Dips, builds and patience!

[Caliban]

You also have to consider that a lot of people who theorycraft optimized builds may also play in Adventure League - and you can play from level 1 to level 20 in that. I've got one character who's build didn't really "come together" until lvl 12, but he's now well equipped for high level play. The hard part was surviving levels 5-10, but I did it.

Other times, the dip into another class is more about building on the character theme and strengths, and the abilities of a single class don't really fit. (A common one for me is taking 1 level of fighter so I can play a melee oriented arcane caster in heavy armor.)

 

[Vymair]

To quote Emerson "Life is a journey, not a destination." I have nothing against multi-class characters and have seen some really neat characters in games I've played. I am not a fan of the delayed gratification of "it all comes together at 8th level" that some optimization builds require. If the journey isn't fun, I'll pass on the character concept.

 

[Tony Vargas]

. What do you get, a whopping session or two of design glory before the campaign is scrapped?

I haven't seen folks doing it in 5e (but, that's mainly AL), but in 3.5 it was not at all unusual to run an adventure or even just a long single session or con game at a given level and have players build a character specifically for it, using exp and wealth budgets and permitted sources.

 

[pogre]

In AL I can see it. In a home campaign, I would need a pretty good roleplaying reason to multi-class.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

All my MC builds are usually pretty fun to play all along the spectrum as they level. But that's because playing D&D is FUN!

As for waiting forever. We're going on 4 years of 5e. In that time I now have 3 19th level, one 16th level, one 15th level and several below 10th level. So I've had a lot of time playing high level and design my PCs for it.

 

[hejtmane]

After I train my guys we never start at level 1 (newbies I start there after that we start at like 3 or 4) Sorry the first few levels is the most mind numbing boring charter play in 5e and there is no two ways around it and that is the DM

 

[Seramus]

Classes are usually an OOC construct, so whatever you need to take to realize your concept is fine.

 

[Oofta]

After I train my guys we never start at level 1 (newbies I start there after that we start at like 3 or 4) Sorry the first few levels is the most mind numbing boring charter play in 5e and there is no two ways around it and that is the DM

A perfect example of "different people play for different reasons". I kind of prefer the lower levels because I enjoy a sense of growth. At lower levels death is a constant threat, at higher levels in a standard campaign it's a speed bump. Yeah, it's expensive to get raised at higher levels but many PCs are rolling in gold without much to spend it on anyway.

My last campaign we actually started out at 0 level kids, it was a blast.

I'm not criticizing your preference by any means, just pointing out different strokes for different folks.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

My only gripe about playing low level is that I'm sick of fighting GOBLINS! God, the hours I've spent stomping those little cusses.

 

[ExploderWizard]

Some multiclass builds are dipping just for a particular cantrip. And cantrips scale with character level, so you don't feel as delayed.

Do they really? I am away from my books right now but I thought cantrips scale with CASTER level. So a caster class taking a cantrip scales with level because caster level = character level but a non-caster getting a cantrip would be a level 1 caster unless gaining levels in a casting class.

Is that right or am I remembering incorrectly?

Personally, so far in the 5E games that I have played in I have enjoyed playing single classed characters and have not felt underpowered at all. In different games I am playing a 12th level battle master fighter and an 8th level lore bard. Both characters are fun to play.