D&D 5E (2024) Rank 5e skills from most useful (1) to least useful (18)

[Distracted DM]

Maybe, but perception often still seems to take place of survival, often it's only a single roll so as soon as you slot the tracks, you're off.

I guess it'd make sense to say perception can spot that there are tracks, but can't make any sense of them.

 

[Zardnaar]

Odd, I've not seen anyone use Animal Handling in the four campaigns I've been in so far.

Mounted combats rare along with riding critters not even close to you in CR.

Eg most DMs wont let you ride a CR2 critter early on. Older D&D buy an elephant.

 

[Zardnaar]

Lmao why is it harder to restrain someone with manacles - tools designed specifically and exclusively to restrain people with?

Lasso vs wrists. If someone's not co operating.....

 

[Neonchameleon]

10 years on with a new edition update how would you rank the 5e skills 1-18 from most useful to least useful in a typical campaign. Let’s assume it’s running levels 1-10. Don’t worry about individual classes it’s less about what your character has and more what the party has access to. I’ve left them in alphabetical order. In case anyone forget any!

Acrobatics
Animal Handling
Arcana
Athletics
Deception
History
Insight
Intimidation
Investigation
Medicine
Nature
Perception
Performance
Persuasion
Religion
Sleight of Hand
Stealth
Survival

Feel free to have a heated debate while we are at it! Have any changed since 2014?

S Tier - used all the time by everyone
1. Perception
2. Investigation (moved up in 2024)

A Tier - used by everyone but not all the time
3. Stealth
4. Insight

B Tier - The party should be able to do but individuals may safely ignore
5. Arcana (DM dependent; some allow more here than others)
6. Sleight of hand (moved up in 2024 as it's the lockpicking skill)
7. Athletics (skill most replaceable with spells)
8. Persuasion (may be covered by deception and would probably be A tier if there weren't so many Charisma casters)

C Tier - it's nice to have but not on the Must Have list
9. History
10. Deception (as a backup to persuasion)
11. Nature
12. Religion
13. Animal Handling
14. Survival
15. Acrobatics

D Tier - this is essentially characterisation unless you work at it)
16. Intimidation. The Worst Social Skill.
17. Performance. A band on the run can be great fun but otherwise...
18. Medicine. Just use Healing Word, Potions, or rest a night.

 

[Hussar]

You've never seen anyone try to steal anything? Most players I have seen are always trying to steal everything that isn't bolted down, so Sleight of Hand comes into play constantly. This is an F-tier completely useless skill though if you are Lawful Good and not stealing

Really? Yeah, my players are not like that at all. I haven't seen players try to randomly steal stuff since high school.

 

[Hussar]

In the 2024 rules it’s the skill used for picking locks. And presumably for disarming traps as well.

Would you not use thieves tools for that? Since 2025 came out, no one has actually tried to pick a lock, so, I actually don't know the rules.

 

[Hussar]

DC10 SOH check with a Rope or DC13 SOH with manacles to make an enemy restrained. This is new for 2024 and is extremely powerful in play.

I'm sorry, I do not actually understand what any of that means. You can attack someone with manacles? Nice idea but, since I almost never use humanoid opponents, it won't come up. Heck, even as a player, again, since 3e, I am the only person I've ever seen whose character has manacles. No one I've ever played with has even looked at them.

/edit after reading the spoilers that @Distracted DM kindly posted. Ahh, you need to grapple the opponent first, then you can restrain them with manacles.

Does anyone actually do that?

 

[TiQuinn]

Yeah, my players are not like that at all. I haven't seen players try to randomly steal stuff since high school.

Nice idea but, since I almost never use humanoid opponents, it won't come up.

At some point, you might want to describe what your players actually do rather than act incredulous about how others say their games go.

 

[Tonguez]

That's interesting about rope and manacles in 5e24. Yes, it appears to be more difficult to manacle someone than to tie them up.

Spoiler: Manacles, 5e24 vs 5e14

View attachment 419445

Spoiler: Rope, 5e24 vs 5e14

View attachment 419446

Spoiler: Oh hey, chain has this as well

View attachment 419449

I also note that now 5e24 specifies that it's a strength-athletics check to burst bonds, not just a strength check. I was always sort of confused whether you use a flat ability score check for bend bars/lift gates/kick door, or if you called for strength-athletics (thus making it a lot easier due to proficiency), when something would just call for a "strength check."



Side note, has being grappled/restrained affected somatic and/or components at all in 5e24?

yeah the game rules for tying someone up are all rubbish really personally I just make it a follow up grapple check on a grappled opponent using either Str or Dex, whatever they roll becomes the escape DC.

 

[Tonguez]

Lasso vs wrists. If someone's not co operating.....

its far easier to put manacles on the hands of someone you're grappling than it is to try and throw a lasoo over there heads at range

7. Athletics (skill most replaceable with spells)

most replaceable, really? as compared to Stealth v Pass Without Trace, SoH v Knock, or Charm v Persuasion?