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for your class (or classes), and use your feats for other purposes.

That being said, it can definitely be a sound character design strategy to mix in one of the warrior classes (fighter, barbarian, paladin, or ranger) in order to give a hero access to a wide range of weaponry.  Dwarves, ghostwise halflings, half orcs, and (of course) humans can take good advantage of this tactic by adding a few levels (even just one) of whatever warrior class.

Furthermore, if you achieve at least level four in fighter (only) you can buy the third rank of a weapon proficiency feat (a.k.a., Weapon Specialization) which gives you a valuable +2 damage bonus with that weapon.  However, taking best advantage of Weapon Specialization presupposes that you know what weapons that hero is going to use for most of their fighting.  One prime example of that is you want to build a sniper (get specialization in bows or possibly missile weapons, but not crossbows because they aren't helped by Rapid Shot).
Similarly, if you want to use small blades and Weapon Finesse (preferably dual- wielded using Ambidexterity and Two Weapon Fighting), then having Weapon
Specialization in Simple Weapons, Small Blades is a great idea.

That covers Weapon Proficiency and Weapon Specialization; what about Weapon
Focus (which is two ranks in a weapon feat)?  Well, the author's opinion is that it is usually not worth taking Weapon Focus except en route to Weapon
Specialization.  Again, however, there are exceptions.  The main exception is if the character in question is using the feats that swap to hit bonus for AC
(Expertise) or damage (Power Attack).  In that case, selecting Weapon Focus might allow you to increase the amount of attack bonus you are using for those feats while still keeping your attack roll bonus high enough to be effective.

2) Elemental Feats

There are four feats that increase a spellcaster's damage for a particular element and which also add five resistance to that element.  These are Aegis of
Rime (for cold), Aqua Mortis (for acid), Scion of Storms (for lightning), and
Spirit of Flame (for fire).  These feats are well worth getting, but in order to be eligible for these feats your character has to be able to cast level four spells and have an adjusted Spellcraft of 10 or higher.

The fact that it is adjusted Spellcraft means that your Int bonus, and the +2 bonus from Courteous Magocracy (if present), are counted for reaching the threshold of 10.  Similarly, if your Int is below 10, and penalty will need to be compensated for by adding additional ranks to Spellcraft so that your adjusted total is 10.  Note that this is different from how rank prerequisites function in pen-and-paper D&D.

3) Feats By Role

This section lists some of the feats that are best-suited for certain roles (only roles that rely on particular feats are listed).  Any self-respecting hero that intends to excel in a given role should almost certainly have most or all of these feats by the time they are high level.

Tank -- Power Attack, Cleave, Weapon Specialization

Scout -- Dash

Bombardier -- Spell Focus, Spell Penetration, and one or more of the elemental feats matching the characters' spell selection (Aegis of Rime, Aqua Mortis,
Scion of Storms, Spirit of Flame)

Sniper -- Rapid Shot, Improved Critical, Weapon Specialization (bow or missile weapon)

Mage Killer -- Dash, Improved Critical

4) The Best Feats

In addition to the main feats for a given role, there are variety of feats that are useful for almost any role.  The following list contains what the author believes to be the most useful general-purpose feats in this game.  Some (like
Dodge or--for humans--Luck of Heroes) are well worth considering for almost any build.

Dodge -- Almost all the author's many characters have had this feat.  It does require a Dex of 13+ however.

Expertise -- Any pencil-necked klutz of a wizard can get up to a +5 generic bonus to their AC by using this feat; a great investment for anyone with an Int of 13+.

Luck of Heroes -- Humans only.

5) Useful Feats

Not every build will want or need these feats, but they are highly useful and can add additional flare to a hero's fighting style or help bolster some particular weakness of a character.  (In addition, all the feats under "Feats By
Role" are in this category for use in building characters that aren't specializing in a certain role but will still be providing some basic cross- coverage for that role.)

Ambidexterity (and Two Weapon Fighting) -- Except for very high-level warriors, who might use just Two Weapon Fighting and can afford the "to hit" penalties, most builds will want to get either both of these feats or neither of them.
Consider a ranger mix-in as an alternative to buying these feats directly.

Armored Arcana -- Whether or not this is a good investment depends a great deal on other aspects of a character's build and role, such as their Strength and
Dex, how often they get on or near the front line of combat, etc.  For some builds, however, it can be a great way to improve the character's defense without jeopardizing arcane spellcasting capabilities.  All three gradations of this feat are potentially useful: one rank lets you use bucklers and small shields; two lets you wear leather armor; and three lets you wear studded leather, regular leather and a small shield, or a large shield.

Dirty Fighting -- Doesn't kick in all that often, but in long fights every little bit helps, and works particularly well for characters with multiple attacks (like dual weapon users) or who use weapons with high critical strike ranges (like scimitars).  Combines well with Improved Critical for obvious reasons.

Great Fortitude -- For spellcasters who are having Fortitude saving throw issues.

Improved Evasion -- If you get a rogue to level 10 and they are at all active as a scout or mage killer then be sure to select this feat.

Iron Will -- For fighters and rogues who are having Will saving throw issues.

Lightning Reflexes -- For low-Dex tanks or clerics and others having Reflex saving throw issues.

Lingering Song -- Pretty much obligatory for bards.

Maximize Attacks -- A great feat for tanks, mage killers, and snipers, but the prerequisites are steep and since you have to have Weapon Specialization in two weapons this feat is only available to builds with at least four levels of fighter.  Be sure to plan ahead well in advance if you are thinking of getting this feat.

Two Weapon Fighting -- see Ambidexterity.

Weapon Finesse -- Great for Dex-based spell swords and mage killers wielding two small blades who want to improve their chances of hitting.

4) Not Quite As Useful Feats

This feats are more specialized or less helpful, and should probably be chosen only if you have very specific reasons for wanting that feat or you are in the rare position of having to select a feat and don't have anything else you want.
(The author freely admits that the classification as to whether a feat is useful or not quite as useful is in some cases rather arbitrary.)

Bullheaded -- If you have a character that actually uses Intimidate, this can be an o.k. investment if they will also benefit from the +1 bonus to Will saving throws (which they well might, as Intimidate is usually used by fighter types).

Combat Casting -- Whether this feat is desirable depends on how often a character casts spells in tight spots and how many skill points that character will have to spend on Concentration.  For example: a stupid (in the sense of low
Intelligence ability) non-human sorcerer who only gets one skill point per level will want to put most of those points into Spellcraft so he can get the elemental damage enhancing feats, so choosing this feat (or Discipline) can help his Concentration rolls without having to spend skill points on Concentration.

Courteous Magocracy -- This is a great feat for a sorcerer diplomat, providing
+2 to two of their primary skills (and the Spellcraft bonus is applied to the prerequisite of 10 ranks for being eligible for elemental feats.  Similar builds (like a Lathander cleric or even a wizard who is acting as a diplomat) might also benefit.

Deflect Arrows -- Good for snipers and spell casters who are having trouble surviving enemy fire.  Monks get this for free at 2nd level, so don't choose it for one of their starting feats.

Discipline -- Great for healers and spell swords who need to cast reliably in dangerous conditions and who don't want to be missing Will saving throws.

Envenom -- Useful for mage killers and other special tactics; best used when you expect the battle to go on for some time.

Extra Rage -- Probably only worth choosing for a high-level barbarian, for whom the Rage benefits are substantial enough that reusing the ability becomes more desirable.

Extra Smiting -- For a high-level paladin, the smite bonuses are considerable, and so this feat might be worth taking as long as you remember to use it.

Hamstring -- If you like hit-and-run tactics using a rogue, this can be a great feat, and there are some situations where it can be a godsend.  However, like many rogue abilities it rewards micromanagement, so don't take it unless that is your cup of tea.

Heroic Inspiration -- For a tank character that can expect to be alive for a considerable time even after they've reached less than half their hit points, this can be a great feat.

Heretic's Bane -- There are enough enemy clerics and druids in IWD2 that this is a reasonable investment for a divine-magic using spell sword or mage killer.

Mercantile Background - Although money is scarce in the early chapters of IWD2, later on you are unlikely to have a shortage of funds.  That makes this feat less desirable as a long term investment.  Still, if you like to have every economic advantage, select this feat for your diplomat if they have the necessary racial background (which usually means they are human as gray dwarf and deep gnome diplomats are understandably rare given their -4 penalty to
Charisma).

Improved Turning -- A high-level cleric with decent Charisma and this feat can slice through undead encounters like a hot knife through butter.  Of course, even without this feat such a cleric is fairly capable against undead, so you will need to decide for yourself whether there are other more useful feats you would rather have.

Precise Shot -- A useful support feat for a dedicated sniper.

Slippery Mind -- Another level 10 rogue feat; not as useful as Improved Evasion but worth considering.

Snake Blood -- Almost but not quite useless, as it is possibly worth considering for tanks, thieves and scouts, if only because it also adds to Reflex saving throws.

Strong Back -- Because of the "all or nothing" nature of IWD2 encumbrance, with reasonable equipment choices your stronger characters will rarely if ever be encumbered.   However, characters with low Strength (such as six) can sometimes benefit substantially from this feat, as even bracers, cloaks, and potions can encumber a weak character, and if you throw in a heavy cross then balancing their equipment may be difficult.  Similarly, a cleric with low Strength and
Dexterity (perhaps one who is focusing on the healer, diplomat, and/or summoner roles), can use this feat to allow them to wear heavier armor.

Stunning Attack -- This is the feat that monks get for free; if you don't have a monk, this is possibly worth choosing for a high-level tank or mage killer for use in special offensive or defensive maneuvers.

Sub-Vocal Casting -- Any of your major spellcasters can benefit from this, and if at least your main healer has this that can prove particularly helpful, as she can then use Dispel Magic on any other silenced characters.

******** SPOILER *******
Once you reach Chapter Three you can buy Vocalize Potions at which point this feat doesn't really help you all that much, although it is still not really useless since there are finite numbers of those potions available and using potions does consume a round of combat that might be used casting an offensive spell.
************************

4) Useless Feats

The author has not found these to be worth using a valuable feat slot on.

Arterial Strike -- Against foes who are strong enough that you would want to bother with this skill, the damage usually isn't significant to make it worth it.  (Envenom is a bit better because it directly affects Constitution which can result in a significant reduction in hit points.)

Blind-Fight -- Fighting invisible and hidden opponents happens very rarely, and when it does happen there is usually a lot more on your mind than worrying about whether someone is still getting their Dex benefit to AC.