SteveC
Doing the best imitation of myself
Here's my $.02...
Cleave is always an excellent choice for a fighter, unless your GM only throws singular bad guys at you. Great cleave is not so useful, because at high levels it can be rare to be able to do enough damage to take down more than one opponent in one round. If your GM likes to throw lots of weak enemies at you, great cleave is a must.
Combat reflexes is a very important feat in a group where there's only one fighter. Mostly, this is because you can take AoO before you act while you're flat footed. Monsters will try and swarm around you to get at the wizards, clerics and so forth, this will at least give them something to think about.
Once you get to mid levels, campaigns with monsters make improved grapple/close quarters fighting a must. Large monsters come equiped with improved grab and will grab, and kill you without you being able to do anything about it otherwise.
Hold the line can be a great feat if the GM likes to charge you. If your GM doesn't use the charge maneuver, it's useless. One thing you may be able to use hold the line for is to stop the GM from using charges. I know this is kind of cheesy, but many GMs have their monsters stop doing something once you buy an ability that counters it.
Beyond that, I think you need to decide what your role in the group is. In one campaign I played in a few years ago, I played a war mage and the group's fighter concentrated feats on essentially blocking anyone from getting by me. She could generate a huge AC from combat expertise and greater combat expertise, and used a reach weapon to hold off the baddies while I blasted them into next week. Talking with the rest of your group about how you're going to play out tactical situations is the key to making an effective fighter!
--Steve
Cleave is always an excellent choice for a fighter, unless your GM only throws singular bad guys at you. Great cleave is not so useful, because at high levels it can be rare to be able to do enough damage to take down more than one opponent in one round. If your GM likes to throw lots of weak enemies at you, great cleave is a must.
Combat reflexes is a very important feat in a group where there's only one fighter. Mostly, this is because you can take AoO before you act while you're flat footed. Monsters will try and swarm around you to get at the wizards, clerics and so forth, this will at least give them something to think about.
Once you get to mid levels, campaigns with monsters make improved grapple/close quarters fighting a must. Large monsters come equiped with improved grab and will grab, and kill you without you being able to do anything about it otherwise.
Hold the line can be a great feat if the GM likes to charge you. If your GM doesn't use the charge maneuver, it's useless. One thing you may be able to use hold the line for is to stop the GM from using charges. I know this is kind of cheesy, but many GMs have their monsters stop doing something once you buy an ability that counters it.
Beyond that, I think you need to decide what your role in the group is. In one campaign I played in a few years ago, I played a war mage and the group's fighter concentrated feats on essentially blocking anyone from getting by me. She could generate a huge AC from combat expertise and greater combat expertise, and used a reach weapon to hold off the baddies while I blasted them into next week. Talking with the rest of your group about how you're going to play out tactical situations is the key to making an effective fighter!
--Steve
