The Ultimate Guide To Multiclassing in One D&D
While the vast majority of players’ toughest decisions when building a character is what main class, and subsequently, what subclass they’ll pick. However, for those players who need to get more out of their characters, there is always multiclassing!
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What Is Multiclassing?
Multiclassing is, if you meet the requirements, you can branch into a brand new main class! When you have a new base class, you get put levels into either main class to level up.
What Are The Requirements To Multiclassing?
To branch into a different class, you do need 13 in their primary ability score. The table for what you need is below.
| Class | Ability Score Minimum |
|---|---|
| Artificer | 13 Intelligence |
| Barbarian | 13 Strength |
| Bard | 13 Charisma |
| Cleric | 13 Wisdom |
| Druid | 13 Wisdom |
| Fighter | 13 Strength or 13 Dexterity |
| Monk | 13 Dexterity and 13 Wisdom |
| Paladin | 13 Strength and 13 Charisma |
| Ranger | 13 Dexterity and 13 Wisdom |
| Rogue | 13 Dexterity |
| Sorcerer | 13 Charisma |
| Warlock | 13 Charisma |
| Wizard | 13 Intelligence |
Some DMs will require a narrative reason to multiclass or even make you wait until a particular plot point, but for the most part, you just need the ability score to do it.
Why Multiclass in One D&D?
Some players will want to multiclass for a story reason which is absolutely cool, some will want to do it to combine features that work well together, and the rest are doing it to get certain aspects from that class that they wouldn’t normally have access to. All are great reasons to multiclass, but for most of this guide, we’re going to focus on the latter two reasons.
How Has Multiclassing Changed From 5e To One D&D?
While multiclassing itself hasn’t literally changed, the classes to multiclass into definitely have a bit. With classes that got their subclasses immediately (Cleric, Sorcerer, and Warlock), these were extremely popular multiclass “dips” (dipping meaning you take a level or two in your multiclass) to get the brunt of their abilities immediately and then not take anymore levels. However, since all subclasses now come online at level 3, dipping into these classes is going to be substantially less popular.
Now, whatever abilities you can get in a level or two from the base class (like the ever popular Fighter dip) is going to be much more important than it used to be, or if you’re feeling ambitious, any subclass that gets a lot of power from. Additionally, while it will be a much less popular option, leveling up until you get to a subclass can be an option as well if they do one of two things: give a specific feature that synergizes well with what you want your build to accomplish or the features you get are so powerful that it’s worth grabbing the extra levels. The main issue with going until level 3 is, if you decide to not go for one more level, you will miss out on a feat which is generally pretty painful which incentivizes you to not just go to level 3, but to level 4 in that class as well. To that end, you really need to want the third level features to justify that as that is going to set your main class progression back pretty substantially. I’m not saying you can’t just take 3 levels, but it’s not something I would generally recommend, especially if you are multiclassing out of the class rather than multiclassing in (for clarity, if you’re starting with 3 levels of a class and then planning to multiclass out for the rest of your levels, not taking your feat at level 4 is pretty brutal. However, if you have levels in another class and then are dipping 3 levels, you could hold off on that fourth level as you may not need that feat immediately. This is pretty confusing and tough to determine, thus explains the need for guides to help make those determinations!)
Multiclassing FAQ
What Proficiencies Does Multiclassing Give You?
Multiclassing only gives you Weapon and Armor proficiencies. You do not get to pick two skills for proficiencies nor do you get more saving throw proficiencies.
How Does Leveling Up Work With Multiclassing?
When you level up, you get to choose any class to put that level in. You then get to roll the Hit Die (or take the average) for that class for your Hit Point boost.
How Does Hit Points/Armor Class/Extra Attack Work?
For whatever class you are putting a level in, you use that classes Hit Die for health. So if you are a Barbarian 1 / Wizard 1 and you take a level in Wizard, you would only get the d6 Hit Die rather than the Barbarian’s d12. So if you are a level one Barbarian and then you multiclass into Wizard, you do not get the full Hit Die like you would for starting a character as that only happens at Level 1, not class level 1.
Similarly, class abilities can not “stack” with one another. If you have two instances of Unarmored Defense (from Barbarian and Monk for example), you have to pick which one you want to use. If you get to Extra Attack in two classes, these do not stack either.
How Do Level Requirements Work With Multiclassing?
For any ability that has a level requirement or gets upgraded at certain levels, you take your total levels, not your highest one. So if you are a Paladin 2 and Sorcerer 3, you are level 5 in total and your cantrips get upgraded! Of course, any abilities that require specific levels in that class won’t count your total level (you won’t get Find Steed total level 5, you would need 5 Paladin levels). Similarly, stuff like your Proficiency Bonus also operates off of your total level rather than your individual class levels. In short, the only thing your total level does not affect is the individual class progressions.
How Does Spellcasting Work With Multiclassing?
Spellcasting can feel a bit awkward, but it’s actually easier than you would think. In D&D there are four types of spell slot progressions: full casters, half-casters, 1/3 casters, and Warlocks. The full casters are Bards, Clerics, Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards and they all share the same spell slot progression. Half casters include Artificers (but they are special which will be explained), Rangers, and Paladins. Finally, 1/3 casters are unique to just two subclasses, Arcane Trickster and Eldritch Knight.
How Does Preparing Spells Work?
So for starters, the spells you prepare are based on the individual levels you have in each class. If you have 1 level in Druid and 1 level in Sorcerer, you would prepare 2 Cantrips and 4 1st Level Spells from Druid and 4 Cantrips and 2 1st Level Spells from Sorcerer. This is the easy part.
How Do Spell Slots Work?
Spell slots are a little more complicated, but they aren’t too bad. First, you do not combine your spell slots from individual classes. You instead look to see what your total spellcasting level is with some caveats.
Spell Slots and Prepared Spells
While awkward, you can get spell slots for spells that you can’t prepare yet as you aren’t a high enough level to know those spells (so in the Cleric 2/Sorcerer 4 example, you’d have access to 3rd level spell slots, but not 3rd level spells as you’d only get 3rd level spells once you hit level 5 in one of those classes). You can use these spell slots to still cast lower leveled spells though whether those spells can upcast or not.
Full Casters
For all full casters, you get your total levels for spell slots. So if you are a Cleric 2/Sorcerer 4, you are spellcasting level 6 and will get spell slots as if you were level 6 in either one of those base classes.
Warlock
Warlocks are unique as mentioned before since they don’t have the Spellcasting feature specifically, but Pact Magic. Warlocks do not add to spellcasting progression at all, but you can use your Pact Magic to cast spells prepared with spellcasting (of the appropriate level) and vice versa.
Full Caster and Half Caster
If you have a half caster in the mix with a full caster, you take your half caster level divided by 2 rounded down. So if you are a Ranger 2 and Wizard 2, your total spellcasting level is 3, however, if you were a Ranger 3, Wizard 2, your spellcasting level is still 3 as you have to round down when halving Ranger.
Two Half-Casters
Mixing two half casters (Ranger and Paladin for example) is definitely weird. So you stick with the same rules where you take the total levels divided by half and rounded down, this ends up making you worse off than going straight into one of these classes. For example, if you were a level 17 Paladin, you would get your first 5th level spell slot, but if you were a Paladin 9 and Ranger 8, you would only get up to level 8 in spellcasting progression which noticeably does not get 5th level spells. This is a weird interaction with multiclassing, but in reality, you are not going to mix two half-casters together most of the time as they require completely different abilities.
Artificer
As I mentioned before, Artificer is unique for half-casters as instead of rounding down for spell slot progression, you round up which makes dipping one level into Artificer as a Wizard extremely good to get those sweet armor proficiencies.
1/3 Caster
Finally, you have the two 1/3 casters, and you guessed it, you add 1/3 of their level rounded down to total spell progression. Unless you are planning to dip in or out in a level that’s a multiple of 3, it is really bad to multiclass one of these with another spellcaster, and even then, you are setting your spellcasting progression back pretty heavily.
Multiclass Spellcaster Spell Slot Progression
| Level | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2nd | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3rd | 4 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4th | 4 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5th | 4 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6th | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 10th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 11th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 12th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 13th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 14th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 15th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 16th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | – |
| 17th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 18th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 19th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 20th | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
What Classes Should I Consider Dipping Into?
So with the changes to when you get your subclass, your options for multiclassing are definitely a bit more limited than they used to be. However, I don’t think that’s a bad thing! Multiclassing was a little too free in 5e, especially when you can pick up one level of Hexblade Warlock or Divine Soul Sorcerer to get a million and a half abilities. Now you’re either dipping a base class for some proficiencies or you’re actually taking multiple levels to get some really sweet synergies. While the former is definitely the more “optimized” approach, the latter is going to produce substantially more interesting characters that can rival some of the best builds leveling in one class could bring.
With that in mind, let’s first review the main classes to see which are worth dipping into (not just using them in builds in general, specifically dipping into!)
Artificer – This is an excellent dip in general as you get better spell slot progression (half rounded up rather than down), on top of medium armor and shield proficiency. The problem is the 13 Intelligence makes this a bad option for pretty much everyone but Wizards specifically. However, a one level dip in Artificer for Wizard is almost mandatory as it’s so free and so powerful. Why be reliant on Mage Armor when you don’t have to be?
Barbarian – A big ol’ hit die is nice, but grabbing Rage and Unarmored Defense can definitely be nice for some classes. Even with just 2 Rages a day, that can stack up fast on characters that are always on the front line and doling out a lot of attacks. However, if you dip 2 levels, Reckless Attack can be really potent on the right character, but will probably be good on realistically any other martial character.
Bard – Not a particularly good multiclass target as you only get Light Armor proficiency, the spell list isn’t that diverse compared to the other Charisma casters (save Healing Word, but going Magic Initiate: Cleric off of Human can do that as well), and Bardic Inspiration is not the best ability in the early game. This can be an alright dip for Sorcerers in particular as you do get some armor and Healing Word, but this probably isn’t a class I would want to just dip into.
Cleric – This is going to be one of the new premiere dip options as having a decent Wisdom score is not a problem for most characters, you get both heavy armor and Shield proficiency, and you get some really nice spells that work well early and late like Bless and Healing Word. This is an excellent dip for most casters and I could even see Wizards choosing this over an Artificer dip (I’m not sure I would, but I can see the argument).
Druid – Like Cleric, this is also a particularly strong dip option in One D&D, as again, you don’t mind having a good Wisdom score on any character. While you only get Medium Armor and Shield proficiency compared to Cleric’s heavy armor (at least you don’t have the non-metal armor restriction anymore, although it was dubious if it ever was a true restriction), you get really better spell options with just a one level dip compared to Cleric with spells like Magic Stone (if you have a party that’s all in on the Magic Stone plan), Absorb Elements, Entangle, Goodberry, and Healing Word (of course Cleric gets this too). It’s actually tough to say if Cleric or Druid dip is better as both have their advantages.
Fighter – The old classic dip. Having 13 Strength or Dexterity is going to be trivial for functionally every character to gain every weapon proficiency, every armor proficiency, shield proficiency, weapon masteries, a Fighting Style (which is fine on casters too because of the Defense fighting style), Second Wind, and Action Surge if you go two levels into Fighter. That is obviously a lot, but there is the awkwardness where this doesn’t help you progress in spell slots if you are a caster, so there is a real cost there. However, for other martial characters, dipping a level or two into Fighter can be really powerful.
Monk – While spicy, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want a Monk dip, especially when you need both 13 DEX and WIS (not a huge burden, but annoying). With Focus being the main mechanic for Monks, dipping a bit to get no proficiencies and an ability that needs to scale to be useful is rough. That said, Monk’s Focus does give you other abilities like Patient Defense and Step of the Wind so I can see that being a bit of a draw, but at that point, you probably want to dip Rogue.
Paladin – With both a Strength and Charisma requirement, you are not going to be dipping this for no good reason when Fighter is the superior dip option. Of course there are great multiclass builds with Paladin, but this isn’t an errant dip.
Ranger – Like Paladin, this is something you can multiclass with, but I would not dip into this as Fighter would always be the superior option.
Rogue – This is a pretty suspect dip compared to Fighter, but if you specifically want Sneak Attack and Cunning Action at level 2, then I can see it. Still, I would probably opt for Fighter over Rogue in 99% of dip situations.
Sorcerer – While an excellent class, I would generally not dip into this at the spell list isn’t so versatile to really justify it and having 13 CHA is definitely not free for most classes. If Divine Soul Sorcerer still came online at level 1, then this would be a more attractive dip option, but without that, it’s much less enticing, especially since you only get two prepared spells. That said, getting both Absorb Elements and Shield is relatively enticing, so that is a reason to consider this.
Warlock – Like Sorcerer, without Hexblade coming online at level 1, this isn’t something you’ll want to dip into often.
Wizard – A 13 Intelligence requirement is rough, and now that every class can ritual cast, it’s even tougher to justify Wizard. However, if you don’t have many casters and you want to grab one level of Wizard with the express purpose of picking up as many rituals as possible, then I can somewhat see the vision. That’s not something I would necessarily recommend, but something to consider.
So obviously, the top choices are Cleric, Druid, and Fighter, unsurprisingly, for their armor proficiencies (for the most part anyway). But again, that doesn’t mean these are the only viable options, pretty much all of them can be as long as you have a plan in mind.
Subclass Dips
While I would generally say that putting at least 3 levels into a class to get the subclass is not really a dip anymore, there are some subclasses that offer enough power immediately to be worth considering as a dip. To be clear, this is for the average character that wanted to dip, not for players looking to craft specific characters that will likely require many levels in multiple classes to achieve. These suggestions are for those of you who were already planning on dipping in a class, and while I’m not necessarily saying that these dips will be worth it, they are strong enough where they could be for a general build.
Ancestral Guardian Barbarian – While you only get one ability, Ancestral Protectors is probably the truest “tank” ability in the game as it really incentives enemies to go after you with disadvantage on attacks that aren’t against you and allies gaining resistance to damage if that enemy goes after your allies anyway.
Wild Heart Barbarian – Bear Totem is always going to be there for you to get a few charges of a Rage that makes you incredibly hard to kill.
Eloquence Bard – While Unsettling Words is no real draw, Silver Tongue can be really strong for parties that do a lot of negotiating.
Swords Bard – Medium Armor and Scimitar proficiency is already nice, but also getting a Fighting Style, Blade Flourish (which is good even with only a few dice), and the ability to use your weapon as a spellcasting focus is quite strong.
Valor Bard – Like Swords Bards, you get Medium Armor and the ability to use your weapon as a spellcasting focus which is great. However, you trade in a Fighting Style and Blade Flourish for martial weapon proficiency, shield proficiency, and Combat Inspiration (which is weaker than Blade Flourish). Overall, getting Shield proficiency may be strong than what Swords Bard offers, but it is very close.
Peace Cleric – While I probably would rarely grab more than one level in Cleric, if you’re going to pick up a few, grabbing Peace Cleric for Emboldening Bond is still pretty tempting.
Twilight Cleric – Like Peace Cleric, I’m not running to pick up multiple Cleric levels, but Twilight Sanctuary is tempting even on lower level Clerics.
Moon Druid – I personally would not go for this, but I can see the argument to having substantially better Wild Shapes being worth investing more levels.
Spores Druid – Even with just a few levels, you get a solid amount of temporary health and damage, so if you’re hitting with a lot of attacks, this can be pretty potent.
*Fighters are going to be a bit more appealing as, if you’re dipping Fighter, you’re probably picking up 2 levels to get Action Surge.
Arcane Archer Fighter – You can pick up the best two Arcane Shots and the number of arrows don’t scale, so the strength of this class is pretty front loaded.
Battle Master Fighter – Maneuvers are good, that’s all there is to say.
Echo Knight Fighter – This class is broken, so it can be worth the investment.
Eldritch Knight Fighter – Tempting for classes that don’t get spellcasting otherwise.
Rune Knight Fighter – The Runes are pretty strong, even early, so this could be worthwhile!
Arcane Trickster Rogue – Like Eldritch Knight, this can be solid for classes that wouldn’t normally get spellcasting.
Swashbuckler Rogue – Both Fancy Footwork and Rakish Audacity are very good, it’s just the rest of the abilities are pretty bad making this a relatively tempting dip.
Divine Soul Sorcerer – Favored by the Gods is pretty good, but being able to access both Cleric and Sorcerer spell lists can be nice. Admittedly, it’s hard to say why you would be dipping Sorcerer to begin with, but I guess this is somewhat reasonable.
Wild Magic Sorcerer – Your best two abilities come at level 3, so while I’m not excited to dip Sorcerer, getting access to both Wild Magic Surge and Tides of Chaos can be really strong. This is probably something you dip out of rather than dip into, but these abilities are really strong (though keep in mind that refreshing Tides of Chaos requires a Sorcerer spell that uses a spell slot, not just any spell).
Hexblade Warlock – If you’re already going Warlock, getting proficiency with medium armor and shields is really nice (you do also get martial weapon proficiency, but I’d be surprised if you were going for this in particular).
Bladesinging Wizard – Dipping Wizard is rough, but Bladesong is really good so I can see Artificers potentially wanting this.
Divination Wizard – Portent is the best feature and you get it first so this can be tempting.
War Magic Wizard – Both Arcane Deflection and and Tactical Wit are really strong features and easily the best that War Magic gets.
When Is The Best Time To Multiclass?
Knowing when to multiclass may be the hardest part about multiclassing in general as it very much depends on what subclasses you plan on using, how late your campaign is going, and what build you’re going for primarily.
General Times For When You May Want To Multiclass
1. To Get a Strong Synergy ASAP
One of the biggest reasons people multiclass at all is to combine two abilities in a powerful way. In that vein, it’s very common to level up in your primary class until you get the ability important to your build, and then level up your second class as fast as possible to get the other ability that makes the build work. Especially in One D&D, a lot of the time, this is going to mean grabbing 3 levels in your first class, and then 3 levels in your second class to get two subclass abilities that work well together.
2. To Get Armor Proficiencies Early
You are the most vulnerable in the early levels, so multiclassing out early to get better armor proficiencies can definitely be worthwhile. Conversely, many players who know they are going to be Wizards for nearly all their levels may start as an Artificer to have armor first, and then put the rest of their levels into Wizard. Either one of these strategies can be viable, just ensure you aren’t waiting too long to get a good AC.
3. To Get Spellcasting Early
Spellcasting can give you a lot of spells that can help protect you such as Absorb Elements, Feather Fall, Mage Armor (particularly for something like Monk who doesn’t use armor), Shield, and Silvery Barbs. Furthermore, you can grab some really nice utility spells such as Goodberry or Healing Word if your party is lacking it. These spells can have diminishing returns in later levels, so getting them early, especially if you’re only dipping into a full caster class to get these, is likely worth your while.
4. To Get Alternative Terms of Engagement
While this is going to be a more common issue for melee only builds, only having one axis to do combat (or encounters in general, not every problem involves combat) in can be detrimental. For example, the Paladin from my previous campaign was pretty threatening when he was right in front of an enemy, but had no strong ranged option until I gave him a magic item that shored up that issue. However, if he dipped a level or two into Warlock to pick up Eldritch Blast, he would’ve had a much easier time overall. Realistically, this is mostly only going to be an issue for Strength based characters, but DEX Fighters who can easily fight in melee or at ranged may want to pick up some magic or even Rogues so they can be more useful in out of combat scenarios.
5. To Make The Most Of a “Dead” Level
Not every level up for every class is super exciting. While every level up will always yield something, that something won’t always be good. To that end, if you know your next level up is going to suck, that could be a good time to hop out of your main class.
General Times For When You Don’t Want To Multiclass
1. You’re About To Get a Feat
Every build is feat hungry, but multiclass builds are generally more deprived of feats as you may have uneven level progressions causing delays in getting necessary feats. While not mentioned in the Subclass Dips section, if you are going to dip for 3 levels, I would generally just grab the 4th level for the feat, that’s how important they are.
2. You’re Going To Reach a New Spellcasting Level/Get Your Extra Attack
Delaying power spikes is not what you want to do. For casters, dipping into martials or even half casters can delay when you get big power spikes, and similar to martials, you want to be careful delaying your level 5 power spike as that’s when martial characters get their Extra Attack and full casters get 3rd level spells. It’s not like you can’t delay it, but I would be careful to delay this for more than a level (this is another reason why Artificer and Wizard work so well together as you get a huge AC boost without delaying spellcasting).
3. You’re About To Get a Strong Class Feature
This one is pretty obvious, but it should still be said. Like the previous point, try not to delay powerful class abilities unless those abilities get better in later levels rather than earlier ones.
Good Levels To Multiclass Out
While the general rules should hopefully help, each base class actually has specifically good times to multiclass out of them! These won’t always be accurate, but they will be pretty reliable. Keep in mind that these recommendations are for when you’re going to be taking a lot of levels in a different class, not just a quick dip. For one level dips, I would generally recommend just not doing it before a feat or big power spike, otherwise, you’re good to go.
Artificer – Level 2 – You are either going Artificer 1 for a good AC and going Wizard for the rest or just sticking with Artificer all the way.
Bard – Level 6 or 7 – You probably don’t want to multiclass out before third level spells (barring you’re dipping into another full caster) and getting a d8 for your Bardic Inspiration die, but staying one more level for your next subclass feature can be good depending on your subclass.
Barbarian – Level 6 or 7 – If you move out at level 6, you got your Extra Attack which is super reasonable. If you’re willing to wait a level, you do get another subclass feature as well as another Rage charge which can definitely be appealing on the right build.
Cleric – Level 6 or 7 – Like Bard, getting your third level spells is super important, but waiting a level to get your next subclass feature and another Channel Divinity charge is really good.
Druid – Level 6 or 7 – Feel like this is getting repetitive, but getting 3rd level spells is good and waiting until level 6 to get your next subclass feature can be good.
Fighter – 6, 7, or 12 – Level 5 brings your Extra Attack so it is a decent launch point, but waiting a level to get your next feat is highly recommended to jump out at level 7 instead. If you want more levels in Fighter, definitely wait until you get your second Extra Attack as that’s a huge power spike.
Monk – Level 6 or 7 – You definitely can’t hop out before level 5 as you get your Extra Attack, a d8 martial arts die, and Stunning Strike, thus making level 6 a good jumping off point. Staying one more level to get your subclass feature can be a reasonable choice as well, but not every Monk subclass would be worth waiting for.
Paladin – Level 7 or 9 – The whole point of going Paladin is to get Aura of Protection at level 6, so no way you’re going to dip out before you get that. Level 7 brings your next subclass feature, so depending on your subclass, you may or may not want to stick around. If you do decide to stick around to grab your next subclass feature, you may as well get your feat next level as well and hop out after that.
Ranger – Levels 6-9, 12 – You definitely want to stick around to get the Extra Attack and 2nd level spells at a minimum, but from there, there’s a lot of breakpoints. Level 6 brings Roving which you may want, 7 brings another subclass feature, and 8 brings a feat. So if you don’t care for Roving or your subclass feature, you can pop out earlier than later. However, if you have a particularly good subclass feature at level 11, you could consider waiting to get that before multiclassing out.
Rogue – Level 5+ – Rogue is really interesting as the base class features aren’t that exciting, you get your second subclass feature really late at level 9, and you get your free feat at level 10 so you have a lot of flexibility in when to leave the class. Realistically, I would at least stay through 5 to get Cunning Strike, Uncanny Dodge, and a 3d6 Sneak Attack die, but leaving at 5 isn’t unreasonable. If you’re committed to staying Rogue for longer, it can be hard to pop out later as, again, you get your second subclass feature at 9, a feat at 10, a feat at 12, and your third subclass ability at 13. To that end, I would either commit to leaving early (like 5 or 6), or stay through your third subclass feature (assuming it’s a good feature for your build).
Sorcerer – 6 or 7 – Like the other full casters, stay until you get 3rd level spells and consider staying for your second subclass feature if it’s a good feature.
Warlock – Level 6 or 7 – Warlocks are a very hard class to multiclass out of as they don’t have spellcasting, but Pact Magic. You still should be multiclassing out level 6 or 7 like the other fullcasters, but it definitely feels less good as your spell levels don’t translate to other classes.
Wizard – Level 6 or 7 – Same old song and dance for full casters, get to at least 3rd level spells before you’re trying to hop out.
Popular Multiclassing Options For Each Class
While you can realistically make any combination work if you have a particular build in mind, certain classes are going to have certain other classes that they synergize particularly well with!
Artificer – Like I’ve mentioned a few times, going into Wizard after Artificer is very common and definitely stronger than just going straight Artificer and I would also argue stronger than going even straight Wizard.
Barbarian – Barbarians don’t have specific classes they love multiclassing into, but Fighter is easily the most common one to grab a Fighting Style, Action Surge, and now more Weapon Masteries. Rogue can be an interesting option as well as you can pretty easily get Sneak Attack as a martial as well as Cunning Action, but this isn’t super common without a specific build in mind. Spellcasting is obviously not great on Barbarians as they can’t concentrate on or cast spells so most multiclass options go right out of the window. Of course, this analysis is if you’re main classing Barbarian, if Barbarian itself is the dip, you generally only need 2 levels to get Reckless Attack and then you’re good to move out.
Bard – Bard has a few reasonable options for multiclass assuming you aren’t going into Swords or Valor Bard which will naturally give medium armor proficiency (and shield proficiency for Valor Bard ). Cleric gives heavy armor proficiency, shield proficiency, and access to Bless which is quite nice as you can then (mostly) dump DEX. Druid is solid as well, but you still need solid DEX as you only have Medium Armor proficiency, but you get access to Magic Stone (if you’re about that lifestyle), Absorb Elements (an excellent pickup), and Entangle (not as necessary, but definitely nice to have). Fighter is a really good option as well which won’t require you to have a good Wisdom score (just 13 DEX which is easy, but you’d want 14 to make the best use of Medium Armor), but you lose a level or two of spellcasting. Overall, Cleric is the easiest dip here so you don’t have to worry about DEX, but Druid is extremely appealing as well.
Cleric – While a popular class to multiclass into, you won’t multiclass out often as you have a great spell list and good armor proficiencies. Obviously you can if you have a particular build in mind, but it’s not something I’m going to do on the average cleric.
Druid – Druids are similar to Clerics in which they are great to multiclass into, but won’t often multiclass out of. That being said, multiclassing into Cleric for (mostly) heavy armor and Bless can be worth it.
Fighter – All the popular multiclass dip options are all bundled together it seems! Fighter is unique as they can multiclass with a lot of classes to pretty reasonable effect. Barbarian is a good one for access to Rage and Reckless Attack. Rogue can be a nice one to get Sneak Attacks and Cunning Action. Wizard to get excellent reaction spells like Absorb Elements and Shield. Or even Cleric or Druid to get some nice spells to work with. The most popular one is definitely Barbarian, but again, Fighters are a pretty versatile multiclass option, even as a base class!
Monk – Monks have a few reasonable multiclass options, even if they can’t make use of armor or shields. Fighter grants a Fighting Style, Weapon Masteries, Action Surge, and Second Wind which makes it a decent draw. Barbarian, once again, for Rage and Reckless Attack is a solid option (Reckless Attack being particularly appealing as Monk can Disengage for free and try to run far enough away to not take attacks). Branching into Druid for some really solid spells could be a nice option as well!
Paladin – Paladin can be a bit of a tough one as you’re already MAD, but you still have good options. Fighter is always solid for a Fighting Style and Action Surge, even if you don’t get much more than that. Sorcerer can be solid as well as you get some nice spells to work with, and it’s also reasonable for Paladins to get to level 6 , 7, or 8, and then just level Sorcerer to the end.
Ranger – Unsurprisingly, Fighter is always going to be a consideration for martial characters. While Rogue may seem good, Cunning Action would be the biggest draw and does not work well with Hunter’s Mark.
Rogue – Once again, Fighter for Fighting Style, Second Wind, Weapon Masteries, and Action Surge. You don’t really need armor proficiencies as you probably want to wear light armor, so you really don’t need to multiclass for that (unless you’re looking for Shield proficiency). You could multiclass into a casting class if you want to give you a bit of spellcasting, but that’s kind of a weird choice overall.
Sorcerer – Sorcerer needs armor proficiencies badly, so most multiclasses are going to focus on that. Per usual, Cleric is good for heavy armor and shield proficiency, but you also get Bless and Healing Word which are pretty strong pickups for Sorcerer. As Sorcerer already gets Absorb Elements, Druid is a much less appealing option, but could still be fine if you value Magic Stone and/or Entangle highly. Fighter, per usual, can be solid for the proficiencies as well as Action Surge, but you lose out on spellcasting progression for that many levels. As you’re already a Charisma caster, dipping 2 levels into Warlock to get 3 Eldritch Invocations and access to Eldritch Blast can be solid as well (or 3 levels to go into Hexblade for medium armor and shield proficiency).
Warlock – Like Sorcerer, Warlock needs armor proficiencies (unless you’re going Hexblade). Unlike Sorcerer, access to other spell lists is less appealing as you have fewer spell slot to work with, and since they have Pact Magic rather than Spellcasting, there’s even less incentive to multiclass into a full caster. That said, multiclassing into Cleric for Heavy Armor and a smidgen of healing is still reasonable. Alternatively, Fighter can be a solid option as well since the armor proficiencies as well as Action Surge is always going to be a good time.
Wizard – You need armor proficiencies and Artificer or Fighter do that unbelievably well for you. A one level dip into Artificer is nearly free, so that’s going to be super common. Fighter is also a relatively popular Wizard dip to grab Action Surge, but if you are going to dip Fighter, you would have no real need to dip Artificer unless you’re aiming for their later features.
