D&D: Five of the Most Exciting Classes in 5.5E
There’s a new edition brewing, and that means it’s time to dream about new characters. Here’s what we’re excited about.
The previews are out for what you’ll see in the new edition of D&D, coming out on September 17th (or earlier if you go in for the pre-order, or were lucky enough to get one at Gen Con). And based on what we’ve seen so far, the new edition has some exciting changes in store. In D&D 5.5E several of the classes have been overhauled. Many of the spells have been revised.
And while it’ll be a while before we know who the winners and losers of the new edition will be, the time to start thinking about your next character is right now. Here are five of the classes we’re most excited to get into with the new ruleset.
Monk
Monks are first on the list, because the whole class has seen such a substantive change from how they were in 5E. Watch the class update teaser video and you’ll hear them say “a whole new class” so many times.
With improved features like a Step of the Wind or Patient Defense that don’t cost a Focus/Ki point, and with more abilities that scale as you level up, to the point where you’ll do more than just flurry of blows for as many stunning fists as you can toss out, the new Monk sounds real exciting. And that’s not even mentioning the subclasses!
Warlock
Warlocks got a lot of love. Over the course of the Playtest, we saw Warlocks lose and then regain Pact Magic as a core feature of their class. Now, Warlocks will all cast more spells overall. And they’ll be at the highest level, which is fun.
But what really gets the neurons firing about playing a Warlock in the new edition, is the revised Warlock Invocation and improved Warlock Pacts. Now, things like Pact of the Blade and Pact of the Chain have better options, but also have invocations that you can pick up and play around with starting real early. The invocations have been revised – rumor has it that there aren’t as many “autopicks” any more because the other invocations have been overhauled.
Barbarian
Barbarians were fun in 5E. But in 5.5E, they sound like they’ll be amazing. With incredible resilience and better staying-power, thanks to the ability to refresh the Barbarian Rage on a Short Rest, that’s already pretty exciting.
But then there’s Brutal Strike, which lets you exchange reckless attack’s advantage for more damage and extra effects that you can just keep piling on. Send opponents flying back, reduce their speed, and that’s just the start.
Druid
The new Wild Shape rules alone make Druids a more interesting option. Even if the only thing WotC did was change Druids so that they can speak while Wild Shaped, they would still be plenty appealing.
But on top of that, the class got some major buffs in the form of customizability. You can play as a spellcasting or melee druid and decide whether you want to focus on Wild Shaping or doing the rest of the cool stuff that Druid has always been able to do, but has kind of taken a back seat because of how good Combat Wild Shape was, especially at low levels. But now every Druid has at least a little of that. Cannot wait to see how they play.
Bard
Bards are everyone’s secret second favorite class, I’m convinced. From designers to players who have been waiting to be a disaster Bard, everyone has thoughts and opinions about them. And they’re easily one of the most exciting new classes, because not only do they have more magic than ever—and they do, starting at 10th level, Bards have so many magical tools to play with thanks to the improved magical secrets feature—but they also have reworked Bardic Inspiration.
There’s more to do with it. Bards have access to some fun stuff just as a whole, and their subclasses really put them over the top. The new College of Dance especially, but more on that later.
What class are YOU most excited about playing in the new edition?
