I kinda like the revised Ranger and, dont hate me for this, i like the new beastmaster. You can choose a wide variety of beasts, and it adds to action economy. As any experienced D&D player would know, if you have action economy, you win. I don't understand why people hate the beastmaster so much, or just the Ranger in general. Maybe that's because my DM uses the house rule that gets rid of the "Favored Enemy" feature.
I mean I would say reliable and fun are two totally different things here.
Reliable something like a Cleric or Paladin, that can survive and fight for a long time would be easy go to's but you could also say something like Barb or Fighter could be called the most 'reliable' as they require little resources to still be able to perform at their best.
Most fun to play I think its impossible to say, Characters are fun to play more so than classes. You could have a boring Ranger character or an interesting Ranger character more so than Rangers are boring whereas Rogues are fun for instance.
I'm going to ignore the fun part because trying to argue what class is the most fun is an exercise in futility. But reliable? Paladin. EZ.
You will carry your squishy caster friends in the early levels and provide key support to their dominance in the later levels. You will unlock awesome abilities at basically every point in the game, feeling like you have a steady power progression instead of waiting for some spike to come online, although level 5 and 6 (and 7 for some) are a doozy. Paladins are incredible out of combat as well and have WAY more utility than people give them credit. You will be able to thread the line between support and powerhouse and choose how much of each you want to lean into.
I'm not asking which class is the most op, I'm asking which class is the most reliable and fun.
Reliable at what? Consistent damage? Peak damage? Problem solving? Ability checks? You would need to define what you're looking at here
As for 'most fun', that's purely subjective and there is no class that is 'most fun'
I've chosen to interpret reliable as the ability to contribute in a meaningful way as often as possible, as well as the lack of serious gaps in power because certain key abilities have not come online yet.
I'm not asking which class is the most op, I'm asking which class is the most reliable and fun.
Reliable at what? Consistent damage? Peak damage? Problem solving? Ability checks? You would need to define what you're looking at here
As for 'most fun', that's purely subjective and there is no class that is 'most fun'
I've chosen to interpret reliable as the ability to contribute in a meaningful way as often as possible, as well as the lack of serious gaps in power because certain key abilities have not come online yet.
I mean how they can impact the party, and help a lot.
On the topic of best class, the one I don't understand people like is Warlock. The main problem with them is that they have a very low amount of spell slots. Here is a quote from Blaine Simple: "Picture it like any FPS (First-Person Shooter) game. You have your super cool grenade launcher (leveled spells) as your main, and a pistol (Eldritch Blast) as a sidearm. The only problem is your grenade only has 1 grenade in it and then you're gonna be shooting your infinite ammo pistol for the rest of the game". Well, not really the rest of the game, just until a short rest, which is not that often.
I'm not asking which class is the most op, I'm asking which class is the most reliable and fun.
Reliable at what? Consistent damage? Peak damage? Problem solving? Ability checks? You would need to define what you're looking at here
As for 'most fun', that's purely subjective and there is no class that is 'most fun'
I've chosen to interpret reliable as the ability to contribute in a meaningful way as often as possible, as well as the lack of serious gaps in power because certain key abilities have not come online yet.
I mean how they can impact the party, and help a lot.
Say I'm DMing for two different groups. One campaign centers mostly around intrigue and mystery and takes place entirely in my setting's largest city, a sprawling metropolis as large as all other capital cities in that setting combined. The other is a gritty survival game with the party being rebels engaging in hit and run guerilla tactics to bring down an oppressive government on the fringes of the 'civilized' world. There's going to be some overlap, but the most helpful classes in one campaign are probably going to be in more of a support role in the other. How useful classes (and I should really say characters rather than classes, given backgrounds, multiclassing, subclasses and the diversity within a single class in general) are depends on the campaign, which is just another way of saying "it's up to the DM to give everyone a chance to shine".
Monk when played non-monastic. I find that class easier to re-flavor by explaining away class abilities for RP. Does okay for hit-and-run tactics mechanically.
The closest I got to a monastic background was a janitor who was bad at his job working at a vow-of-silence monastery and nobody would tell him the name of the place; Monk class still. Monks make for good henchpeople and pirate crewpeople in my opinion.
I'm not asking which class is the most op, I'm asking which class is the most reliable and fun.
Reliable at what? Consistent damage? Peak damage? Problem solving? Ability checks? You would need to define what you're looking at here
As for 'most fun', that's purely subjective and there is no class that is 'most fun'
I think the question is one of those "by your standards in your opinion" questions, not "a universal standard" question. It is a poll after all.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider. My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong. I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲 “It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
On the topic of best class, the one I don't understand people like is Warlock. The main problem with them is that they have a very low amount of spell slots. Here is a quote from Blaine Simple: "Picture it like any FPS (First-Person Shooter) game. You have your super cool grenade launcher (leveled spells) as your main, and a pistol (Eldritch Blast) as a sidearm. The only problem is your grenade only has 1 grenade in it and then you're gonna be shooting your infinite ammo pistol for the rest of the game". Well, not really the rest of the game, just until a short rest, which is not that often.
"Just until a short rest, which is not that often" is telling of the sort of game you are in. Short rests are intended to be a somewhat regular occurrence in an adventuring day, its just that unfortunately people seem to play the game too often as basically "Run 2 encounters - go to sleep". If your DM is for whatever reason not running a game that flows like the game is supposed to, then it of course shoots down classes would be like me saying "Wizard are trash......if you never let them have a long rest....which I never do".
Ive only played one Artificer before, but I feel like the class has alot of versatility and has some things that make it consistently good. They can be melee focused or ranged focused. They can cast spells and, as a half caster, are a cut above Paladin or Ranger because they get cantrips baked into their spellcasting kit and can ritual cast spells. For roles you can play, you've got everything from Healer (Alchemist), Tank (Armorer / Battle Smith), or Blaster (Artillerist). Their infusion mechanic is a really fun and unique way to play into whatever role you want for your character and/or offer consistent support for your party as a whole.
I like alot of other classes in 5e (monk, bard, paladin, and more) and there are some I have not had the chance to play yet, but right now I think Artificer takes the cake.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews!Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
To the OP, I think you cat your net too wide as you might want to ask, after you define what you find as fun, what is the best class for me in each of these areas, pure combat (fighter or barbarian), 1/2 fighter+1/2 other (Bard,Ranger, Paladin, Blood Hunter, Rogue, Warlock), Full Spell Caster (Cleric, Wizard, etc) and best Multi-Class (note I did not include all classes and you may distribute them differently and/or have a different break downs).
In the past I have also also seen questions like this that go; what is/are the best classes for new players or this or that adventure/module or at high levels or if our groups play style is X and we have 10 players and play once per 2 weeks for 10+ hours what class make up would you suggest.
Sorry if that did not help much but I see you question as having many answers that would take a long article to answer.
1. Because you get magic items faster than anyone else, and your character is a huge toolbox box literally and figuratively. You can be great support, a skill monkey, and a frontliner/defender all at the same time (last one dependent on subclass lol). You're always useful. And you can make yourself mostly untouchable if you make good build choices. xP
2. Because, well, a cleric is a cleric. Full spellcaster who can wear medium armor & shields, and sometimes heavy armor. WIS casting, one of the best saves in the game to have, and has a nice amount of utility spells. A rogue because, well, you're a rogue. Fully DEX based, the most OP stat, can be ranged so no need to be in melee, great damage, shit ton of skills and expertise so you can simply make ability checks not matter much on your end at some point lol. You can move basically at your leisure, making the enemies have to waste their turns chasing you. All around great, you get no dead levels like other classes which awesome and you have no resource limit other than your HP and ammo.
3. Paladin because of the things already stated by HeironymusZot. Barbarian and fighter because they're just fun, they don't need a ton of resources and so they can always do their thing. Fighters can get a ton of feats/ASIs and barbarians have just great mechanical aesthetic. All three of these do great with damage, and the best status condition is dead, after all. Pure fun with these dudes.
On the topic of best class, the one I don't understand people like is Warlock. The main problem with them is that they have a very low amount of spell slots. Here is a quote from Blaine Simple: "Picture it like any FPS (First-Person Shooter) game. You have your super cool grenade launcher (leveled spells) as your main, and a pistol (Eldritch Blast) as a sidearm. The only problem is your grenade only has 1 grenade in it and then you're gonna be shooting your infinite ammo pistol for the rest of the game". Well, not really the rest of the game, just until a short rest, which is not that often.
I think of warlocks the same way I think of rangers or rogues who specialize in archery. They do pretty much the same thing. They shoot Eldritch Blast constantly while archers shoot arrows constantly.
On the topic of best class, the one I don't understand people like is Warlock. The main problem with them is that they have a very low amount of spell slots. Here is a quote from Blaine Simple: "Picture it like any FPS (First-Person Shooter) game. You have your super cool grenade launcher (leveled spells) as your main, and a pistol (Eldritch Blast) as a sidearm. The only problem is your grenade only has 1 grenade in it and then you're gonna be shooting your infinite ammo pistol for the rest of the game". Well, not really the rest of the game, just until a short rest, which is not that often.
I think of warlocks the same way I think of rangers or rogues who specialize in archery. They do pretty much the same thing. They shoot Eldritch Blast constantly while archers shoot arrows constantly.
Sounds like you haven't played with any creative players.
I honestly think Cleric is no holds barred the best class in the game.
D8 hit die, full spellcasting, your core class abilities for channel divinity recharge on short rest and that got stronger with tashas and being able to restore some spell slots, potential heavy armor prof depending on subclass, the best action economy spell/signature spell in the game with spiritual weapon which is non concentration, full choice of every single spell you want to bring with you every day AND some of the strongest subclasses.
I voted Sorcerer just because, but honestly I’ve had fun with most classes I’ve played, and never felt like I was not contributing or holding my own. Typically however, it depends on what I idea I have at the time.
Every single class from the fan favorite and strong Wizards, Clerics, and Druids to the less popular classes that might take a bit more work to create effectively like Monk, Rangers, and Sorcerers can make for fun and reliable choices.
At least that’s what I think.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
I'm not asking which class is the most op, I'm asking which class is the most reliable and fun.
Snarky response: the one you enjoy playing.
Nerd response: most reliable and OP go hand-in-hand, so Cleric.
Actual response: hard to say.
BONUS-
Worst class: Organic Chemistry
I kinda like the revised Ranger and, dont hate me for this, i like the new beastmaster. You can choose a wide variety of beasts, and it adds to action economy. As any experienced D&D player would know, if you have action economy, you win. I don't understand why people hate the beastmaster so much, or just the Ranger in general. Maybe that's because my DM uses the house rule that gets rid of the "Favored Enemy" feature.
I mean I would say reliable and fun are two totally different things here.
Reliable something like a Cleric or Paladin, that can survive and fight for a long time would be easy go to's but you could also say something like Barb or Fighter could be called the most 'reliable' as they require little resources to still be able to perform at their best.
Most fun to play I think its impossible to say, Characters are fun to play more so than classes. You could have a boring Ranger character or an interesting Ranger character more so than Rangers are boring whereas Rogues are fun for instance.
Reliable at what? Consistent damage? Peak damage? Problem solving? Ability checks? You would need to define what you're looking at here
As for 'most fun', that's purely subjective and there is no class that is 'most fun'
Find my D&D Beyond articles here
I'm going to ignore the fun part because trying to argue what class is the most fun is an exercise in futility. But reliable? Paladin. EZ.
You will carry your squishy caster friends in the early levels and provide key support to their dominance in the later levels. You will unlock awesome abilities at basically every point in the game, feeling like you have a steady power progression instead of waiting for some spike to come online, although level 5 and 6 (and 7 for some) are a doozy. Paladins are incredible out of combat as well and have WAY more utility than people give them credit. You will be able to thread the line between support and powerhouse and choose how much of each you want to lean into.
I've chosen to interpret reliable as the ability to contribute in a meaningful way as often as possible, as well as the lack of serious gaps in power because certain key abilities have not come online yet.
I mean how they can impact the party, and help a lot.
On the topic of best class, the one I don't understand people like is Warlock. The main problem with them is that they have a very low amount of spell slots. Here is a quote from Blaine Simple: "Picture it like any FPS (First-Person Shooter) game. You have your super cool grenade launcher (leveled spells) as your main, and a pistol (Eldritch Blast) as a sidearm. The only problem is your grenade only has 1 grenade in it and then you're gonna be shooting your infinite ammo pistol for the rest of the game". Well, not really the rest of the game, just until a short rest, which is not that often.
Say I'm DMing for two different groups. One campaign centers mostly around intrigue and mystery and takes place entirely in my setting's largest city, a sprawling metropolis as large as all other capital cities in that setting combined. The other is a gritty survival game with the party being rebels engaging in hit and run guerilla tactics to bring down an oppressive government on the fringes of the 'civilized' world. There's going to be some overlap, but the most helpful classes in one campaign are probably going to be in more of a support role in the other. How useful classes (and I should really say characters rather than classes, given backgrounds, multiclassing, subclasses and the diversity within a single class in general) are depends on the campaign, which is just another way of saying "it's up to the DM to give everyone a chance to shine".
Want to start playing but don't have anyone to play with? You can try these options: [link].
Monk when played non-monastic. I find that class easier to re-flavor by explaining away class abilities for RP. Does okay for hit-and-run tactics mechanically.
The closest I got to a monastic background was a janitor who was bad at his job working at a vow-of-silence monastery and nobody would tell him the name of the place; Monk class still. Monks make for good henchpeople and pirate crewpeople in my opinion.
I think the question is one of those "by your standards in your opinion" questions, not "a universal standard" question. It is a poll after all.
Human. Male. Possibly. Don't be a divider.
My characters' backgrounds are written like instruction manuals rather than stories. My opinion and preferences don't mean you're wrong.
I am 99.7603% convinced that the digital dice are messing with me. I roll high when nobody's looking and low when anyone else can see.🎲
“It's a bit early to be thinking about an epitaph. No?” will be my epitaph.
"Just until a short rest, which is not that often" is telling of the sort of game you are in. Short rests are intended to be a somewhat regular occurrence in an adventuring day, its just that unfortunately people seem to play the game too often as basically "Run 2 encounters - go to sleep". If your DM is for whatever reason not running a game that flows like the game is supposed to, then it of course shoots down classes would be like me saying "Wizard are trash......if you never let them have a long rest....which I never do".
Ive only played one Artificer before, but I feel like the class has alot of versatility and has some things that make it consistently good. They can be melee focused or ranged focused. They can cast spells and, as a half caster, are a cut above Paladin or Ranger because they get cantrips baked into their spellcasting kit and can ritual cast spells. For roles you can play, you've got everything from Healer (Alchemist), Tank (Armorer / Battle Smith), or Blaster (Artillerist). Their infusion mechanic is a really fun and unique way to play into whatever role you want for your character and/or offer consistent support for your party as a whole.
I like alot of other classes in 5e (monk, bard, paladin, and more) and there are some I have not had the chance to play yet, but right now I think Artificer takes the cake.
Three-time Judge of the Competition of the Finest Brews! Come join us in making fun, unique homebrew and voting for your favorite entries!
To the OP, I think you cat your net too wide as you might want to ask, after you define what you find as fun, what is the best class for me in each of these areas, pure combat (fighter or barbarian), 1/2 fighter+1/2 other (Bard,Ranger, Paladin, Blood Hunter, Rogue, Warlock), Full Spell Caster (Cleric, Wizard, etc) and best Multi-Class (note I did not include all classes and you may distribute them differently and/or have a different break downs).
In the past I have also also seen questions like this that go; what is/are the best classes for new players or this or that adventure/module or at high levels or if our groups play style is X and we have 10 players and play once per 2 weeks for 10+ hours what class make up would you suggest.
Sorry if that did not help much but I see you question as having many answers that would take a long article to answer.
Imma just go by my pure, unadulterated bias:
1. Because you get magic items faster than anyone else, and your character is a huge toolbox box literally and figuratively. You can be great support, a skill monkey, and a frontliner/defender all at the same time (last one dependent on subclass lol). You're always useful. And you can make yourself mostly untouchable if you make good build choices. xP
2. Because, well, a cleric is a cleric. Full spellcaster who can wear medium armor & shields, and sometimes heavy armor. WIS casting, one of the best saves in the game to have, and has a nice amount of utility spells. A rogue because, well, you're a rogue. Fully DEX based, the most OP stat, can be ranged so no need to be in melee, great damage, shit ton of skills and expertise so you can simply make ability checks not matter much on your end at some point lol. You can move basically at your leisure, making the enemies have to waste their turns chasing you. All around great, you get no dead levels like other classes which awesome and you have no resource limit other than your HP and ammo.
3. Paladin because of the things already stated by HeironymusZot. Barbarian and fighter because they're just fun, they don't need a ton of resources and so they can always do their thing. Fighters can get a ton of feats/ASIs and barbarians have just great mechanical aesthetic. All three of these do great with damage, and the best status condition is dead, after all. Pure fun with these dudes.
Er ek geng, þat er í þeim skóm er ek valda.
UwU
I think of warlocks the same way I think of rangers or rogues who specialize in archery. They do pretty much the same thing. They shoot Eldritch Blast constantly while archers shoot arrows constantly.
Professional computer geek
Sounds like you haven't played with any creative players.
I honestly think Cleric is no holds barred the best class in the game.
D8 hit die, full spellcasting, your core class abilities for channel divinity recharge on short rest and that got stronger with tashas and being able to restore some spell slots, potential heavy armor prof depending on subclass, the best action economy spell/signature spell in the game with spiritual weapon which is non concentration, full choice of every single spell you want to bring with you every day AND some of the strongest subclasses.
It's not even fair or close.
I also love how the poll has "Ranger (Revised)", not the PHB ranger, not even the Tasha's ranger, just the dropped UA ranger lol.
Er ek geng, þat er í þeim skóm er ek valda.
UwU
I voted Sorcerer just because, but honestly I’ve had fun with most classes I’ve played, and never felt like I was not contributing or holding my own. Typically however, it depends on what I idea I have at the time.
Every single class from the fan favorite and strong Wizards, Clerics, and Druids to the less popular classes that might take a bit more work to create effectively like Monk, Rangers, and Sorcerers can make for fun and reliable choices.
At least that’s what I think.
"Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup."
Characters for Tenebris Sine Fine
RoughCoronet's Greater Wills