D&D 5E D&D's Top 10 Fighter Subclasses Revealed!

In another of D&D Beyond's frequent data shares, here is a look at the most popular fighter subclasses currently in use. The Champion leads the pack, followed by Battlemaster, Eldritch Knight, Gunslinger, and Samurai.

 

[Aaron L]

Eldritch Knight is my jam. It even has a built-in "weapon familiar" that I would often create my own spells for in 1st and 2nd Editions. Where does the Gunslinger come from? I don't think I've ever heard of it.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

I really like the idea of an arcane archer. Just not the reality. I think you'd need to homebrew to get something that matches the concept that I (and I suspect you) are thinking about. I'd probably base it on Eldritch Knight and add something like the Paladin's smite to allow the archer to burn spell slots to gussy up his ranged attacks.

Yeah honestly I'd just add all the ranged weapon spells to the EK spell list, and maybe come up with a simple ranged weapon cantrip to give them as well.
And then maybe give them a feature that lets you burn a slot to make an arrow explode with force damage on impact, hitting everyone within 10ft with 1d6 damage or something, and the ability at later levels to add secondary effects, maybe as a bonus action, in place of the EK ability to attack after casting a spell. So, when you use your Charged Shot ability, you can use a bonus action to make all creatures hit catch fire, or save vs deafened, or something like that.

Seeing the top 3 be the ones that are in the PHB is hardly surprising. The Champion being most popular is possibly in part down to it being the only one in the Basic Rules.

I doubt it. People like playing the Champion.

Apparently 6% of players don't know that the Arcane Archer is a bag of Tarrasque droppings. I suspect they are playing it for concept and feel reasons, and not optimization. Sometimes it's hard to remember that not everyone white room's the ever-living crap out of the game.

It's important to remember that people like us are the minority by a vast margin.

 

[CleverNickName]

I suspect they are playing it for concept and feel reasons, and not optimization. Sometimes it's hard to remember that not everyone white room's the ever-living crap out of the game.

I know that a lot of people enjoy the character creation "mini-game" where they needle and nitpick every tiniest detail in order to get the absolute maximum bonus to Whatever, and that's fine. (I think they are why the Warlock even exists.) But I always preferred the creative builds, deliberately sub-optimal with visible and important flaws. Heroes who are awesome at everything are dull to me.

 

[Remathilis]

It does seem to be a ranking heavily influenced by date of release and how long the archetype is free on DNDBeyond.
That could explain the Gunslinger beating all the XGTE subclasses.

But the EK, Gunslinger,Samurai, AA block may suggest there is a huge block of people who want to play nontradional fighters.

That is probably no small factor in it; I'm sure if the AA, EK, BM, Echo, PDK, samurai and cavalier were also free, the demos might change.

(As an aside, why doesn't Dndbeyond offer more content packs, like buying all the fighter subclasses at a slight discount. It's either buy the book or buy ala carte at a steep markup per item)

 

[Shiroiken]

The title should have included: "and number 4 WILL surprise you!"

 

[Benjamin Olson]

It's telling how sub-par the Purple Dragon Knight is when a class that JUST CAME OUT is already on the verge of overcoming it and probably does past the first decimal.

The whole SCAG feels outdated.

SCAG has about the least thought-out player content of any book with substantial player content. I like Bladesinger, but even that is a hot mess design wise, it's just that it's a fun hot mess, particularly with some Rogue levels. Swashbuckler is cool, but then that's why it was reprinted in a much better book. And I do love my booming blade. Otherwise the only thing I can say for most the subclasses there is that they can't be accused of adding to power creep. Getting past player options, it needed a big fold out map. Having to flip back to a two page spread at the beginning with tiny print and the binding obscuring the middle does not a good setting book make.

But yeah, Purple Dragon Knight. If it even was play-tested it must have only been played by people who had never played any other fighter or were in a group with no healer, as I can't imagine another situation where someone wouldn't find it completely underwhelming.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Apparently 6% of players don't know that the Arcane Archer is a bag of Tarrasque droppings. I suspect they are playing it for concept and feel reasons, and not optimization. Sometimes it's hard to remember that not everyone white room's the ever-living crap out of the game.

It also probably plays awesome with a very short of short rest heavy adventuring day. I played with a drop-in/drop-out gamestore group where every session was basically "go somewhere and have one combat and then long rest" and I bet an AA would have been awesome there. And hey, the Curving Shot is kinda cool.

As far as Terrasque droppings, I suppose those free magic arrows make it a very good subclass for dropping Terrasques.

 

[Davo3]

...a huge number of real-world distributions of things follow a pattern where the second most common thing is about twice as common as the first...

I think you spelled "half" wrong there.

 

[Leatherhead]

Considering the crazy popularity of the Wildemount book, the Rune Night being more popular than the Echo Knight is quite surprising.

 

[Benjamin Olson]

Considering the crazy popularity of the Wildemount book, the Rune Night being more popular than the Echo Knight is quite surprising.

Free UA option vs. paid content. And I would say a clearer case of the phenomenon than either the Champion Fighter or the Gunslinger.