D&D 5E Why does Wizards of the Coast hate Wizards?

[Yaarel]

Expertise needs redefining for bounded accuracy, but yeah, the Wizard should have it for Arcana.

I feel, Arcana should be able to check to sense magical auras, 4e-style.



• Arcana − magic and spells, magical auras
• Religion − planes and planar creatures
• Medicine − healing potions, healing, salves, anatomy, poisons
• Nature − nonhealing potions, plants, animals, elementalism, alchemy, metalworking, acids
• Survival − navigation, foraging, weather

 

[Leatherhead]

I'm going to give this thread a fair shake, mostly because so few people are, it seems.

WotC doesn't hate the Wizard Class. The players who were scarred by 3rd edition hate the Wizard class (and they are very vocal about it).

WotC's sin with the 5e Wizard is that they messed up the initial batch of their subclasses. They thought "We will just split the Specialist Wizard into 8 different subclasses and call it a day because that should be enough if we remove the restricted school angle."

Which ended up making the Wizard look like this:

Not practical at all, and a nightmare to anyone who might have had bad experiences with them in prior editions.

It wasn't until recently that some people figured out having 8 subclasses is meaningless if nobody wants to play them. It is incredibly glaring that the two most popular Wizard Schools are the two who aren't in the PHB: Every other class has a PHB option, if not the Basic Rules option in the number 1 and/or 2 slot.

Unfortunately, because Wizards have 8 subclasses in the PHB, and people were scarred by 3e, there is massive push-back to the tune of "Wizards already have enough stuff!" (just look at that picture above) whenever any UA featuring anything for the Wizard class comes out. People were even hating on the idea of giving the Wizard the meager QoL improvements they got in this last UA.

I can understand how, to anyone who started playing after 4e, it might look like WotC has more or less abandoned the Wizard class in 5e.

 

[doctorbadwolf]

As an aside, I think it's funny that making 'Tiers' jargon for level bands has finally caught on enough to make it slightly harder to talk about Class Tiers. The Wizard is still solidly Class Tier 1, given the unprecedented versatility of prepping daily and casting spontaneously, it'd be Tier 0 if spells had proliferated in number & power the way they did in 3.x, but it's place on the top of the heap is the same as in 3e, either way. Really, the Bard is the only class that's dramatically changed in the rankings since 3e, though most boats have been floated on the rising tide of increased versatility, loosened restrictions, and spells for all. Like, it's hard to put any whole class at Tier 5. The Champion and Berserker may arguably languish there, as sub-classes, but they're pretty lonely. Nothing is so badly designed as to rate Tier 6, not even the Ranger.

I’d go so far as to say that no whole class even hits tier 4.

 

[Tony Vargas]

I’d go so far as to say that no whole class even hits tier 4.

Not implausible - there is so much spellcasting to go around in 5e...
...which fighter and barbarian sub-classes would rise to Tier 3? Something outside the PH, surely? The Totem Barbarian and BM are at best Tier 4, the EK would be a pretty marginal Tier 3 candidate.

 

[Salthorae]

It wasn't until recently that some people figured out having 8 subclasses is meaningless if nobody wants to play them. It is incredibly glaring that the two most popular Wizard Schools are the two who aren't in the PHB: Every other class has a PHB option, if not the Basic Rules option in the number 1 and/or 2 slot.

I would say you're drawing false correlation here. While I won't argue that the two most popular subclasses are non-PHB subclasses, they are exactly tied with Evoker. So technically a PHB subclass IS tied for 1

Also I would say that since there are so many subclasses the player base is just split up so you don't see them on the "tops" list. People still play those subclasses. I play non-bladesinger/warmage/evoker wizards at the very least, so unless I'm nobody, somebody is playing those other subclasses.

Though I'm also a Treat Monk follower so he makes compelling arguments for the other options and non-damaging/combat spells.

 

[Kurotowa]

Here's another point to consider. When a book of player options comes out, the majority of the Wizard content isn't in the Class chapter. No, the chapter you want is Spells. Xanathar's Guide added 77 new spells to the Wizard spell list, far more than any other class. That's where the majority of the Wizard class investment is, and that's where they get the majority of their new options. Heck, you can even slot in new spells to an existing character as easily as buying a scroll. No need to respec or roll a new character at all.

So yeah, I think Wizards have it pretty good. Leave room for other classes to be the skill experts or tool masters.

 

[Leatherhead]

Also I would say that since there are so many subclasses the player base is just split up so you don't see them on the "tops" list.

The Cleric has about as many subclasses as the Wizard. The Life Cleric (the Basic Option) is still over twice as popular as the next most popular domain. Which is amazing because so many people seem to have objections about the Life Cleric.

There is just something off about Wizard subclasses.

 

[Yaarel]

@Leatherhead − good point

The most popular choice of subclass for a Wizard character is:
• Spellsinger 14%
• War Magic 14%
• Evocation 13%
• [probably Divination circa 12% because Portent for combat]

This suggests that the golden majority of Wizard players are frustrated with the Wizard class, and seeking options elsewhere.

The main dissatisfaction with the Wizard class for Wizard players, appears to be, the lack of combat survivability and the lack of damage dealing.

 

[tetrasodium]

The Cleric has about as many subclasses as the Wizard. The Life Cleric (the Basic Option) is still over twice as popular as the next most popular domain. Which is amazing because so many people seem to have objections about the Life Cleric.

There is just something off about Wizard subclasses.

a huge chunk of those spells were reprinted from EE & maybe SCAG, that's really only a helpful boon to players bound by AL's phb+1. You could say it's useful to people who don't own those books, but one is a free download.

 

[Son of the Serpent]

Lore mastery wizard is really powerful

If your dm will allow it

Probably wont though because it blows spell lists wide open