D&D Best Classes (Ranked Worst to Best)

Updated:

27 Jul 2021

Can you guess which class is the strongest?

Not everything in this world is created equal. Some animals are just faster. Some humans are just more beautiful. Some are tall. Some are short. Simply put, the same logic applies to the classes of Dungeons and Dragons. Although playing a powerful fantasy warrior is fun and all, some classes can just do it better.

If you are looking for an objective and calculated information about which DND class are just better, then this article is for you.

Side Note: Before I show you the classes and their ranks, know that they had to pass certain standards, namely: how good they are in combat, how good they are in exploration, how good they are in social interactions, and, finally, how flexible they are in terms of team roles.

In terms of rubrics, it will look like this (with ‘5’ being the best score):

Combat: 1 – 5 (Things to factor: health, armor, weapons, spells, class features)
Exploration: 1 – 5 (Things to factor: skills, tools, spells, class features)
Social: 1 – 5 (Things to factor: skills, tools, spells, class features)
Role Versatility: 1 – 5 (Things to factor: tanking, melee damage, ranged damage, healing, support, scouting, and team face)
Score: 1 – 20

Let’s not waste time.

Let’s begin.

Rank 7 – The Barbarian

[photo credit to Sycra on DeviantArt]

Whenever I hear the word ‘Barbarian’, the famous characters that immediately come into mind are big, muscly warriors who don’t wear any clothes except for a piece of loin cloth and a pair of fur boots (I’m talking about you, He-Man and Conan!)

Barbarians are the embodiment of anger. Their fighting style heavily relies on brute force and carnage. Players who love the idea of mindlessly wading into battle by kicking the door down will surely find the Barbarian a fun class to play.

But in terms of overall gameplay, the Barbarian (together with the Monk) is very limited.

In combat, nothing can equal the sheer physical power of a barbarian. They boast the highest health in the game. And not only that, but their core feature – Rage – practically doubles their health and further increases their damage output. It will have to take an army to bring a barbarian down. But the reason why it belongs in the lowest of the ranks is because they are only good in combat. And that’s it. And DND is a role-playing game where combat is just one aspect.

With that said, here are the scores of the Barbarian:

COMBAT

The only class with a d12 Hit Die, a core feature that effectively doubles his total health, and a constant way to use Advantage to fish for critical hits, the Barbarian is surely a savage in combat.

Score: 5

EXPLORATION

With little to no Wisdom score and no access to spells, his exploration skills can’t really be effective.

Score: 2

SOCIAL

With almost no Charisma score and only Intimidate as a social skill, nobody really likes to talk to a Barbarian.

Score: 2

ROLE VERSATILITY

The Barbarian can only fit two roles: tank and melee damage-dealer.

Score: 2

OVERALL

Score: 11

But even if the Barbarian does not excel in many things, don’t let this ranking discourage you from playing one because I’m pretty sure no one can outshine you in battle (except that you’ll be very bored during social interactions and would rather crush a hapless city guard’s skull just so you can start a fight).

To summarize, play a Barbarian if you want to:

Go to battle shirtless
Be always angry
Wield a giant battle axe
Experience a lot of pain

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Just be the ‘axe’ guy
Be a stupid moron inside a city

Rank 7 – The Monk

[photo credit to Aldok on DeviantArt]

If it really weren’t for Bruce Lee who brought Chinese martial arts into the movie industry of Hollywood, the Monk class would not have been added into DND. (Seriously, think about it. The original monks were actually Catholic scholars. And I don’t think those are fun to play in DND).

Monks are the martial arts people in the DND multiverse. They are also the poorest (since they don’t care about material possessions). Players who love the idea of playing a character who can supernaturally defy the laws of physics without the help of magic who can also kick ass will love the Monk class.

But just like the Barbarian, the Monk is just that: the Kung-Fu guy (although he’s literally a master of it). Don’t get me wrong, playing a character who can do a ‘Hadouken’ is pretty awesome. But outside of combat, the Monk falls flat. Very flat. Yes, he can play a leaf flute in a bustling city and probably attract some people, but that’s about it. He has no way of improving his social interaction skills.

With that said, here are the scores of the Monk:

COMBAT

Yeah, the monk is cool and all with his Kung-Fu but his core feature discourages him from wearing any armor knowing that he does not have the health of the Fighter. Plus, his Ki powers are not sustainable in combat.

Score: 3

EXPLORATION

Although he has the Wisdom score, it’s kind ‘a weird that he doesn’t have the Perception skill knowing that Monks are, you know, supposed to be observant. But he does have Athletics and Acrobatics which can help his team get to hard-to-reach places.

Score: 3

SOCIAL

There’s a downside to a life of being a hermit.

Score: 1

ROLE VERSATILITY

The Monk usually fills the role of melee damage-dealer but because of some subclasses, he can also fill the role of healer, scout, and even ranged damage.

Score: 4

OVERALL

Score: 11

But, again, don’t let this ranking discourage you from playing the Monk class because it is the only class closest to an anime warrior. And, who doesn’t want to play Naruto?

To summarize, play a Monk if you want to:

Be the most badass warrior
Use nothing but your fists
Defy the laws of physics

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Be the person who can’t hoard gold
Be the person who can’t use awesome demonic armors
Be the socially awkward friend

Rank 6 – The Fighter

[photo credit to bchart on DeviantArt]

The beautiful thing about Fighters is that they come in all shapes and sizes: a knight, a gladiator, an archer, a fencer, a mercenary, a soldier, a pirate, a tribal warrior, a samurai (you get the idea).

Fighters are the embodiment of fighting. Since, you know, the name says it all? If you are the type of player who wants to use weapons and armors and likes to play a straightforward game, then choose the Fighter class.

Unlike the Barbarian and the Monk, the Fighter is not just the ‘king’ of combat, but it can also carry its own weight during exploration and social interactions – although not as good as the other classes. But the best parts about the Fighter class are its ability to create a full turn after taking a turn (Action Surge), its feature to raise ability scores more than the standard rules can allow, and its ability to do FOUR ATTACKS with its Extra Attack feature (Extra Attacks can normally just do two attacks).

With that said, here are the scores of the Fighter:

COMBAT

Need I say more?

Score: 5

EXPLORATION

Aside from Athletics and Survival, the Fighter serves better when he is the bodyguard.

Score: 2

SOCIAL

Some Fighters can boost some Charisma in order to activate some leadership features. But the Fighter can at least talk in a civil manner.

Score: 3

ROLE VERSATILITY

The Fighter can fill four major roles: tank, melee damage, ranged damage, and scout.

Score: 4

OVERALL

Score: 14

To summarize, play a Fighter if you want to:

Characterize the many warrior archetypes across the world
Tank a lot of enemies
Be the King of Combat

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Get easily bored with repetitive sword attacks
Be the loudest idiot when sneaking in heavy armor

Rank 6 – The Sorcerer

[photo credit to nathie on DeviantArt]

If the Barbarian is the embodiment of anger, then the Sorcerer is the embodiment of magic. They can manipulate the very essence of magic like a master potter shaping clay.

Compared to the other full-caster classes, the Sorcerer is the ‘easiest’ to learn for those first-time players who want to play a spellcaster because its spells are geared towards heavy offense magic rather than subtle support. And we all know that blowing up stuff is quite easy to understand.

But despite the Sorcerer being the ‘weaver’ of magic, it is sadly very lackluster in actual play. Its Metamagic feature (the feature that lets him manipulate magic) is tightly limited by its very small pool of Sorcery Points (the energy used to activate Metamagic). They could have, at least, been generous to the amount of Sorcery Points to make the class standout among its peers. Because, sadly, the Wizard (who is not the definition of magic but the definition of a person studying the definition of magic) is still more powerful than him.

With that said, here are the scores of the Sorcerer:

COMBAT

Boasting the lowest health in the game and one of the classes who can’t use armor and weapons, a single dagger stab with a +3 modifier can immediately erase a Sorcerer.

Score: 3

EXPLORATION

Even if the Sorcerer has no scores in Wisdom and Dexterity, he makes up for it with his spells (assuming he ever selects an exploration spell with his very limited Spells Known feature)

Score: 3

SOCIAL

Since he is a Charisma spellcaster, being notoriously beautiful is a given for any Sorcerer.

Score: 4

ROLE VERSATILITY

The Sorcerer usually fills the role of ranged damage-dealer, face, and support but because of some subclasses, he can actually also fill the role of healer. Surprisingly.

Score: 4

OVERALL

Score: 14

But don’t be too sad because even if the Wizard is more powerful than the Sorcerer, we all know that the Wizard can’t ever get a cute girl (or a boy) because he’s just too big of a nerd compared to the Sorcerer who has the face of Brad Pitt.

To summarize, play a Sorcerer if you want to:

Be the Master of the Four Elements (not you, Monk)
Feel magic coursing through your veins
Shape the very fabric of the universe

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Be insecure by the Wizard
Die immediately by the hands of a goblin

Rank 5 – The Wizard

[photo credit to 88grzes on DeviantArt]

(Speaking of the devil, the Wizard sits right above the Sorcerer in the ranks list. Can you imagine the Wizard together with his imp familiar laughing mockingly at the hapless Sorcerer?)

When you hear the word ‘Wizard’, an old, bearded man in heavy robes wearing a pointed hat and holding a wooden staff comes to mind. Because that description is the exact description of Gandalf and Merlin – two of the greatest wizards in literary history (and no, Harry Potter is not included).

The Wizard is the quintessential spellcaster. A player who plays this class must be nerd enough to read all of the existing spells ever published in Dungeons and Dragons. And not just that, he must know how not to confuse character levels from spell levels, how to distinguish a verbal spell from a somatic spell to a spell that needs material components, and how to micromanage his spellbook and prepared spells. Overall, having a Wizard in a team is always good news.

With that said, here are the scores of the Wizard:

COMBAT

The Wizard has really low health, no armor, and no weapons. An enemy archer can instantly kill him, especially if he forgot to prepare the Shield spell.

Score: 3

EXPLORATION

Because of his access to a lot of spells, the Wizard can greatly assist the party during adventures.

Score: 5

SOCIAL

Because of his high Intelligence, skills relating to research, and charm spells, the Wizard is useful during social interactions.

Score: 4

ROLE VERSATILITY

The Wizard usually fills the role of ranged damage and support but because of the Bladesinger subclass, he can also get into melee combat.

Score: 3

OVERALL

Score: 15

To summarize, play a Wizard if you want to:

READ A LOT OF RULES

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

READ A LOT OF RULES

Rank 5 – The Rogue

[photo credit to GrenadeKitten on DeviantArt]

Rogues are your heroic scoundrels found in movies such as Zorro, The Princess Bride, Puss n’ Boots, and Captain Jack Sparrow (I love you, Johnny Depp, no matter what). They are usually depicted as thieves or assassins, but this is DND, you can get creative!

The Rogue class are for the players who likes to be sneaky and, for some odd reason, likes to bring a dagger to a dragon fight. They are the ‘Batmans’ of the DND multiverse with their utility belts filled with gears for any situation, their ability to learn many skills, and darkness as their beloved mother.

Inside a game session, your team can’t really survive a dungeon crawl if you don’t have a Rogue since it is one of the very few classes who has access to Thieves’ Tools which can open locks and disarm traps. So, if nobody wants to play this class in your party, be sure your DM has a kind heart.

With that said, here are the scores of the Rogue:

COMBAT

The Rogue has average health but unlike the Monk, he can fight from a distance and hide a lot as a bonus action. But other than that, he has no means of doing multiple attacks. So, if your Sneak Attack misses, that’s gonna be a really wasted turn.

Score: 3

EXPLORATION

The Rogue has a lot of skills and tools and has the ability score to supplement it. The only thing that he lacks is magic.

Score: 4

SOCIAL

Just like in exploration, the Rogue also excels in social situations. The only thing he lacks is still magic.

Score: 4

ROLE VERSATILITY

The Rogue is a very versatile class, filling a lot of roles except tanking and healing.

Score: 4

OVERALL

Score: 15

To summarize, play a Rogue if you want to:

Stab a lot of people, especially the Wizard and Sorcerer
Be a ninja assassin
Steal a lot of gold

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Be the team trap finder
Offend the party paladin

Rank 4 – The Paladin

[photo credit to Murph3 on DeviantArt]

“You, sir, have offendeth the most holy god, St. Cuthbert, with your carnal dealings! Stop it or I shall smite you dead!”

Those are the words of a lawful good but party pooper Paladin.

The Paladin is the epitome of righteousness. They uphold their beliefs and principles ever so high that people who meet them will just stand in awe from their presence alone.

Paladins are for the players to have a deep sense of virtue and heroism within them. They are the players who are big fans of Captain America who believe that protecting the innocent and being their example for good is their life’s purpose.

The beauty about the Paladin is that they are the definition of tanks when in combat. They boast the highest armor (higher than a Fighter’s due to magic) and can bring down the pain with their explosive Smite! Plus, they’re quite handsome to look at too.

With that said, here are the scores of a Paladin:

COMBAT

The closest thing to a literal tank who can regenerate lost health.

Score 5

EXPLORATION

They can use their Divine Sense to locate monsters and have some skills that can help solve puzzles like Religion and Insight.

Score: 3

SOCIAL

Due to Charisma being their second-best score and have access to social skills, Paladins can function as the team’s face.

Score: 3

ROLE VERSATILITY

Aside from being the tank and damage dealer, the Paladin can also fill the role of face, support, and healer.

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 16

To summarize, play a Paladin if you want to:

Be a knight in shining armor
SMITE EVIL!
Keep a watchful eye on the party Rogue

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Constantly speak in Old English
Be an insensitive righteous bigot

Rank 4 – The Ranger

[photo credit to DNA-1 on DeviantArt]

The iconic woodsman, the iconic hunter, and the iconic archer, the Ranger class is the perfect class for players who want to play Robin Hood, Green Arrow, or Aragorn.

For so many years, the Ranger (although iconic) has been sitting at the very bottom of every class ranking. This is because the original Player’s Handbook version was so very bad. His Favored Enemy feature was bad. His Natural Explorer was bad. And even his Primeval Awareness was a much worse version from the Paladin’s Divine Sense.

But the year 2021 was the year of reckoning for this poor class because WoTC released their latest rulebook, Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. And from there, the Ranger has finally returned to his former glory.

The Ranger is actually a really solid class to play. The very definition of a survivor, it is probably the most important class for a team when they do decide to explore the world. Plus, he has very many ways to boost his combat damage through features and spells.

With that said, here are the scores of the Ranger:

COMBAT

With the health of a Fighter and access to strong weapons, druidic spells, and an animal companion, the Ranger can easily dispatch enemies no matter how strong.

Score: 5

EXPLORATION

This class was born to explore. Everything about his kit is exploration.

Score: 5

SOCIAL

Except for social interactions.

Score: 1

ROLE VERSATILITY

Except for party face, the Ranger can fill all roles including healing.

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 16

To summarize, play a Ranger if you want to:

Look badass with a bow
Specialize in hunting monsters
Climb trees and set traps

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Play the Player’s Handbook version
Own a copy of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything

Rank 3 – The Artificer

[photo credit to scarypet on DeviantArt]

The Artificer is the answer to those players who want to play an adventuring engineer, blacksmith, or scientist. Their magic is stranger than those of the Wizard’s because an Artificer’s magic comes from the essence of an object. They draw out the magic hiding inside a piece of weapon, armor, or a vial of ordinary water.

Because they can easily create magical items, the Artificer is actually a very good addition to an adventuring party. Although it is not friendly to beginners, playing an Artificer is rather fun when you can replicate a bag of holding anytime and summon robots to aid you in battle.

With that said, here are the scores of the Artificer:

COMBAT

Even though it can fill a lot of roles, the Artificer only has half the tankiness of the Fighter and half the damage of the Ranger.

Score: 3

EXPLORATION

Because the Artificer can produce all kinds of tools and magic items, he will always be a valuable member to an adventuring party.

Score: 5

SOCIAL

Because the Artificer has a high Intelligence score and access to research skills and magical equipment, he can do well in social interactions.

Score: 4

ROLE VERSATILITY

This class can tank, deal damage, heal, support, scout, and then some.

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 17

To summarize, play an Artificer if you want to:

Play Tony Stark
Have really cool hi-tech gadgets
Summon robots

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Micromanage
Get your hands dirty

Rank 3 – The Druid

[photo credit to TheBoyofCheese on DeviantArt]

The most iconic video game druid I have ever known is the druid in Diablo 2. I remember choosing him as my very first character because I loved the idea of summoning animals and transforming into a werewolf. Do you also have that fond memory?

The Druid class is Nature’s “Wizard” because the Wizard class has no access to plant and animal spells. At the same time, the Druid class is also Nature’s “Cleric” because if the Cleric class also worships a nature god, then there would be no need for the Druid class, ‘innit?

No matter, the Druid is the class for players who like to command the forces of nature: plants, weather, and animals. The beautiful thing about the Druid compared to the Wizard is that it is a far more versatile class. With access to armor, weapons, damaging spells, and healing spells, we can really see why the Druid class outshines the Wizard.

With that said, here are the scores of the Druid:

COMBAT

Asides from the already mentioned above, the Druid has more flexibility in terms of spellcasting since they can literally access ALL of their spell list compared to the Wizard who is limited to his spellbook. Plus, did I mention that Druids can transform into a T-rex?

Score: 5

EXPLORATION

Since they can transform into any kind of animal, exploring is their forte.

Score: 5

SOCIAL

The Druid is the cat-lady nobody wants to talk to.

Score: 2

ROLE VERSATILITY

Except for party face, the Druid can fill all roles in a party.

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 17

To summarize, play a Druid if you want to:

Call down literal lightning from the sky
Transform into hideous beasts
Condescend city folks as pitiful

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Become a tree-hugger
Be a vegan

Rank 2 – The Warlock

[photo credit to Skiorh on DeviantArt]

The anti-hero. The warrior of darkness. The Edge Lord. The Warlock was the Wizard who found studying boring and tedious and decided to cheat his way through graduation – at a price. The Warlock may have access to powerful magic, but a part of his soul belongs to his Patron, a being of malevolence (usually). But that’s what you get for cheating.

The Warlock is probably the most interesting class in all of DND. True to his edge-lord attitude, he doesn’t follow the traditional rules of spellcasting. He has his own weird and confusing (at first) way of doing magic. But despite his unorthodoxy, the Warlock is a very flexible and effective class to play when you know what you’re doing.

With that said, here are the scores of the Warlock:

COMBAT

Although it can get repetitive, other spellcasters drool over the raw power of the ELDRITCH BLAST! What’s more, the Warlock can burst nova all of his spell slots because he can just recover them with a little short rest.

Score: 4

EXPLORATION

Because of his spells and, especially, Invocations, the Warlock is as effective as a Rogue in exploring.

Score: 4

SOCIAL

Because he uses Charisma to cast his spells and has access to spells and Invocations that boost social interactions, the Warlock can be your official party face.

Score: 5

ROLE VERSATILITY

Because the Warlock is so customizable from his choice of Patron to his choice of Pact Boon to his choice of Invocations, the Warlock can literally fit all kinds of roles.

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 18

To summarize, play a Warlock if you want to:

Be a good-looking Edgelord
Serve Dark Lords
Summon Demons

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Be the Edgelord of the group
Have a weird tension with the party Paladin and Cleric. And Wizard.

Rank 2 – The Bard

[photo credit to Adzerak on DeviantArt]

Ah, the Bard! The only class who has the power to seduce a dragon, and the class that every player picks if they want to bring anyone to bed.

If the Warlock is the Edge Lord of DND, then the Bard is the F**k Lord of DND. But it can’t be resisted because the Bard is very skilled in the art and magic of music, poetry, dancing, painting, and theatre. Now tell me, who wouldn’t fall in love with a Bard?

But humor aside, the Bard is one of the best character classes anyone can play. His core feature, Jack of All Trades, gives the Bard its identity that he can literally fill ANY role. Need a healer? The Bard can do it. No rogue in the group? The Bard can do it. Need a wizard? The Bard can do it. Need a fighter? You guessed it! The Bard can do it, too!

With that said, here are the scores of the Bard:

COMBAT

With access to weapons, armors, healing and damaging spells, the Bard can go toe-to-toe with a Fighter.

Score: 4

EXPLORATION

With Jack of All Trades as a core feature plus spells, the Bard can raid tombs all day.

Score: 4

SOCIAL

Just like how I explained it in Exploration but also has Charisma as its priority stat, DM’s will have a problematic time when Bards become horny.

Score: 5

ROLE VERSATILITY

Versatile is the Bard’s middle name.

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 18

To summarize, play a Bard if you want to:

Seduce every person you like inside the game
Be the Jack of All Trades
Burst into song and dancing a lot

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Talk to people
Be the noisy and obnoxious party member

Rank 1 – The Cleric

[photo credit to JoshCalloway on DeviantArt]

In the old days, the Cleric class was supposed to be ‘just’ the healer class in DND. But nobody wanted to play the healer support person because everybody wanted a piece of the killing because it was understood back then that killing a monster earned more Experience Points. So DND decided to upgrade the Cleric class by giving him the armor and weapon of the Paladin class and the firepower of the Wizard class, accidentally creating THE MOST OVERPOWERED CLASS IN ALL OF DND.

But still, a lot of newbie players still see the Cleric as the ‘healer’ class. But you’re not a newbie player, you’re a badass veteran who has read the Player’s Handbook from cover to cover, emptying a dozen bottles of Mountain Dew in the process. You know that the Cleric can make the Fighter, the Paladin, the Druid, and the Wizard insecure because you’re not the ‘healer’ class anymore. You have now ascended into godhood!

With that said, here are the scores of the Cleric:

COMBAT

With the plate mail of the Paladin, the hammer of the Fighter, the firepower of the Wizard, and the spell versatility of the Druid, the Cleric is indeed a god.

Score: 5

EXPLORATION

Because he literally has a god behind him supporting his every move, exploration is but a breeze.

Score: 5

SOCIAL

The only reason the Cleric did not get a perfect score in this one is because he gets annoying when he tries to convert you by always bringing up the question, “Do you know where you’ll be going when you die?”

Score: 4

ROLE VERSATILITY

Need a tank? Need a healer? Need a nuker? Need a scout? Need a party face? Yeah, the Cleric can do all of that!

Score: 5

OVERALL

Score: 19

To summarize, play a Cleric if you want to:

Ascend into godhood
Command the power of divine lightning!
Let your allies kneel before you as they beg you to heal them

But don’t play one if you don’t want to:

Accept the greatest responsibility in all of DND
Believe in the existence of gods

There you have it!

I hope that you agree with my assessments with every DND class and have fun at it!

If you don’t agree with me, just remember that DND is a fantasy game and you can change all of that! Just use your imagination!

Sincerely,

Silvin

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Silvin Federic Maceren

Silvin had always wished that life was a fantasy. He does not want to be a lawyer protecting the innocent, he wants to be a paladin protecting the innocent. But alas, lawyers are the closest thing.

Gamer Since:

1996

Favorite Genre:

RPG

Currently Playing:

League of Legends

Top 3 Favorite Games:

League of Legends, Mass Effect, Diablo

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