What is the best damage dealer class?

[Moist Butt]

Want my main character to be dealing damage. If there isn't a best damage dealer overall, then what deals the most single dps versus aoe.

[Moist Butt]

Originally posted by Ruges:

Now that has to be some class balance when everyone suggested a different class.

yeah mixed answers. I guess I play whatever I like most then.

[Jondar Korric]

Warlock with Agonizing Blast, Repelling Blast, and Hex has the most consistent damage. at lv.11 you're up to 3 beams with Eldritch Blast all of which would be 1D10+5+1D6 AND each hit knocks the target(s) back 15ft (with very few exceptions). A Warlock using all three beams on a single target with Hex up (barring Crits) is doing 3D10+15+3D6 (each beam adds Charisma to its damage, and each beam has its own Hex damage die added for a total of 21-63 damage without a crit and if all three somehow crit it's 27-93 damage). Since Eldritch Blast is a Cantrip, all you're using is a single spellslot for Hex (worth picking up Warcaster for advantage on concentration saves) for ALOT of Force damage and a bit of Necrotic.

[RACHMANOVSKI]

What's the best damage dealer class? Rogue
What's the best stealing class? Rogue
What's the best defensive class? Rogue
What's the best Pickpocketing class? Rogue (Thief)
What's the best Dexterity Class? Rogue
What's the best roguish class? Rogue
What's the best class? Rogue

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2942533180

^Level 2 Candlemancer Rogue thief balls smacker

[Fortigan]

Picture a Tempest Cleric level 2 with 6 levels as a Bronze Draconic Sorcerer.
Drop some water on the enemy with the cleric spell "Create Water". Then quick cast lightning bolt as a bonus action and maximize the damage roll with the Destructive Wrath Tempest subclass.

Assuming you have a Charisma of 18, that lightning bolt will do 110 damage. Next turn twin the lighting spell as your main action to hit 2 more targets for 110 damage each after your bard uses song of rest to refresh Destructive Wrath.

So, in 2 turns, your character can do 330 damage at lev 8.

[Snobby Hobo]

Originally posted by Fortigan:

Picture a Tempest Cleric level 2 with 6 levels as a Bronze Draconic Sorcerer.
Drop some water on the enemy with the cleric spell "Create Water". Then quick cast lightning bolt as a bonus action and maximize the damage roll with the Destructive Wrath Tempest subclass.

Assuming you have a Charisma of 18, that lightning bolt will do 110 damage. Next turn twin the lighting spell as your main action to hit 2 more targets for 110 damage each after your bard uses song of rest to refresh Destructive Wrath.

So, in 2 turns, your character can do 330 damage as at lev 8.

Pretty sure this is still going to get dwarfed by a Hasted Rogue.

Big numbers = Rogue. The class has such easy access to multiplicative damage buffs.

[Fortigan]

Originally posted by BigRockWall:

I would think a 2 tempest cleric 10 sorc that can open the fight with 3 chain lightnings that have all been maximized via domain ability, for double damage if another party member were to make the targets wet first, does the most burst AOE damage. 80 dry 160 wet damage per target. But for single target a paally probably takes the gold assuming hastened.

Edit - IDK 480 damage to a single wet target from 3 casts of CL is going to be hard for even a pally to top.

That is literally impossible. Sorcerer gets chain lightning at level 11, so you can't maximize it, as you would only have 1 cleric level and Destructive Wrath is a level 2 ability.

[BigRockWall]

Originally posted by Fortigan:

Originally posted by BigRockWall:

I would think a 2 tempest cleric 10 sorc that can open the fight with 3 chain lightnings that have all been maximized via domain ability, for double damage if another party member were to make the targets wet first, does the most burst AOE damage. 80 dry 160 wet damage per target. But for single target a paally probably takes the gold assuming hastened.

Edit - IDK 480 damage to a single wet target from 3 casts of CL is going to be hard for even a pally to top.

That is literally impossible. Sorcerer gets chain lightning at level 11, so you can't maximize it, as you would only have 1 cleric level and Destructive Wrath is a level 2 ability.

Haha whoops fair enough. So lightning bolt x3 maximized double cuz wet would be 288 damage per target on opening round. Definitely less exciting. Could get a little more out of them from upcasting on a 4th level slot

[Fortigan]

Originally posted by BigRockWall:

Originally posted by Fortigan:

That is literally impossible. Sorcerer gets chain lightning at level 11, so you can't maximize it, as you would only have 1 cleric level and Destructive Wrath is a level 2 ability.

Haha whoops fair enough. So lightning bolt x3 maximized double cuz wet would be 288 damage per target on opening round. Definitely less exciting. Could get a little more out of them from upcasting on a 4th level slot

There are other ways to boost damage as well. Charisma bonus, Bronze Dragon heritage, lightning charges, etc. You can get it well over 100 damage per bolt.

[Kyros]

Originally posted by Kaseron:

Paladin. But if you don't follow your oaths you lose your powers and will change subclass to oathbreaker.

After playing a while, paladin is really not that. Gonna reroll for that reason, tired of being a deadweight.

[Magical_JiJii]

I would suggest 2 handler fighter. Can take down boss type mob really fast because of the “act again” skill. 4 big nukes in one turn isn’t joke.

[BigRockWall]

Originally posted by Snobby Hobo:

Originally posted by Fortigan:

Picture a Tempest Cleric level 2 with 6 levels as a Bronze Draconic Sorcerer.
Drop some water on the enemy with the cleric spell "Create Water". Then quick cast lightning bolt as a bonus action and maximize the damage roll with the Destructive Wrath Tempest subclass.

Assuming you have a Charisma of 18, that lightning bolt will do 110 damage. Next turn twin the lighting spell as your main action to hit 2 more targets for 110 damage each after your bard uses song of rest to refresh Destructive Wrath.

So, in 2 turns, your character can do 330 damage as at lev 8.

Pretty sure this is still going to get dwarfed by a Hasted Rogue.

Big numbers = Rogue. The class has such easy access to multiplicative damage buffs.

How? Rogue gets sneak attack on only the first attack per round. Lets assume hasted, and lets assume has extra attack from multiclass which means at most its 4d6 sneak dice. Thats 6 shots per turn (2 main, 2 haste, 2 bonus because you took thief) assuming dual handbows, or dual light finesse weapons. Highest damage potential would be dual handbows so thats what I will use below.

1d6 +5 (dex) +2 (weapon enchantment) +1d6 elemental damage (im gunna just assume as i havent seen late game weapons yet) +10 if using sharpshooter = 24 avg damage a shot x6 shots + 14 sneak attack avg dmg for the first shot = 158 damage per turn if all 6 attacks hit. Adjusted for crits (5% overall DPR increase on average) thats 166 damage per round, again assuming all 6 attacks hit.

*Edit* - I guess you could potentially have 2 more attacks from action surge for a 216 ish avg dmg in the opening round.

Sorcs can easily guarantee over 100 dmg per lightning bolt, and can cast 3 of them in a single turn. Sorc cannot sustain that obviously. But definitely has higher burst damage than a rogue. And for sustain there are several martial builds that crap all over rogue. Rogue in 5e is a multiclassing class. Not a pure class class. If sneak attack applied to every attack we'd be having a different conversation.

[heh]

For safe, sustained damage; with the charisma robe from the shadow zone, a 2 warlock / 10 sorc can do 1D10+10(+1D6 with hex active) times three, from a cantrip, at 18meters range, with knockback spam. That's probably the safest, most reliable damage you can get. And of course they also have all the spells of a 10 sorc, but I only pick aoe damage and utility. And your sorc can have like 20 AC while doing so, because apparently being litearlly naked doesn't stop you from being as tanky as a heavy armored warrior.

Lots of builds can do much more damage in bursts, but then they run out of their cooldowns and have to rest again. But this guy is just always there, doing very high damage every single turn of every single fight, and he doesn't die unless everyone else is already dead.

[Brady4444]

I think damage is situational.

There are attacks that target Armor Class, and are difficult to land on high AC targets.
There are attacks that target a saving throw, and can be resisted with that stat.
There are attacks like magic missile that 'always' hit, but shield spell blocks it every time.

My opinion is that each type of threat can make one class/ability seem better or worse depending on the situation. This is why I try to have a balanced party, so I can handle these situations. And I can always go to camp and change a character to another if I need.

[Chaosolous]

From all I have seen fighters are pretty OP later on. Getting ~three attacks per turn. IIRC.

[Kyutaru]

Fighters all the way. They have the highest raw stats and can be buffed to be even more insane. You can slaughter any boss in one turn. I even took down the Grym adamantine golem using a Maul in like two turns while the rest of the party sat back eating popcorn.