Ultimate Defender Tank Builds in DnD 5e
(This guide is for the DnD 5e rules. DnD 2024 tank builds can be found here.)
In gaming, a Tank is an iconic role, drawing the enemies’ ire so your more fragile teammates stay safe. Tanks in DnD work a bit differently. In video games, dedicated tanks will have methods of generating aggro, forcing nearby enemies to focus on them. There isn’t really a mechanic for this in DnD. The Tank Fallacy in DnD is that you can build an extremely defensive character who can stand up to any attack, but enemies can run right around you and attack the wizard behind you.
Playing a tank is deceptively hard. A good tank needs defense to stay alive, offense to make yourself a decent threat, and a mix of abilities to protect your allies and keep them (and yourself) alive. While a tank isn’t essential in a party, keeping the fire off your allies allows them to focus on what they do best. Here are 10 of the best tank builds.
Best Classes and Subclasses for Tank Builds
Barbarian – Path of the Ancestral Guardian
Probably a best-in-class tank, the Ancestral Guardian takes the Barbarian’s natural durability and adds some useful features for getting enemies to focus on you instead of your allies. Barbarians are already durable, but you’ll probably want to go weapon-and-shield, as your main goal will be getting the enemies to focus on you. Your main goal is to keep your allies from harm, so this is the best option. Ancestral Guardian is one of the least offensive Barbarian subclasses, so your allies must deal good damage. Also, Barbarians typically have all their high stats locked up in the three physical stats, so mental stats are often low. Low mental stats can make it hard to withstand magical attacks.
Barbarians need a high Strength and Constitution, a fairly high Dexterity, and possibly a decent mental stat. The original Human is a good choice, getting a +1 to every stat. Mountain Dwarves, Half-Orcs, and Goliaths also make excellent Barbarians, with Goliaths getting the ability to shrug off damage once a day.
Party Roles
Barbarian – Path of the Juggernaut
Path of the Juggernaut comes from the Critical Role-based Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn. If your table is OK with third-party content, this is popular. It is also the first third-party content available on D&D Beyond. If this is a valid option for you, it allows you to take a strategic approach to tanking. While the Totem Warrior works by giving resistance to most damage, the Juggernaut gives you a lot more control over your enemies’ attack rolls.
Barbarians can attack normally (neither advantage nor disadvantage imposed) or attack recklessly, which gives advantage on all attacks, but enemies attack you with advantage too. The Juggernaut subclass gets a third option to take a defensive stance, which is like a reverse reckless attack—you attack with disadvantage, but enemies attack you with disadvantage too. This kind of control over attack rolls makes it much easier to control how much damage you’re taking, especially among a large group of melee attackers. A group of enemy mages will probably nullify this advantage, but Barbarians are good at taking down mages without protection.
Juggernauts get a few more perks, like a knock-back effect on attacks and immunity to being knocked prone, shoved, or grappled, making it harder for more physical opponents to control you.
Party Roles
Barbarian – Path of the Totem Warrior
While the Ancestral Guardian Barbarian focuses on drawing enemies’ attention, the Totem Warrior adds some powerful defensive skills to the mix. Picking Bear totem at level 3 makes for an exceptionally durable character that can withstand enormous damage. Combined with the Barbarian’s high hit points, this character will be tough to kill. On the flip side, you don’t get an option to incentivize enemies to target you until level 14, but the survivability of this subclass earns it a spot on the list. To get the enemies to attack you rather than your friends, you’ll need to do as much damage as possible to make yourself a threat, probably using great weapons and taking the Great Weapons Master feat.
Most of what makes a great Ancestral Guardian Barbarian applies here. Original Humans can be good, as they get bonuses to many stats, and Mountain Dwarves, Half-Orcs, and Goliaths make excellent choices as well, with Half-Orcs getting numerous abilities that pair nicely with a damage-focused Barbarian.
Party Roles
Fighter – Cavalier
The original knight in shining armor, the Cavalier has ways of incentivizing opponents to focus on you rather than your allies. Weapon-and-shield fighting and heavy armor are almost required, making you into a defensive juggernaut, and at level 10, you gain most of the features of the Sentinel feat as a class feature. This subclass is also the closest you can get to a Medieval knight fantasy, so if you want a classic fantasy vibe, this is it. Fighters tend to get more attacks than Barbarians, but Barbarians hit harder and can shrug off more damage. Fighters also get more ability score increases than any other class.
For a Cavalier build, Strength and Constitution are a must. You probably want Dexterity and Wisdom above 10, as those are common saves against spells. That leaves some leeway for taking a third stat with a somewhat high score, giving you control over what kind of character you want to roleplay. Races that get bonuses to Strength or Constitution work well here: Dwarves, Dragonborn, Half-Orcs, and Goliaths all work, and any race in Monsters of the Multiverse can get a Strength increase.
Party Roles
Fighter – Eldritch Knight
If defensive magic sounds fun but you still want to be a badass warrior, the Eldritch Knight Fighter might be a great fit. The Eldritch Knight gets access to a limited selection of spells, and most of the spells they get are defensive, most notably allowing you to increase your armor class as a reaction or soak up elemental damage from a magic attack. The magic also grants you some additional attack and utility options, but Eldritch Knights are absolute tanks with their magic. There are a few other quirks, like being able to magically summon your weapon or attack and cast a spell in one turn, but for the most part, Eldritch Knights are Fighters with superior defensive options.
You can build Eldritch Knights with either Dexterity or Strength, and they typically have a higher Intelligence, although that’s not strictly necessary. If you don’t want to focus on Intelligence, avoid spells that force a saving throw—many options don’t require high Intelligence. A good Constitution score benefits any Tank. Very diverse builds are possible here, so just about any race can work for an Eldritch Knight.
Party Roles
Paladin – Oath of the Crown
The fantasy version of Captain America, the Oath of the Crown Paladin has ways of challenging individual opponents, potentially pulling the strongest enemies into combat with them and them only, and has ways of mitigating damage to nearby allies. They’re fantastic defenders, and Paladins can get plenty of damage with their smites, freeing them up to use one-handed weapons and shields and still getting good damage output. Paladins get their abilities from their oath, so the subclass has huge roleplay implications. Oath of the Crown Paladins serve their countries or aspects of society that are worth fighting for.
Paladins are usually Strength-based, but there’s no reason a Dexterity-based Oath of the Crown Paladin wouldn’t work. Strength-based builds usually go with heavy armor, which has a slightly higher armor class than medium and light, but higher Dexterity builds (who usually go with light armor) are better with Dexterity saves and can avoid damage in other ways. Charisma is important for all Paladins and should be a second or third priority after Strength or Dexterity and possibly Constitution. Dragonborn have a bonus to both Strength and Charisma, making them good fits. With you drawing attention to yourself, sword and shield builds work well for the extra defense. Races with a bonus to either Dexterity or Strength and Charisma are ideal. Thematically, the more common races in your setting are more likely to have larger governments that would have a dedicated knighthood of Paladins. In many settings, this is humans, although this is far from a hard rule.
Party Roles
Paladin – Oath of the Ancients
Oath of the Ancients Paladins have some abilities for pulling individual opponents, though not as many as the Oath of the Crown. What makes the Oath of the Ancients a defensive powerhouse is their powerful aura ability at level 7 that gives them and nearby allies resistance to all magic damage. They also get an ability at level 15 to just shrug off death once a day. Remember that Paladin oaths have huge implications for characters, and the Oath of the Ancients is one of the more unique oaths, being all about appreciating beauty and seeing the good in others and less about personal morality.
Most of what made a good Oath of the Crown Paladin also applies to Oath of the Ancients. Either Strength or Dexterity builds work, with Constitution and Charisma being important as well. Thematically, Oath of the Ancients is a great fit with elves, halflings, satyrs, and a few other off-the-beaten-track races—many of whom get bonuses to Dexterity. Many races can work here, though.
Party Roles
Artificer – Armorer
The D&D equivalent of Iron Man, Armorers enchant their armor to make them great tanks. Armorers can choose one of two “models” for their armor: Guardian or Infiltration. Infiltration armor can be interesting, but if you want to be a Tank, go with Guardian. Guardian Armorers gain a special melee attack that uses their intelligence and incentivizes enemies to focus on them. Additionally, armor that usually has a strength requirement has none for Armorers, so if you want a Gnome with 8 strength running around in full plate armor, that’s doable, enabling a tank with Intelligence as their highest stat.
Artificers are half-casters and get a good amount of spells, so their spellcasting ability (Intelligence) is vital. Due to their class features, this is one of the only options that could get away with not having Strength or Dexterity as their highest stat (although you can certainly use those stats in a build). Gnomes are a great fit for any Artificer, with a boost to Intelligence and a reputation for being curious and tinkering with things. Feral Tieflings get a bonus to Dexterity and Intelligence. Kobolds and Warforged are good fits thematically and can work well as Artificers.
Party Roles
Druid – Circle of the Moon
Druids are full spellcasters who can turn into animals. They’re usually known for being fragile, but Circle of the Moon Druids can use their wildshape feature to transform into tougher animals than other Druids, and their hit points reset to the creature they transform into, essentially giving them a new pool of hit points for every encounter. When you’re not wildshaped, you’re a full caster with an excellent list of Druid spells. While not as damage-oriented as the Barbarian, Fighter, and Paladin builds, it’s hard to beat the versatility of the Circle of the Moon Druid. You can be a Tank when needed or a control and support spellcaster.
Since Druids use the animal stat blocks while wildshaped, Strength isn’t needed. Dexterity remains pretty important for Druids, as it affects their armor class while not wildshaped, but your highest stat as a Druid should be Wisdom, which is their spellcasting stat. Druids use animal stat blocks instead of weapons, so small races are perfectly viable. Races that get a bonus to Wisdom are great: Ghostwise Halflings, Hill Dwarves, Kalashtar, Firbolg, and Wood Elves are all great fits. Goblins can work pretty well, and the idea of a Goblin tank will never not be funny to me.
Party Roles
Cleric – Life Domain
Clerics are armored casters who do well on the front lines. Life Domain Clerics get access to heavy armor and have enough offensive magic and weapon power to make themselves a decent threat on the battlefield. Couple this with the best healing abilities in the game and you have a character who can not only hold their own on the front lines but keep the party alive better than any other support character. While many classes and subclasses get access to healing, Life Clerics are better at single-target healing by a pretty wide margin.
As spellcasters, Wisdom is the primary stat and should be high for Life Clerics. If you plan to use heavy armor, aim for at least 15 Strength so you can use plate mail. Dexterity builds are possible, but a little trickier because Life Clerics do not get access to martial weapons, and there’s a lack of finesse simple weapons. There are also few options for simple great weapons, so weapon and shield is what you’ll want to go with. Humans, Hill Dwarves, Firbolg, and Genasi can make great Life Clerics, but any race that gets a bonus to Wisdom can work pretty well.
Party Roles
Cleric – Forge Domain
Clerics are armored casters, but Forge Clercs take this to a new level by worshiping the gods of the forge and focusing on enhancing their weapons and armor. Forge Domain Clerics get access to heavy armor and martial weapons, allowing them to sit comfortably on the front lines and dish out a decent amount of damage to make themselves a threat. Spells like Spirit Guardians can also do a lot of damage to enemies in melee range. Forge Clerics are durable and dangerous and have access to the excellent Cleric spell list with great support options.
Everything that makes a good Life Cleric applies here. Thematically, Dwarves are a great fit, as smithing and forge work are central parts of their racial culture. Hill Dwarves get bonuses to Wisdom and Constitution and an additional hit point per level. Mountain Dwarves get bonuses to Strength and Constitution and can work as more martial-based Forge Clerics.
Party Roles
Best Feats for Tanks
The right feats can bring a Tank build from good to great. Here are some powerful options.
Sentinel
Sentinel is a top feat pick for any Tank. This feat gives you three abilities, which are all helpful for Tanks. Being able to stop enemies dead in their tracks, in the middle of their turn, makes a Tank way more effective at protecting the people behind them, and making opportunity attacks even when enemies disengage makes it hard for them to get away from you. Attacking a creature who’s attacking one of your friends is also a useful ability for Tanks. If you plan on playing a Tank, this should be your #1 feat pick.
Resilient
Dexterity, Constitution, and Wisdom saves are all common, and no base class has proficiency in more than one. Picking Resilient to gain proficiency in another of these big three saving throws can really help Tanks, who will constantly be in the thick of things. Wisdom saving throws are valuable because Wisdom is often low for many of the subclass options on this list, and failing a Wisdom saving throw can take you out of combat or, even worse, turn you against your party.
Alert
Strength-based Tanks usually don’t have a great bonus to initiative, but going earlier in battle can give a significant strategic advantage to a Tank. Getting a +5 bonus to initiative makes this much easier. Additionally, you can’t be surprised, making it harder for enemy rogues to land sneak attacks on you, and invisible or unseen enemies no longer get advantage while attacking you—both useful abilities for Tanks.
Shield Master
Shield Master grants several benefits for shield users. It allows you to shove as a bonus action, which can be powerful for Strength-based Tanks and gives you something to do with your bonus action. You can add your shield’s AC bonus to Dexterity saving throws, and you get the added benefit of taking no damage instead of half damage if you pass a Dexterity saving throw. This feature adds a lot of protection but can also help mitigate a mediocre Dexterity score.
Slasher
Reducing the speed of your foes makes it harder for them to get away from you and keeps them further from the people you’re trying to protect. Giving enemies disadvantage on attacks can be helpful, although it only happens when you make a critical hit, so it’s unreliable. The feat also comes with a +1 bonus to either Strength or Dexterity, which can help round out an odd stat. Note that you have to attack with a slashing weapon to apply the effects of this feat.
Heavy Armor Master
While not as powerful as other feats on this list, Heavy Armor Master gives you a flat reduction to any non-magical physical damage you take. This effect is amazing at the beginning of the game, although underwhelming at higher levels. Campaigns rarely get past mid-tier levels, though, so this isn’t as much of an issue as you would think. Even at those higher tiers of play, small reductions to damage can add up. Heavy Armor Master is an underrated feat choice for Tanks.
Caverns and Creatures has a more thorough write-up on the Heavy Armor Master feat.
Tough
Most martial classes get plenty of hit points, but if you’re playing an Artificer or Cleric tank, the extra hit points can help you keep up with martial Tanks.
Best Magic Items for Tanks
Magic items can complete a build, and Tanks are no exception. Defensive items are many in Dungeons & Dragons, so those will be glossed over. If any item boosts your defense, it can be a great magic item, and they’re not worth mentioning individually. Enhanced armor and shields are top picks.
While defense-boosting magic items are many, you don’t want to become this impervious super-tank. Why? Because if the enemy can’t hurt you, they’ll likely focus their efforts elsewhere. Also, if your DM knows they can’t hurt you, they’ll find ways around that. Defense is good, but too much defense can suck some of the fun out of the game.
That said, here are some top picks for magic items for Tanks.
Belt of Dwarvenkind (Rare)
This item is less necessary if your character is a dwarf, but it gives several bonuses that benefit Tanks. More Constitution is always good, and unless you’ve hit 20, this will give you a boost. Poison resistance and advantage on saves against the poisoned condition are useful as poison is one of the more common types in all levels of play. Lastly, if your character doesn’t have darkvision, this can give you that trait.
Mantle of Spell Resistance (Rare)
The Mantle of Spell Resistance addresses one of the major weaknesses of most Tanks: saving throws against spells, which bypass that high AC you probably have. Your Constitution saves will probably be good, but Dexterity and Wisdom saves are common, and the odd Charisma or Intelligence save might devastate you. Gaining advantage on all saving throws against spells can improve your defense against spells by a hell of a lot.
Periapt of Wound Closure (Uncommon)
Simple but effective, this allows you to get much more healing from your hit dice when you take a short rest, making you much more self-sufficient in the healing department. Automatically stabilizing when you go down is also a great perk for Tanks.
Ring of Evasion (Rare)
You can absolutely be a Tank with a decent Dexterity score, but chances are it’s not going to be as high as some of your other stats, so the first Fireball that comes along can wreck you. The Ring of Evasion is basically a Get Out of Jail Free card for when you fail a Dexterity save. Unlike the Mantle of Spell Resistance, this applies to all Dexterity saves, not just magical ones, so dodging traps and other hazards is possible.
Ring of Spell Storing (Rare)
If you have spellcasters in your party who can recharge this regularly for you, it can tremendously boost your defense. Shield and Absorb Elements are great spells to keep charged, but spells like Hex and Hunter’s Mark can improve your attack potential, and Burning Hands can help you deal with crowds.
Cloak of Protection/Stone of Luck (Uncommon)
The Cloak of Protection and Stone of Luck are two different items, but the important thing is that both boost all of your saves by 1, addressing the problem most tanks have of failing tricky saving throws against debilitating spells.
Manual of Bodily Health (Very Rare)
Boost Constitution by 2, and you can go above 20. Constitution is always good for Tanks.
Belt of Giant Strength (varies)
Remember, part of being a Tank is being a big enough threat that the enemies can’t ignore you. Boosting your Strength above 20 can be just as effective as getting a +x weapon. Also, what Tank wouldn’t want a Strength of 29?
About the Author
Brandon Gregory
Brandon Gregory is a web developer and writer in the Kansas City area. He's been playing TTRPGs since 2020 and is involved in the disability-related TTRPG podcast Tales from the Crips. He's into classic movies, mental health, and, of course, DnD. Also, he's in a band. One time, they rocked so hard it killed a man.