D&D 5e Classes Ranked for Solo Play

Playing D&D solo is a different beast than playing in a party. When four other people aren't there to cover your weaknesses, those weaknesses become very, very apparent. The Wizard with 8 HP and a dream? In a party, they're a glass cannon. Solo, they're just glass.

Which classes actually hold up when it's just you, your character sheet, and whatever horrifying encounters the DM throws at you? We ranked all 13 classes into tiers based on what matters most in solo play: self-healing, versatility, survivability, and the ability to handle problems without calling for backup (because there is no backup).

If you're new to building characters, our character creation guide covers the fundamentals. And if you're wondering what solo D&D actually looks like in practice, check out our guide on how to play D&D alone.

How We Ranked

Every class was evaluated on five criteria specific to solo play:

1. Self-Healing: Can you keep yourself alive without a dedicated healer? This is the single most important factor. Dead characters don't get to be versatile.
2. Survivability: HP, AC, saving throw proficiencies, defensive features. How many hits can you take before the healing even matters?
3. Versatility: Can you handle combat, exploration, social encounters, and traps? A solo character needs to be a Swiss Army knife.
4. Resource Sustainability: How well do you hold up across a full adventuring day? Classes that blow everything in one fight and need a long rest are punished heavily.
5. Action Economy: Solo play means you're always outnumbered. Classes that can summon allies, make multiple attacks, or otherwise stretch the action economy have a massive edge.

S Tier: Born for This

These classes are practically designed for solo play. They can heal, they can fight, they can take hits, and they can solve problems.

1. Paladin

Solo Viability: S+

If you could only pick one class for solo play and nothing else, it should probably be a Paladin.

The checklist is almost unfair. Heavy armor and shields for high AC? Check. d10 hit die for a solid HP pool? Check. Lay on Hands for reliable, flexible self-healing? Check. Divine Smite for massive burst damage when you need something to die right now? Check. Aura of Protection adding your Charisma modifier to all saving throws? That's not just a check, that's the whole reason this class is S+.

Paladins are tanky enough to absorb hits, deal enough damage to end fights quickly, and have just enough spellcasting to handle utility needs. Lay on Hands is particularly valuable solo because it can also cure diseases and neutralize poisons, situations that would normally require a party member's help.

The only real downside is limited spell slots, but you're mostly using those for smites anyway. Your primary toolkit is weapon attacks and class features, which don't run out.

Best Solo Subclass: Oath of Devotion (SRD) is solid with Sacred Weapon and immunity to charm. Oath of the Ancients (if available) is arguably even better with its spell resistance aura.

2. Cleric

Solo Viability: S

The Cleric is the ultimate "I can do everything" class, and in solo play, "everything" is exactly what you need.

Full spellcasting with access to the best healing spells in the game. Medium or heavy armor depending on the domain. A d8 hit die that's respectable if not amazing. And the entire Cleric spell list is available to prepare from each day, meaning you can tailor your toolkit to whatever you expect to face.

The Life Domain (the SRD subclass) is especially good for solo play because it makes your already-excellent healing even better. But honestly, most Cleric domains work. War gives you Extra Attack-like features, Forge gives you AC, Light gives you blasting. The class is just just well-rounded.

Spiritual Weapon deserves special mention: it's a bonus action to cast, doesn't require concentration, and gives you an extra attack each turn. For a solo character struggling with action economy, that's gold.

Best Solo Subclass: Life Domain for maximum self-sustain. War Domain for damage output. Forge Domain if you want to be nearly untouchable on AC.

3. Druid

Solo Viability: S

Wild Shape alone makes the Druid an S-tier solo class. Turning into a bear when you're low on HP is basically a free pool of temporary hit points with teeth. At higher levels, you can turn into elementals, which is like having a second character sheet you can pull out when the first one gets crumpled.

But it's not just Wild Shape. Druids are full casters with access to healing spells, area control, utility magic, and summoning. Conjure Animals can single-handedly fix the action economy problem by flooding the board with allies. Goodberry provides reliable out-of-combat healing. Pass Without Trace makes you nearly undetectable during exploration.

Circle of the Land (the SRD option) gives you extra spell recovery and expanded spell lists. Circle of the Moon (if available) turns Wild Shape from "nice utility" into "I am now a CR 6 mammoth and you need to deal with that."

The versatility here is unmatched. Combat, healing, scouting, social (via spells like Charm Person), problem-solving: the Druid can do all of it. The only reason it's not above the Cleric is slightly lower AC in humanoid form and a bit more complexity to pilot well.

Best Solo Subclass: Moon for Wild Shape combat. Land for pure spellcasting power and sustainability.

A Tier: Excellent Solo Choices

These classes can absolutely solo a campaign. They have minor gaps, but nothing that smart play can't cover.

4. Bard

Solo Viability: A+

The Bard is the ultimate skill monkey, and when you're alone, skills matter more than ever. Having expertise in Perception, Stealth, Persuasion, and whatever else you need means you can often avoid fights entirely, which is the best survival strategy in solo play.

Full spellcasting gives you healing, utility, and some damage (though the Bard spell list leans more toward control and support). Bardic Inspiration can be used on yourself for those clutch saving throws. Jack of All Trades means you're decent at everything.

The gap compared to S-tier is durability. d8 hit die, light armor only (without multiclassing), and the spell list doesn't have the raw "keep me alive in melee" power that Cleric and Druid enjoy. You're playing a character who avoids problems rather than tanking through them.

College of Lore (the SRD subclass) gives you Cutting Words (reduce enemy rolls) and Additional Magical Secrets (steal the best spells from other classes). Both are excellent for solo.

Best Solo Subclass: Lore for versatility. Swords or Valor (if available) for a more combat-capable build.

5. Ranger

Solo Viability: A

Hot take: the Ranger is actually good for solo play.

Yes, the Ranger gets dunked on constantly in party play because its niche overlaps with other classes. But solo? Many of those "niche" features become genuinely useful. Natural Explorer gives you tangible exploration benefits. Favored Enemy grants useful knowledge checks. And the Ranger combines martial combat with spellcasting in a way that's great for self-sufficiency.

You get medium armor, shields, martial weapons, a d10 hit die, and access to healing spells (Cure Wounds, Goodberry). The fighting styles add consistency. And at level 3, you get a subclass that can radically change your playstyle.

Hunter (the SRD subclass) is straightforward and effective, with features that help you deal with multiple enemies or big single threats. Beast Master (if available and using the revised version) gives you a permanent action economy companion.

Cure Wounds and Goodberry handle your healing needs. Pass Without Trace makes you practically invisible. The Ranger is a surprisingly complete solo package.

Best Solo Subclass: Gloom Stalker (if available) is arguably the best solo subclass in the entire game, with its initiative bonus, extra first-round attack, and darkvision stealth. Hunter is the solid SRD default.

6. Fighter

Solo Viability: A

The Fighter's solo case is simple: you are really, really hard to kill, and you are really, really good at killing things.

The highest hit die tied with Barbarian (d10), proficiency in all armor and weapons, a fighting style, Second Wind for self-healing, and Action Surge for those "I need everything to die this turn" moments. At higher levels, you get up to four attacks per turn, which is absurd action economy.

The weakness is equally simple: no magic. The Champion (SRD subclass) doesn't get spellcasting, healing beyond Second Wind, or any utility features. You solve problems by hitting them, and when a problem can't be hit (locked door with a puzzle, social encounter, magical trap), you stare at it.

This is mitigated somewhat by the Fighter's many ASIs (ability score improvements), which let you pick up feats for versatility. And the Eldritch Knight subclass (if available) adds spellcasting that patches most of the utility gaps.

Best Solo Subclass: Eldritch Knight for self-sufficiency. Champion for simplicity and consistent damage.

7. Blood Hunter

Solo Viability: A-

The Blood Hunter is an interesting case. It's not an official WotC class (it was created by Matt Mercer), but it shows up in enough games that it's worth ranking.

The class has a built-in risk/reward mechanic: you spend your own HP to activate your Crimson Rite, dealing extra damage on attacks. Solo, spending HP is scary. But Blood Hunters get decent armor, martial weapons, a d10 hit die, and eventually some spellcasting-like features through their subclass.

The Brand of Castigation feature lets you deal damage to marked enemies when they damage you, which is a nice passive damage source when you're the only target. Blood Curses provide utility options that don't cost spell slots.

The main weakness is the self-damage mechanic. When you don't have a healer, voluntarily lowering your HP pool is a calculated gamble. But if you play smart and manage your resources, the Blood Hunter is a capable solo class with a satisfying risk-reward gameplay loop.

Best Solo Subclass: Order of the Lycan for the durability and regeneration. Order of the Profane Soul for spellcasting.

B Tier: Viable With Caveats

These classes can solo, but you'll feel the gaps. Expect to play around your weaknesses rather than through them.

8. Warlock

Solo Viability: B+

The Warlock has one of the most interesting solo profiles. On one hand, Eldritch Blast + Agonizing Blast gives you a reliable, resource-free damage option that scales well. Invocations provide customizable utility. And your spell slots recharge on a short rest, which is incredible for resource sustainability.

On the other hand, you have exactly two spell slots for most of your career. Two. In a party, that's fine because other people are also casting spells. Solo, it means you need to be extremely judicious about when you use them.

The Fiend patron (SRD) gives you temporary HP when you kill creatures, which is surprisingly good self-sustain in combat-heavy scenarios. And Pact of the Chain gives you a familiar that can scout, deliver touch spells, and use the Help action.

The class works solo, but it requires more tactical thinking than the A-tier options. You need to plan around your limited resources and lean heavily on Eldritch Blast for your turn-to-turn output.

Best Solo Subclass: The Fiend for temp HP sustain. Hexblade (if available) is dramatically better for solo because it makes you a competent melee combatant and adds medium armor + shields.

9. Barbarian

Solo Viability: B+

This ranking surprises people. "But Barbarians are so tough!" Yes, they are. Rage gives you resistance to physical damage. d12 hit die is the biggest in the game. Unarmored Defense can reach respectable AC. You will absolutely survive hits that would flatten a Wizard.

The problem is everything else. Barbarians have no spellcasting, no healing (beyond Hit Dice on short rests), extremely limited utility, and poor ranged options. When something can't be solved by "I hit it with my axe," the Barbarian is mostly standing around looking impressive.

In a party, the Barbarian is the front line that enables everyone else to do their jobs. Solo, you're the front line with no one behind you. Rage keeps you alive in combat, but D&D is not just combat. Traps, puzzles, social encounters, exploration challenges: these all exist, and the Barbarian's toolkit for handling them is... limited.

Still, the raw survivability is real. If your campaign is combat-heavy, the Barbarian jumps to A-tier.

Best Solo Subclass: Totem Warrior (Bear) for even more damage resistance. Berserker (SRD) is fine but the exhaustion mechanic is brutal for solo play.

10. Monk

Solo Viability: B

The Monk is a strange solo class. It has some features that are incredible for solo play and others that are actively painful.

The good: Stunning Strike is one of the most powerful features in the game and doesn't require allies to capitalize on (you stun the enemy, then you hit the stunned enemy). Unarmored Movement gives you exceptional mobility. Evasion at level 7 is huge for surviving area effects. And at higher levels, Diamond Soul gives you proficiency in all saving throws, which is outstanding.

The bad: d8 hit die with no armor means you're fragile. No self-healing whatsoever. Ki points are a limited resource, and you burn through them fast. Your damage relies on making many attacks, but without magic weapons, you struggle against creatures with resistance to nonmagical damage (until level 6 when your strikes count as magical).

The Monk is a "win fast or die" class solo. If Stunning Strike lands, you dominate. If it doesn't, you're a lightly-armored martial character with no healing, no backup plan, and a rapidly depleting resource pool.

Best Solo Subclass: Way of the Open Hand (SRD) is actually great, with its ability to knock prone, push, and deny reactions. Way of Shadow (if available) adds incredible stealth utility.

C Tier: Possible, But Painful

These classes can technically solo a campaign. You'll just be working twice as hard for the same result.

11. Sorcerer

Solo Viability: C+

The Sorcerer has raw power. Metamagic is unique and potent. Twinned Spell on a buff means you can... well, solo, you can only twin it on yourself and a summoned creature. Quickened Spell lets you cast two spells in a turn (sort of). The damage output can be excellent.

But. d6 hit die. No armor. No self-healing. A tiny number of spells known (and you can't change them daily like a Cleric or Druid can). When you're out of spell slots, you're just a person in a bathrobe making very weak crossbow attacks.

Draconic Bloodline (the SRD option) helps with the AC problem (13 + DEX, equivalent to Mage Armor for free) and gives you extra HP. It's the best SRD option for solo by a mile. But you're still a full caster with no armor and no healing, trying to survive alone.

The Sorcerer can absolutely burst down encounters. The problem is the adventuring day. Solo play means more encounters between rests, and the Sorcerer runs out of gas faster than almost any other class.

Best Solo Subclass: Draconic Bloodline for survivability. Divine Soul (if available) is dramatically better because it adds the Cleric spell list, including healing.

12. Wizard

Solo Viability: C

The Wizard is the most powerful class in D&D. In a party. With someone to stand in front of them. And a short rest to recover Arcane Recovery. And the ability to prepare different spells each day because they know the general shape of what's coming.

Solo, the Wizard's unmatched versatility is somewhat preserved (the spell list is incredible), but every other aspect of the class becomes a liability. d6 hit die is the lowest. No armor. No healing. And the Wizard's greatest strength, their enormous spell list, requires preparation and forethought that's harder to take advantage of when you don't know what's coming.

School of Evocation (the SRD subclass) is fine for damage but doesn't address any survivability concerns. School of Abjuration (if available) is significantly better for solo because Arcane Ward gives you a renewable HP shield.

A skilled Wizard player can absolutely solo a campaign. But they'll be playing on hard mode, carefully managing resources, avoiding fights when possible, and occasionally dying to a random goblin who rolled well on initiative.

Best Solo Subclass: Abjuration for survivability. War Magic (if available) for the defensive reactions.

13. Sorcerer's Slightly More Fragile Cousin: the Non-Hexblade Warlock

Just kidding. We already covered Warlock. (But seriously, non-Hexblade Warlocks in melee is a horror story, and not the fun kind.)

The Actual 13th: Rogue

Solo Viability: C

Wait, the Rogue? Below Wizard? Let me explain.

The Rogue is fantastic in a party. Sneak Attack deals massive damage, Cunning Action provides incredible mobility, Expertise makes you the best skill user in the game, and Evasion keeps you alive against area effects.

Here's the solo problem: Sneak Attack requires advantage or an adjacent ally. Without party members, you only get your signature damage feature when you have advantage. That means hiding every turn (possible but limiting), fighting in darkness with darkvision (situational), or finding other creative advantage sources.

A Rogue who can't consistently trigger Sneak Attack is dealing d6 damage with a rapier. That's it. No spellcasting. No self-healing. Light armor only. d8 hit die that feels smaller when you're taking every hit. Uncanny Dodge helps, but it only works on one attack per round, and solo characters face multiple attacks regularly.

The Rogue's stealth and skill expertise are valuable for avoiding encounters entirely, which is a legitimate solo strategy. But when combat happens (and it will), the Rogue without reliable Sneak Attack is one of the weakest martial combatants in the game.

The Thief (SRD subclass) adds some utility with Fast Hands and Second-Story Work, but doesn't fix the core damage problem.

Best Solo Subclass: Arcane Trickster (if available) adds spellcasting, including Find Familiar, which gives you a permanent advantage-generating companion. This alone would bump the Rogue to B+ tier. Thief is the SRD default but doesn't address solo weaknesses.

Quick Reference Tier List

| Tier | Class | Key Strength | |------|-------|-------------| | S+ | Paladin | Healing + tankiness + burst damage | | S | Cleric | Full caster with heavy armor and best healing | | S | Druid | Wild Shape HP, full caster, summoning | | A+ | Bard | Skills, full caster, avoidance playstyle | | A | Ranger | Martial + healing + exploration tools | | A | Fighter | Raw combat power + durability | | A- | Blood Hunter | Risk/reward with good martial base | | B+ | Warlock | Sustainable cantrip damage, short rest recovery | | B+ | Barbarian | Maximum physical durability | | B | Monk | Stunning Strike, mobility, fragile | | C+ | Sorcerer | Burst damage, no sustain | | C | Wizard | Best spell list, worst body | | C | Rogue | Sneak Attack requires allies for consistency |

Solo Play Tips (Regardless of Class)

No matter what class you pick, solo play rewards certain habits:

Avoid fights you don't need. Stealth, diplomacy, and creative problem-solving are always cheaper than combat when you're alone. Every hit point matters.

Stock up on healing potions. If your class doesn't have built-in healing, potions are your lifeline. Buy them at every opportunity.

Use your environment. Doorways create chokepoints. Height provides advantage on ranged attacks. Darkness hides you. The terrain is your missing party member.

Short rest often. Many class resources recharge on short rests. Don't push through to the next encounter when a rest could refill your toolkit.

Consider your action economy. Spells and features that generate additional actions (Spiritual Weapon, summoning spells, Extra Attack) are proportionally more valuable when you're the only person taking turns. For more on why this matters, check out our action economy guide.

Play Solo with an AI DM

If this tier list has you thinking about trying solo D&D, you'll need a DM. The Endlessness runs full D&D 5e rules with all the combat, spellcasting, and character progression discussed above. It's a good way to test out these solo builds without asking a human DM to run a one-on-one campaign (which is a big ask, honestly).

Pick a Paladin. You won't regret it. Or pick a Rogue and prove this tier list wrong. That's the beauty of D&D: the "optimal" choice is whatever sounds the most fun to play.