How to Pick Your ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ Class

So, you’ve finally decided to start playing Dungeons & Dragons. Now comes the hard part: which class should you pick for your character?

There are twelve core “classes” in Dungeons & Dragons, each of which offer players a different style of gameplay. Wizards and sorcerers can control the battlefield with arcane powers, while rogues pick off enemies using stealth and surprise.

While the current Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons puts an emphasis on easy gameplay, many of the classes can be overwhelming for new players. Wizards and sorcerers are some of the most powerful classes in the game, but they also require players to make a lot of choices right off the bat. Poor choices can mean headaches later on, both for yourself and your party.

If you’re getting ready to play your first Dungeons & Dragons campaign, you may want to stick with a martial-style class. Fighters and barbarians are the strongest low-level characters, and their typical role as a tank is both straightforward and invaluable.

With all that in mind, here’s a closer look at four Dungeons & Dragons classes you may want to consider for your first time trying out the game.

Fighter

The Fighter class is probably the simplest class for beginners to master in Dungeons & Dragons. After all, Fighters are all about finding ways to stick your weapon into the bad guys until they stop moving. 

Fighters are great for beginners for a lot of reasons. They usually have the highest AC of the party (which means that your enemy’s attacks will either bounce off your armor harmlessly or miss altogether) and they have great starting HP. 

Fighters also have a lot of customization options, so players can adapt their character to match their fighting style. Are you a defensive-minded player? Adopt the “Defense” fighting style to increase your AC, or the “Protection” fighting style to better protect your allies in battle. Want to do even more damage in battle? Pick “Two-Weapon Fighting” to use multiple attacks or “Great Weapon Fighting” to re-roll poor attack rolls. 

While fighters are a bit limited in how much damage they can dish out at higher levels compared to magic users, they do receive some extra benefits. Fighters get to increase their ability scores more often than other classes, which gives them an extra advantage. They also eventually get the ability to make extra attacks using their “Action Surge” and “Extra Attack” abilities. 

If you’re looking to keep it simple, being a Fighter is the way to go.  

Barbarian

A Barbarian is basically the Fighter class on steroids. The Barbarian class centers around dishing out and taking a lot of damage. You’re going to be on the frontline of every battle, mowing down enemies and absorbing attacks so that your weaker party members can concentrate on their spellcasting and not dying. 

The central mechanic of the Barbarian class is the ability to “Rage,” which gives their attacks extra damage and lessens the amount of damage they take for a limited amount of time. Barbarians can eventually use their Rage to keep fighting when they would otherwise fall in battle, or enter into a Frenzied Rage that gives players extra attacks. 

Barbarians also benefit from not wearing armor. Their natural AC goes up when not wearing armor, and they can move an extra 10 feet per turn while not wearing armor. Sure, you’re going to end up taking some extra damage, but the benefits definitely outweigh the downsides. 

If you’re looking to murder monsters and nothing else in Dungeons & Dragons, Barbarian is the way to go.  

Paladin

Paladins serve as a hybrid between a fighter and a cleric. While paladins serve as frontline fighters for their party, they also have the ability to cast a limited amount of spells and also heal others. If your party is lacking a healer, but you don’t want to be stuck in the back of the party all of the time, consider choosing Paladin for your class.

Paladins have access to many of the fighting styles that fighters have, but they can also do magic damage using their “Divine Smite” ability. Paladins can also choose from a truncated list of spells that can be used either to heal or to inflict holy damage upon opponents. They can also use their “Lay on Hands” ability to do some frontline healing, which can come in handy in the thick of battle. 

Paladins give players a taste of spellcasting and healing, while still offering the opportunity to cut down foes with some good ol’ fashioned swordplay. If you’re not willing to commit to being a full-time spellcaster, give the Paladin class a shot. 

Ranger

Rangers specialize in wilderness survival and are perfect for campaigns that are all about exploration and long journeys through wild forests, mountains, and other remote areas. 

One of the biggest perks of being a ranger is the ability to choose favored enemies and favored terrains. Rangers gain certain advantages when traveling through their favored terrain (like the ability to not be impeded by difficult terrain) or while tracking their favored enemy. While most of these benefits don’t translate well into battle, they can make the exploration part of your campaign a lot easier. 

Rangers tend to stick to the rear of a battlefield, picking off foes with well-aimed arrows, although you can also choose to focus on melee combat instead. Like paladins, rangers also have access to a small list of spells that they can use to help control the battlefield or do extra damage to opponents. 

Another perk to being a ranger is the option to gain an animal companion. The “Beast Master” archetype lets players use an animal, although you’ll find that controlling it in battle can be a bit problematic. Rangers have to use their action to order their animal to attack, which can be a hard pill to swallow at low levels. Eventually, both rangers and their animal can attack at the same time, but players could find that an animal companion is a burden at low levels rather than a boon. There’s a “right” way to being a Beast Master Ranger, but it may require some extra coordination between a player and their DM.