk of your damage is still going to come from the combat side so splitting them up, restraining etc. are handy. It's also worth taking a DC-based cantrip as a ranged option and/or something you can use against high AC enemies.
I do agree that it's a bit strange EK's don't get smite spells; Paladins hardly ever use them, and they feel like they make much more sense for an EK.
I think overall it's a solid sub-class, it's just definitely more fighter than mage; but we also have the Hexblade Warlock as an option, and there's a slightly fighty Wizard sub-class, so I think we're reasonably well covered for fighty casters, and you can always multi-class if you prefer.
Im thinking I'll have a fun time with Eldritch Knight by going 8 levels, then multi-classing into war mage the rest of the way, like a better melee bladesinger of a gish character.
Im thinking I'll have a fun time with Eldritch Knight by going 8 levels, then multi-classing into war mage the rest of the way, like a better melee bladesinger of a gish character.
That does fix one of the two issues for the people wanting a classic swordmage arcane half caster. By multiclassing EK with wizard, you can tweak the spell progression to match that of a paladin or ranger.
Still lacks the spellstrike abilities of prior editions and this editions paladin and ranger though, and so still ends up as just half a fighter one turn and half a caster the next turn.
Im thinking I'll have a fun time with Eldritch Knight by going 8 levels, then multi-classing into war mage the rest of the way, like a better melee bladesinger of a gish character.
That does fix one of the two issues for the people wanting a classic swordmage arcane half caster. By multiclassing EK with wizard, you can tweak the spell progression to match that of a paladin or ranger.
Still lacks the spellstrike abilities of prior editions and this editions paladin and ranger though, and so still ends up as just half a fighter one turn and half a caster the next turn.
True, but I'll probably think of it as a fighter that uses spells like shadow blade, booming blade, and haste to pretty much be close to a full fighter, but also have more spell options in combat, and a lot of rituals and utility spells out of combat.
Im thinking I'll have a fun time with Eldritch Knight by going 8 levels, then multi-classing into war mage the rest of the way, like a better melee bladesinger of a gish character.
This ended up being a rather impressive play on the class, though this does run into similar problems as described above - The Soulknife - kudos to LudicSavant of GITP forums.
That said, a variety of subclasses across the board, not just for Fighters, are not optimal, but do posess a broader flavor and utility than pure combat. There's a lot thrown towards more utility and RP/social encounters I think that works in campaigns and adventures that do not rely as much on sheer DPR.
I personally enjoy my EK as i'm playing it a bit more from a support build. I had a lvl 4 ranger with an old UA version that outdps'd the drunken brawler monk, path of ancients barb and college of whispers bard in my party. But with the EK i can support my party a bit more as we dont really have a healer or even someone who can cure conditions/bad effects like charm, poison etc. the Spells are useful for AOE situations, especially when you dont have extra attack yet or they're not within 5ft. And I play it partially for the fantasy, i mean summoning your sword without having to compromise with some patron to get that ability is awesome :D
Im thinking I'll have a fun time with Eldritch Knight by going 8 levels, then multi-classing into war mage the rest of the way, like a better melee bladesinger of a gish character.
This ended up being a rather impressive play on the class, though this does run into similar problems as described above - The Soulknife - kudos to LudicSavant of GITP forums.
The aforementioned build (it’s basically a DEX-focused EK) is really good to make usage of cheap but great spells. You are able to slightly boost your AC through Mage Armor (once you get DEX 18-20), also remembering that you have awesome defensive spells like Shield, Absorb Elements and PFE&G.
On the offense side, you can abuse Shadow Blade without moderation. 2d8 + DEX mod + 2 (Dueling) x 4 (Action Surge) is very good damage. And since you are using one-handed weapon, you can still carry a shield to sky rocket your AC even more.
From level 3-4 Booming Blade will be better than one attack action. From level 5-6 attack action twice will be better. From level 7-10 War Magic with Booming Blade and bonus action attack will be better again. From level 11 regular attack action three times will always be better.
However, if you manage to get War Caster feat somehow, Booming Blade is tremendously good for your OA.
Also with war magic, if you are in a situation where you need to tank, you can use bladeward and then still make an attack. 25 ac with shield and resistance to physical damage? DM might as well throw away the turns of creatures trying to hit you.
Also with war magic, if you are in a situation where you need to tank, you can use bladeward and then still make an attack. 25 ac with shield and resistance to physical damage? DM might as well throw away the turns of creatures trying to hit you.
Honestly, I think Blade Ward is really bad. I agree and I like your strategy, but I rather use Dodge action instead. This would virtually grant you something like 30 AC with Shield and nearly impossible to be critted.
Also with war magic, if you are in a situation where you need to tank, you can use bladeward and then still make an attack. 25 ac with shield and resistance to physical damage? DM might as well throw away the turns of creatures trying to hit you.
Honestly, I think Blade Ward is really bad. I agree and I like your strategy, but I rather use Dodge action instead. This would virtually grant you something like 30 AC with Shield and nearly impossible to be critted.
I don't think one is clearly better:
Blade Ward: Once you have War Magic you can cast this and attack on the same turn; it basically lets you gain the resilience of a Barbarian for a round whenever you want, except as an EK you may have a better AC than a Barbarian does. It also works against save-based attacks.
Dodge: With a good AC this can stop attacks from hitting you in the first place, but only works against attacks. You also can't attack on the same turn you use this without using an Action Surge, though you can still do anything else you have as a bonus action.
It's situational which one will be better, so why not have access to both?
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Your spells are situational tools, and the limited number of spell slots you get per day are a VERY stark reminder of this. Don’t forget: you’re still a fighter first. Many people grab Eldritch knight expecting a 50/50 - fighter/mage when the reality is more like 90/10 - fighter/mage; so players get disappointed from unmet expectations. But the fighter chassis is pretty fantastic. Eldritch Knight can get super high AC (plate+shield+shield spell = 25) and have access to spells for area of effect and control. So decide on the role you want to accomplish in your party and build from that. They are well suited for Tanking and Skirmishing and are great at dealing with hoards. Certain archery builds can also be great for damage if that is your preferred role.
Play like a straight fighter and use the spells to enhance what you are already good at. The biggest challenge of playing an Eldritch Knight is a conflict between casting spells and making attacks. These two styles of D&D combat mix like water and oil, and it’s difficult to meld them together in a way that evokes the fluid feelings of magically enhanced martial combat in popular fantasy series like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Star Wars. Getting the most out of the Eldritch Knight archetype’s Eldritch Strike means looking for a “one-two-three’ combo: using your weapon hit to impose disadvantage on the targets saving throw against a spell that is also a combo primer that gives you advantage on your next attack roll. Spells like blindness/deafness, hold person, Tasha’s hideous laughter, and web; grab these at 3 or 8th level when you aren’t restricted to a abj/evo Spells. Plus hitting a group of enemies with weapon attacks then Action surge to cast an AOE spell on everyone who saves with disadvantage is very satisfying. Also you can double fireball and still get a weapon attack in between if you like. Or hold person then action surge to unleash crit-after-crit-after-crit against the paralyzed rube.
Its a fun flavourful subclass that can do things the other fighter subclasses can’t, but if it isn’t meeting your expectations it’s fine to try another class that suits what you want more. Valor or Sword Bards, Blade pact warlocks, Clerics, Paladins and Bladesingers all are great melee combat spellcasters that may meet your vision more.
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Also with war magic, if you are in a situation where you need to tank, you can use bladeward and then still make an attack. 25 ac with shield and resistance to physical damage? DM might as well throw away the turns of creatures trying to hit you.
Honestly, I think Blade Ward is really bad. I agree and I like your strategy, but I rather use Dodge action instead. This would virtually grant you something like 30 AC with Shield and nearly impossible to be critted.
I don't think one is clearly better:
Blade Ward: Once you have War Magic you can cast this and attack on the same turn; it basically lets you gain the resilience of a Barbarian for a round whenever you want, except as an EK you may have a better AC than a Barbarian does. It also works against save-based attacks.
Dodge: With a good AC this can stop attacks from hitting you in the first place, but only works against attacks. You also can't attack on the same turn you use this without using an Action Surge, though you can still do anything else you have as a bonus action.
It's situational which one will be better, so why not have access to both?
I agree with your vision, but as a Fighter you can find more efficient ways to mitigate damage - and nothing is more effective than a huge AC. If you are really attached to the “resistance” concept, you can simply get Heavy Armor Master. But I believe you should follow a simple decision tree that only EKs are capable to deploy due to the unusual combination of the best mundane AC possible and best defensive spells in the game:
- Is my AC being targeted? Save some slots for Shield + PFE&G or Blur.
- Am I being targeted by elemental damage? Save some slots for Absorb Elements.
War Magic is much more useful during levels 7-10 where you attack with a SCAG cantrip (like Booming Blade) and follow-up that with a regular attack.
So I've had a couple of attempts with EK now, and thought I'd write out my opinions on the class now that I think I've given it a fair go.
My first try of the class was a few years ago in a solo campaign (just me and the DM). I built it trying to imitate a swordmage and got to about level 3 before the game ended. My experience of the class wasn't enjoyable, but I put that down to inexperience with the system and the campaign style which DnD wasn't built around.
This time I've got to lvl 7 with a group which varies from 3-6, in what's been an enjoyable campaign which has gone on since January. I lost my barbarian part way through (such a fun class), and went looking for a swordmage build again with the 3e duskblade, 4e swordmage, and pathfinder magus in mid. The internet overwhelmingly assured me that EK was exactly what I was looking for.
The experience has been... not great. I've found that the class does not live up to the expectations of a magic warrior even remotely. Previous classes relied on spellstrike to merge their magic with their fighting rather than being just a fighter one turn and a caster the next, and EK lacks the ability to truly blend these together. It's like playing a barbarian without rage or a paladin without smite. Lack of the smite/strike spells which ranger and paladin get access to while EK inexplicitly doesn't just rubbed salt in the wound (seriously even cleric is getting some in its core list with the UA variants. I never thought I'd see the day when clerics spellstrike better than swordmages).
I hoped that war magic would solve the issue, but it took about 2 fights to realise that EK is far better off just using all its attacks instead which gives it a better damage output. The only time it really feels like a magic warrior is when using shield as a reaction. Things would be better if it could choose from other schools, as evocation is probably the worst possible choice for the class with how it's currently set up.
My verdict if you've not experienced a swordmage in other systems: Meh. It's a fighter with some magic, but apart from shield and a couple of other spells, you're better off just hitting things like a regular fighter.
My verdict if you've come to EK with a duskblade/swordmage/magus in your head: Run as far away from this class as you possibly can. You won't find what you're looking for here. Pick Paladin instead. At least it manages the half caster and spellstrike part.
Did booming blade, green flame blade, and shadow blade help make EK more fun? I want to like the subclass, but it does look kind of disjointed.
I'm honestly not a fan of the SCAGtrips. Their awkward to use, only allow a single attack, and come with weird conditions like the enemy must move or the enemy must be next to another enemy.
You're far batter off spamming attack.
The smite/strike spells which paladin and ranger (and soon cleric) get are far more satisfying. They allow you to use all your attacks, dish out some direct damage, and come with cool effects like knocking enemies prone or frightening them.
I agree with your dislike of the subclass. It's a cool idea, executed incorrectly. Their Extra Attack interferes with their spellcasting, and their spells don't help them with melee combat more often than not. The only very notable spells that they can get are Shield, Absorb Elements, Misty Step, Mirror Image, and Shadow Blade. The way they are designed is very disappointing and makes it one of my least favorite fighter subclasses (why do so many fighter subclasses suck? Arcane Archers, Eldritch Knights, Cavaliers, Purple Dragon Knights, and Samurai are all very bad compared to Battlemasters, Rune Knights, or Champions). Even at the few levels where they can pull off some cool combos (greenflame blade with a shadow blade and a bonus action attack), they are not a good fighter subclass long enough for it to count.
The SCAGtrips are really only useful for the Eldritch Knight for 6 levels of play (levels 3-4, and 7-10), which is severely disappointing. If a character want to blend arcane magic and melee weapon attacks, these cantrips are great, but not for the Eldritch Knight. They're much better for Arcana Clerics, Druids, Blade/Tomepact Warlocks, and Arcane Tricksters (I have a thread explaining how to be good with these spells). They're good spells, but are not great for most of the people who actually get them, due to Extra Attack. I actually really like level 7 Eldritch Knights due to War Magic being combined with a SCAGtrip, but they stop being good again at 11th level because of Extra Attack (2). It just feels like WotC were overly cautious in their attempt to balance this subclass. Just like the Four Elements Monk, it's a cool subclass executed in a near-unplayable way.
Even worse, multiclassing into this subclass barely gives you anything worthwhile. The best multiclass combo that I've found was Eldritch Knight 7/Bladesinger 13 to combine the SCAGtrips, War Caster, Bladesong, and Tenser's Transformation, but it still nowhere as good as playing a paladin. It sucks that this subclass sucks, for a lack of a better way to say it. It is just overall a mostly disappointing subclass. I feel sorry for anyone who has had the misfortune of playing this subclass.
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To be honest I'm not sure how it could have been done well.
It's a fighter, and subclasses are so minor that the main class is the only thing which really matters. If EK had been given satisfying combat magic it would have ended up OP because it still has action surge, tons of ASI's, and 4 attacks. It's the entire issue with 5e's subclass system. A subclass will always be completely overwhelmed by the main classes mechanics.
It's why I'm desperate for a swordmage full class, but at this point I'm 100% sure it's never coming.
I think it works pretty well personally, though it's definitely more fighter than mage overall.
While Green Flame Blade does limit you to one attack, when you get your second attack at level 5, GFB also becomes a lot stronger, adding d8 fire damage to your target, and dealing d8 + INT damage automatically to another, which depending upon your weapon can be better than attacking twice, especially if that second target is really hard to hit and/or vulnerable to fire. That's pretty good for a cantrip! Plus it gets even stronger at higher levels, and your later sub-class abilities let you attack after using a cantrip, so you can not only deal more powerful single attacks, but also throw out an extra attack for good measure anyway. Plus you can still Action Surge.
Meanwhile on spells you've got a few interesting choices; Shield on a Wizard can burn through slots quickly if you need it often, but on an Eldritch Knight you should already have high AC, in which case Shield is great for those rarer cases where it wasn't quite high enough. Otherwise I think it's often better to focus on control spells that can disrupt enemy mobs, as the bulk of your damage is still going to come from the combat side so splitting them up, restraining etc. are handy. It's also worth taking a DC-based cantrip as a ranged option and/or something you can use against high AC enemies.
I do agree that it's a bit strange EK's don't get smite spells; Paladins hardly ever use them, and they feel like they make much more sense for an EK.
I think overall it's a solid sub-class, it's just definitely more fighter than mage; but we also have the Hexblade Warlock as an option, and there's a slightly fighty Wizard sub-class, so I think we're reasonably well covered for fighty casters, and you can always multi-class if you prefer.
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Im thinking I'll have a fun time with Eldritch Knight by going 8 levels, then multi-classing into war mage the rest of the way, like a better melee bladesinger of a gish character.
That does fix one of the two issues for the people wanting a classic swordmage arcane half caster. By multiclassing EK with wizard, you can tweak the spell progression to match that of a paladin or ranger.
Still lacks the spellstrike abilities of prior editions and this editions paladin and ranger though, and so still ends up as just half a fighter one turn and half a caster the next turn.
True, but I'll probably think of it as a fighter that uses spells like shadow blade, booming blade, and haste to pretty much be close to a full fighter, but also have more spell options in combat, and a lot of rituals and utility spells out of combat.
This ended up being a rather impressive play on the class, though this does run into similar problems as described above - The Soulknife - kudos to LudicSavant of GITP forums.
That said, a variety of subclasses across the board, not just for Fighters, are not optimal, but do posess a broader flavor and utility than pure combat. There's a lot thrown towards more utility and RP/social encounters I think that works in campaigns and adventures that do not rely as much on sheer DPR.
I personally enjoy my EK as i'm playing it a bit more from a support build. I had a lvl 4 ranger with an old UA version that outdps'd the drunken brawler monk, path of ancients barb and college of whispers bard in my party. But with the EK i can support my party a bit more as we dont really have a healer or even someone who can cure conditions/bad effects like charm, poison etc. the Spells are useful for AOE situations, especially when you dont have extra attack yet or they're not within 5ft. And I play it partially for the fantasy, i mean summoning your sword without having to compromise with some patron to get that ability is awesome :D
The aforementioned build (it’s basically a DEX-focused EK) is really good to make usage of cheap but great spells. You are able to slightly boost your AC through Mage Armor (once you get DEX 18-20), also remembering that you have awesome defensive spells like Shield, Absorb Elements and PFE&G.
On the offense side, you can abuse Shadow Blade without moderation. 2d8 + DEX mod + 2 (Dueling) x 4 (Action Surge) is very good damage. And since you are using one-handed weapon, you can still carry a shield to sky rocket your AC even more.
From level 3-4 Booming Blade will be better than one attack action. From level 5-6 attack action twice will be better. From level 7-10 War Magic with Booming Blade and bonus action attack will be better again. From level 11 regular attack action three times will always be better.
However, if you manage to get War Caster feat somehow, Booming Blade is tremendously good for your OA.
Also with war magic, if you are in a situation where you need to tank, you can use bladeward and then still make an attack. 25 ac with shield and resistance to physical damage? DM might as well throw away the turns of creatures trying to hit you.
Honestly, I think Blade Ward is really bad. I agree and I like your strategy, but I rather use Dodge action instead. This would virtually grant you something like 30 AC with Shield and nearly impossible to be critted.
Unsure how you're doing less damage with Cantrips if the SCAG is in play.
Assume 18 Str/Dex.
2 attacks deals 2d8+8
Attack plus booming does 2d8+8+1d8.
I don't think one is clearly better:
It's situational which one will be better, so why not have access to both?
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That's only at certain levels of play. At certain levels (5-6, 11+), it is better to use Extra Attack than attack with a SCAG cantrip.
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At level 11 it's a choice of:
3 attacks for 3d8+12. Avg 27
Vs
2 attacks for 2d8+8+2d8. Avg 28
At level 17 it becomes
3 attacks for 3d8+12. Avg 27
Vs
2 attacks for 2d8+8+3d8. Avg 33.
It's only at level 20 when it becomes Avg 36 vs Avg 33 that pure attack pulls ahead.
Your spells are situational tools, and the limited number of spell slots you get per day are a VERY stark reminder of this. Don’t forget: you’re still a fighter first. Many people grab Eldritch knight expecting a 50/50 - fighter/mage when the reality is more like 90/10 - fighter/mage; so players get disappointed from unmet expectations. But the fighter chassis is pretty fantastic. Eldritch Knight can get super high AC (plate+shield+shield spell = 25) and have access to spells for area of effect and control. So decide on the role you want to accomplish in your party and build from that. They are well suited for Tanking and Skirmishing and are great at dealing with hoards. Certain archery builds can also be great for damage if that is your preferred role.
Play like a straight fighter and use the spells to enhance what you are already good at. The biggest challenge of playing an Eldritch Knight is a conflict between casting spells and making attacks. These two styles of D&D combat mix like water and oil, and it’s difficult to meld them together in a way that evokes the fluid feelings of magically enhanced martial combat in popular fantasy series like Avatar: The Last Airbender or Star Wars. Getting the most out of the Eldritch Knight archetype’s Eldritch Strike means looking for a “one-two-three’ combo: using your weapon hit to impose disadvantage on the targets saving throw against a spell that is also a combo primer that gives you advantage on your next attack roll. Spells like blindness/deafness, hold person, Tasha’s hideous laughter, and web; grab these at 3 or 8th level when you aren’t restricted to a abj/evo Spells. Plus hitting a group of enemies with weapon attacks then Action surge to cast an AOE spell on everyone who saves with disadvantage is very satisfying. Also you can double fireball and still get a weapon attack in between if you like. Or hold person then action surge to unleash crit-after-crit-after-crit against the paralyzed rube.
Its a fun flavourful subclass that can do things the other fighter subclasses can’t, but if it isn’t meeting your expectations it’s fine to try another class that suits what you want more. Valor or Sword Bards, Blade pact warlocks, Clerics, Paladins and Bladesingers all are great melee combat spellcasters that may meet your vision more.
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I agree with your vision, but as a Fighter you can find more efficient ways to mitigate damage - and nothing is more effective than a huge AC. If you are really attached to the “resistance” concept, you can simply get Heavy Armor Master. But I believe you should follow a simple decision tree that only EKs are capable to deploy due to the unusual combination of the best mundane AC possible and best defensive spells in the game:
- Is my AC being targeted? Save some slots for Shield + PFE&G or Blur.
- Am I being targeted by elemental damage? Save some slots for Absorb Elements.
War Magic is much more useful during levels 7-10 where you attack with a SCAG cantrip (like Booming Blade) and follow-up that with a regular attack.