D&D 5E (2014) 2017 Class Rank Survey: results are in!

[Ancalagon]

Oh I wouldn't call this garbage data! It's not great, but it's not utter useless either.

... but it could be done better, and the timing could be better too.

 

[flametitan]

Oh I wouldn't call this garbage data! It's not great, but it's not utter useless either.

... but it could be done better, and the timing could be better too.

Certainly. It's not junk data, but it is pretty niche in terms of conclusions you can derive from it.

 

[snafuy]

What am I missing with the Divination Wizard for it to be ranked so good? (excuse my ignorance)

Portent means that 2 or 3 times per day, you get to decide the outcome of a d20 roll.
If your portent rolls are medium or high, you use those rolls on your party to guarantee hits or saves. Useful.
But it's even stronger if you have a low roll. Then you use it on the big bad, and they fail to save against a crucial spell.

 

[Kobold Stew]

What am I missing with the Divination Wizard for it to be ranked so good? (excuse my ignorance)

The level 2 Portent ability -- up to twice per long rest, you can substitute any roll you make (or that someone you see makes) for a fixed number that you've already rolled.

It's not always useful (you might have a 12 and not know if that's going to hit the AC of your opponent), but it is hugely powerful when you can substitute a 6 (or whatever) for an enemy, saving throw, or turn your barbarian's initial attack into a 19.

EDIT: also, mechanically it's fun because the application is going to change based on the numbers you roll. Two high numbers means your offence is strengthened. Two low numbers is more likely to impact the defense of the enemy, or strengthen your own defense.

 

[gyor]

I disagree with a bunch of the ratings. Shadow Sorcerer is A+ material, I know people are obsessed with the Hexdip, but as a whole Shadow Sorceror is arguably one of the most powerful subclasses in the game, even with the weaknesses of the base class.

Every feature is pure gold, none suck, Darkvision 120' and the Darkness spell that you can see thru, an ability that keeps you from dying, a hounds that gets buffed with temp hps, gives the target disadvantage on saving throws against you spells, can know tagets prone, and can autosense its targets location even if invisible, etc..., at will teleportation of 120', and a power that gives resistance to everything except raidiant and force, allows you to move through objects.

 

[Yaarel]

The overall picture of class ratings is useful, even if a specific class is debatable.

I find myself consulting the Rating-to-Enjoyment bubble graph often. So much information at a glance.

 

[Raunalyn]

What am I missing with the Divination Wizard for it to be ranked so good? (excuse my ignorance)

It is immensely satisfying as a player to roll a couple of dice and save them for later. Then, at a critical time, handing that die to an ally ("Hey Pally...you want to smite? Here, have a 20!") or to hand a very low die roll to an enemy ("I'm casting disintegrate...no, he didn't roll a 19 for his save, he rolled a 1"). Extremely fun ability!

 

[snafuy]

I disagree with a bunch of the ratings. Shadow Sorcerer is A+ material

You may well be right. Some votes might be based more on idle discussion rather than objective math or personal experience. Comparing the 2015 PHB ratings to current consensus shows that initial impressions can be a little off.

Let's look again in 2 years and see which opinions shift over time.

 

[abirdcall]

Wild Magic Sorcerer stands out as severely misjudged.

Tides of Chaos is very powerful. Advantage on any d20 roll is huge only limited by the amount of spells the Sorcerer has in a day +1.

 

[Iry]

Portent means that 2 or 3 times per day, you get to decide the outcome of a d20 roll.

The level 2 Portent ability.

Portent is great, definitely. Especially when you have a low roll and can guarantee someone fails a save.

But Expert Divination often gets forgotten, and it's absolutely excellent. A 10th Level Wizard can cast 4/3/3/3/2 = 15 Spells. But a 10th Level Diviner can cast up to 15/11/8/5/2= 41 Spells. And it's not hard to cycle divination spells with a rotation like Mind Spike > Clairvoyance > Arcane Eye.