If I had to pick a single class, I am going Divine Soul sorcerer.

Moon Druid at level 20 is the best, other wise, paladin is the best.

Quote from BobobSyxtieNein >>

I see most votes are wizard, I'm assuming it's because of wish. The thing about that is the spell is very much controlled by the DM. There isn't no limits, but sometimes pretty harsh limits.

I voted cleric, because if they roll high initiative, they can wreck something with low AC by using weapons and maybe a buff spell. Or even if something has a high AC, it might have lower stats against saving throws to spells. While the example I'll use is call lightning, which I think is dex saving throw, they can cast it at 9th level, where tempest cleric simply can maximize the damage. Even just taking 2 levels in fighter, they can get another action to call the storm down again. Also i think 9th level is 9d10, so 90 damage to up to 4 targets at once, and since it's duration, you can keep doing 9d10.

Ranted a little, but tempest cleric made me upset with how strong it is, I don't like to play clerics.

 I chose Wizard because of the Invulnerability spell.......

That's fair. I do think bard can do it better. Little bit of invulnerability, then stabby stabby with a greatsword or longsword. Probably makes combat boring for everyone else if you do it like that, especially if your college of blades bard.

It really depends on the level. Fighters are better early on, while wizards and druids are living gods closer to the cap.

At low levels ranger Gloomstalker is probably the best. Umbral Sight is just amazing, and Dread Ambusher is good too.

lol poor ranger just doing he best  according to the polls

 I bet ranger just got pity votes.

Mathematically, rangers perform fine.  The problem is too many people try to play beastmasters, and then play them poorly.  The class features are pretty lame, but the class can be plenty powerful if played well.

I agree, but rangers in no way match paladins, when they should in reality. Sure, if you build a ranger right it can do more damage that any paladin can, but paladins are easier to deal damage with not great building skills, and are in general better.

Yes, but that doesn't mean that rangers are ******.  It means rangers are poorly designed.  There's plenty of power available, even with beastmasters *shudder*

I know, I was just joking.

I just think Rangers need fixing if anyone wants to vote them as the best class. The UA for variant class features is a nice step, but several things need to be fixed.

the best ranger is a ranged fighter

love,

the guy that keeps playing ranger

I think wizard because 1. wish (which only wizard's and sorcerer's can cast it) 2. Much more spells choice and 3. divination wizards are overpowered

This is an really tough choice. An ranger can have a lot of damage potential (especially hunter bards fighting multiple targets close to each other), bards can do anything from summoning celestial steeds to animating hordes of the dead with magical secrets, if there is an good combo of spells out there, there is an bard build out there to capitalise on it, even if the spells in it are from completely different spell lists , and without magical secrets they can still be one of the most versatile characters on the table, able to fill roles as diviners, healers, supporters/debuffers, enchanters, makeshift druids and more. Sorcerers are able to get a bunch of spell slots with their sorcery points and some of the best evocation spells for some good damage, but really shines fourth with the divine soul sorcerer since it gives them so many options and can let them be an really good necromancer if done correct. Clerics get an good mix of spell slots, armor, hit points and utillity, but they dont really have any interesting spell combos to speak of, barbarians have some of the highest potential for armor class in the entire game since they can add their shield bonus to unarmored defense benefits (if only anyone every used them that way) and their rage gives them plenty of damage, palladins get to smite the shit out of opponents. Rouges are the ultimate skill users who never fail, and an assassin rouge can grantee critical hits and deal a whole bunch of damage, especially deadly at 17th level where you might actually kill an target thats somewhat balanced for your level in one hit, assuming you get a bit of luck with the damage rolls.

I honestly dont really know what to pick, becuase whatever i say, i will always be wrong. I could say cleric, but could their tankines really compare to the potential to cast any spell like an bard, even with their domain spells? if i say bard, will i not look over to the sorcerer, especially divine soul, and think about how much more potent it is with its metamagic and sorcery points, how much more versatile it is in its spell casting, and how it combines the cleric and sorcerer spell lists, letting it make such combos as polymorph with divine word for an even cheaper version of the polymorph and powerf word kill combo, the abillity to cast both greater restoration and finger of death as twinned spells. But if i chose those, would i not as the frail sorcerer envy the extremely tanky paladins and barbarians? and if i chose those, and palladin especially with their incredible bursts of damage with their smites, whould i not envy the rangers and fighters, who are able to make so many attacks per turn (especially hunter conclave rangers)? And if i chose those, whould i not complain about how much longbows suck, would i not envy warlocks with their incredibly powerful eldrich blast and their potent eldrich invocations that lets them perform feats unlike those of any other spellcasters?

but if i was forced to pick, at gunpoint, one class wich i think is the most potent, the class with the most potential for everything above, i have to say i'd choose bards, becuase if there is an role your party or build needs, an bard can often fill that role with relative ease, they simply have all these really great spells, especially those that you are stealing from the higher levels of the half casters

edit: okay considering that the artificer had not been officially released at the time of this post, it is perfectly excusable for them to not have artificer as an option. Will say that they are really powerful (in particular alchemist for its incredible heals, buffs and healing elixir, plus pyromancy and artillerist who is an dps god with guns), anyways happy new year everyone

Quote from ArtificeMeal >>

first of all, why is artificer not on this list?

Because the thread was made in March 2018 - before the Artificer.

BobobSyxtieNein you are forgeting about the best part of bards: you can steal spells from any class spell list, want an celestial steed? shure!, want to make two ranged attacks as an bonus action each turn? go ahead! want an castle, or an temple to the gods? need an incredibly specific set of spells for an really potent combo? you can do that! 

yeah you can never change your magical secrets spells, but having magical secrets is just incredible news

I don't think you can have a best class. Each class is better at different things, a paladin is the best at killing Undead and Fiends, Wizards are the best at battlefield control, different classes are more powerful than others.

Quote from BobobSyxtieNein >>

I see most votes are wizard, I'm assuming it's because of wish. The thing about that is the spell is very much controlled by the DM. There isn't no limits, but sometimes pretty harsh limits.

I voted cleric, because if they roll high initiative, they can wreck something with low AC by using weapons and maybe a buff spell. Or even if something has a high AC, it might have lower stats against saving throws to spells. While the example I'll use is call lightning, which I think is dex saving throw, they can cast it at 9th level, where tempest cleric simply can maximize the damage. Even just taking 2 levels in fighter, they can get another action to call the storm down again. Also i think 9th level is 9d10, so 90 damage to up to 4 targets at once, and since it's duration, you can keep doing 9d10.

Ranted a little, but tempest cleric made me upset with how strong it is, I don't like to play clerics.

 two things: i dont think people voted wizard because of wish, since most will know that that spell is available to sorcerers, bards and arcana domain clerics as well, also the wording you use makes it seem that you have greatly misunderstood what channel divinity: destructive wrath does, also why tempest cleric of all types of cleric, shure it has decent proficiencies and it is a little mean of the subclass to punish people for daring to aattack you with damage, but thunderbolt strike is pathetic since the only real way for you to deal lightning damage is ether by the call lightning spell or by the wrath of the storm, since all other spells and features of the tempest cleric deal mostly thunder damage. Overal tempest is pretty average in terms of cleric subclasses, hardly as exiting as the forge domain, and hardly as potent as the arcana domain.

also, i think the reason people went for wizard was cus of the spells. Take out your copy of the players handbook for a moment, take a second to look at the spell list of the diffrent classes and notice how many spells there are in the wizards list compared to any other, notice how simply listing all of their spells would have taken up more than one page. An wizard can do anything from potent enchantments to summoning fiends and binding them to your will to animating hordes of the dead to casting the best spell fireball or his older cousin meteor swarm or might cast feeblemind to destroy the psyke of an creature first in order to hit them with an more potent spell later. That is why people like wizards

I mentioned bards being able to do that, in the bards being able top wizards at invulnerability spell, because of swords post. And from what I've read on forums, a lot of people don't think sorcerers have the capabilities of a wizard, even though they have better dpr and damage control. I mean, wizards have a tone more spells, but still.

Also I don't think I can misunderstand destructive wrath, it just maximized the damage for a use of your channel divinity on lightning or thunder damage.

Then the reaction tempest gets is way better than most reactions you can take, unless you plan a held spell action real well.

I don't have a copy of the PHB, but I've seen the spell list, its long. But not all of the spells are going to be used. When theres so much quantity, it can't all be top notch quality. While I love flavoring things over actual usefulness, a lot of the spells could just not be taken in exchange for something else, or as you've brought up again, bards can just take them. I think wizards are great, but people really undermine the sorcerer compared to a wizard, and a few other spell casters at that. I mean, clerics can literally have god come and do them a favor.