Dungeons & Dragons: How To Choose The Perfect Class

In , your class is probably the most defining characteristic of any player character. Your class determines the type of armor and weapons you can useꦑ well, some of your skills, your hit points, and most importantly, your abilities. These abilities determine what you do in combat, and to some extent how you interact wi🅷th the rest of the world in other ways.

There are many ways to choose your class. You🧸 can choose the role you want to fill in the party. You can choose based on what ability score yo𒆙u want to use. For beginners, though, a good place to start is whether you want to hit things, use magic, or both.

Hitting Things

Who needs magic when𓄧 you have the old reliable solution –𓃲 incredible violence. These classes are focused on martial prowess rather than magical might, although it’s worth noting that some subclasses may have spell-like abilities, and some subclasses may grant partial spellcasting.

Barbarian

Barbarians specialize in front-line fighting. They shrug off 🔴slashing, piercing, and bludgeoning damage like nothing and don’t die easily. They use Strength as their main stat.

Play as a barbarian if you:

Want to play a warrior fueled by anger
Want to get rewarded for being the first to rush into a fight
Like to be reckless and not be punished too hard for it

Fighter

Fighters seem like generic warriors, but 🌊that just means that they can do a lot. Fighters can be fierce warriors or master tacticians. They use Strength or Dexterity as their main stat.

Play as a fighter if you:

Want a customizable warrior class
Want to attack a lot
Want the widest variety of weapons and armor proficiencies

Monk

M♉onks are martial artists who use precise strikes and mobility to deal damage and destabilize enemies everywhere on the battlefield. They use Dexterity as their main stat.

Play as a monk if you:

Want to use your fists or other martial arts weapons
Want a variety of interesting utility and combat abilities
Want to play a speedy mobile character

Rogue

Rogues are sneaky. They are trained in a variety of useful skills. They can deal lots of damage attacking from the shadows or when their enemies are distracted. Th𒐪ey use Dexterity as their main stat.

Play as a rogue if you:

Want to strategize to get maximum damage
Like using abilities inside and outside of combat
Want to play a jack-of-all-trades

Using Magic

Brute force can solve a lot of problems, but magic can do a lot more. These classes have what’s called “full spellcasting progression,” which means that they can eventually get spells all the way up to 9^th level, the highest level of spells.

Bard

Bards use the power of music to fuel their magic. They have a wide variety of spells to 🔯buff allies and disrupt enemies. They can adapt to a lot of situations. They use Charisma as🉐 their main stat.

Play as a bard if you:

Want to play a jack-of-all-trades caster class
Want to use song to help your allies in battle
Want versatile spellcasting options

Cleric

Clerics get magic through devotion to a god. They often act as healers, but can fulfill a variety of support and🍬 control roles. They use Wisdom as their main stat.

Play as a cleric if you:

Want to follow the ideals of a specific god
Like to know a lot of spells for different situations
Want to cast spells but still be able to take a hit

Druid

Druids gain their spellcasting from nature. They have vastly different spells from other casters. They also have the unique ability to turn int𓄧o an animal. They use Wisdom as their main stat.

Play as a druid if you:

Want to turn into an animal
Want to be in tune with nature
Want nature-themed spells most classes don’t have

Sorcerer

a warlock casting fire — via dndbeyond.com

Sorcerers don’t learn spells or receive them from a higher power, they’re just that good. Sorcerers know fewer🃏 spells, but they can use them more flexibly. They use Charisma𓂃 as their main stat.

Play as a sorcerer if you:

Want to twist the effects of your spells with metamagic
Want to use a few spells really well
Like pumping out magical damage in bursts

Wizard

Wizards gain the🐻ir magic through intense study, which means they a✤re only limited by the magical knowledge they gather. They have potentially the widest variety of known spells in the game. They use Intelligence as their main stat.

Play as a wizard if you:

Want to have a spell for every situation
Want to hunt down magical knowledge on your travels
Want to customize the benefits you can give your party

Both

Sometimes a balance of swords and sorcery is the way to go. These classes have “half-spell progression,” which means they get spells up to 5^th level. They also have some amount of martial combat ability. It’s worth noting that some martial subclasses give half-spell progression, and some caster subclasses give ꦏmartial abilities.

Artificer

Artificers are casters that🍒 focus on 🦂magical inventions instead of deep arcane secrets. They don't have inherently combat oriented abilities, but they can get flat bonuses in combat through their abilities. They use Intelligence as their main stat.

Play as an artificer if you:

Want to increase your utility and combat ability with magic infusions
Want to spend your spare time making magic items
Want to choose a subclass based on what you want to invent

Paladins

Paladins swear an oath to ꦆa deity who gives them powers. While clerics are magical worshippers, paladins are holy warriors usi🍸ng both magic and might. They use Strength and Charisma as their main stats.

Play as a paladin if you:

Want to follow a strict code
Want to play as a defensive tank
Want to output burst damage through magical strikes

Ranger

Rangers are natural trackers. They use their natural skills and magic to hunt down and fight their prey in the wild. They use Strength or Dexterity as their main stats꧒.

Play as a ranger if you:

Want to focus on exploration as well as combat
Feel at home in the outdoors
Want a variety of choices in class progression

Warlock

Warlocks gain their powers through a pact with an eldritch power. They gain power throug🐓h unique spell slots, invocations that mimic the effects of spells, and powerful cantrips. They use Charisma as their main stat.

Play as a warlock if you: