[Top 5] D&D Best Beginner Classes That Are Fun To Play

D&D: The best way to leave your house without leaving your house.

Updated:

03 Dec 2020

New to the world of ttrpgs? The most fun classes to play for D&D beginners are just below!

New to Dungeons and Dragons? Intimidated by the thickness of the Player’s Handbook? Unsure where to even begin? Never fear! GamersDecide has got your back. Read on to see what the best and most fun classes are for D&D beginners.

5. Druid

A proud gnome druid about to tell you like it is.

Love nature and aren’t afraid to start learning the spell casting mechanics of D&D? Druid is definitely a well thought out choice. Druids aren’t totally dependent on magic for combat, but their most effective hits will usually be magical--plus shape-shifting into an animal is pretty rad.

What Makes a Druid Fun to Play?:

You get Wild Shape at level 2! You can use an action to magically assume the shape of an animal that your character has seen before. It’s pretty sick to be able to change into a wolf twice per long rest.
You get to choose a druidic circle to follow at level 2, which can give you different kinds of spells and abilities. For example, at level two Circle of the Land Druid gains a bonus cantrip and the ability called Natural Recovery that allows them to recover some used spell slots during a short rest. This means your Druid can be a part of a niche group, and it’ll show through combat and aid in your role-play!
As a class, Druids are known to get powerful as they rise through the levels. They can be difficult to take down once they can use Wild Shape more often. If you want to play a character that can be intimidating in a fun and different way, Druid is a great choice.

Pick Druid if…

You want to play a nature-loving character and/or a character who is The Mom Friend.
You like being able to act as a support to your fellow players, and want to be able to heal and cast buffs.
You always wanted superpowers like Poison Ivy.

Druid full details at https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/druid

4. Ranger

I don't think this ranger has a "nice kitty". Well, it's probably nice to her. But nobody else.

Rangers get a bad rap in the D&D community for not being the strongest of classes. However, I argue that since D&D is not solely about combat that that doesn’t matter for all players or campaigns. Sometimes, you just want to role-play a mysterious hunter with a hawk buddy and a proficiency for mountain climbing, and that’s valid.

What Makes a Ranger Fun to Play?:

As I just said, rangers can be fun to create a character around. They have the mysteriousness of a rogue combined with the battle mastery of a fighter, and that can be such an intriguing combination to play.
Rangers have mild spell-casting abilities, but not enough slots or types of spells to be too confusing. So, you can have fun casting spells such as Pass Without a Trace or Hunter’s Mark without any need to rely on magic to do damage in combat.
At level 3, you get to choose a Ranger Archetype: Hunter or Beast Master. Hunter allows you to become a master of fighting wild things, and you can choose which of three techniques your character learns. Beast Master means that your character gains an animal companion that can fight in battles with you. Both allow not only engaging combat but fun role-play.

Pick Ranger if…

You like the idea of playing a druidic/nature-based class, but want to be able to do more effective non-magical damage in battle.
You want an animal companion but don’t want to deal with the complexities of being a warlock.
You want to role-play an “edgy” character and want to break the mold of rogue = edgy.

Ranger full details at https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/ranger

3. Rogue

That sneak attack damage is about to kick your ass.

Oh, the rogue. If you’ve heard anything about D&D, you’ve probably heard about how the rogue is usually an edgy “emo kid” who tries to steal everything that isn’t nailed down. While this is definitely a fun way to play a rogue, there are so many other cool ways you can play this class.

What Makes a Rogue Fun to Play?:

Rogues are naturally stealthy and dextrous, meaning you could totally climb a wall into a nobleman’s bedroom and stab him in his sleep. You know. If you’re interested in that.
Rogues can be spell casters if you’re interested in magic through the Rogue Archetype, Arcane Trickster. But if you’re too stressed out by the magic system, you can totally be a rogue that deals competitive damage using a combo of Sneak Attack, daggers, and pure instinctual chaos.
Rogues have specific combat actions that include Dash, Disengage, and Hide that help you to sneak around the battlefield, popping up in unexpected places to stab a guy a few times, and then disappear into the wind once more.

Pick Rogue if…

You want to play a character that has a sneaky sort of past, such as Criminal, Urchin, or Outlander.
You always wanted to be a ninja as a kid.
You want to carry your Assassins Creed obsession over to another medium.

Rogue full details at https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/rogue

2. Fighter

Fighters have seen some things, and this guy's no different.

Playing a Fighter may not sound very interesting, but hear me out. For beginners, the D&D magic system can be scary and confusing, so why not avoid it? Playing a fighter lets you be one of the stars of combat— you deal more damage at lower levels and get to be an expert in one of six bad-ass fighting styles.

What Makes a Fighter Fun to Play?:

Your fighter character doesn’t have to be a sword-wielding duel-seeker. You can be an expert archer, a dual weapon wielding master, a shield bashing protector, or an armor aficionado! Plenty of role-playing options available.
When your character gets to level 3, you attain Martial Archetype, which allows you to pick up another fighting style that gains you crazy abilities as you level up. More abilities equal more insanely cool battle sequences!
If you want to eventually pick up spell-casting, there are so many options for unique and easy to play builds! In fact, the Eldritch Knight Martial Archetype includes spell-casting, so it’s all there for you in the Player’s Handbook.

Pick Fighter if…

You want to be able to get right up in the faces of combat enemies and start whaling on them.
You wanted to be a knight as a kid.
You want to role-play a character that is immensely strong with above-average intelligence. This class fits well with a lot of cool backgrounds that include Soldier, Sailor, Criminal, or Noble.

Fighter full details at https://www.dndbeyond.com/classes/fighter

1. Barbarian

Any enemy who sees this is about to pee themselves.

Have you ever just wanted to be able to kick the crap out of stuff? Role-playing a barbarian will fulfill that dream for you. And not only that--combat as a Barbarian is simple and satisfying.

What Makes a Barbarian Fun to Play?:

Hitting stuff. A lot. For a LOT of damage.
Raging! You get an advantage on Strength checks and saving throws, gain a bonus to any attack using Strength, and take half damage from bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage. Basically, you can mow down anything in your path, which is a relief after a long week.
You can role-play your inner himbo OR flip the script and make a surprisingly intelligent rampager. Either way, this is a class to play if you like to do comedy role-play.

Pick Barbarian if…