Character optimisation in D&D 5e
Make powerful characters with our comprehensive guides, taking you through tactics, optimisation and advice for every stage of character creation.
But knowing what to pick when creating a character is difficult, especially if you want to keep up with more experienced characters. And those very early decisions can lead to a hugely satisfying or disappointing character.
To help you out, I’ve put together loads of articles that can help you know how to create a great build for any character type and take some of the indecision out of your character choices.
Below you can navigate through optimisation guides I’ve created with guides around classes, races/species, feats and everything else you might need to do to build your character.
Classes and subclasses
The most impactful choice for any character is their class. It determines the discipline that character adheres to and will grant the powers and abilities available to them.
We have guides for each class and subclass explaining how each can be optimised as well as the most effective tactics for your character.
Races/Species
There are dozens of races throughout the planes of D&D from your typical, Tolkien-esque Dwarves and Elves to the more unusual and alien species like Thri-Kreen and Plasmoids. You’ll find flying Fairies, robotic Warforged, huge Goliaths and infernal Tieflings among a myriad other species.
Each race comes with a unique set of traits that also determine some of your abilities. We have guides helping you choose the right race for you and taking you through tactics, lore and optimisation.
Backgrounds
Your background determines your upbringing and the skills and knowledge you bring from that. In 5e, this will grant you skills and some minor starting equipment and abilities.
D&D 2024 has added to the importance of backgrounds by granting ability score increases and origin feats too. You can find out how they work and which options are best for different character builds in our guide.
Feats
Feats grant you abilities beyond those ordinarily prescribed by your class. These come in place of ability score improvements as you level up or sometimes as part of a race’s traits. If you’re playing D&D 2024, you also get an origin feat as part of your background.
D&D 2024 brings with it 4 types of feats. These are:
Our guides takes you through the various types of feats and how to use them strategically and what builds they work with.
Weapon mastery
Martial classes now get access to special abilities associated with different weapons known as weapon masteries. These allow you to push, topple and cleave through enemies giving martials more power and strategy.
Our guide explains how they work and how you can optimise your character around these new abilities.