Dungeons and Dragons’ 8 New Subclasses Are Clearly Playing Favorites

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Okay, so the new Dungeons & Dragons books, Heroes of Faerun and Adventures in Faerun, are almost here! They’re adding eight new subclasses as part of the ongoing updates to the Fifth Edition rules, which is awesome. I’m excited to try them out, but I’ve noticed something a little weird – it feels like the new options really push you towards playing a certain way. It’s cool to have new stuff, but the balance feels a bit off, leaning heavily into one particular playstyle. Hopefully, future updates will even things out!

Dungeons and Dragons‘ New Subclasses Clearly Lean Towards Magic

The upcoming Heroes of Faerun expansion for Dungeons & Dragons will introduce new subclass options for eight of the game’s twelve classes: Bard, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard. Notably, the update heavily favors magical classes, as the Barbarian and Monk – two classes focused on melee combat – won’t receive any new subclasses. While Druid and Warlock also utilize magic, the new content seems to prioritize spellcasters more than other types of characters.

Okay, so we haven’t seen the final versions of everything yet, but I’ve been checking out the playtest stuff from Unearthed Arcana, and it’s giving me a good feel for what’s coming. What’s really cool is that they’re adding subclasses that lean hard into magic for classes you wouldn’t normally expect to be spellcasters. It’s a really interesting direction!

  • The Winter Walker Ranger gains several ice-based spells, a Wisdom-based healing ability, and a transformation ability tied to the Hunter’s Mark spell.
  • The Scion of the Three Rogue gains cantrips based on whether they swear allegiance to Bane, Bhaal, or Myrkul, fear-causing abilities based on Wisdom saves, and a supernatural aura.

It’s unusual to add more subclasses focused on magic to the Rogue and Ranger classes, particularly since Rogue already has two magical options—the Arcane Trickster and Soulknife. The new Scion of the Three subclass, while not as heavily magical as those two, still emphasizes spellcasting over traditional stealth. Many fans are also disappointed that the Swashbuckler subclass, which gained popularity in the recent Baldur’s Gate 3 Patch 8, wasn’t included in the 2024 rule update outside of playtest material.

While the Bladesinger Wizard can fight in close combat, lessening the magical emphasis of the new subclasses, the Banneret Fighter remains the only one that doesn’t heavily rely on magic. All the others, to some extent, are built around magical abilities.

Banneret Is A Disappointing Replacement For Purple Dragon Knight

Originally, players hoping for new Fighter classes in Heroes of Faerun were excited about the possibility of the Purple Dragon Knight. This class featured a strong connection to an amethyst dragon and allowed the player to summon a dragon companion during battles. It was especially popular with Baldur’s Gate 3 fans because it reminded them of the character Lae’zel, who aspires to become a dragon rider – though she envisions a red dragon instead of an amethyst one – and has the potential to achieve that goal.

When the eight character subclasses were officially revealed, Purple Dragon Knight was surprisingly swapped out for Banneret. Banneret is a more general-purpose subclass that emphasizes defense and helping allies, and its skills include:

  • Proficiency in Persuasion
  • Ability to heal nearby allies using the Second Wind feature
  • Inspire allies nearby to make additional attacks.

The new subclasses in Heroes of Faerun strongly emphasize magical abilities while offering less for players who prefer melee combat. With limited options for classes like Barbarian and Monk, and a focus on magic for Ranger and Rogue, the subclasses feel unbalanced. This is especially noticeable given the frequent promotion of a connection to Baldur’s Gate 3, which isn’t reflected in the content. While the books themselves are welcome additions, the subclasses would have been more engaging with a wider range of playstyles instead of consistently prioritizing magic.

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2025-11-03 20:04