One D&D Bard Subclass Tier List
Full Subclass Tier List
The subclass rankings are based solely on other available subclasses within the same base class, not necessarily how they would perform in a game or compared to subclasses from other base classes. For a more holistic view on the power level of each subclass, reference the Full Subclass Tier List above.
*All classes with an asterisk (*) are in the 2024 PHB*
S Tier
Lore Bard* – Bards are a great class as they already have a litany of good abilities, a great spell list, but most importantly, Magical Secrets. Lore Bards getting their Magical Secrets a whole 4 levels earlier is extremely powerful, as in the average campaign, most Bards don’t even get to use their Magical Secrets for very long. If you are a campaign that’s going to very high level, then this is probably high A tier instead, but for a normal campaign which is going to end between levels 10-13, this is very strong compared to the rest.
A Tier
Eloquence Bard – If you know you’re going to be in a conversation heavy campaign, this subclass is unbelievable. While not obviously as useful as a class with extremely powerful in combat abilities, changing any natural roll of a Persuasion or Deception check to 10 means you’re probably going to pass the vast majority of checks naturally. Beyond that, you still have great abilities all around making this an extremely well rounded character.
Swords Bard – Despite not getting updated itself, the Swords Bard actually came out pretty ahead in the new edition compared to the other martial bard – the Valor Bard. Their alternate use of Bardic Inspiration is excellent and Scimitars have become substantially better now that they have the Nick weapon mastery. Overall, this is one of the best gish classes if that’s what you’re into.
B Tier
Valor Bard* – A much tankier martial Bard compared to Swords Bard, the Valor Bard is much closer to a Paladin with a better spell list than they are like other Bards. A lot of your abilities do just work to make you closer to a martial character, but considering how good your spells and base class abilities are, that’s far from a problem.
Dance Bard* – The Dance Bard is a weird blend of Bard, Monk, and almost Paladin in a way with how varied the abilities are here. This is such an interesting hybrid support class that gives your allies a lot of maneuverability, better initiative, take less damage, and even sneak in some extra damage when you have the opportunity. It’s a little split making this class kind of unfocused, but each ability is good making this a very solid class.
Glamour Bard* – This is one of the best classes for controlling the battlefield as everything is functionally focused on disrupting your enemies mid-fight. Some of your abilities do require a bit of setup to get the best use out of, but it’s really not hard to get a lot of value out of this class if battlefield control is your prerogative.
C Tier
Creation Bard – Creation Bards are probably the most “versatile” subclass in the game as you can create objects out of literal thin air. This subclass is likely limited in usefulness by how agreeable your DM is going to be, but even a strict DM is likely to give you a bit of leeway here. If you are very creative and find yourself in puzzles often, this can be an invaluable addition to the team. However if you’re mainly a combat focused campaign, then this isn’t going to be as good as you’d likely hope.
Spirits Bard – Any subclass that relies on a lot of RNG, unless most of the options are busted, are going to be pretty middling. I would argue that most of these abilities are decent, but since you have so little control over them, you can’t guarantee they are going to be useful. You could argue that this class has a lot of utility as you have the potential to do a lot of things, but you obviously can’t control it well.
D Tier
Whispers Bard – Whispers Bard is extremely unique and has immaculate flavor, but that’s where my appreciation for this class more or less ends. The abilities are generally either niche, underpowered, or both, so while not a terrible option, this is definitely the weakest of the bunch as it has no standout ability.
F Tier
None
