D&D 5E Best Wizard and Cleric Subclasses (Level 1 to 10)

[Vitor Bastos]

Hey guys,

Tell which Subclasses do you think are the best to roll as a Wizard and as a Cleric.
Explain me why did you pick them.


Consider a campaign from level 1 to 10.

Thanks!

EDIT: consider the following conditions: Only PHB. RAW. No Multiclass, only monoclass. From level 1 to 10.

 

[Gavin O.]

I'd say the best wizard subclass is Divination for portent, forcing enemies to fail their saving throws is a huge boon that allows you to make use of very powerful spells that are normally balanced by the fact they do nothing on a save.

I've never played a cleric so can't really comment on them.

 

[CTurbo]

For Wizard I would say Divination because portent and Abjuration because arcane ward

For Cleric I would say Light Cleric because it's like a much tougher Sorcerer but still has all of the Cleric's goodies and Tempest Cleric because it's the best and most well rounded domain IMO

 

[Ogre Mage]

For wizard I would echo Divination because of portent and Abjuration because of arcane ward. But I would also add Evocation. The ability to throw a fireball into a crowded area and leave allies unaffected is very powerful.

For cleric, the light domain is very powerful for a pure wisdom build. Light adds major blasting power to the cleric's support magics (not many PCs can both heal and cast fireball) and its Channel Divinity is strong at low levels. I've never played a Tempest cleric but I've seen them deal out major damage when built right. The maximizing of lightning damage can get crazy. Finally, the Life Domain remains one of the best support casters around. It has a superb domain spell list and its supercharged healing ability is always welcome.

 

[Vitor Bastos]

Awesome info!
It really feels that Divination and Abjuration are the favorite wizard subclasses, especially Divination. On the Cleric's side, Tempest and Life would be the main contenders.
Being more specific, consider the following conditions: Only PHB. RAW. No Multiclass, only monoclass. From level 1 to 10.

 

[TwoSix]

PHB and no multiclassing, it's definitely Divination and Abjuration. I'd probably put Transmutation 3rd, since it lets you get Con save proficiency.

Light, Tempest, and Life are definitely the top tier Cleric domains in the PHB, the only other real competitor is Arcana, and it isn't PHB.

 

[Kobold Stew]

"Best" is obviously a subjective term. For me, though, the best cleric to play is the Arcana Cleric from SCAG (the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide).

* you get two wizard cantrips. At least one can be an attack cantrip, which means that you get to *roll* to attack with a cantrip, which you otherwise can't as a cleric. It's a significant change in terms of the fun of actually playing through the levels, even if you won't do more damage, you'll enjoy it more. [The cleric combat cantrips give opponents a roll to save against damage, but the DM typically rolls the physical dice.]

* you get to turn elementals and fey.

* Spell Breaker at level 6 can be very useful for getting out of binds.

Whatever you choose, have fun!

 

[Kobold Stew]

Ah. Hadn't seen the PhB only requirement.

"Best" is obviously a subjective term. Don't listen to the guy above me. The best cleric is the War Cleric.

* heavy armor and martial weapons

* War Priest lets you make two attacks per round more often than a fighter can for levels 1-4.

* Guided Strike means you land important blows when you need them.

* works well as a melee or as a ranged build.

Whatever you choose, have fun!

 

[Raunalyn]

From personal experience, I will agree with everyone here re: the Divination wizard. Portent is just a fun ability all around.

While the Clerics mentioned are good all around, I've found that the Grave domain cleric is extremely satisfying to play. Their ability to keep people in the action when they've gone down with their maximized healing to anyone who is at zero hit points is very strong; being able to use Spare the Dying as a bonus action and at range is also really strong. And finally, their Channel Divinity is really really strong as a setup for a sneak attack or a smite for a fellow party member.

Edit:

Oops, I just saw the stipulation that only PHB is allowed. In that case, I will say that Tempest is the stronger of the clerical domains.

 

[Aldarc]

Clerics: Life is the best at the healing angle of the cleric. Light makes for a good blaster cleric. But Tempest is probably the best all-rounder cleric. It gets a nice mix of the blasting (Light) and warrior (War) style cleric stuff, and it gets flight.

Wizard: Divination and Abjuration are indeed probably regarded as the strongest two options. But beware an Illustionist in the hands of a creative player.