'Dungeons & Dragons': The Best (And Worst) Builds For New Players

Tabletop Games

Jan 19

If you are considering joining a Dungeons & Dragons campaign for the first time, character sheets, DnD Beyond, and endless amounts of dice can all be very daunting. Designing a character is the most important aspect of the game, get it wrong, and the campaign can be a washout. So here are some simple builds for brand-new players, (that will still be effective), as well as some of the most complicated ones that are best avoided.

The Best Builds For New Players

Barbarian

Barbarians are swole and angry. As a result, they can take and deal a lot of damage. This nice simple warrior build is perfect for a first-time player. In a battle, the Barbarian tends to focus on one or two weapons. There are also only a few class-specific actions to worry about, e.g. rage. However, the character is always the first one jumping into the fight, so they are likely to be in the middle of the action for most of the campaign. The paths give a lot of potential for expanding the backstory, so it’s worth looking at those before you begin. And make sure you keep stocked up on healing potions.

Recommended races: Goliath, Half-Orc, Mountain Dwarf

Recommended paths: Berserker, Zealot or Beast

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Fighter

Fighters can be similar to the barbarian, but have better dexterity, and are proficient in a greater number of weapons. They can’t take as much damage as a barbarian, but to make up for it, some of the fighter classes have arcana abilities. This class can be as simple or as complex as the build makes it, and extremely fun. Some of the paths, such as Echo Knight have abilities that aren’t seen anywhere else in Dungeons & Dragons.

Recommended races: High Elves, Wood Elves, Yuan-Ti

Recommended paths: Battlemaster, Echo Knight, Rune Knight

Warlock

If a new player has their heart set on being a spellcaster warlock. Warlocks have minimal spell slots (only one in level one, two up to level four), making it easier to manage, rather than the extensive spellbooks of the wizard. To make it even simpler, the only offensive spell the player is likely to need is the Eldritch Blast cantrip. Until a newbie gets to grips with the game, they can merrily blast everything with 1d10 force damage (with additional beams at 5th, 11th, and 17th level). That’s how most people play this class anyway.

A warlock has to choose a patron, but this doesn’t occur until level 3, which gives a new player time to adjust to the gameplay. Be warned, the Dungeon Master might have their own ideas and rules for how a warlock interacts with their patron, so it’s worth asking about this in session zero.

Recommended races: Tiefling, Half-Elf, or Eladrin Elf (as comes with Misty Step)

Recommended paths: Hexblade, a blend of spellcasting and melee.

Worst Builds For New Players

Artificer

An artificer uses spells to create tools and magical items. There is huge potential for a creative player in this class, but it’s complex for a beginner. The multiple charts for the complex spellwork can be overwhelming for a newbie. But in a standard dungeon crawl, strategies, and creative thinking are required to make this ability useful. Because artificers don’t have that many offensive spells, the player might find themselves sidelined for large portions of the game without proper planning. A confident player will create their own opportunities to shine, and an experienced DM will allow each player to use their strengths. But without either of these, an artificer can be a hard class to play.

Make It Even Harder: Select an Artillerist

Druid

Wildshape might sound like a cool ability. But in reality, it means you have to know the stat block for the animals you change into. Although this has been simplified in a recent update, it’s still a lot of work. There’s a reason why it’s the druids that always turn up to DnD sessions with a thick notepad. It’s because they have to not only keep track of their wildshape forms in whatever form but also any families, the location, and state of the 16 wolves they’ve befriended through the Speak with Animals spell. The rules for druids and wild shape in particular changed during the 2024 5e update, so check at session zero which version your Dungeon Master is using, just in case.

Make It Even Harder: Choose the Circle of the Moon Druid path.

Wild Magic Sorcerer

This origin gives the Dungeon Master the ability to hit you with a surge of untamed magic once per turn. Additionally, if the Sorcerer uses their Tides of Chaos bonus, they get hit with another. The surge means that whatever effect the DM rolls from the wild magic table (d100 table) the player is stuck with. This could turn the player into a potted plant, color their skin blue, or give them an additional action. This quirk is hilarious and can keep the game interesting, especially for a player who is good at roleplay and can think on their feet. But for a new player, it’s a lot to deal with. Sorcerers also use sorcery points, on top of the four cantrips and two spell slots. This makes the Wild Magic Sorcerer a very difficult build.

Make It Even Harder: Choose to be a Changeling.

Hopefully, this has given you some ideas for future campaigns. If you are a new player, the most important thing is to discuss your character with your Dungeon Master in session zero, and they might give you hints about what might be most appropriate for the world they have created and the team assembled. For example, if the campaign takes place on an island nation, a water breather might be useful, in caverns, a race with dark vision. Similarly, if everyone in the group has chosen spellcaster builds, then a Barbarian or a fighter might be more useful. Enjoy your first campaign.

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