[Saph]

7. Class Power Rankings


So, you want to know which classes are the most powerful in Pathfinder, right? You want the definite, final answer as to which class is the strongest and which is the weakest, right?

Okay. Check the spoiler box below for the answer to the question “which class is the strongest?”

Spoiler

There is no answer. It’s a stupid question. If you didn’t see that one coming, smack yourself in the head for being so gullible.

Character power depends on the skill of the player, the build they’re using, the level of the party, and the environment and setting the DM is running the game in. Asking “which class is the strongest?” is like asking “how long is a piece of string?” (If you're wondering, the answer is “twice half it’s length”)

Now that’s out of the way, we can go on to something more useful.

Since this is a 3.5/Pathfinder handbook, what I’m interested in measuring is how the classes have changed. So with no further ado, here’s the table of whether the Pathfinder classes have gone up or down in relative power from how they were in 3.5. Note once again that this measures relative change.

Major Buffs - These classes are significantly stronger in Pathfinder than they were in 3.5.

• Paladin
• Rogue
• Sorcerer

Minor Buffs - These classes are better than they were in 3.5, but not hugely so.

• Fighter
• Monk
• Ranger
• Wizard

Mixed Bag - These classes have picked up a bunch of buffs and a bunch of nerfs. Figuring out whether they’re better or worse is going to come down to opinion.

• Barbarian
• Bard
• Cleric

Nerfed - The only class which has unarguably gotten worse. Yeah, you saw this coming.

• Druid