D&D 5E (2024) Tier Rating Subclasses The Bard.

[Minigiant]

If by offense you mean direct damage then yes.

They're not short of offense in any way.

Yes direct damage.

Bard is great at doing everything except actually killing stuff.

Good Bard subclasses either lean harder away into more roles or give bards damage.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yes direct damage.

Bard is great at doing everything except actually killing stuff.

Good Bard subclasses either lean harder away into more roles or give bards damage.

Damage on spellcasters i dont rate that highly. A few exceptions eg emanations.

5.5 monster hp buff means boom spells got ndirectly nerfed. Theres a chart ive seen with average monster hp. Its around 75 by level 5.

Fireball for exampke hits for 28 damage save for half. CR3s tend to have around 75-80 hp.

Your fireball tickles them and spme of those CR 3s hit for 1d12+4+3d6.

Or you cast something like slow and start kiting them.

With buff to 5E monster damage healing gets an indirect boost to importance but also avoiding damage and manipulation of initiative.

Initiative manipulation do something before the NPCs.

 

[Minigiant]

Damage on spellcasters i dont rate that highly. A few exceptions eg emanations.

5.5 monster hp buff means boom spells got ndirectly nerfed. Theres a chart ive seen with average monster hp. Its around 75 by level 5.

Fireball for exampke hits for 28 damage save for half. CR3s tend to have around 75-80 hp.

Your fireball tickles them and spme of those CR 3s hit for 1d12+4+3d6.

Or you cast something like slow and start kiting them.

With buff to 5E monster damage healing gets an indirect boost to importance but also avoiding damage and manipulation of initiative.

Initiative manipulation do something before the NPCs.

If you can't preventing incoming damage, bad outgoing damage slows victory.

Damage from spellcasters isn't most important. But it isn't ignorable.
Bard damage is just bad if you don't spec to it.
If you are dealing bad damage, your control, buffing, or healing better be S tier.

 

[ECMO3]

If you can't preventing incoming damage, bad outgoing damage slows victory.

Damage from spellcasters isn't most important. But it isn't ignorable.
Bard damage is just bad if you don't spec to it.
If you are dealing bad damage, your control, buffing, or healing better be S tier.

Bard Control, Buffing and Healing are all S tier. The only thing that prevents them from simultaneously being S tier in all 3 is limited spell slots.

Without considering subclasses Bards can heal as good as a Cleric, Control as good as a Wizard and Buff better than anyone, while also being the third best class in the game out of combat.

They don't have great damage, especially at low level and getting that at high level requires tradeoffs on the other areas. But if you want good damage out of a Bard, just grab a level in Paladin and you have Truestrike with smites galore.

The crazy thing about Bard is they have the full complement of Cleric healing spells at their disposal, plus the best Healing spell of all as a freebie which they cast Twinned at 20th level (Power Word Heal), but no one expects a Bard to run around healing everyone like some players expect Clerics to do.

I've actually had another player tell me I was playing my Tempest Cleric wrong because I wasn't spending my slots healing everyone (and by "everyone" he meant himself). No one ever told me that about playing a Bard.

 

[Minigiant]

Bard Control, Buffing and Healing are all S tier. The only thing that prevents them from simultaneously being S tier in all 3 is limited spell slots.

Without considering subclasses Bards can heal as good as a Cleric, Control as good as a Wizard and Buff better than anyone, while also being one of the best three classes in the game out of combat.

IF you want good damage out of a Bard, just grab a level in Paladin and you have smites galore.

Prepared Spells not spells slots is the main limiter of Bards.

Bards don't have the spells known to do everything and rely on subclass to cover something.

When a Bard's choice of control or buff isn't appropriate to a given combat, they often can't default back to damage. Damage solves 90% of the time.

Subclasses patch that up by making their control more reliable or letting them downgrade to damage.

 

[Zardnaar]

Prepared Spells not spells slots is the main limiter of Bards.

Bards don't have the spells known to do everything and rely on subclass to cover something.

When a Bard's choice of control or buff isn't appropriate to a given combat, they often can't default back to damage. Damage solves 90% of the time.

Subclasses patch that up by making their control more reliable or letting them downgrade to damage.

Bard should probably take slow and command. That covers most of your control needs maybe add hold person. Tashas laughter and sleep are also available.

Hypnotic Pattern and Fear are also available. A few 5.5 creatures are immune however.

Nothings immune to slow. Not much can do anything about command.

Bards are S tier controllers with maybe 3 spells picked.

Glamour Bards might be best in the game at it outside a lvl 15+ wizard in a 5MWD situation.

 

[ECMO3]

Bards don't have the spells known to do everything and rely on subclass to cover something.

Yes they do, largely because Command, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Slow and Fear are enough to be S tier on control all the way to level 20.

In the 2024 rules nothing is immune to THL or Command, this was a huge boost to Bards because it meant they did not have to get multiple spells to cover different immunities.

 

[ECMO3]

Glamour Bards might be best in the game at it outside a lvl 15+ wizard in a 5MWD situation.

Level 3-20, I would say Glamour Bards are the second best controllers in the game I've seen with an Enchantment Wizard being the best. This is a specific build on Enchantment Wizards though, getting either Sanctuary from Origin or playing a Goblin. Glamour Bards work better as a more generalized build IMO.

Fey Wanderer Ranger can be built to be right up there as well, but they fall off a bit if enemies are immune to charmed and frightened, where Bards and Wizards have the spells to circumvent those immunities.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yes they do, largely because Command, Tasha's Hideous Laughter, Slow and Fear are enough to be S tier on control all the way to level 20.

In the 2024 rules nothing is immune to THL or Command, this was a huge boost to Bards because it meant they did not have to get multiple spells to cover different immunities.

Nothing immune to slow either. Just saying.

5.5 the wisdom save meta. Then have the martials beat them up.

Command, sleep, tashas. Fear, slow. Hypnotic pattern, hold person, hold monster, spirit guardians, conjure celestial and conjure Woodland beings all target the wisdom save.

They're all S and A tier spells.

 

[Ashrym]

I can't really speak to Moon or Spirit bards these days, but Valor is better at combat, Lore is better at skills (which I play to), and Glamour is the better caster of the options.

Dance has grown on me because of how it plays in combat.

I find the class is poor at damage and kind of squishy, and makes up for it as a controller/ healer.

I still think Valor is the best classic bard, overall. The class / subclass combination combines skills, combat, and spellcasting solidly in a single package while maintaining bardic inspiration as a tool focused on supporting others. A build that either invests in two useful stats or works around them doesn't bother me. The armor training significantly helps mitigate squishiness.

Glamour really grew on me after the 2024 update. The previous version didn't really mesh as well for reasons on which I couldn't put my finger but the streamlining seems to have been effective for me.

Glamour exemplifies bards using illusions and enchantments as a common trope. I think the bonus spells known at an early level is an underrated benefit on a bard and that helps a lot. The abilities that use bardic inspiration as a resource take away from using it on others but these are good alternatives on which to use that resource. Mantle of Majesty tying up concentration locks out using it with other concentration spells, but the ability to spam Command as a bonus action is excellent.

Lore bards are a college I commonly play. Are they as good in combat as Valor or Glamour? Well, Cutting Words has it's moments and Magical Discoveries opens up the spell list faster than other bards so they definitely have benefits, but I think Valor and Glamour are stronger in combat. Fortunately the base class is still enough to carry.

Where I enjoy them at high level after Peerless Skill. This ability creates the confidence to try all kinds of things with skill checks. It also doesn't hurt that it's a strong accuracy benefit in combat for hitting with True Strike. A few more skill proficiencies over Jack of all Trades is a minor benefit but decent enough for me, and Cutting Words or Magical Discoveries are worthwhile, but it's Peerless Skill that does it for me. It's a fun college.

Those are my top choices.

Dance bards have definitely grown on me. The 3rd level abilities of a minor AC benefit and occasional free attack don't do much for me, and neither does evasion at 14th level, but the 6th level abilities are really useful. And the base class still has enough to carry.

That's my honorable mention.