What is Peak Form for each class?

[bendking]

In other words, what in your opinion/experience are the best builds/sub-classes in each class that make it do its job to the best of its ability?
Of course, sub-classes exist for a reason, but I wonder which builds you think make the class do well what it does best in its defined role.
In other words, I'm not looking for builds that make Wizard an amazing frontliner, though I'm sure those exist, but ones that make him peak backline caster.

Note: single-classes only. These don't have to be super broken builds either. Just ones that complement the play-style well and work best in that department.
Examples: I think Arcane Tricksters complement the Rogue play-style well, and probably make the best Rogue, Way of the Open Hand feels to me like the way Monk is supposed to be played and does it pretty well, etc.

[Nagog]

Personally, I think Hexblade is the best Warlock. I know there are people that really don't like it, but I think it's great for helping the Warlock gain a solid role as a front-line full caster. Spells like Arms of Hadar, Armor of Agathys, and many other Warlock-Only spells are wonderful for use specifically in melee range, which for most of the Warlock Subclasses, is not a place you can afford to be for longer than one round, maybe two if you're lucky.

Beyond that, the majority of subclasses provide a unique and fun take on the same class. Except perhaps Wild Magic Sorcerer, which in my opinion is the only subclass that combines with the bare skeleton of a class that is Sorcerer to make some semblance of a viable standalone class, but that's far from Peak Form for a subclass.

[zinycor]

Barbarian: probably totem bear, tanking lots of damage is what barbarians are there for.
Bard: college of knowledge
Cleric: probably order domain from guildmaster's guide to Ravnica
Druid: moon druids
Fighter: battle master
Monk: shadow monk
Paladin: vengeance
Ranger: Hunter
Rogue: magic trickster seems to be the one with more options
Sorcerer: chaos
Warlock: hexblade
Wizard: divination.

[KorvinStarmast]

OK

Cleric: Tie between Tempest and Life. Can't choose.

Lore Bard - Mister Flexibility who is also a full caster.

Barbarian: Totem, but my caveat is I have squat experience with XGtE Barb sub classes.

Druid: Highest level experience was Moon, 10th, and I liked that a lot.

Fighter: Battle Master. But it takes a bit of systems mastery to get the most out of this sub class.

Monk: while I like Open Hand, Sun Soul adds a ranged capability that I find very useful, so I'll go Sun Soul.

Paladin: Ancients. With the new look Paladin who are not stick in the mud types, this one captures the "be a defender of The Light" best, IMO.

Ranger: after a lot of thinking, Gloom Stalker is, to me, the "just right" Ranger.

Rogue: tie between Thief and Arcane Trickster. I'll pick Thief.

Sorcerer: IMO Shadow is the best, but right out of the box (PHB original) Draconic Blood line is solid and very much "this is what a sorcerer is" kind of character. Tough call. Let's give a nod to Draconic.

Warlock: IMO, Pact of the Tome, Great Old One, is the archetype at its best. "The seeker of lost and deep arcane knowledge." IMO, the fiend brings with it too much baggage from other genre tropes.

Wizard: Transmutation is, IMO, the wizard that captures my idea on what that class looks like. (And it IMO renders artificer moot. :smallyuk: )

[Grimmnist]

This is an interesting question, I'll give my thoughts on each.

Barbarian - Bear Totem, it makes Barb fill the rage tank role as well as possible. I also really like Zealot since it allows you to play reckless in a different way, but that one has some flavor outside of the core class concept.
Bard - Versatility is a core part of the Bard identity so there are a number of good options here, however Lore Bard has more Magical Secrets (Bard's best ability), as well as additional skills and languages helping the character fill the face/skillmonkey role.
Cleric - Trickster... that is all. Honestly though there are so many good Cleric domains that it is hard to pick just one, part of the class role is to fit in with the power of their chosen deity and each domain does that. My favorites are Grave and Tempest.
Druid - Probably Moon? I'm not an expert on Druid, my thought process is that Wild Shape is something only Druid can do and Moon does it best.
Fighter - For sure Battlemaster! Fighter is all about being an expert in fighting, having heavily trained in their weapons. Maneuvers are a great way to mechanically show the Fighters mastery of their chosen arms.
Monk - I agree on Open Hand, I'm no Monk expert, but all the other Monk ways seem to move Monk into a more niche direction.
Pali - I'd say either Devotion or Vengence. Pali is all about being strongly committed to a goal and smiting, these two give you options for doing both of these things.
Ranger - I like Hunter here, ranger is a class all about flexibility and Hunter lets you pick options as you go, building your character to fit your campaign. Some of the XGE Rangers might be better than Hunter in some ways but I feel they have very specific flavors and Ranger should be about adaptability.
Rogue - I think there is an argument for all three PHB subclasses, Thief, Assassin and AT. They are all good in different types of campaigns but AT is probably the most flexible so I'll go with that.
Sorc - Probably Draconic, it mitigates a lot of Sorc's weaknesses with the extra AC and health and gives bonuses to elemental damage one of Sorc's strengths. This one is kind of hard to pick though since most of the role of the Sorc depends on which metamagics you pick.
Warlock - I'd go with Fiend. Dealing with the devil is a classic trope, plus many of Warlock's invocations are named after fiends. Fiend gives the tools to be a consistently high damage caster.
Wizard - Similar to Cleric I think there are a lot of good options here, Wizards are about specializing in some school of knowledge so there is an argument for each. My favorite is probably Divination since having knowledge into what a dice will roll before it rolls is a pretty wizardly thing to do.

[Zetakya]

I'm going to dissent from the obvious choice and say that while all of the Bard subclasses are good at emphasising particular aspects of the Bard, for me it Glamour that most strongly enhances the core Bard abilities and purpose of supporting your allies and impairing your opponents.

Don't get me wrong, Lore is great, and Cutting Words is a great debuff, but Glamour is the one that exemplifies bardic play for me.

[airless_wing]

I'm surprised by the Moon druid being chosen so often. To me, the Druid has always seemed like a guardian of their respective domain, so Land Druid seems like peak druid to me.

[Nhym]

I'm surprised by the Moon druid being chosen so often. To me, the Druid has always seemed like a guardian of their respective domain, so Land Druid seems like peak druid to me.

I'm even more surprised Shepherd doesn't get enough love. It's incredibly powerful and enhanced a niche that the Druid holds as being by far the best summoner in 5e. You get to be an active caster as with Land, which Moon does not provide, and still have unique overpowered potential with how strong summons are. The free and permanent Speak to Animals is also just perfect for druids.

TLDR Shepherd is the peak Druid subclass, and Moon can only compete levels 2-4 and 20. (And why I'm not counting the Elemental Wild Shape milestone is at that level Shepherds can summon an elemental as well and still cast while they do it)

Other than Druids, I vote for:
Barbarian: Totem Warrior
Cleric: Life
Fighter: Battle Master
Rogue: Arcane Trickster

[Yakmala]

Only listing single-class official material. No UA

Barbarian: Overall it's Bear Totem. Zealot is fun, but eventually you're going to be hit by a big non-physical attack, fail your save, and wish you had picked Bear Totem.
Bard: Lore without a doubt. Between the extra skills and Magical Secrets, there's no comparison.
Cleric: Arcana just based on versatility. But honestly, they're all pretty good.
Druid: Moon Druid, especially once you get to level 20.
Fighter: Battle Master. Your ability to control the fight is fantastic.
Monk: Way of the Long Death. Possibly the hardest sub-class to kill and I'm including level 20 moon druids in that equation.
Paladin: Ancients. A bit boring, but your party will love you and enemy casters will hate you.
Ranger: Gloomstalker. And if you are in a campaign that primarily takes place underground, it's not even open to debate.
Rogue: Thief. Fast Hands is great! Use Magic Device is even better!
Sorcerer: Divine Soul. Why select from one class spell list when you can have two?
Warlock: Celestial Tomelock. I know Hexblade is the popular choice, but Celestial Tomelock is super versatile.
Wizard: Divination: This is the toughest one to choose. Portent is awesome... Right up until you are facing BBEG's with legendary saves. Expert Divination + Mind Spike puts them over the top.

[Karnitis]

Well of course I'm sure no one would disagree with my list...

Rouge: Inquisitive, maybe Mastermind.
Bard: Swords. What is a bard but a magic swordsman?
Paladin: Crown, the very archetype of what people picture in a Paladin.
Cleric: Trickery, as all know the mischievous nature of clerics.
Druid: Don't sleep on the Dream Druid.
Fighter: Purple Dragon Knight. What name could possibly be cooler??
Barbarian: Battlerager - again, the name says it all.
Monk: Four Elements. It's not a jedi, but hey, avatar is a good placeholder
Ranger: The OG Beastmaster!
Sorcerer: who doesn't love Wild Magic at the whim of a DM?
Warlock: The Great Old One has all the best tricks and combat abilities
Wizard: Lore Wizard.

[Bjarkmundur]

Wizard: Lore Wizard.

A fair fallhammer of a reply, square as a Turmian beard!

[Ravinsild]

Well of course I'm sure no one would disagree with my list...

Rouge: Inquisitive, maybe Mastermind.
Bard: Swords. What is a bard but a magic swordsman?
Paladin: Crown, the very archetype of what people picture in a Paladin.
Cleric: Trickery, as all know the mischievous nature of clerics.
Druid: Don't sleep on the Dream Druid.
Fighter: Purple Dragon Knight. What name could possibly be cooler??
Barbarian: Battlerager - again, the name says it all.
Monk: Four Elements. It's not a jedi, but hey, avatar is a good placeholder
Ranger: The OG Beastmaster!
Sorcerer: who doesn't love Wild Magic at the whim of a DM?
Warlock: The Great Old One has all the best tricks and combat abilities
Wizard: Lore Wizard.

I actually agree with this tbh. Except Battlerager. I would say Berzerker because Battlerager is Dwarf only, and peak barbarian to me is orc/half-Orc. :P Aside from that yeah basically. Also I kind of think Peak Fighter is Champion. He does 1 thing, but he does it SO GOOD. He's the BEST at fighting, straight forward, simple, no tricks, determined, hulk smash get rekt kid crit on 19's. Champion best Fighter.

[paladinn]

I think you need to define "peak form". Are you looking for the most powerful, or the best from an RP standpoint or ?

If someone wants the subclasses that best represent what a class is traditionally "supposed to be", they are often not the "most powerful". The Champion is the basic fighter. Life domain is the stereotype cleric (the "med kit" for the party). Thief is the typical rogue. Not sure is there is a typical wizard now that schools are "baked in". Barbarian - probably Berserker. For Bard, I'd say Lore. Druid.. hard to say.. maybe Land. Monk, definitely Open Hand; Paladin, definitely Devotion; Ranger, definitely Hunter. Sorcerer, probably Chaos. Warlock is hard to peg, since the options are baked-in.

[GlenSmash!]

Only listing single-class official material. No UA

Barbarian: Overall it's Bear Totem. Zealot is fun, but eventually you're going to be hit by a big non-physical attack, fail your save, and wish you had picked Bear Totem.

Until Zealot gets to level 14 and gets to basically ignore all damage while raging.

To me at 14+ Zealot's Rage Beyond Death makes it the pinnacle of Barbarianness

[Arkhios]

I'm going to address a neglected class, regardless of its currently unfinished status: Artificer

IMHO, while I have not played it yet, on paper it's a tie between Artillerist and Battle Smith.

It's kind of a pity, that the Alchemist, while certainly flavorful, seems to be missing something to make it stand out for itself. Having a homunculus is not it. A class feature to produce alchemical items would be.

Archivist, while still an artificer, feels like a wholly different class. While it's been hinted that an Archivist created the first warforged, I don't think this subclass deserves to be the "Peak Form" of the class.

Artillerist, on the other hand, has a mechanically silly "minion": the Turret. If you ignore that, though, Artillerist's status as a Master of Wands is very iconic for the setting the class is made for, both factually and essentially.

Likewise, Battle Smith fits in the setting's lore undisputably. Eberron is in a stagnant state of having just survived a long war. Battle Smiths must be common in a setting like that. However, I feel that the Iron Defender is a bit weird class feature.



Despite its flavorwise oddities, I'm going to say that Battle Smith is the best Artificer subclass.

[Amechra]

For me, Drunken Master is peak Monk - Open Hand might be slightly more iconic, but Drunken Monks epitomize the "kite everyone" combat style the Monk was built for.

[yellowrocket]

Jumping in with my impressions of each class
Barbarian: this is the only class that i cant pick a subclass for.
Bard: Glamour. Who's a better bard than Rasputin or Machiavelli? No imagine what theyd have done with real magic.
Cleric: Life goes back to the origin of the class the divine healer.
Druid: Shepherd is the animal loving defender of nature. Moon and the wild shape or land are great versions, but minionmancy for the win.
Fighter: So torn here. Nothing says fighter like the champion. Fighting is what they do and theyre damn good at it, but the maneuvers make the base class so much better.
Monk: Open hand is what people imagine when they hear monk. Maybe kensai if theyre a weapon monastery lore kind of player.
Paladin: I'm in the minority when i think of the knights and the crusades and think that the conquest paladin is it. Arthur toom land by force. Britannia was conquered.
Ranger: I guess gloomstalker by default. I jist dont see the beastmaster in my minds eye when I think ranger.
Rogue: Thief embodies the class. You dont think AT or assassin. You think of your classic thief. Though swashbuckler wpuld be an acceptable answer as well. (Robin Hood)
Sorcerer: they all seem to work. The draconic seems the most inherited natural power of them all.
Warlock: Great Old One and Fiendish are both classic tropes and they do it so well. Celestial warlock just doesnt do it for me. Be a paladin or a cleric at that point. The Warlock is for seekers of personal power.
Wizard: Havent found one that doesnt work. Divination seems to fit that always prepared with a contingency wizard.

[BloodSnake'sCha]

Barbarian zealots for fighting without dieing.

Wizard illusionist because he learned to do everything.

Bard lore versatility versatility versatility

Sorcerer shadow (Divine Soul for a game with a lot of scrolls)

Cleric life for healing, arcana and tempest for damage

Druid shepherd or moon

Fighter champion, thee is nothing better than a block of steel who hit really hard.

Warlock fey for control, fiend for blasting(I think blasting is almost always bad) with less control and hexblade for defense and damage single target.

Monk shadow I think gives the best movement, great for disabler.

[Mitsu]

In terms of pure power/optimization:

Barbarian: Zealot. Hit hardest, can be unkillable later, can be resurrected for free + fun to roleplay. I personally love Ancestral Guardians as they are really exceptionally great at being tank and support while doing typical barbarian DPR.

Bard: Lore Bard imo is busted with extra Magic Secrets + being biggest skill monkey in game. My second fav is Sword Bard as it multiclass great with Hexblade or Paladin.

Cleric: Arcana for Wish + Sim + Divine Intervention power dream.

Druid: Moon of course. It's not even fun trying to kill Moon Druid and once he has forms that can auto grapple/restrain + summons other creatures that can auto grapple/restrain on hit - he becomes really really pain for enemies.

Fighter: Battle Master for PAM Sentinel Build, EK/Wizard for Nova gish build, Samurai for busted Elf Archer. Huh.. seems like for me Fighter has really balanced subclasses!

Monk: Way of the Long Death. It's just stronger than others.

Paladin: Vengeance. They just get all the good stuff + best to multiclass to Sorcadins, Padlocks or Bardlocks.

Ranger: Gloomstalker, free invisibility and extra attack is great. Plus it's one of top multiclass choices for some powerbuilds.

Rogue: Arcane Trickster of course. Familiar for easy advantage, Booming Blade, Shadow Blade, later Haste + Greater Invisibility. Very good for optimization.

Sorcerer: Divine Soul of course. It has no match. You have FULL cleric spell list + full sorc list, and you can metamagic cleric spells. It's just straight up better than others, especially overrated Draconic.

Warlock: Hexblade of course. Strongest and most broken of all. Best dip in game + very good pure class 1-20, making it a perfect single class gish.

Wizard: Evocation imo takes the cake due to free Sickening Radiance and crazy good Nuclear Wizard build with busted Magic Misslies. But imo it's tied with Illusionist, though this one needs flexible DM.

[SLOTHRPG95]

I know it's UA, which is probably why it's gone unmentioned, but gotta hand it to Order of the Awakened for the Mystic. Aura Sight, Precognition, Psychic Assault, Psychic Inquisition, and Telepathic Contact all feel like they fit old-school psionics well, and going Awakened lets you start with two of them for free. Plus, Psionic Investigation (their 3rd-level Order ability) fits the info-gathering side rather well without costing any psi points.

[Dessunri]

Short answer: Dwarf makes everything better (just a biased opinion though because I love the lore around dwarves)

Real answer: I've only ever played a couple different classes into high level and I'd have to say that my Life Cleric was amazing at his job. Enough armor via heavy armor proficiency (using Dwarf race to ignore the strength requirement and to get the boost to WIS) to be involved in the front lines and make ample use of his spells. Picked up War Caster feat to help with concentration checks and giving those spell attacks as reaction. There's something stupid fun about wading into the thick of it with your fighter, barbarian or paladin and popping Spirit Guardians and then Sacred Flaming/Toll the Dead on whatever's left standing.

Second favorite, though he died at level 13 because apparently I wasn't supposed to 1v1 a fire giant, was my Drunken Master Monk. More for the RP fun of keeping everyone, including the party, assuming that I was in fact actually drunk all the time when in reality I was totally against alcohol as I felt it numbed the senses. Picked up Elven Accuracy to help with advantage rolls but otherwise pretty straight forward hitting things with a spear until my fists and feet did more damage than any weapon I could use.