What Is The Hardest D&D Class To Play & Why? (2024)

Many classes have a claim to the title of "hardest class to play." There's the DnD druid's multiple stat blocks, the wizard's expansive spellbook, the rogue's strategic necessity, et cetera. Suffice it to say that every class has its complications, and there's some subjectivity on the topic. The difficulty of a DnD build depends not only on the amount of upkeep the player has to do, but also their familiarity with the game. Some people don't mind pulling up creature stats for Wild Shape, and the wizard's bevy of spells is as much a boon as it is a burden.

But there really is one certain class that takes the difficulty cake. It requires extensive planning - not just during character creation, but before every session and sometimes, during every long rest. It's not a bad or impossible class by any means, but it's not for the faint of heart - and certainly not for new players who have barely skimmed their handbooks. Even so, with the right build, a little forethought, and a lot of strategic thinking, it can provide numerous options for engaging roleplay and combat prowess. Here's everything to know about DnD's hardest class.

Sorcerer Is D&D's Hardest Class To Play

Sorcerers Are Known Spellcasters

Due to their complicated class features, subclass variations, and upkeep requirements, sorcerers are the hardest class to play in DnD. They're as fragile as wizards, with fewer spells, and have the most replenishable resources to budget and keep track of. Players will need to be extensively familiar with DnD rules, and know exactly what they want from their characters from the very beginning, in order to make effective, well-rounded, and enjoyably playable sorcerers. So why would anyone want to play one?

As far as lore goes, the primary thing that differentiates one spellcasting DnD class from another is the source of its magic. Sorcerers usually derive their magic from their ancestors - it's passed down from generation to generation. However, some sorcerers also gain magic powers from traumatic life events, usually near-death experiences with fey or other powerful magic beings. Building on this inherent drama can help create interesting characters, like descendants of legendary mages who struggle to live up to their potential, or troubled mystics still scarred by an encounter they can't quite understand.

Sorcerers also have access to a pretty extensive spellbook - not quite as many spells as wizards, but they can do many of the same things. Unfortunately, they're known spellcasters, which makes them slightly less flexible than prepared casters, since they can only change their spells when they level up. They use Charisma as a spellcasting modifier, which means a powerful sorcerer will also be a skilled smooth talker. Sorcerers excel at damage and debuffing spells, but to some extent, the spells they're best at depend on various class options chosen by the player. That's where things start to get complicated.

D&D Sorcerers Choose Their Subclasses At First Level

Sorcerous Origins, Explained

Another factor in their difficulty is that sorcerers choose their subclasses (Sorcerous Origins) at level one, unlike most other DnD classes, which typically don't specialize into subclasses one until level three. This gives other classes time to learn what works about their characters before they decide which aspects to commit to, a luxury sorcerers aren't afforded. Also unlike most other classes, sorcerer subclasses can greatly affect a character's playstyle. While a fighter's Martial Archetype, for example, doesn't preclude them from performing actions that aren't part of their subclass features, a sorcerer's subclass can greatly affect the spells they have access to.

Perhaps the best known Sorcerous Origin is Wild Magic. A Wild Magic sorcerer can be incredibly fun - but also incredibly dangerous - to play. Whenever a Wild Magic sorcerer casts a spell, the DM can roll a d20. If they roll a one, they'll trigger a Wild Magic Surge - a random magical effect. These can range from the helpful (regaining all expended sorcery points) to the harmful (polymorphing into a sheep) to the useless (balding instantly). It's impossible to prepare for all of these potential effects, but players will need to be ready to compensate for them.

Other Sorcerous Origins include Clockwork Soul, which gives players time-based magic; Draconic Bloodline, which gives players special bonuses to spells that inflict certain kinds of damage; and Lunar Sorcery, which causes the player's spellbook to change with the phases of the moon. Storm Sorcery is excellent for casters of air-elemental spells, and Shadow Magic is great for edgy characters haunted by the depths of their own power. Divine Soul gives sorcerers bonuses derived from the favor of the gods. The Runechild subclass is especially interesting (and complicated), though, in that it gives the sorcerer even more spells and an additional number to keep track of (runes, which can be expended to activate subclass features).

But no matter which subclass the player chooses, they're inevitably required to make some serious character decisions at level one, and stick with them for the remainder of the campaign. For that reason alone, making a sorcerer is very difficult. That goes double for new players. Those unfamiliar with the rules can easily railroad themselves onto unfavorable progression tracks before they know what they're doing.

Metamagic & Sorcery Points Explained

And playing a sorcerer doesn't get any less complicated after character creation. Most DnD classes have one main number to keep track of, one main resource to manage: casters have their spell slots, barbarians have their Rage Charges, monks have their ki points, et cetera. Sorcerers have at least two: their spell slots and their Sorcery Points, not to mention their runes if they go down the Runechild path. Gained at the second level, Sorcery Points can at first be expended to gain extra spell slots, and vice versa.

And while most other classes are taking their subclasses at level three, sorcerers instead gain a new feature called Metamagic. Metamagic unlocks seemingly infinite new options for the expenditure of Sorcery Points, but it must be used carefully in order to remain effective. In short, Metamagic is used to alter the nature of spells. For example, Distant Spell can extend a spell's range, and Quickened Spell allows the caster to reduce a spell's casting time. Other Metamagic options are more useful situationally - Careful Spell can protect allies from the caster's area of effect spells, and Subtle Spell eliminates the need for somatic and verbal components.

Here's the problem, though: a sorcerer is only allowed to take two Metamagic options at third level, and can't change them or take any more until tenth. That means players will need to choose their options with extreme care. They'll need to consider both the spells they have and the spells they plan to take later, determining which of each of their chosen Metamagic options will best serve their spells and vice versa.

So it's easy to make bad choices when building and leveling up a sorcerer, and sorcerers are required to keep track of more stats than most. But all these complicated mechanics don't make sorcerers a bad class, per se. Sorcerers can be a lot of fun, and can be incredibly effective both in and out of combat. It just requires a lot of prep and upkeep to get there. That said, with their powerful spells, unique subclasses, and roleplaying potential, sorcerers can be among the most interesting characters in Dungeons & Dragons.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 byErnest Gary Gygax and David Arneson.The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the '70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.

Franchise

Original Release Date

1974-00-00

Publisher

TSR Inc. , Wizards of the Coast

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson

Player Count

2-7 Players