Quote from F0rmirdra3l >>

IMO the "best" arcane tradition is very much dependent on the kind of game you're playing. In a RP-heavy, intrigue campaign, Enchantment and Illusion are found to be more powerful than usual, whereas in a hack-and-slash, dungeon crawl style game where combat is prioritized, the Evoker, War mage, and Abjurer will be optimal choices. Divination and Chronurgy will always be quite powerful, often even verging on broken level, to the point where they are banned from many tables. Conjuration and Necromancy both revolve around the use of minions (undead/summoned creatures), and can be incredibly strong or rather middling depending on how your DM and table reacts to this playstyle (and the obvious moral dilemnas with Necromancers). Transmutation was never outstanding, and now feels like a wizard trying to dress up as an artificer. Bladesinging is great, nothing more to be said, and Order of Scribes, though often complex and niche, is my personal favorite tradition.

Regardless of your arcane tradition, you will still end up a very powerful character. You're still a wizard. Just pick whichever sounds the most fun and interesting to you.

 There really isn't a truly bad one.  Even the worst wizard subclass may, very well, be better than most other subclasses in the game.  The base features of being a wizard are just good, well thought out and fun to play.  

Quote from F0rmirdra3l >>

IMO the "best" arcane tradition is very much dependent on the kind of game you're playing. In a RP-heavy, intrigue campaign, Enchantment and Illusion are found to be more powerful than usual, whereas in a hack-and-slash, dungeon crawl style game where combat is prioritized, the Evoker, War mage, and Abjurer will be optimal choices. Divination and Chronurgy will always be quite powerful, often even verging on broken level, to the point where they are banned from many tables. Conjuration and Necromancy both revolve around the use of minions (undead/summoned creatures), and can be incredibly strong or rather middling depending on how your DM and table reacts to this playstyle (and the obvious moral dilemnas with Necromancers). Transmutation was never outstanding, and now feels like a wizard trying to dress up as an artificer. Bladesinging is great, nothing more to be said, and Order of Scribes, though often complex and niche, is my personal favorite tradition.

Regardless of your arcane tradition, you will still end up a very powerful character. You're still a wizard. Just pick whichever sounds the most fun and interesting to you.

 This makes sense for why Evokers are always rated mid even those they have the highest DRP. I play a lot of evokers but I also only am involved in combat heavy campaigns and one shots (never high RP)....but someone in a high RP, low combat game would probably prefer a diviner, illusionist, enchanter, etc.

Bladesingers will be good in any kind of campaign, honestly, and so will Chronurgy.

I like all wizards.

I do it this way:

1. Chronurgy 

2. Divination

3. Graviturgy

4. Abjuration

5. Bladesinger

6.Necromancy

7. Illusion

8. Evocation

9. War mage

10. Transmutation

(Scribes at 4.5 if you want that)

Abjurations ward is very powerful if only for stopping concentration checks. Adding proficiency to counter/dispel rules, not to mention advantage on all spell saves and resistance to all damage?

Yeah, Abjuration is kind of underrated, although I do think things like the Bladesinger and Evocation subclasses are above them, unless you're building a concentration spell character.

Quote from Brian_Avery >>

Enchantment is pretty busted.

At 2nd level they get Hypnotic Gaze which only allows 1 saving throw or locks down any 1 creature for the entire time you continue to spend your action round after round. This feature can be used all day long against as many creatures as you encounter in a day. Just once on each, and that is usually enough.

At 6th level they get Instinctive Charm which can be used over and over against the same creature if they continue to fail their save round after round, diverting an attack and possibly making them make it against one of their allies if that's the only alternative in range. And can be used against other creatures as needed all day long.

At 10th level they get Split Enchantment which is similar to the Sorcerer's Twinned Spell metamagic, effectively doubling their Enchantment spells power. It can be used over and over all day long so long as you have spell slots to take advantage of it.

At 14th level they get Alter Memories which allows them a sort of free use of Modify Memory. It gets around the drawbacks of Charm and similar spells by erasing the target's memory of ever being charmed in the first place.

This is one of the only wizard subclasses where all 4 features are pretty game altering and useful throughout the wizard's career and advancement in levels. It can be underrated by many but also surprise you with just how powerful and effective these features can be in a game.

 I'd agree if I didnt have to get into melee range to use hypnotic gaze.  That's generally the last place I want my wizard to be found.

Quote from Foodgeek >>

Quote from F0rmirdra3l >>

IMO the "best" arcane tradition is very much dependent on the kind of game you're playing. In a RP-heavy, intrigue campaign, Enchantment and Illusion are found to be more powerful than usual, whereas in a hack-and-slash, dungeon crawl style game where combat is prioritized, the Evoker, War mage, and Abjurer will be optimal choices. Divination and Chronurgy will always be quite powerful, often even verging on broken level, to the point where they are banned from many tables. Conjuration and Necromancy both revolve around the use of minions (undead/summoned creatures), and can be incredibly strong or rather middling depending on how your DM and table reacts to this playstyle (and the obvious moral dilemnas with Necromancers). Transmutation was never outstanding, and now feels like a wizard trying to dress up as an artificer. Bladesinging is great, nothing more to be said, and Order of Scribes, though often complex and niche, is my personal favorite tradition.

Regardless of your arcane tradition, you will still end up a very powerful character. You're still a wizard. Just pick whichever sounds the most fun and interesting to you.

 This makes sense for why Evokers are always rated mid even those they have the highest DRP. I play a lot of evokers but I also only am involved in combat heavy campaigns and one shots (never high RP)....but someone in a high RP, low combat game would probably prefer a diviner, illusionist, enchanter, etc.

Diviner is fantastic in combat as well.  It's not one you would expect to be great in combat, but being able to determine your enemy's saving throw for them when delivering a bit spell, is amazing.  Being able to use Mindspike to recover spell slots is also very good.  Illusionist is potentially really good, but I don't have the imagination to use illusions effectively.  It's very much a "realm of possible" and it takes me too long to think of creative ways to use illusions to solve the problem.

Quote from cgarciao >>

I think illusion mage should be ranked towards the lower part, if not bottom of the ranking, because illusions are ultimately the realm of DM fiat and I can't stand the idea that some plan is reliant on my DM's mood. 

 You don't trust your DM do you? if your DM does not have the fun of everyone (even if everyone agrees to a hardcore game) then just find a new group.

My choices are.

1. Evocator..... and from this choice I can ( later ) become :

    1a.. Diviner: to predict better when I should/or not to cast spell.

    1b.  Conjurer : to add some extra ""friends"" to help me on the battlefield.

2. Abjurer..... and from this choice I can ( later ) become :

     2a.  Conjurer. : So it seems I get a bonus on the Abjuration Ward it follows me ???

     2b.  Transmuter : So I can become another Ward with my Abjurer's ward ?????

Quote from Dart_Master >>

Quote from cgarciao >>

I think illusion mage should be ranked towards the lower part, if not bottom of the ranking, because illusions are ultimately the realm of DM fiat and I can't stand the idea that some plan is reliant on my DM's mood. 

 You don't trust your DM do you? if your DM does not have the fun of everyone (even if everyone agrees to a hardcore game) then just find a new group.

Saying yes to everything the players come up to is not the DM's job.  Figuring out what an illusion CAN do is part of the DM's job.  I don't have to distrust my DM to determine that I don't want to place everything I try to do in his hands.  

Quote from crzyhawk >>

Quote from Dart_Master >>

Quote from cgarciao >>

I think illusion mage should be ranked towards the lower part, if not bottom of the ranking, because illusions are ultimately the realm of DM fiat and I can't stand the idea that some plan is reliant on my DM's mood. 

 You don't trust your DM do you? if your DM does not have the fun of everyone (even if everyone agrees to a hardcore game) then just find a new group.

Saying yes to everything the players come up to is not the DM's job.  Figuring out what an illusion CAN do is part of the DM's job.  I don't have to distrust my DM to determine that I don't want to place everything I try to do in his hands.  

 sorry my bad.

Necromancy should be first

Crazy how people are indifferent to Bladesinger.

Going to throw some different perspective transmuter should be really good if you had to live the life of the character. Flexible resistance or proficiency con, the ability to reverse aging. You also get polymorph for free 

I don’t want to threadjack, but is 5.5e Illusion really that bad?  It seems it was pretty commonly rated near the bottom.

Trading malleable illusions for illusory summons was a big nerf, but was it really that bad?

Illusionist is actually way stronger. Mind you being given a spell that forces you to get material components sucks. They made it alot more appealing to adventure with. The problem illusionist has is that logically speaking at level 14 you win at life. Get planeshift go to the astral and retire with your reality warping power due to the astrals timeless trait. This is likely the closest a mortal will get to godhood pre wish or lvl 10 spells. 

I was under the impression that 5.5 illusion was vastly improved.

Quote from crzyhawk >>

I was under the impression that 5.5 illusion was vastly improved.

 5.5e has given illusionists a few things they didn’t have before.  These are fairly minor compared to the big thing they lost - malleable illusions.

I don't agree with that.  Malleable Illusion is very DM dependant and can be confusing.  it can be useful or useless.  Phantasmal Creatures is going to be useful constantly, is straight forward, and not DM dependant.  I think it's a change for the better.