What’s a fun class/subclass to play in tier 2 (lvls 6-10)?

[Spo]

Been playing adventures leagues a lot lately and some groups are starting at tier 2 with a magic item from a limited list provided.

In your opinion, what is something fun to play with in that range? I already have a aberrant mind sorcerer and a barbarian/rogue multiclass in that range. Any suggestions for build that shine in those levels?

Thanks.

[JNAProductions]

Druids are always fun. Casting, scouting via Wildshape, nifty subclasses...

[da newt]

For AL you can make anything work, so find something that tickles your fancy and go for it. There isn't much need to build OP as the mods aren't written to challenge a high skill party, so feel free to do whatever makes you happy.

[Person_Man]

Tier 2 is really the sweet spot for almost every class or subclass, where you have most of your signature abilities, but aren't in that much danger of being overshadowed by high level magic or insane combos. At those levels, I'm particularly fond of Trickery Cleric, Swords Bard, Soulknife Rogue, Battlesmith Artificer, and Undead Warlock.

[animorte]

Warlock is my favorite class, but especially so in tier 2. Quite a few things have come online at that point to make up for fewer slots. You have your pact boon, a few subclass features, more invocations. Whatever you wanted to do to set your Warlock apart from a cookie-cutter build, it's there.

Surprised nobody has mentioned Paladin yet. Their level 6 aura is quite strong and they really struggle to not be useful (unless everything is stealth and at range).


Tier 2 is really the sweet spot for almost every class or subclass, where you have most of your signature abilities, but aren't in that much danger of being overshadowed by high level magic or insane combos.
Excellent points!

[5eNeedsDarksun]

Warlock is my favorite class, but especially so in tier 2. Quite a few things have come online at that point to make up for fewer slots. You have your pact boon, a few subclass features, more invocations. Whatever you wanted to do to set your Warlock apart from a cookie-cutter build, it's there.

Surprised nobody has mentioned Paladin yet. Their level 6 aura is quite strong and they really struggle to not be useful (unless everything is stealth and at range).


Excellent points!

Hard not to 2nd Paladin. After level 6 you've got aura, extra attack, sounds like a magic weapon based on the OP's description, and enough spells to (somewhat) regularly use them. Somewhat being one'ish' per encounter depending on the table.

[Witty Username]

I am going to be that guy and suggest wizard, but specifically evoker wizard, since I think Tier 2 is the best for it. Blasters work best when the first get their best spells.
Fireball, when you still have a chance of fighting orcs and goblins on the regular feels really good wiping groups of enemies.

[MarkVIIIMarc]

Lore Bard! Bonus Actions, Actions and Reactions.

Keeps the combat flowing.

Is mentally challenging. You're married to your known spells so you have to plan.

You can just end encounters, if you can figure out the right combinations of spells. You will not be able to float through combat saying, "Eldritch Blast" rolling two D20s a d!amage dice or two and the get back to your phone until your turn comes up.

I love:
Healing Word
Dissonant Whispers
Heat Metal
Counter Spell
And consider Conjure Animals to pair with Dissonant Whispers.

[RogueJK]

Multiclass combos that shine in Tier 2 include:

Paladin 6/Hexblade Warlock 1/Sorcerer X

Fighter 1/Undead Bladelock X

Swarmkeeper Ranger 3/Stars Druid X

Life or Peace Cleric 1/Lore Bard X

Bladesinger Wizard 2/Arcane Trickster Rogue X

Barbarian, Ranger, or Fighter 5/Rogue X

[Bobthewizard]

I like to play gishes and this is a great tier for them.

I like half-elf hexblades using thirsting blade, eldritch smite, elven accuracy and GWM at level 8. Add either darkness/devils sight or shadow of moil for triple advantage. Or my new favorite warlock spell, summon shadowspawn, for flanking.

Bladesinger is great at these levels, too. Extra attack at level 6 with one of them being a cantrip. They are fun to pop in and out of melee. Take the mobile feat. It's fun.

Although I agree that these are great levels for evoker wizards. Fireball is still powerful and sculpted sickening radiance or dawn are outstanding.

[Person_Man]

Multiclass combos that shine in Tier 2 include:

Paladin 6/Hexblade Warlock 1/Sorcerer X

Fighter 1/Undead Bladelock X

Swarmkeeper Ranger 3/Stars Druid X

Life or Peace Cleric 1/Lore Bard X

Bladesinger Wizard 2/Arcane Trickster Rogue X

Barbarian, Ranger, or Fighter 5/Rogue X

Yes, a lot of multiclass builds excel at mid levels. You just have to watch out for Extra Attack. If you’re starting your game as Whatvever 5ish/Something X you’re fine. But if you’re waiting extra levels for your multiclass combo to kick in while everyone else is making 2 attacks per round it can be very painful. (Unless your build relies on cantrips or whatever).

Same deal with Feats, which can transform a class but are often missed in multiclass builds.

[Hael]

Tier2 is where a lot of classes power curves cross over.

Fighters for instance really come online at lvl6, and kinda take the martial crown for a few lvls (usually until lvl 8 or so) where before they were kinda lesser Rangers or Paladins.

Barbarians/Rogues and monks start to fade in power relatively speaking.

Bards, Sorcerors and Wizards start really coming online and eventually (end of tier2) overtake clerics/druids. Warlocks IMO fade a bit b/c they start hitting spell slot issues relative to the other casters.

Paladins come online at 6 (and really 8) and basically become the best halfcaster where Rangers stagnate a bit relatively speaking. (Artificer stay middling).

[ATHATH]

Alright, a lot of people here have posted practical combinations, so I'm gonna post an impractical one: MAX OVERKILL, MMotM!Bugbear Fighter 2/Fiend!Warlock 5+. Magic item: Rod of the Pact Keeper +1. Lv. 4 Feat: Alert.


Surprise Attack. If you hit a creature with an attack roll, the creature takes an extra 2d6 damage if it hasn’t taken a turn yet in the current combat.
Fun fact about the Mordenkainen's Monsters of the Multiverse bugbear reprint/update: Surprise Attack no longer requires the target to be surprised and no longer has a 1/turn restriction.

If I was a good writer, I'd write up a character piece surrounding this, probably involving some cowboy imagery. But I'm not, so I'll get straight to the point: Once per short rest, if he rolls higher than his victim(s) on initiative, MAX OVERKILL redirects the (pre-existing) Hex he's concentrating on onto a victim, then casts a Scorching Ray that fires 4+ rays at them that deal 5d6 damage each (2d6 base + 2d6 SA + 1d6 Hex) to them. Then he pops his Action Surge and casts another Scorching Ray that fires 4+ more rays that also deal 5d6 damage each.

That's what he does. Outside of spamming Eldritch Blast (and brooding), that's all he does, since his gimmick costs both of his short rest spell slots and his concentration (on the Hex he casts each morning immediately before taking a short rest). But by god, he does it well.

Some people may argue that the Fighter 2 dip for Action Surge is overkill and that it's better to just go pure Fiendlock. They might be right- pure Fiendlock has a much less awkward lv. 6 (not having 8 hour Hex yet as an F/F hurts), gets to Dark One's Own Luck sooner for more consistent initiative rolls, and generally is much less pigeonholed into its gimmick.

But MAX OVERKILL doesn't give a rat's ass about trivial things like "being useful in more than one fight per short rest", "having a backup plan for fighting fire-immune enemies", or "not being beaten in initiative by an important boss due to a single poor initiative roll". The only thing he cares about is leaving an impression, and he does that by directing the unmatched power of the sun at one level 1 goblin rapper per short rest. (https://youtu.be/nYuelZVkPvw)

... Lowkey, this campaign seems like a golden opportunity for the BB F/F meme build to actually do well, as it:
1. Is going to start in Tier 2, which bypasses most of the build's T1 growing pains (which are its primary disadvantage vs. pure Fiendlocks).
2. Will let you start with a magic item (a Rod of the Pact Keeper to refresh your concentration on Hex if it gets broken is really nice to have).
3. Will use pre-made adventures, which means that your DM(s) won't be tempted to tweak boss HP totals to account for your very swingy/nova-y damage output.

P.S.: Partnering up with a Darkness+Devil's Sight abuser whose Darkness you can mooch off of (concentrating on Darkness yourself means no Hex bonus damage) will do wonders for your Scorching Ray DPS and your odds of getting those flashy, T1, full health-to-0 kills.

[animorte]

Alright, a lot of people here have posted practical combinations, so I'm gonna post an impractical one
I really hope you get something cool started with this. I want to see more of this and I have my own idea. I fully intend to add it to the eclectic collection.

Harengon Barbarian 1/Vengeance Paladin 3+/Swashbuckler 3+: Duelist
Comes fully online in Tier 2, but that's not much different than anything really.

Point-buy. Three +1s to any stat.
Str-8, Dex-16, Con-16, Int-8, Wis-8, Cha-16
ASIs bump Dex > Con > Cha

Barbarian Unarmored Defense + Shield = 18 AC
Harengon + Rakish Audacity = add Dex, Cha, and Proficiency bonus to initiative
Challenge bad guy to a duel, tell everybody to stand back, Channel Divinity: Vow of Enmity bonus action, proceed to lay the smack down by hopping all over the place, expending smite slots, etc.

I have something like this and I've tried various combinations: Without Barbarian, more levels of Paladin instead of Rogue, Hexblade added for Hexblade's Curse, without any Paladin... It's always been fun and I still don't know which I prefer. The Rogue primary allows more utility out of combat and levels reliable Sneak Attack Damage.

[JNAProductions]

Multiclass requirements though…

[animorte]

Multiclass requirements though…
Oh yeah, forgot to mention we've waived those at our table... Oops.

[Oramac]

I would HIGHLY recommend the Tempest Sorcerer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?493427-Tempest-Sorcerer-Tank). Can't say enough good things about this one.

The linked build was from WAAAAY back, but it's all still applicable, and you've got even more great options now. It's so much fun.

[RogueJK]

I would HIGHLY recommend the Tempest Sorcerer (https://forums.giantitp.com/showthread.php?493427-Tempest-Sorcerer-Tank). Can't say enough good things about this one.

The linked build was from WAAAAY back, but it's all still applicable, and you've got even more great options now. It's so much fun.

That build predates Transmute Spell metamagic, which makes the 2 level Tempest Cleric dip even better, as any elemental damage spell can now be Maximized Thunder/Lightning damage.

Tempest Cleric 2/Scribes Wizard X is also a similar concept that's become available since that posting, with the similar ability to swap elemental damage to Thunder/Lightning, and can do it even more frequently since they don't have to burn Sorcery Points to do so.

[Oramac]

That build predates Transmute Spell metamagic, which makes the 2 level Tempest Cleric dip even better, as any elemental damage spell can now be Maximized Thunder/Lightning damage.

Tempest Cleric 2/Scribes Wizard X is also a similar concept that's become available since that posting, with the similar ability to swap elemental damage to Thunder/Lightning, and can do it even more frequently since they don't have to burn Sorcery Points to do so.

Indeed. That's the stuff I was alluding to in my post. Just didn't type it all out.

The TL;DR is, it's a great build and tons of fun.

[nickl_2000]

1) Bard, you've skipped the annoying level 1 and 2 where bards haven't come into their own and you have already gotten to level 5 and picked up Font of Inspiration. So, you get to start with massive uses. I would consider Valor (I know, others hate it but I like the armor prof when you start with it), Lore (magic secrets when you start), or Swords if you are wanting to be versitial.

2) Armorer or Battlesmith Artificer. Again since you are starting with the subclass features, it gives you the ability to mess with your stats and play around with them instead of struggling through levels 1 and 2.

3) Paladin, really any. You get to start with Aura of Protection, and that is just plain awesome.

4) Drakewarden Ranger - You get 2 attacks and once you hit level 7 you have a dragon mount.


I've been itching to play and armorer artificer, so that is likely what I would play.

[Fedifensor]

Given magic item limits and the method of acquiring new ones (pretty sparse unless you pick the specific adventures with good items), I would recommend an Armorer Artificer. You can have 3 infused items at 6th level, 5 at 9th (two of those must be in your armor), and 6 at 10th. That's in addition to the maximum of three magic items that Adventurers League allows you at Tier 2.

[PallyBass]

Valor/Swords Bard and Bladesinger Wizard come to mind as they gain Extra Attack at Level 6, so you start off feeling very much like a martial caster from the get-go. Multiclass paladin 5 Hexblade Warlock 1 also comes online at level 6 with Extra Attack.

[Yakmala]

Almost all classes are fun in the Tier 2 range, but if I had to pick just one, I'd say the Bard, specifically either Lore or Eloquence.

You have a wide range of useful spells, can steal spells from other classes, have expertise in a number of skills and you are the master of social encounters. Basically, you have all pillars of the game covered.

Go Lore if you want to have a greater variety of spells and more skills.

Go Eloquence if you want to dominate social encounters and make your enemies fail all their spell saves.

[RogueJK]

I would consider Valor (I know, others hate it but I like the armor prof when you start with it)

The issue is that you can gain this Valor feature with a half-feat (Moderately Armored) or a 1 level multiclass dip, but you can't gain better Bard subclass abilities via feat or dip.

So the cost of going Valor primarily for Medium Armor and Shield proficiency is pretty steep, by saddling yourself with the other mediocre subclass abilities instead of the significantly better abilities available from some of the other Bard subclasses.

If you're wanting a martial Bard with Extra Attack, either a Moderately Armored Swords Bard or a Swords Bard with a Hexblade or Cleric or Artificer dip is a straight upgrade to Valor Bard.

(Plus, when starting from Level 1, a Moderately Armored VHuman/CLineage Bard can be wearing medium armor and wielding a shield from the start, rather than having to wait until Level 3 for this ability to come online, thus mitigating one of the Bard annoyances that you mentioned.)

[nickl_2000]

The issue is that you can gain this Valor feature with a half-feat (Moderately Armored) or a 1 level multiclass dip, but you can't gain better Bard subclass abilities via feat or dip.

So the cost of going Valor primarily for Medium Armor and Shield proficiency is pretty steep, by saddling yourself with the other mediocre subclass abilities instead of the significantly better abilities available from some of the other Bard subclasses.

If you're wanting a martial Bard with Extra Attack, either a Moderately Armored Swords Bard or a Swords Bard with a Hexblade or Cleric or Artificer dip is a straight upgrade to Valor Bard.

(Plus, when starting from Level 1, a Moderately Armored VHuman/CLineage Bard can be wearing medium armor and wielding a shield from the start, rather than having to wait until Level 3 for this ability to come online, thus mitigating one of the Bard annoyances that you mentioned.)

You aren't wrong in anything you say here, but if you are starting at level 6 you can use a feat on something else and you don't lose any bard spell progression from multi-classing. I think there is an argument for it in this situation, although there are better choices overall.

[Snowbluff]

Valor/Swords Bard and Bladesinger Wizard come to mind as they gain Extra Attack at Level 6, so you start off feeling very much like a martial caster from the get-go.

I'll second these. Getting both your extra attack and 3rd level spells is a big leg up. I took a bladesinger in AL nearly to 20 and enjoyed it.

Pally Lock is also good, but I think having a hexblade dip isn't as useful unless you already have aura of prot or are expecting to level to 7 quickly. When you do have it, though, the stat bumps are very good.

[Person_Man]

The issue is that you can gain this Valor feature with a half-feat (Moderately Armored) or a 1 level multiclass dip, but you can't gain better Bard subclass abilities via feat or dip.

So the cost of going Valor primarily for Medium Armor and Shield proficiency is pretty steep, by saddling yourself with the other mediocre subclass abilities instead of the significantly better abilities available from some of the other Bard subclasses.

If you're wanting a martial Bard with Extra Attack, either a Moderately Armored Swords Bard or a Swords Bard with a Hexblade or Cleric or Artificer dip is a straight upgrade to Valor Bard.

(Plus, when starting from Level 1, a Moderately Armored VHuman/CLineage Bard can be wearing medium armor and wielding a shield from the start, rather than having to wait until Level 3 for this ability to come online, thus mitigating one of the Bard annoyances that you mentioned.)

I agree with all of this. Also, just want to point out that any build relying on Extra Attack for DPR really really wants 18 or 20 Dex or Str anyway, for the to-hit rolls. A Bard will presumably go with high Dex, giving up a few points of damage per round from a two handed weapon for better Initiative, Dex Saves, Stealth, maybe TWF, the option to switch to a bow when enemies are out of movement distance, etc. And if you avoid spells with a Saving Throw and focus on buffs and utility, you don’t need 20 Cha the way other casters need it. So medium armor typically isn’t needed for Bards, outside of niche Str builds.

[Leon]

Anything can be "fun" or not depending on what you like, make a list of the classes you haven't played and assign it a number then roll a couple of times to make a short list and choose from that. Once you have that shortlist as well maybe then consider what subclasses you might like from those reduced list of classes

[ATHATH]

Absorc 6+/Order Cleric 1s also really get their stuff together in T2, since they can cast Silvery Barbs for just 1 SP AND give a friendly melee rogue an off-turn sneak attack (with advantage) every time they cast it.