D&D 5E Worst Classes Level 1.

[Ashrym]

Don't get me wrong, that's still really powerful and you get to roar at the table. But the fighter gets 32.5 HP without a time or elemental restriction, and that goes up if you have more than 2 short rests (not guaranteed). It's just not flashy.

Second wind is awesome at 1st level.

Rage is decent enough but I get armor because the unarmored AC doesn't do much other than save starting gold at that level. And like you say, rage has restrictions and can end early.

Heavy armor, sleep spell, and healing abilities are where I see the most combat benefits at that level. Damage means less when a PC's DPR hits 0 along with his or her HP.

AFAIC, the wizard has an advantage with ritual, but the sorcerer has advantage with extra cantrips. A person's favorite probably comes down to a matter of taste and playstyle. me? I use the flexibility of cantrips way more frequently than I cast actual spells (even ritual). So while I am not saying the sorcerer is better than the wizard, I am saying it's not nearly as bad as some are arguing, and certainly isn't nearly as big of a gap as many have listed.

Coincidentally, the PC I'm playing now is a sorcerer, and the my last PC was a wizard

I prefer the sorcerer for metamagic later. I find an extra cantrip is handy, but that's compared to a 1st level spell or two cast as rituals if it's a utility cantrip or a situational combat benefit versus an extra slot from a short rest if it's a alternative attack cantrip.

I think gaining the bloodline abilities at 1st level carries more appeal than the cantrip.

 

[Minigiant]

When it comes to the Sorcerer's extra cantrip and the Wizard's spellbook rituals, it's even to me. The bonus utility cantrip can be as useful as more 1st level rituals for level 1 appropriate adventures.
What puts Wizard on topis the high number of spell known and Arcane Recovery granting 1 more spell slot.

Now the low slots and cantrips really hurt a Warlock but a Hexblade's blade is basically another cantrip so that can bring it up to Sorcerer tier.

 

[Ashrym]

Now the low slots and cantrips really hurt a Warlock but a Hexblade's blade is basically another cantrip so that can bring it up to Sorcerer tier.

Warlocks cast 3 slots at 1st level (based on standard assumptions) like a wizard and have a patron ability like sorcs have a bloodline.

 

[Todd Roybark]

Barbarians are fairly resilient at 1st level. Armor plus shield or Unarmored Defense, (if you have the stats), nets around a 17 AC. The monsters run around the AC 19-20 Fighter with a shield, the Barbarian at least is a good target.

Also a 5 minute work day, 1st level adventure is not that rare I suspect.
The D&D Starter Set has an option to encounter a Manticore as one of three initial quests.
A Barbarian fares better then most in this scenario.

 

[Zardnaar]

Warlocks cast 3 slots at 1st level (based on standard assumptions) like a wizard and have a patron ability like sorcs have a bloodline.

Wizards gets at least two and maybe 3 spells.

Warlock gets 1 spell maybe 2, crapshoot in the 3rd.

I like warlocks a lot but I've noticed newer players lean heavily towards going nova then wanting to rest.

I'm thinking if just doubling or tripling short rest abilities and eliminating short rests.

Doesn't really fix it though. Also a side effect of fewer 5E spell slots relative to say 3E.

 

[Ashrym]

Barbarians are fairly resilient at 1st level. Armor plus shield or Unarmored Defense, (if you have the stats), nets around a 17 AC. The monsters run around the AC 19-20 Fighter with a shield, the Barbarian at least is a good target.

Also a 5 minute work day, 1st level adventure is not that rare I suspect.
The D&D Starter Set has an option to encounter a Manticore as one of three initial quests.
A Barbarian fares better then most in this scenario.

Manticores fly and are reasonably intelligent. A barbarian loses rage if he or she doesn't attack or take damage.

We cannot make an assumption about a monster bypassing the fighter without acknowledging the barbarian might not get attacked in the same scenario.

Barbarians are fairly resilient at 1st level but that's doesn't seem as good as higher AC and self healing on a fighter or paladin.

Wizards gets at least two and maybe 3 spells.

Warlock gets 1 spell maybe 2, crapshoot in the 3rd.

I like warlocks a lot but I've noticed newer players lean heavily towards going nova then wanting to rest.

Wizards get 3 if there are any short rests which would give the warlock the same 2 and patron abilities.

Without short rests at all the warlock might suffer but then the wizard loses one of the advantages over a sorcerer, and if we acknowledge there might be fewer than 2 short rests we would also need to acknowledge there can be more.

We can't claim the party can take a long rest when that time frame automatically allows multiple short rests as well. If the group can take a long rest then they have time to take a short rest and continue. A warlock could use 4 or 5 slots at 1st level on the same note as having less. Especially in low level city quests or wilderness travel.

I don't see lack of short rest opportunity as a strong argument here.

Nova is definitely an issue at later levels for warlocks but not 1st level. Two 1st level spells doesn't give significant nova power yet.

 

[Zardnaar]

Manticores fly and are reasonably intelligent. A barbarian loses rage if he or she doesn't attack or take damage.

We cannot make an assumption about a monster bypassing the fighter without acknowledging the barbarian might not get attacked in the same scenario.

Barbarians are fairly resilient at 1st level but that's doesn't seem as good as higher AC and self healing on a fighter or paladin.



Wizards get 3 if there are any short rests which would give the warlock the same 2 and patron abilities.

Without short rests at all the warlock might suffer but then the wizard loses one of the advantages over a sorcerer, and if we acknowledge there might be fewer than 2 short rests we would also need to acknowledge there can be more.

We can't claim the party can take a long rest when that time frame automatically allows multiple short rests as well. If the group can take a long rest then they have time to take a short rest and continue. A warlock could use 4 or 5 slots at 1st level on the same note as having less. Especially in low level city quests or wilderness travel.

I don't see lack of short rest opportunity as a strong argument here.

Nova is definitely an issue at later levels for warlocks but not 1st level. Two 1st level spells doesn't give significant nova power yet.

I've seen people dump 2 sleep spells and want to rest.

Personally I like warlocks just fine and find them better than wizards at lower levels which is more important than later.

 

[ClaytonCross]

I can’t decide if warlocks or rangers are worse at level 1.

They are both in the running for sure. I lean to warlock being worse because a ranger can still shoot arrows but needs GM to make the level 1 abilities useful but the warlock only has 2 cantrips and one spell slot unless your GM is providing a number of short rests. If your a caster your the weakest caster in the game, if you wanted to go martial you have crap for armor, no shield, and no proficiency in the weapons you want until level 3 pact of the blade unless you take Hexblade as your subclass if thats allowed in your campaign, you can't tank, you can't heal unless your an asimar celestial patron, and even if your a human variant with feat you can't scout well until level 2 with devils sight. Really, Warlock is waiting for level 3 to show up and do anything while the ranger can still at least track and fight.

That's my take on it any way.

Monk gets a bad rap, but my wife played one and the off hand attack meant at the very least she was out damaging everyone else melee with a sword hit and a punch more so versus level 1 CR1/8 enemies or lower she could one shot easily killing two per round. She had a AC15 out the gate and actual carried her group through her first mission.

Sorcerers get 4 starting cantrips and 2 first level spells which makes them one of the strongest first level casters for the sake of having the right cantrip for the job at level 1 and enough spell slots to do something interesting. Not sure why people are rating them low.

 

[Ashrym]

I've seen people dump 2 sleep spells and want to rest.

Personally I like warlocks just fine and find them better than wizards at lower levels which is more important than later.

That's not much of a nova over one sleep spell in a fight compared to 2 sleep spells in a day vs 6 sleep spells in the same day using multiple rests from the archfey.

That gets back to patrons at 1st level. Better spell lists and bonus abilities.

 

[Todd Roybark]

Manticores fly and are reasonably intelligent. A barbarian loses rage if he or she doesn't attack or take damage.

That is all true..but I’ve seen a Fighter try to lasso a Manticore, and need a timely expenditure of an Inspiration point by another PC, (as well as a plaintive plea to be allowed to act out of turn), to cast the Guidance cantrip to keep the Fighter from being carried aloft.

Having Advantage on the oppressed Str check, to be kept from being carried aloft, makes it that more likely the group does not need to expend those resources. The true role of the Barbarian is: The Survivor, at 1st level...that role helps the entire PC group to live, by not needing their help to live.

In a hard fight, the difference from having victory to having a TPK is very slight.