There are few options on the menu Dungeons and Dragons as important as the class itself. From martial experts like barbarians and warriors to masters of magic like clerics and wizards, classes determine how characters navigate the game's three pillars: combat, exploration, and social interaction. However, it is a subclass of it Dungeons and Dragons that really lets the character flourish, taking the basic chassis of the class and turning it into something unique and tasteful.
Unfortunately, not all subclasses are created equal. Although options like Life Cleric, Battlemaster Fighter, or Bladesinger Wizard will always be primed for success, there are many who will struggle to keep up with their peers. The Dungeons and Dragons 2024 the rules refresh has done wonders for many underpowered picks, but these five subclasses still need more love.
Only subclasses that were published in Player's Handbook (2024)or official Dungeons and Dragons source books published after him were considered for this list.
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Cartographer Artificer – Eberron: Forge of the Artificer
A decent support subclass too reliant on a 1st level concentration spell
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Printed in Eberron: Forge of the Artificer (2025)
The Cartographer Artificer is a brand new subclass from Eberron: Forge of the Artificer. He has some strong support abilities with features that give their party an initiative boost, teleport the Artificer and their allies around the battlefield, and create spell scrolls faster.
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Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
This means their only real offensive power comes in the form of Illuminated Cartography and Guided Precision, both of which rely on Faerie Fire. While a powerful spell in its own right, it has several features associated with a 1st-level spell, essentially meaning that this Artificer subclass in Dungeons and Dragons he loses most of his early properties if he uses any other concentration spell in combat. Faerie Fire also has no benefits when cast up, making it especially flashy as it unlocks higher level spells.
This is the same reason why the Ranger class struggles so much Dungeons and Dragons: over-reliance on Hunter's Mark, a 1st-level concentration spell.
Cleric Domain Knowledge – Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun
Virtually non-existent subclass features until 17th level
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Printed in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Player's Handbook (2014)
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Updated in Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun (2025)
Like An Adventurer's Guide to the Sword Coast – one of the worst sourcebooks in the Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition history – subclasses of Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun they are hit or miss. On the one hand, there are stellar options like the revamped Bladesinger Wizard or the brand new Spellfire Sorcerer. On the other hand, there are subclasses like Knowledge Domain Cleric.
This cleric domain has been significantly changed from its original 2014 iteration, and while technically better, most of the changes have actually made the class less tasteful than before. All you get at the starting levels is proficiency in a few skills, a free Divination spell with Channel Divinity, Telepathy, and Intelligence. Divine Foreknowledge is undoubtedly extremely powerful, but it doesn't come online until level 17 – and relative to most Dungeons and Dragons games end around level 12, most Knowledge Clerics will never use this ability.
Banneret Fighter – Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun
A pathetic attempt to save one of the weakest subclasses in history
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Printed in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (2015) as a Knight of the Purple Dragon
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Known as Banneret outside of Faerun
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Updated in Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun (2025) like Banneret
The Banneret Fighter was Dungeons and Dragons' an attempt to remake the Purple Dragon Knight from Sword Coast Adventure Guide. Notoriously one of the worst fighter subclasses Dungeons and DragonsThe Purple Dragon Knight was essentially a half-assed support class that could share its Second Wind, Action Surge, and Indomitable with others, all while gaining a few social skills.
The Purple Dragon Knight made a brief appearance in Dungeons and Dragons He discovered Arcana as a Cavalier on an Amethyst Dragon before it was official, but was changed to Banneret due to inconsistencies with Faerun lore.
Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun's Banneret is undoubtedly better than the original version, but not by much. It works on a similar mechanic, albeit with some extra bells and whistles, such as being able to understand languages at level 3 and being immune to the Charmed and Frightened conditions at level 18, which helps the subclass a bit. Still, while most Fighters get plenty of extra resources to use in their base set, Banneret simply mods Second Wind, Action Surge, and Indomitable, meaning the subclass will run out of gas much faster than a Battle Master or Rune Knight.
Hunter Ranger – Player's Guide (2024)
Weak subclass features that can't save an awesome class
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Printed in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Player's Handbook (2014)
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Updated in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Player's Handbook (2024)
The Ranger class has always fought Dungeons and Dragons 5th Editionand unfortunately the 2024 rules did not solve this problem. At most levels, Rangers are among the worst classes Dungeons and Dragons. This means that although the base class has a lot of problems, most of its subclasses are very strong. Gloom Stalker, Fey Wanderer, and Winter Walker are extremely solid, and even the new Beast Master Ranger is more than viable.
On the contrary, Hunter Ranger leaves much to be desired. He's gained some much-needed versatility in that he can swap out his Hunter's Prey and Defensive Tactics features on short or long rests, the features themselves being lacking compared to his counterparts. What's more, her level 11 feature is dependent on Hunter's Mark, and her level 15 ability is basically a slightly stronger version of Rogue's level 5 ability, Uncanny Dodge. Simply put, the Hunter relies too much on the stunning abilities of the Rangers to add something better than the other subclasses.
Soulknife Rogue – Player's Guide (2024)
A tasty class that can't use magic weapons
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Printed in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (2020)
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Updated in Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Player's Handbook (2024)
The Soulknife Rogue has all the hallmarks of a fantastic subclass. Indeed, players will likely find Soulknife to be exceptional at early levels Dungeons and Dragonswith a number of powerful abilities such as telepathy, teleportation, and protection against bad luck on attack rolls and ability checks. The only problem with this class is the limited number of Psionic Energy dice at low levels.
Unfortunately, the class's shortcomings become apparent as it reaches higher levels. Most of its functionality is dependent on using Psychic Blades to attack, meaning that a Soulknife that uses a magic weapon essentially cuts itself off from half of the subclass. This is a huge disadvantage in high-level play, as it prevents them from using these game-changing items in a way that no other Rogue subclass in Dungeons and Dragons does
- Franchise
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Dungeons & Dragons
- Original release date
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1974
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
