best "magic" class right now?

[KiT2142]

What's the biggest difference between them and what is the best choice for a somewhat new player?

[Yojo0o]

Are you new to DnD as well?

The answer is pretty complicated, with each magic class having their own strengths and weaknesses, and it'll get even more complicated as more classes get added to the game. Any sort of tier list would invite all sorts of debate, and I'm not sure if it would be especially productive. And with the current level cap only at 4, most character concepts are still missing defining abilities that wouldn't become available until 5+.

Perhaps this would be more productive if you gave us some idea of what you're looking for, and then we could recommend the best fit available?

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Warlock - Best damage cantrip (Eldritch Blast with Invocations), has a few at-will (doesn't cost a spell slot) spells from Invocations (such as Armor of Shadows), and an familiar with unlimited refills. Has fewest spell slots, but recharges on a short rest rather than on long rest only. If you're the methodical type, you can also use your familiar to harass and whittle down the enemy slowly without even involving your Warlock.

Sorcerer - Has fewer choices of spells than the Wizard, but has 'Metamagic' which allows them to modify spells (more range, duplicating spell, more duration, etc.) on the fly to suit the situation. Also has Wild Magic, which is one of the most fun mechanics in the game.

Wizard - Has the largest selection of spells to choose from and the most spell slots to cast them with. High utility. Can currently specialize in Evocation (let's you cast AoE spells without hitting your friends) or Abjuration (let's you generate a shield every time you cast a leveled Abjuration spell).

Cleric - The Light cleric is more offense based, but also has a nice reaction ability for defense. The Life cleric gets some bonuses to healing. The Trickery cleric is basically a holy rogue.

Druid - High utility, heavy use of concentration based spells (only one concentration spell at a time). Has several persistent AoE spells that are highly effective (Moonbeam, Flaming Sphere, Spike Growth). Can shapeshift into animal form which provides additional health pool and a couple of extra abilities depending upon the form. Some healing (not as good as the Life cleric).

Of these, I would probably recommend either the Sorcerer or the Druid.

The Sorcerer is a great blaster with spells like Chromatic Orb (which can be duplicated with the use of the Twinned Spell Metamagic), and can reach places other casters can't using Distant Spell on Misty Step. They have a smaller spell selection, which is probably good for a new player (fewer choices to learn), but what they do have is powerful. Lots of potential for elemental combos (like getting enemies wet and then hitting them with double Lightning Orbs).

The Druid can be tanky (Wild Shape, plus some healing), can dish out plenty of AoE, and has CC potential too (Spike Growth, Entangle). There's also some ways to abuse the Druid using duration AoE spells like Moonbeam and shapeshifting into Raven form and hiding or using Fly to stay out of the reach of enemies, or casting a Flaming Sphere from out of combat and just using the Sphere to fight alone. Spike Growth is fun as long as you're not getting shot at, as you can use Thorn Whip and Thunder Wave to force enemies to take extra damage from the spikes and make them continually walk over them. Alternatively, you can shapeshift into Raven form and use it's blind attack against melee opponents (the Raven also has a really high natural AC, so along with Blind and Spike Growth, it becomes very difficult for anything to hit you...except maybe ranged attacks).

[Amix]

Best magic class currently is 'Sorcerer'. They can cast spell with bonus action, two spells with one action & increase range of spell by 50%. Draconic Sorcerer is a stable choice.

Wizards are good as they can learn almost every spell.
Be a fighter if you are new to game. Choose battlemaster subclass.

Ignore what above person wrote. :D

[KiT2142]

Originally posted by Yojo0o:

Are you new to DnD as well?

The answer is pretty complicated, with each magic class having their own strengths and weaknesses, and it'll get even more complicated as more classes get added to the game. Any sort of tier list would invite all sorts of debate, and I'm not sure if it would be especially productive. And with the current level cap only at 4, most character concepts are still missing defining abilities that wouldn't become available until 5+.

Perhaps this would be more productive if you gave us some idea of what you're looking for, and then we could recommend the best fit available?

Kinda new to D&D. As for what I'm looking for- good damage dealer with spells basically. Preferably with several different spell options available

[KiT2142]

Originally posted by pandariuskairos:

Warlock - Best damage cantrip (Eldritch Blast with Invocations), has a few at-will (doesn't cost a spell slot) spells from Invocations (such as Armor of Shadows), and an familiar with unlimited refills. Has fewest spell slots, but recharges on a short rest rather than on long rest only.

Sorcerer - Has fewer choices of spells than the Wizard, but has 'Metamagic' which allows them to modify spells (more range, duplicating spell, more duration, etc.) on the fly to suit the situation. Also has Wild Magic, which is one of the most fun mechanics in the game.

Wizard - Has the largest selection of spells to choose from and the most spell slots to cast them with. High utility. Can currently specialize in Evocation (let's you cast AoE spells without hitting your friends) or Abjuration (let's you generate a shield every time you cast a leveled Abjuration spell).

Cleric - The Light cleric is more offense based, but also has a nice reaction ability for defense. The Life cleric gets some bonuses to healing. The Trickery cleric is basically a holy rogue.

Druid - High utility, heavy use of concentration based spells (only one concentration spell at a time). Has several persistent AoE spells that are highly effective (Moonbeam, Flaming Sphere, Spike Growth). Can shapeshift into animal form which provides additional health pool and a couple of extra abilities depending upon the form. Some healing (not as good as the Life cleric).

Of these, I would probably recommend either the Sorcerer or the Druid.

The Sorcerer is a great blaster with spells like Chromatic Orb (which can be duplicated with the use of the Twinned Spell Metamagic), and can reach places other casters can't using Distant Spell on Misty Step. They have a smaller spell selection, which is probably good for a new player (fewer choices to learn), but what they do have is powerful. Lots of potential for elemental combos (like getting enemies wet and then hitting them with double Lightning Orbs).

The Druid can be tanky (Wild Shape, plus some healing), can dish out plenty of AoE, and has CC potential too (Spike Growth, Entangle). There's also some ways to abuse the Druid using duration AoE spells like Moonbeam and shapeshifting into Raven form and hiding or using Fly to stay out of the reach of enemies, or casting a Flaming Sphere from out of combat and just using the Sphere to fight alone. Spike Growth is fun as long as you're not getting shot at, as you can use Thorn Whip and Thunder Wave to force enemies to take extra damage from the spikes and make them continually walk over them. Alternatively, you can shapeshift into Raven form and use it's blind attack against melee opponents (the Raven also has a really high natural AC, so along with Blind and Spike Growth, it becomes very difficult for anything to hit you...except maybe ranged attacks).

Sorcerer and warlock looks good. Also Druid, but I tend to avoid "nature" based classes in rpgs(no idea why). Might give it a try

[littlebunnylover]

Originally posted by Amix:

Best magic class currently is 'Sorcerer'. They can cast spell with bonus action, two spells with one action & increase range of spell by 50%. Draconic Sorcerer is a stable choice.

Wizards are good as they can learn almost every spell.
Be a fighter if you are new to game. Choose battlemaster subclass.

Ignore what above person wrote. :D

They largely wrote the same thing as you did, just in much more detail and much more clearly.

[KiT2142]

Originally posted by Amix:

Best magic class currently is 'Sorcerer'. They can cast spell with bonus action, two spells with one action & increase range of spell by 50%. Draconic Sorcerer is a stable choice.

Wizards are good as they can learn almost every spell.
Be a fighter if you are new to game. Choose battlemaster subclass.

Ignore what above person wrote. :D

Maybe, but I tend to avoid "basic" melee classes tbh) Prefer mages or melee with magic

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

Originally posted by KiT2142:

Originally posted by pandariuskairos:

Warlock - Best damage cantrip (Eldritch Blast with Invocations), has a few at-will (doesn't cost a spell slot) spells from Invocations (such as Armor of Shadows), and an familiar with unlimited refills. Has fewest spell slots, but recharges on a short rest rather than on long rest only.

Sorcerer - Has fewer choices of spells than the Wizard, but has 'Metamagic' which allows them to modify spells (more range, duplicating spell, more duration, etc.) on the fly to suit the situation. Also has Wild Magic, which is one of the most fun mechanics in the game.

Wizard - Has the largest selection of spells to choose from and the most spell slots to cast them with. High utility. Can currently specialize in Evocation (let's you cast AoE spells without hitting your friends) or Abjuration (let's you generate a shield every time you cast a leveled Abjuration spell).

Cleric - The Light cleric is more offense based, but also has a nice reaction ability for defense. The Life cleric gets some bonuses to healing. The Trickery cleric is basically a holy rogue.

Druid - High utility, heavy use of concentration based spells (only one concentration spell at a time). Has several persistent AoE spells that are highly effective (Moonbeam, Flaming Sphere, Spike Growth). Can shapeshift into animal form which provides additional health pool and a couple of extra abilities depending upon the form. Some healing (not as good as the Life cleric).

Of these, I would probably recommend either the Sorcerer or the Druid.

The Sorcerer is a great blaster with spells like Chromatic Orb (which can be duplicated with the use of the Twinned Spell Metamagic), and can reach places other casters can't using Distant Spell on Misty Step. They have a smaller spell selection, which is probably good for a new player (fewer choices to learn), but what they do have is powerful. Lots of potential for elemental combos (like getting enemies wet and then hitting them with double Lightning Orbs).

The Druid can be tanky (Wild Shape, plus some healing), can dish out plenty of AoE, and has CC potential too (Spike Growth, Entangle). There's also some ways to abuse the Druid using duration AoE spells like Moonbeam and shapeshifting into Raven form and hiding or using Fly to stay out of the reach of enemies, or casting a Flaming Sphere from out of combat and just using the Sphere to fight alone. Spike Growth is fun as long as you're not getting shot at, as you can use Thorn Whip and Thunder Wave to force enemies to take extra damage from the spikes and make them continually walk over them. Alternatively, you can shapeshift into Raven form and use it's blind attack against melee opponents (the Raven also has a really high natural AC, so along with Blind and Spike Growth, it becomes very difficult for anything to hit you...except maybe ranged attacks).

Sorcerer and warlock looks good. Also Druid, but I tend to avoid "nature" based classes in rpgs(no idea why). Might give it a try

Having played every class to level four, and as someone who loves casters, Warlocks, Sorcerers and Druids are by far my favorite.

As far as being "nature based", I mean D&D has enough room in it you can flavor your Druid any way you want. They don't all have to be strict tree huggers in other words, and the only thing that matters is their choice of abilities. In fact, there's a great example of very "non-typical" Druids in the story itself (I won't drop any spoilers here...let's just say they're not exactly what you have in mind when you think about 'generic' Druids). I used to play a Druid that was sorta like the Paladin subclass Oath of the Watchers, which is basically just a class that feels that protecting the world from extraplanar creatures is the best way to serve 'nature' (when 'nature' is defined as the material world itself...all creatures from other planes are seen as invaders and outsiders). I was a little disappointed that the Druid itself didn't have this subclass, then I thought about multiclassing the Druid with this Paladin subclass to get the effect I wanted. But the point is I had a Druid that was very much outside of the standard template.

But for just straight magic blasting, the Warlock and Sorcerer are great choices. The Wizard is the best utility casting class (while still being pretty good at offense too). The Sorcerer can effectively cast two spells at once by using Twin Spell (duplicates most offensive, single target spells), or by using Quickened Spell which lets them use their bonus action to cast an additional spell (and afaik, this isn't strictly in accordance with 5e rules...so may be patched out later - since technically, you're only supposed to be able to cast one leveled spell and a cantrip in the same turn...so it could be used to cast an additional cantrip only, at least according to strict 5e rules).

[Pan Darius Cassandra]

I should also add that the Warlock's Eldritch Blast cantrip has one of the most satisfying and meaty spell animations and sound effect. Especially when you add the knockback Invocation to it and blast fools right off a cliff.

[KiT2142]

Originally posted by pandariuskairos:

Originally posted by KiT2142:

Sorcerer and warlock looks good. Also Druid, but I tend to avoid "nature" based classes in rpgs(no idea why). Might give it a try

Having played every class to level four, and as someone who loves casters, Warlocks, Sorcerers and Druids are by far my favorite.

As far as being "nature based", I mean D&D has enough room in it you can flavor your Druid any way you want. They don't all have to be strict tree huggers in other words, and the only thing that matters is their choice of abilities. In fact, there's a great example of very "non-typical" Druids in the story itself (I won't drop any spoilers here...let's just say they're not exactly what you have in mind when you think about 'generic' Druids). I used to play a Druid that was sorta like the Paladin subclass Oath of the Watchers, which is basically just a class that feels that protecting the world from extraplanar creatures is the best way to serve 'nature' (when 'nature' is defined as the material world itself...all creatures from other planes are seen as invaders and outsiders). I was a little disappointed that the Druid itself didn't have this subclass, then I thought about multiclassing the Druid with this Paladin subclass to get the effect I wanted. But the point is I had a Druid that was very much outside of the standard template.

But for just straight magic blasting, the Warlock and Sorcerer are great choices. The Wizard is the best utility casting class (while still being pretty good at offense too). The Sorcerer can effectively cast two spells at once by using Twin Spell (duplicates most offensive, single target spells), or by using Quickened Spell which lets them use their bonus action to cast an additional spell (and afaik, this isn't strictly in accordance with 5e rules...so may be patched out later - since technically, you're only supposed to be able to cast one leveled spell and a cantrip in the same turn...so it could be used to cast an additional cantrip only, at least according to strict 5e rules).

I'll try warlock and sorcerer. Sounds like they're exactly what I'm looking for. And druid but later. Thank you for your detailed answers)

[Coldhands]

Can everybody still cast anything from scrolls? And are spell scrolls still all over the place?
If so, the best magic class might be Fighter.

[Ytsuhen]

Also, if a warlock casts Hex, ALL his spells do additional damage to hexed enemy. And if the enemy dies under hex, warlock can recast it without using the spell slot, and it remains after short rest. So you can have 2 spell slots and a hex recast ready.

[Amix]

Originally posted by littlebunnylover:

Originally posted by Amix:

Best magic class currently is 'Sorcerer'. They can cast spell with bonus action, two spells with one action & increase range of spell by 50%. Draconic Sorcerer is a stable choice.

Wizards are good as they can learn almost every spell.
Be a fighter if you are new to game. Choose battlemaster subclass.

Ignore what above person wrote. :D

They largely wrote the same thing as you did, just in much more detail and much more clearly.

You think so? LOL

Unwise.

That is where that person & you err then. Focus on the original question of OP. "Best magic class". Answer should be straight to the point. That person had difficulty in fighting goblins and now giving advice to other players. That is laughable.
Writing everything else goes beyond the scope of question, leading one to astray.

As far as I know that person is the one who uses all the repetitive so called cheese.
Also writing all the irrelevant information- tsk tsk.

[.Master Jiren, The Strongest]

Originally posted by KiT2142:

What's the biggest difference between them and what is the best choice for a somewhat new player?

So, I saw all the comments saying warlock and sorcerer, because you used the question "What the best magic class" but all these people ignored the second part of your question, "For a new player."

The best magic class for a new player, is Wizard. It is simple, and to the point.
Wizard has the highest number of spells, allowing you to get experience with several spells. They can change spells pretty easily, so if something wasnt working for you, you can just prepare new spells during your long rest. They dont have complicated mechanics, they are very very basic. For this reason, most players dont like Wizard, but your question was "Which is best for a NEW player" and by definition, Wizard is the least complicated with the MOST options for LEARNING magic and DnD.

So. I put forth to you that Wizard, the least liked class in the game, is the best for you to learn DnD, and to learn Magic in DnD (as it has the broadest spell list as well, allowing you to play offense as well as support, something not every class can do, thus, the most versatile.)

I'm not going to give a big long explanation for any other class because other people already basically did. I'll just make a quick short little list:
Druid: Healing magic, focuses on shape shifting to fill a role (such as tank or rogue). can talk to animals.

Cleric: Focuses on healing and support spells. Has potential for decent or even great armor, low damage, can debuff enemies for easier fights.

Sorcerer: New class, and so, pretty strong. Wild magic currently pretty overpowered imo, but Meta magic is a more complicated mechanic, but allows you to turn any spell you want into longer range, or a bonus action, giving you more possible actions, with greater control over your spells functions. reccomended for expert players that already know all the magic, how it works, and what they are good for, so that you are most equipped to know which spells to meta magic.

Warlock: Similar to Sorcerer its very restricted in what spells it has, it doesnt specialize in buffing, debuffing, support or healing, it doesnt specialize in shape shifting or anything else. But unlike the other classes, it can wield weapons with the Hexblade subclass (which isnt out yet in baldurs gate 3), and when they give us more Invocations, they basically are bonus Feats you can take to customize your warlock even further. Invocations are extremely strong, and make Warlock arguably the most powerful caster in the game, but again, BG3 is in Early Access so, its not quite there yet.

Wizard: lots of spells, very simple, easy to learn, very versatile. Your gold standard for deciding if something is good or bad, its compared to what the wizard can do.

Paladin, Arcane Trickster, Eldritch Knight: These are half casters, with varying levels of effectiveness. Their magic is very very weak and is only there to give you additional options other than "swing for the fences".

Best Magic in BG3: Sorcerer
Easiest: Wizard
Best in table top DnD: Warlock
Best healer: Druid
Best controller: Cleric

FINAL NOTE: If you like high AC characters, Paladin, Eldritch Knight are the best magic users with high armor . Cleric has medium armor, but can take a feat at level 4 to get heavy armor. Warlocks have an invocation that is not yet released that allows heavy armor. Keep in mind that Cleric Warlock and Druid have higher HP than Sorcerer and Wizard, to balance out just how effective they are.

[The Seraph of Tomorrow]

Originally posted by Jiren, The Strongest:

Best Magic in BG3: Sorcerer
Easiest: Wizard
Best in table top DnD: Warlock
Best healer: Druid
Best controller: Cleric

While I agree with you in most aspects, I will have to stop you in the best in table top aspect. While at low level Warlock is one of the stronger casters, due to their low-reliance on spells and high damage output thanks to invocations, EB, and hex-stacking. At higher levels the warlock very quickly gets outclassed by nearly all other casters.