Rules edition: This guide uses the Drow and Fighter options from the 2014 Player’s Handbook, with the official PHB errata applied. It labels optional material from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, and Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount. It does not use revised 2024 species or class rules.
What a 2014 Drow adds to a Fighter
The 2014 Drow increases Dexterity by 2 and Charisma by 1. Superior Darkvision lets you see in darkness as if it were dim light within 120 feet; you still see only shades of gray in darkness. This helps you perceive creatures in ordinary darkness, but it does not reveal creatures hidden by cover, see through magical darkness, or grant advantage on attacks by itself.
Sunlight Sensitivity is more specific than “disadvantage outdoors.” Under the 2014 PHB wording, you have disadvantage on attack rolls and sight-based Wisdom (Perception) checks when you, the target of your attack, or the thing you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. Check that condition in the scene; do not assume every outdoor encounter qualifies, or that every cloudy scene is automatically exempt. The DM determines whether the light is direct sunlight.
Drow Magic gives you dancing lights at will. At character level 3, you can cast faerie fire once per long rest; at level 5, you can cast darkness once per long rest. Charisma is the spellcasting ability for these traits. The official 2014 PHB errata changed the recovery wording to “when you finish a long rest.” Faerie fire requires concentration and helps allies only against creatures that fail their saves and can be seen by the attackers.
Choose Fighter options that work in more than one light level
A Drow Fighter should remain useful when the party is in direct sunlight, when an enemy has better senses, or when surprise never happens. Dexterity-based melee weapons and ranged weapons offer flexibility, while armor, Constitution, and a sensible backup plan support you when the Drow’s spells do not solve the encounter.
Battle Master
Battle Master offers maneuvers for control and tactical choices. Riposte can let you make a reaction attack after a creature misses you, if its trigger occurs. Menacing Attack and Goading Attack apply their stated effects when the target fails its saving throw; they do not force it into magical darkness or make it flee unless a feature says so. This subclass works without needing the encounter to begin in darkness.
Eldritch Knight
Eldritch Knight adds spellcasting and defensive options. At Fighter level 7, War Magic lets you make one weapon attack as a bonus action after you use your action to cast a cantrip. It does not trigger after every leveled spell. Optional spells such as shield and absorb elements can protect you when their reaction triggers apply.
Shadow blade, an optional spell from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, creates a finesse weapon and can grant advantage on its attacks against a target in dim light or darkness. Your racial darkness spell creates magical darkness that ordinary darkvision cannot penetrate, so you cannot see targets through your own spell. Without a separate way to see through that darkness, such as the Warlock invocation Devil’s Sight, the combination does not give you the clean advantage suggested by the spell’s lighting clause.
Samurai
Fighting Spirit gives you advantage on weapon attack rolls until the end of your turn. Advantage and disadvantage from different sources cancel, so this can offset Sunlight Sensitivity for that turn. You can use Fighting Spirit three times before resting at Samurai level 3, four times at level 10, and five times at level 15. You regain all expended uses when you finish a short or long rest. It uses a bonus action, so plan around other bonus-action features and spells.
Champion is a straightforward option if you want fewer resources to track. Improved Critical expands the range of rolls that score a critical hit, but it does not remove Sunlight Sensitivity. Echo Knight is an optional subclass from Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount; it creates positioning choices but does not change the Drow’s attack roll or lighting traits.
Use legal ability scores and feats
One legal 27-point-buy assignment before the Drow’s fixed increases is Strength 8, Dexterity 15, Constitution 14, Intelligence 10, Wisdom 12, and Charisma 13. After the Drow increases, it becomes 8, 17, 14, 10, 12, and 14. Dexterity supports weapon attacks, initiative, and Armor Class in light or medium armor. Constitution helps with hit points and saving throws; Charisma also meets the 2014 multiclass requirement for Warlock.
Elven Accuracy, an optional feat from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything, is available to an Elf such as a Drow. When you have advantage on an attack using Dexterity, Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma, you can reroll one of the dice once. It raises one of those scores by 1, including Dexterity. It does not grant advantage on its own, and three dice do not triple your critical-hit chance.
Crossbow Expert removes the Loading property’s attack limit for crossbows with which you are proficient and removes the close-range disadvantage for ranged attacks. Its bonus-action hand-crossbow attack requires you to take the Attack action and attack with a one-handed weapon. The feat does not cancel Sunlight Sensitivity.
Sharpshooter’s -5/+10 option can add damage, but it makes a low-probability shot less attractive when you already have disadvantage. Darkness does not automatically grant advantage: the target must be unseen by you, and your own vision and the target’s vision still matter. Alert adds 5 to initiative, prevents you from being surprised while conscious, and stops unseen creatures from gaining advantage on attacks against you just because you cannot see them. It does not guarantee that you can attack from beyond your enemies’ perception or range.
Fey Touched, an optional feat from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, increases Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1 and grants misty step plus another eligible spell. The teleport can help you reposition to a place you can see. It avoids Sunlight Sensitivity only if the new scene no longer meets the direct-sunlight condition.
Choose a background for your campaign
Soldier can support a military or mercenary history. Outlander’s 2014 Wanderer feature can help you find food and fresh water when the land offers those resources; it is not a guarantee in every environment. Urban Bounty Hunter from Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide suits an investigator or tracker, while Faction Agent can connect you to a campaign organization. Use each background’s proficiencies and feature as written, and work with the DM on the setting details.
Multiclass only when the trade-off fits
The 2014 multiclass rules require Strength 13 or Dexterity 13 to multiclass as a Fighter. A Warlock dip also needs Charisma 13. Warlock 2 can grant Devil’s Sight, which lets its user see normally through magical and nonmagical darkness out to 120 feet. It does not let the rest of the party see through the spell, so coordinate before casting darkness.
Ranger requires Dexterity 13 and Wisdom 13. Three levels in Gloom Stalker grant Dread Ambusher: add Wisdom to initiative, gain 10 feet of movement on your first turn, and make one additional attack as part of the Attack action if you take that action on that turn. If that extra attack hits, it deals an extra 1d8 damage. Umbral Sight makes you invisible to a creature relying on darkvision to see you while you are in darkness. Check the exact feature and lighting conditions instead of assuming this combination works in every dark room.
Rogue requires Dexterity 13. Two levels can add Cunning Action; a third can add an archetype such as Assassin or Swashbuckler. The extra features cost Fighter levels and delay Fighter improvements, so weigh them against the campaign’s expected length.
Make the lighting plan work for everyone
Ordinary darkness, dim light, and magical darkness are different situations. Your darkvision helps with ordinary darkness within 120 feet, but darkness blocks that vision. When you cast it, it can obscure enemies and allies alike. The spell says that completely covering its source with an opaque object blocks the darkness, which can help you end the effect without changing spells. Agree on a plan before using it in a tight space.
Faerie fire can help your party, but each creature in the area makes a Dexterity save; affected creatures are outlined while the spell lasts, and the spell requires concentration. Attacks have advantage only when the attacker can see the affected creature. Use cover, ordinary darkness, and the environment when helpful, and do not assume the Drow’s traits decide a creature’s attitude or personality.
Official rules sources
- D&D Beyond: Player’s Handbook (2014) (Drow and Fighter).
- D&D Beyond: Player’s Handbook (2014) errata (Drow Magic recovery).
- D&D Beyond: 2014 Basic Rules combat (light, darkness, and attack rules).
- D&D Beyond: 2014 Basic Rules customization (multiclass prerequisites and feats).
- D&D Beyond: Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (Elven Accuracy, Shadow Blade).
- D&D Beyond: Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (Fey Touched).
- D&D Beyond: Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide (Urban Bounty Hunter).
- D&D Beyond: Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount (Echo Knight).
For more class options, see the D&D 5e Fighter Guide.