Dungeons & Dragons is one of the best games for giving players a customizable experience, but making the right choices can massively affect gameplay in ways newer players often can’t anticipate. Clerics are an excellent class for keeping options open as Clerics excel in both the magical and martial options of D&D. Still, not all of the subclasses available to Clerics get that balance right. Some Cleric subclasses are firmly better than others. Sorting out the best from the worst can make all the difference between a player who dominates every combat encounter and one scrambling to catch up with their party.
What makes Clerics such a tempting option is just how well they balance the opposing skillsets of the martial and the magical. Proficiencies with weapons, shields, and armor are indispensable for characters looking to get into the middle of a fray, and spellcasting quickly becomes one of the most powerful and versatile options available to any character. Where some players looking to optimize might go wrong with their Cleric is in leaning too heavily to one side of those two options.
One of the worst Cleric domains to choose a subclass in is Arcana for just this reason. Limiting the Armor Class, a Cleric can ascend to with simply Medium armor; Arcana Domain clerics are not quite as capable of taking damage as many of the alternative options. Part of the appeal to the subclass comes in granting Wizard spells typically unavailable to a Cleric, but special abilities like Spell Breaker and Potent Spellcasting offer options inferior to what many of the Wizard subclasses can offer if a player just fully commits to that direction. War Domain has much the same problem in the opposite direction, overcommitting Clerics to combat where they could have far more use as a Paladin more capable of utilizing their Concentration and Bonus Actions.
Instead, the best Cleric options are the domains which do both the magical and the martial equally well. The Forge is possibly the best option for achieving that, allowing for proficiency in heavy armor and some of the best domain spells of any Cleric. Identify and Searing Smite serve as wonderful starting options, and Heat Metal and Wall of Fire become go-to ranged combat spells any Cleric can get use out of even when they ascend to the highest levels.
While War may sound like a great option for the more combat-oriented Clerics, Peace ironically turns out to be far more valuable to a party already equipped with Fighters and Barbarians better able to handle combat. By adding a fantastic chunk of damage with Emboldening Bond to the rest of their party, a Peace Cleric becomes an immediately valuable asset to have on your side on the battlefield. Abilities like Balm of Peace and Protective Balm further boost the help they offer as they defend and heal the party during combat at almost no cost while continuing to add to their damage as the Cleric gains levels.
Clerics are arguably one of the best classes in the game, becoming literal life-savers when the party needs them most. Yet it is key to remember that they can still be valuable contributors to a party even when there is no healing or resurrection to be done. With the Peace and Forge options, a Cleric can maximize their contributions in combat so they are more than just a nurse waiting on the sidelines. Participation becomes even more fun and being more effective only boosts that fun even more. By sticking to their stronger options and straying away from the weaker ones, Clerics can be well on their way to maximizing their fun every bit as much as their efficiency.
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