Mobile 5e

Published on March 12, 2022, Last modified on October 9th, 2022

Mobile allows characters to race around the battlefield, dipping into the fray then getting out of danger in the same turn. Read on to see if this feat will work for your build!

Clint Cearley - Wizards of the Coast - Messenger’s Speed

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What Is Mobile 5e?

We all like a bit of speed, don’t we? If not, why did we get nine movies about fast cars and family?

Speed isn’t as essential to D&D 5e as it is to Vin Diesel, but it does matter in combat. Your speed determines how far you can move during your turn, but most classes stay at 30 feet. However, one feat can help you be a little faster.

How Does Mobile Work?

Once you pick up this feat, you gain these benefits:

Your speed increases by 10ft.
Whenever you make an attack action against a creature, you don’t provoke any attacks of opportunity from that creature for the rest of the turn (regardless of the outcome of the attack).
You don’t need to spend additional movement to pass through difficult terrain whenever you take the Dash action.

Is Mobile Good?

In our 5e Feats Tier List, Mobile was given an A Tier rating, making it an excellent pickup for specific classes.

Mobile is an effective feat in a lot of situations. Raising your base movement speed by 10ft is never a bad thing and, while situational, being able to Dash through difficult terrain without spending extra movement is strong for characters that need to be in melee range.

Being able to attack a creature, then move an additional 10ft without provoking an opportunity attack, is awesome for skirting damage.

Rogues are going to absolutely love this feat, and so will melee builds that use booming blade.

Which 5e Classes Make the Most of Mobile?

The color code below has been implemented to help you identify, at a glance, how good the Mobile 5e feat is for a specific class/subclass.

Red isn’t going to contribute to the effectiveness of your character build at all
Orange Situationally good, but a below-average option otherwise
Green is a good option
Blue is a great option, you should strongly consider this option for your character
Sky Blue is an amazing option. If you do not take this option your character would not be optimized

Mobile is best on builds that like to dip in and out of melee range, also known as skirmishers. These builds rely on movement to stay out of danger, unlike tankier classes or straight damage dealers. It also pairs well with those who can learn booming blade, as it forces enemies to move and get hit or waste a turn doing nothing.

Artificer: If you want to stay melee and pick up booming blade, this can be a potent feat. This isn’t a must-have feat, but it performs well in some builds.

Barbarian: Barbarians can always use the extra movement to close in. Ignoring difficult terrain isn't a particularly exciting feature but will be useful occasionally. The best feature gained from this feat is being able to attack recklessly then run away so your opponent doesn't get to swing back at you.

Bard: This is a stellar feat if you want to go for a skirmisher with the College of Valor or College of Swords. However, spellcasting or supportive Bards should pass on this, as they don’t want to be in melee for long at all.

Cleric: Most clerics are either in the fray permanently or far outside of it. This feat is an easy skip for clerics since they don’t support the skirmish playstyle. I would suggest Magic Initiate instead.

Druid: Spellcasting druids can look the other way, but Circle of the Moon druids can find some use. Depending on your choice of animal, you can easily get away with a skirmish build.

Fighter: Most fighters can use this if they want that playstyle, but it isn’t a must-have. Eldritch Knights and Cavaliers, however, can get good mileage out of this feat for booming blade and mobility advantage.

Monk: Many people like Mobile on a monk, but monks already have great movement speed and have Step of the Wind to Disengage safely. However, Mobile adds even more movement and helps you save ki points to move anywhere you want during battle.

Paladin: Because they lack range options and their Divine Smite is melee-only, battlefield navigation can make or break an encounter for paladins. With Mobile, you can move further and don't have to worry as much about opportunity attacks, two very useful aspects when you need to get around in the fray.

Ranger: Some rangers might like this, depending on your playstyle. I wouldn’t say it's essential, but it’s nice to have if you wanna be a melee combatant.

Rogue: This feat was almost made for rogues. Being a glass cannon martial class, rogues like to inflict massive damage and then get out of the way, making this the perfect feat to complement the skirmisher playstyle.

Sorcerer: Definitely a skip, you never want to be in melee range for long.

Warlock: Like wizards, you can safely skip this in most cases. However, Hexblades with access to booming blade should look into picking this up.

Wizard: Most wizards shouldn’t even consider this. Bladesingers, however, will want to consider it for the combination with booming blade.

Mobile 5e FAQs

Can I walk on water with the Mobile feat?

Sadly, you cannot walk on water. However, this does allow you to ignore difficult terrain for costing additional movement, so you can reasonably pass through it if it’s not too deep.

Does the Mobile feat apply to Wild Shape?

The specific rules for Wild Shape state that you “retain the benefit of any features from your class, race, or other source and can use them if the new form is physically capable of doing so.” In my eyes, this means that the feat would also carry on to any animal form you may take. However, discuss this with your Dungeon Master to ensure you’re both on the same page.

Conclusion

We may not ever fully understand the need for speed, but we at least understand the pros and cons. Within the confines of D&D 5e, speed is essential for some classes, but not all. With the Mobile feat, you can play some quick-hitting builds that dip in and out of combat like it’s an art form.

Do you like the Mobile feat? Are you tired of all of these fast puns? Let us know in the comments below, and show off your speedy builds.

Jeff Nabors

Jeff Nabors has been playing D&D ever since he stumbled upon the 3.5E core books in his high school library. When he isn’t running a campaign or designing a game, you can find him on Twitch, writing about game design, or staring off into the endless abyss.