Zardnaar
Legend
This is it, my thread I have been pondering on for a long time now. Back in the 3.5 days there was a tier system that rated the classes on thier power/versatility etc. Generally CoDzilla and Wizards were at the top, while martial classes were near the bottom. Overall it was a decent list but I htink it assumed mostly high level play and a bit of theory crafting. For example Druids were fairly broken all by them selves just with the natural spell feat while clerics kind of needed a fair bit of splat to break them.
5E is a different beast, the gaps between the classes are a lot smaller, martials got big boosts, you can't mass produce underpriced magic items, and the dynamics of the game have changed, To really break 5E try min/maxing the whole party and focusing on teamwork. This basically means abuse the -5/+10 feats and have combos in the game like mastermind rogue and bards and clercis to buff the to hit chances. Even something as simple as Battlemaster fighter+ Rogue is a decent combo.
So how do I rate the classes? Basically I am looking at the 3 pillars of 5E- Social, combat and exploration with a slight emphasis on combat (say 40% vs 30% for the other 2). Very few if any classes are good at all 3, most are good at two, some are only good at one. I am looking at the classes overall including things like saving throws, class power, versatility, utility (healing, support, buffing etc), damage and a bit of gut feeling. I place way more importance on level 1-10 than level 11-20. This is because like most editions of D&D ever most people don't play high level D&D that much I suspect and we have some figures to back that up. I' not that interested in several builds I suspect are mostly hypothetical and often use multiclassing.
In general spellcasters are not as overwhelming as they were and will tend to start of low and move their way up the power scale. The rules assume you get 2 short rests and 6-8 encounters, so I'll mostly go with that but I lean towards the lower end of that number-1 or 2 short rest and around 6 encounters. Obviously if you have few encounters classes that can nova will be better, the more encounters and short rests you have the better short rest type classes get. I will also assume that rules applicable to the AL are in effect, even without feats etc though that doesn't change things to much as martials get -5/+10 feats but spellcasters also get things like warcaster and resilient: con which makes concentration checks semi trivial so all classes tend to get powered up with feats. Things like Fighter vs Ranger are impacted more.
I am also going to assume a moderate amount of min/maxing is used. This means that the classes are being used "correctly" in terms of what spells and abilities they pick up. This means Rangers use hunters quarry, Warlocks use Eldritch blast, melee clerics use spiritual guardians etc. Combos involving 2-3 feats, certain options from a single archetype, and several splat books will not generally be counted. This thread is more aimed at what the classes can do in a real game rather than contrived situations or very narrow focus. Initially this will just be PHB archetypes only but I may mention any tricks involving material from Xanathars or Sword Coast Adventurers Guide. Eventually I want to cover them as well.
That is my criteria. I will also rate the classes tier 1 (good) to 5 (weak). If an archetype is better than the others even if those others are good they will be down a tier while the best archetype will be a tier higher. For example say you have one of the most powerful archetypes in the game, if there are better archetypes however that archetype will be tier 2 while the better one will be tier 1. The gaps in 5E are smaller but there are still gaps. Since very few if any classes are good at all 3 pillars if a class tends to be very good at one pillar and good in another pillar they will get a high placing. Exceptions do exist.
Initially I will be covering Heroic Tier and move up from there. So its a living thread, some of this is gut feeling so if you can convince me I have rated something wrong I will shuffle it up or down on a case by case basis.
Damage Tier by Request.
Tier 1. Very High Damage-Sorlocks quickening Eldritch Blast, martials using the -5/+10 feats consistently.
Tier 2. High damage Martial weapon+something else (smites, hex, colossus slayer etc), warlocks using eldritch blast+agonizing blast+hex.
Tier 3. Moderate damage. Martial weapons (1d12, 2d6+ attributes) or d8 weapons+ a little something (duelist, hex, hunters quarry).
Tier 4. Low damage. 1d8+ mods, cantrips+ attribute modifiers.
Tier 5. Poor damage, generally cantrips and 1d6+attributes or smaller weapons with no other modifiers eg most Wizard and Druid weapons.
Damage tiers exclude nova damage (long rest spells, fighters action surging).
Social Pillar Evaluation
Social pillar criteria are generally charisma based classes, charisma skills and class abilities/spells that help out. Not this is a generally guideline only I am sure you could build a wizard with a high charisma, the right back ground, some charm spells, and enhance ability, but charisma is not a primary, secondary, or even tertiary stat as a general rule. Note some spells such as enhance ability have combat and exploration uses as well.
Exploration Pillar Evaluation
This is mostly class abilities and spells that help you explore. Key attributes tend to be wisdom, dexterity, and strength and intelligence to a lesser extent. Generally classes such as Rogues, Druids, Rangers, and mid level + wizards tend to be good at this pillar.
Combat is the most important pillar but all 5E classes tend to have a fair amount of combat ability built in, the when, where and how is usually the difference in how good the classes are. Specific builds, party composition and situations can of course vary the tier rankings.
5E is a different beast, the gaps between the classes are a lot smaller, martials got big boosts, you can't mass produce underpriced magic items, and the dynamics of the game have changed, To really break 5E try min/maxing the whole party and focusing on teamwork. This basically means abuse the -5/+10 feats and have combos in the game like mastermind rogue and bards and clercis to buff the to hit chances. Even something as simple as Battlemaster fighter+ Rogue is a decent combo.
So how do I rate the classes? Basically I am looking at the 3 pillars of 5E- Social, combat and exploration with a slight emphasis on combat (say 40% vs 30% for the other 2). Very few if any classes are good at all 3, most are good at two, some are only good at one. I am looking at the classes overall including things like saving throws, class power, versatility, utility (healing, support, buffing etc), damage and a bit of gut feeling. I place way more importance on level 1-10 than level 11-20. This is because like most editions of D&D ever most people don't play high level D&D that much I suspect and we have some figures to back that up. I' not that interested in several builds I suspect are mostly hypothetical and often use multiclassing.
In general spellcasters are not as overwhelming as they were and will tend to start of low and move their way up the power scale. The rules assume you get 2 short rests and 6-8 encounters, so I'll mostly go with that but I lean towards the lower end of that number-1 or 2 short rest and around 6 encounters. Obviously if you have few encounters classes that can nova will be better, the more encounters and short rests you have the better short rest type classes get. I will also assume that rules applicable to the AL are in effect, even without feats etc though that doesn't change things to much as martials get -5/+10 feats but spellcasters also get things like warcaster and resilient: con which makes concentration checks semi trivial so all classes tend to get powered up with feats. Things like Fighter vs Ranger are impacted more.
I am also going to assume a moderate amount of min/maxing is used. This means that the classes are being used "correctly" in terms of what spells and abilities they pick up. This means Rangers use hunters quarry, Warlocks use Eldritch blast, melee clerics use spiritual guardians etc. Combos involving 2-3 feats, certain options from a single archetype, and several splat books will not generally be counted. This thread is more aimed at what the classes can do in a real game rather than contrived situations or very narrow focus. Initially this will just be PHB archetypes only but I may mention any tricks involving material from Xanathars or Sword Coast Adventurers Guide. Eventually I want to cover them as well.
That is my criteria. I will also rate the classes tier 1 (good) to 5 (weak). If an archetype is better than the others even if those others are good they will be down a tier while the best archetype will be a tier higher. For example say you have one of the most powerful archetypes in the game, if there are better archetypes however that archetype will be tier 2 while the better one will be tier 1. The gaps in 5E are smaller but there are still gaps. Since very few if any classes are good at all 3 pillars if a class tends to be very good at one pillar and good in another pillar they will get a high placing. Exceptions do exist.
Initially I will be covering Heroic Tier and move up from there. So its a living thread, some of this is gut feeling so if you can convince me I have rated something wrong I will shuffle it up or down on a case by case basis.
Damage Tier by Request.
Tier 1. Very High Damage-Sorlocks quickening Eldritch Blast, martials using the -5/+10 feats consistently.
Tier 2. High damage Martial weapon+something else (smites, hex, colossus slayer etc), warlocks using eldritch blast+agonizing blast+hex.
Tier 3. Moderate damage. Martial weapons (1d12, 2d6+ attributes) or d8 weapons+ a little something (duelist, hex, hunters quarry).
Tier 4. Low damage. 1d8+ mods, cantrips+ attribute modifiers.
Tier 5. Poor damage, generally cantrips and 1d6+attributes or smaller weapons with no other modifiers eg most Wizard and Druid weapons.
Damage tiers exclude nova damage (long rest spells, fighters action surging).
Social Pillar Evaluation
Social pillar criteria are generally charisma based classes, charisma skills and class abilities/spells that help out. Not this is a generally guideline only I am sure you could build a wizard with a high charisma, the right back ground, some charm spells, and enhance ability, but charisma is not a primary, secondary, or even tertiary stat as a general rule. Note some spells such as enhance ability have combat and exploration uses as well.
Exploration Pillar Evaluation
This is mostly class abilities and spells that help you explore. Key attributes tend to be wisdom, dexterity, and strength and intelligence to a lesser extent. Generally classes such as Rogues, Druids, Rangers, and mid level + wizards tend to be good at this pillar.
Combat is the most important pillar but all 5E classes tend to have a fair amount of combat ability built in, the when, where and how is usually the difference in how good the classes are. Specific builds, party composition and situations can of course vary the tier rankings.
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