A Strength-based Fighter wielding a two-handed reach weapon is a practical all-round Polearm Master build in Baldur’s Gate 3. The feat adds a once-per-turn bonus-action butt attack and can grant a reaction attack when an enemy enters reach. Add Great Weapon Master if you want to trade some accuracy for damage, or Sentinel if you want to lean into opportunity attacks—but neither turns the reach reaction into a guaranteed stop at the weapon’s outer edge.
Recommended baseline: a Strength Fighter with a two-handed polearm
Build around ordinary weapon attacks. Polearm Master adds two ways to attack beyond your usual swings: a bonus-action strike with the weapon’s butt and a reaction opportunity attack when an enemy comes within reach. A Fighter is a straightforward martial chassis for that plan; Strength is the conventional ability focus for a character using a glaive or halberd in two hands.
This is a practical baseline, not a proven universal optimum. The available mechanics establish how the feats work, but do not establish a best subclass, exact ability-score spread, level-by-level progression, or best-in-slot gear path.
What Polearm Master does in BG3
The bonus-action butt attack
After attacking with an eligible weapon, you can make a weaker attack with its butt as a bonus action. It deals 1d4 bludgeoning damage plus the applicable ability modifier. The attack is limited to once per turn, so having an additional bonus action does not give you another Polearm Master butt attack. It is available only when the target is in turn-based mode. BG3 Wiki’s bonus-attack entry documents these mechanics.
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The attack uses whichever is higher between Strength and Dexterity, even if the weapon is not finesse. Certain Pact of the Blade or Bind Hexed Weapon cases can use Charisma. That flexibility does not, by itself, make a Dexterity build stronger than the conventional Strength version. Shillelagh does not change the attack to use its spellcasting modifier.
The reaction when an enemy approaches
Polearm Master can also grant an opportunity attack when a creature comes within reach. The reaction entry lists glaives, halberds, quarterstaffs, and spears as prerequisites; it does not list pikes. The bonus-attack entry does list pikes and notes that they work for that attack even though the game does not state this. The two feat components therefore should not be assumed to have identical weapon eligibility. The reaction cannot be triggered by forcibly moving an enemy into range. See the BG3 Wiki’s opportunity-attack entry.
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Which weapons work?
For the conventional two-handed reach version, a glaive or halberd is a natural choice. Other eligible weapons can make the butt attack, but weapon choice should fit both the effect you want and how you spend bonus actions.
| Weapon | Bonus-action butt attack | Polearm Master approach reaction |
|---|---|---|
| Glaive | Yes | Listed |
| Halberd | Yes | Listed |
| Pike | Yes; the wiki notes it works even though the game does not state this | Not listed in the reaction entry |
| Quarterstaff | Yes | Listed |
| Spear | Yes | Listed |
Eligibility above follows the separate bonus-attack and reaction entries. The table describes feat eligibility, not a ranking of weapon damage or item quality.
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Choosing supporting feats
Great Weapon Master for damage emphasis
In BG3, Great Weapon Master’s attack tradeoff applies to melee weapons wielded with two hands, including versatile weapons held in both hands. It is a reasonable companion feat for a two-handed polearm build if you are willing to accept its attack penalty in exchange for its damage bonus. Whether that trade is worthwhile in a particular fight depends on factors such as hit chance, buffs, enemy Armour Class, and difficulty; the cited mechanics do not establish a universal toggle rule.
Do not count on the Polearm Master butt attack inheriting all the benefits of the main weapon. The feat comparison notes that weapon enchantments and effects such as Shillelagh or Hunter’s Mark do not properly carry over to that attack, and Great Weapon Master’s damage bonus does not properly apply to it. Treat the butt attack as useful additional damage, not as a second fully enhanced weapon hit. See BG3 Wiki’s feat-changes reference.
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Sentinel for an opportunity-attack focus
Sentinel can suit a reach-and-control theme, but its BG3 behavior differs from tabletop expectations. The feat comparison says Sentinel grants advantage on all opportunity attacks rather than enabling an opportunity attack against a creature that Disengages. More importantly, Sentinel: Snare does not reliably stop an approaching enemy at the reach boundary when used with an extra-reach weapon: the reaction prompt may appear at 8 feet, but the attack lands only after the creature moves within 5 feet. That timing makes the combination unsuitable as a guaranteed hard stop at maximum reach. The reaction entry describes the timing issue.
Patch history and what it establishes
Larian Studios’ Patch 6 notes record a specific fix: “Fixed a bug where the Polearm Master feat reaction would trigger and cause your target to attack you when they’re also wielding a polearm.” That is evidence of a historical fix for that interaction, not proof that every Polearm Master reaction interaction is bug-free in every current situation. See Larian’s Patch 6 notes.
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Quick Recap
Putting the build together
- Choose a two-handed reach weapon. A glaive or halberd fits the conventional Strength-based version and is listed for both Polearm Master components.
- Prioritize Strength. It supports the ordinary attacks of the two-handed martial build; the butt attack can use the higher of Strength or Dexterity, with specified bound-weapon exceptions for Charisma.
- Take Polearm Master for its two attack options. Use the butt attack when you have a bonus action to spare, and keep in mind its once-per-turn limit and weaker transfer of weapon effects.
- Choose a direction for later feats. Add Great Weapon Master for a damage-oriented tradeoff, or Sentinel for an opportunity-attack focus while accounting for its BG3-specific behavior and timing caveat.
- Manage your bonus action and reaction deliberately. The butt strike competes with other bonus-action uses, while the approach attack depends on an enemy moving into reach under conditions that permit the reaction.
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