This guide is part of the D&D 2024 Feat Guides hub. Use it alongside the Cleric class guide when you are deciding what the character does from round to round.
A Cleric does not need the same feat plan at every table. A Thaumaturge who leans on Cleric cantrips asks different questions from a Protector using martial weapons and heavy armor. Your subclass, ability scores, prepared spells, and the kind of encounters your group actually plays should decide the order.
Cleric feat access and timing
The 2024 Cleric receives an Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat it qualifies for at levels 4, 8, 12, and 16. At level 19, the class grants an Epic Boon feat or another qualifying feat, and specifically recommends Boon of Fate. That schedule matters more than a universal ranking: a half-step ability increase can be more valuable than a new trick when it completes the score your build uses every session.
Your background supplies an Origin Feat at character creation. General Feats normally start at level 4. Fighting Style Feats are a different category: each requires the Fighting Style feature. A single-class Cleric does not receive that feature, so Defense, Dueling, and similar feats are not normal Cleric choices even when their benefits sound attractive.
Start with the role your Cleric already has
| Cleric decision | What the rules give you | What to check before choosing a feat |
|---|---|---|
| Thaumaturge | One extra Cleric cantrip and a Wisdom-based bonus to Arcana or Religion checks | Whether a Wisdom increase, a cantrip-focused plan, or concentration protection improves the turns you already take. |
| Protector | Martial-weapon proficiency and Heavy Armor training | Whether your Strength or Dexterity meets a weapon feat's prerequisite and whether you truly make weapon attacks often enough to use it. |
| Blessed Strikes at level 7 | Divine Strike for a weapon attack or Potent Spellcasting for Cleric cantrip damage | Which option you selected. A weapon feat belongs with Divine Strike; a spellcasting or Wisdom choice may fit Potent Spellcasting better. |
| Level 19 | An Epic Boon or another qualifying feat; Boon of Fate is recommended | Whether the campaign is still testing the same support, weapon, or exploration role that guided your earlier choices. |
Hot Take: A Protector is not automatically a weapon-feat character. Martial proficiency creates the option, but it does not turn a Cleric's whole turn into the Attack action. Choose Polearm Master or Sentinel only after the character's actual weapon use, bonus action, reaction, and ability scores all support it.
General Feats to Compare
These are decision paths, not a mandatory shopping list. The General Feats guide is the canonical home for complete feat text and category-wide comparisons.
| Feat direction | Best fit | Why it belongs in the comparison |
|---|---|---|
| ● War Caster | A spellcasting Cleric maintaining concentration | It requires Spellcasting or Pact Magic, raises Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma by 1, and grants Advantage on Constitution saves made to maintain concentration. Compare it with a needed Wisdom breakpoint before assuming it is first. |
| ● Resilient | A Cleric who lacks a saving throw proficiency they genuinely need | It raises one ability by 1 and grants proficiency in that ability's saving throws if you lack it. Constitution is a common comparison, but it is not a legal selection if you already have that proficiency. |
| ● Observant | A Wisdom-based investigator or lookout | It can raise Wisdom by 1, improves Insight, Investigation, or Perception proficiency, and makes Search a Bonus Action. It is a campaign-facing choice, not a substitute for combat durability. |
| ● Polearm Master | A Protector who has Strength or Dexterity 13 and regularly takes the Attack action with a qualifying weapon | Its bonus-action strike and entry-reach Reaction are real payoffs, but they compete with the rest of your turn. It is a poor fit for a Cleric who normally casts a spell or uses a different Bonus Action. |
| ● Sentinel | A Protector holding a position beside allies | It also requires Strength or Dexterity 13. Its reaction can answer a nearby enemy's Disengage or attack against another target, and a hit with an Opportunity Attack reduces that creature's Speed to 0 for the turn. Take it only when your reaction is consistently available. |
| ● Inspiring Leader | A Cleric with Wisdom or Charisma 13 who can use rests to support the party | It raises Wisdom or Charisma by 1 and can grant temporary hit points after a Short or Long Rest. It is strongest when the party can actually take those rests and the score increase lands where you need it. |
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Start BuildingBackground Origin Feat routes
Origin Feats come from your background, so treat the background's ability scores, skills, tools, and story as part of the choice. Do not select a background solely for a feat if it produces an awkward character.
| Background route | Origin Feat | Cleric use case |
|---|---|---|
| Acolyte | Magic Initiate (Cleric) | Compare the additional cantrips and level 1 spell with the Cleric spells you already prepare. It can broaden your repeatable tools, but it is not automatically better than another background package. |
| Hermit | Healer | Battle Medic uses a Healer's Kit and lets a nearby creature spend a Hit Die; Healing Rerolls can reroll a 1 on healing dice. This is useful when the group expects to use Hit Dice and carry kits. |
| Soldier | Savage Attacker | Once per turn after a weapon hit, it lets you roll the weapon's damage dice twice and use either result. It has a clearer job on a weapon-focused Protector than on a cantrip or spell-first Cleric. |
Subclass changes the question, not the access rules
The core book supplies Life, Light, Trickery, and War Domains. The approved expansion books add Arcana, Knowledge, and Grave Domains. Each still uses the same Cleric feat schedule and the same General Feat prerequisites.
- Life and Grave: start with how often the group relies on your restorative or protective choices before adding a weapon package.
- Light and Arcana: compare spellcasting, ability-score, and concentration tools against the way you expect to use your prepared spells and cantrips.
- Trickery and Knowledge: exploration, social, and information-heavy campaigns can make an Observant-style skill plan more useful than a purely combat pick.
- War: weapon use is more plausible here, but check the Protector choice, your ability scores, and the Attack-action frequency before committing to Polearm Master or Sentinel.
For feature details and prepared-spell context, use the Cleric class guide and the Cleric spells guide.
Level 19: Boon of Fate is the class recommendation
Boon of Fate is the Cleric's recommended Epic Boon. Its Improve Fate benefit lets you react after a creature within 60 feet succeeds on or fails a d20 Test: roll 2d4 and apply the result as a bonus or penalty. You regain that use when you roll Initiative or finish a Short or Long Rest.
This is a support tool, but it is still a level-19 choice. If another qualifying feat better completes your character or matches the campaign, the class explicitly permits it. Compare the options in the Epic Boons guide rather than assuming every Cleric needs the same one.
A practical feat check at each milestone
- Level 1: choose a background whose Origin Feat and full package fit the character. Record whether you are entering play as a Protector or Thaumaturge.
- Level 4: check Wisdom, Constitution, and any prerequisite score before deciding between an Ability Score Improvement, War Caster, Resilient, or a role-specific General Feat.
- Levels 8 through 16: revisit the decision after you choose Blessed Strikes and see how the campaign's rests, exploration, reactions, and encounters actually play.
- Level 19: start with Boon of Fate because the class recommends it, then compare another qualifying option only if it solves a concrete problem your Cleric still has.
Avoid treating Fighting Style Feats as a default Cleric option. Also be wary of a weapon feat that needs a Strength or Dexterity threshold your character has not met, or a concentration feat selected before you know which spells and actions define your play. A good Cleric feat sharpens an established job rather than bolting on a second, unrelated one.
