D&D 5e: Ultimate Multiclassing Guide

Tier S: You really can't go wrong here. These two just complement each other so well.
Tier A: There are a lot of good class combinations here that can make for some solid builds.
Tier B: There is some clear synergy here, but not as much as Gold or Sky Blue. May take some optimization to ensure the multiclass adds to the build.
Tier C: This is decent, but doesn't really make the class better at its core strengths or may be MAD
Tier D: You are forgoing too much in your core class, compared to what you can gain. Possible for some niche builds, but probably best avoided. Likely MAD.
Tier F: The lack of synergy here is just offensive. It's MAD. An experienced player might be able to make it work, but I'd recommend avoiding it altogether.

Most multiclassing involves dips or at the very least one class of greater level than the other. For this reason, I have separated the multiclasses into dipping or adding to
your core class. For the purpose of this guide a Fighter/Rogue represents a character with more levels in fighter than rogue, and Rogue/Fighter a character with more
rogue levels than fighter. This is not at all dependent on the timing of the levels taken, for instance a wizard that takes his first level in fighter (then proceeds in wizard x)
will be considered a Wizard/Fighter. This distinction is important as a character with 18 levels in wizard and 2 in fighter, behaves very differently than the inverse of
Fighter 18/Wizard 2.

Additionally, these definitions are fluid, and not necessarily based on a level 20 build since most characters must be played from 1-x. For example, a Cleric/Ranger that
takes his first 5 levels in ranger, and the rest in cleric is by the standards of this guide a Ranger/Cleric up until level 11 (when his cleric levels pass up ranger thereby
making him a Cleric/Ranger).
In order to make broad judgements on class combinations some assumptions must be made. For this guide I am considering only published, in book, AL legal content. I
am also assuming standard 27 point buy. Many of the negative ratings have MADness as a big factor, so take that with a grain of salt when rolling stats. It is best to
reference the individual breakdown for your desired multiclass for more details. This is of course subjective, and I will update it, as needed.

Most multiclasses fall into one of 3 categories:

 Make a character better at their core competency.

Most multiclasses are a combination of 2 or 3 of these aims, but the second, to add versatility alone is generally weaker as it comes at the sacrifice of power.

A caster with multiple classes will have versatility but sacrifice higher level spells and may end up feeling weaker once initiative is rolled. From a purely damage standpoint
spells of level 3 or higher are pretty much a cap on damage, and scale according to slots. A multiclass caster who picks up other non-warlock caster levels may not suffer
on damage if they have at least 5 levels in their core class, as slots will continue to progress.

ASIs are extremely strong, and generally add more to a character than most class features. It may not seem like much but adding +1 to hit and damage, or +1 to save DC
has a large impact on a character throughout the course of an adventuring day. Feats as well such as GWM, SS, PAM, SM, etc. greatly effect a character's prowess in
combat. For these reasons it is highly discouraged to take 3 levels in a multiclass, or to leave a class one level before earning an ASI. This is more acceptable on a higher-
level character who already has their core stat at 20 and desired feats.

Since most classes get a huge swing at level 5, a common tip is to take 5 levels in a class before multiclassing, to pick up either extra attack or third level spells as soon as
possible. There are some notable exceptions to this rule, such as gish builds starting fighter or paladin for a level or two, aiming to use SCAG cantrips instead of extra
attack. Otherwise it is probably best to avoid delaying extra attack/3rd level spells by any more than 1 level.

MAD (Multiple Ability Dependent): means that a class needs high numbers in multiple different ability scores to function well.

SAD (Single Ability Dependent): means that a class only needs a single ability score to be high to function well. Several classes fall into this category, including most pure
casters, ranged fighters, and rogues (depending on archetype). There is pretty much nothing a Wizard will want to do that isn't benefited by Int, or that is benefited by
other ability scores. They don't even need a high Con since they won't be on the front-line and probably won't be hit.
TIER S: NOTES

Warlock/Fighter

You might call this a Maledictor, a warrior whose martial capacity has been augmented by a pact with a stronger entity. A warlock who dips fighter likely does so at first
level for con saves and heavy armor. This is a very common tactic for [non-hexblade] bladelocks who want to use str based weapons, so they can dump dex, making them
less MAD. The proficiencies alone are invaluable, especially the con save to maintain concentration on things like hex and darkness.

E.g.: Human V.

15, 10, 14, 8, 10, 16

Fighter 1/Fiend Blade 5+

Even for a hexblade the fighter dip might still be worth it for the con saves and heavy armor, but the other patrons get more from it.

Barbarian/Paladin

You might call these The Wrathful. Nothing compares to righteous wrath of barbarian/paladin. They have both unbound fury and total devotion to their case. A barbarian
who takes levels in paladin might have good reason to take on a new cause with a religious fervor. Vengeance paladins fit this well thematically as the oath aligns well with
barbarian’s furious nature. This would be an obvious dip choice for Zealot barbarians. A barbarian who dips paladin picks up a fighting style and smite at level 2, which can
both help a core barbarian. While smite can be used while raging for some fantastic nova damage, the limited slots encourage such a character to pick up a third full
caster class. The MADness and conflicts of progression prevent this from being blue. The options opened by making caster classes a not so awful choice keeps it from
being purple.

E.g.: Half Elf

Barbarian 5+/Paladin 2/cha caster x

16, 14, 14, 8, 10, 14

This tri-classed build seems the best way to gain the full benefit of the smite feature. Warlock might be the most mechanically beneficial. If blade pact is taken, this build
can paladin smite and eldritch smite on a crit and deal potentially +20d8 or more, all while holding the full benefits of rage resistance.
Sorcerer/Paladin

You might call this a Spell Smiter, a holy warrior whose heritage imparts them with magical power. A sorcerer who dips paladin gains a fighting style and smite, as well as
potentially extra atack and aura of protection. This is among best multiclasses in 5e currently. With just two levels of paladin the sorcerer becomes melee capable with
the ability to quicken spells and follow it up with a smite, or GFB/BB smite. This combination is popular with 2 or 6 levels of paladin but can really work in any spread. It is
in action economy heaven as a gish that can hold its own and has lots of slots for smiting. It is also very tanky with ability to quicken cure wounds on itself, and ability to
cast shield spell. It's hard to screw this up.

E.g.: Human V. (Resilient Con)

Paladin 2/Sorcerer 5+

16, 8, 16, 8, 8, 16

One level behind on spell slots compared to a full caster and two levels behind on spells known. This is a master class gish that lacks the saving throw boost of its paladin 6
cousin but returns dividends in higher level spells and smiting harder and faster. A normal level 11 paladin would add 1d8 to all his attacks, this Spell Smiter just quickens
Hold Monster and hits it with a GFB (adding str and cha) for a huge automatic crit smite.

Warlock/Paladin

You might call this a Betrayer, or something similar based on its subclasses. Anyone who has both an oath and a patron risks compromising one for the other and must
balance them accordingly with their own free will. Some combinations may be natural, but most spawn internal conflict within a character. In these situations, it is a
matter of when the Betrayer will betray his patron or forgo his oath. A warlock who dips paladin gains heavy armor at first level, a fighting style and smite at second. Just
two levels in paladin is an amazing add on to a warlock. Like fighter, it decreases MADness for a bladelock, negating the need for dex. It lacks the con saves of fighter but
makes up for it with smite. Using warlock slots to smite is very potent for a character that can manage a lot of short rests. This is definitely a very strong option, probably
best kept to just a couple levels, but also viable with 6 levels of paladin.

E.g.: Human V.

Paladin 2/Hexblade 5+

15, 8, 16, 8, 8, 16

This build lost some power with the release of Xanathar's, but it still has heavy armor and smites. Damage NOVA potential is quite high, especially with double smiting on
crits. SAD and versatile. Can't go wrong.
Paladin/Sorcerer

You might call this a Spell Smiter, a holy warrior whose heritage imparts them with magical power. A paladin who dips sorcerer gains some spells, full cha-based casting,
and metamagic. This and its inverse, Sorcerer/Paladin are among the best multiclasses currently in 5e. The full casting provides extra slots to smite with, and the
metamagic provides action economy heaven. Quickening a spell and backing it up with the attack action is very powerful. The SCAG cantrips allow you to quicken GFB/BB
and attach a smite to that as needed as well. A sixth level draconic sorc has one of the best bonus action attacks in the game with a quickened GFB adding both str/dex
and cha to damage. Taking 6 levels of paladin first is common but taking 11-12 levels is also very viable. It is very powerful offensively, but also quite hard to kill with its
boosts to saving throws, heavy armor and shield spell.

E.g.: Human V.

Paladin 6/Sorc 3+

16, 10, 14, 8, 8, 16

This is such a common multiclass. Something to do with any action, durable, and capable of NOVA. This is one of the best characters you can build and will vastly
outperform most single class characters.

Warlock/Sorcerer

You might call this a Flame Weaver, an arcane magic user who wasn't content with his natural magical blood and sought a patron for even more power. A warlock who
dips sorcerer gains metamagic. Metamagic plus Eldritch blast is some of the best nearly at will damage, capable of firing out twice what a normal warlock could in a round
costing only two sorcery points. A warlock dipping sorcerer would need more sorcerer levels than the inverse, in order to have a good sorcery point pool, but otherwise
can operate quite well. The ability to convert warlock spells into sorcery points works better/faster on this build than the opposite. Keep boosting cha with agonizing blast,
and you can't go wrong.

E.g.: Human V.

Warlock 5+/Sorcerer 4+

8, 14, 16, 8, 10, 16

Coffeelock. Expect it to be nerfed/banned in a lot of home games if abused. Regardless the SADness and output makes this very heavy on potential. Works with any
subclasses. Hard to go wrong.
Barbarian/Warlock

You might call this a Rage Blade, a barbarian who for some reason, either noble or selfish, has sought out a power to make a pact with, usually to further strengthen their
martial abilities. A barbarian who dips warlock gains a few boosts that could be worth the investment. Invocations, such as devil's sight and false life at will can be useful.
Temporary hit points such as those from false life, Armor of Agathys, and Fiend Patron, see extra mileage as its twice as effective if you have resistance to the damage you
are sustaining. But the MADness and lack of scaling on the abilities from a dip, prevents this from being blue. It works much better as a Warlock/Barbarian.

E.g.: Half Elf

Barbarian 5/Blade Pact Warlock x

16, 14, 14, 8, 10, 14

This is a basic barbarian warlock build. It uses invocations such as improved pact weapon, and eventually eldritch smite to boost damage output while raging. Armor of
Agathys is a fine choice of a spell, although with primarily barbarian levels, it won't last long,

even with rage resistance. Hexblade is a less powerful option on this build, compared to other martials as reckless attacking requires a strength attack.

Paladin/Warlock

You might call this a Betrayer, or something similar based on its subclasses. Anyone who has both an oath and a patron risks compromising one for the other and must
balance them accordingly with their own free will. Some combinations may be natural, but most spawn internal conflict within a character. In these situations, it is a
matter of when the Betrayer will betray his patron or forgo his oath. A paladin who dips warlock gains some spells, with slots that recover on a short rest, invocations, and
potentially a pact. This is a good alternative to the Paladin/Sorcerer dump-the-bucket approach, instead getting some good recovery on short rests. Over the course of a
day it may end up with more smites than a Paladin/Sorcerer. Hexblade, even just 1 level, makes this among the best combinations in the game making the entire build
SAD for cha, allowing cha max first for a massive boost to saves.

E.g.: Human V.

Paladin 6+/Hexblade 1+

15, 8, 16, 8, 8, 16

Take Hexblade 1 at second level and max cha. Swings and smites and spells and saves are all off one stat. Curse increases crit chance for more powerful smites. Very
potent build.
Sorcerer/Warlock

You might call this a Flame Weaver, an arcane magic user who wasn't content with his natural magical blood and sought a patron for even more power.

A sorcerer who dips warlock gains a fantastic at will cantrip, as well as some cool invocations and potentially a pact. This is one of the best dips for a sorcerer, as in just
two levels he can get the full blasting power of the warlock without losing much. Extra benefits come in the form of using the warlock slots to refill sorcery points, and
plus up sorcerer slots. Given a long enough short rest spam, a sorcerer could have an excess of spell slots to start the day via converting warlock slots to points and then
those points to sorcerer spells. Pact of the Tome could add a good deal of versatility to the limited spell list of the sorcerer. Great dip for typically 2-4 levels. It is hard to
screw up if it takes Agonizing Blast.

E.g.: Human V.

Sorcerer 3+/Warlock 2

8, 14, 16, 8, 10, 16

This can be done with any combination of subclasses. This build can whip out two eldritch blasts a round via quicken, or an eldritch blast and scorching ray, greatly
outpacing a standard warlock's damage output. Likely one of the strongest/most common builds in the game.