Dungeons and Dragons Best Rogue Subclass Tier List

No fantasy adventuring party would be complete without a Rogue, and Dungeons and Dragons is no exception. As the only class to get four base skill proficiencies as well as Expertise, they can easily master the gameplay pillars of exploration and social interaction. They sometimes struggle in combat due to reliance on Sneak Attack and slim AoE options, but few things can end a boss fight in Dungeons and Dragons as quickly as a critical hit from a Rogue.

Like most classes, Rogues choose a subclass in D&D at third level that can drastically alter how it plays. There have been 11 Rogue subclasses released from official sources so far, and some are decidedly more powerful than others. Every Rogue can bring cunning and guile to a party, but some subclasses will have an easier time doing so than others.

Related

Dungeons and Dragons Best Paladin Oath Tier List

Paladins are one of the most iconic and powerful classes in Dungeons and Dragons, but not all of its subclasses are created equally.

S-Tier: Skill and Combat Experts

• Inquisitive
• Phantom
• Scout
• Thief

The Inquisitive Rogue’s Insightful Fighting guarantees they can get Sneak Attack against all but the most deceptive of opponents. Features like Ear For Deceit, Eye For Detail, Steady Eye, and Unerring Eye don’t do much for combat, but they help fulfill that versatile Sherlock Holmes fantasy better than anyone. The extra Sneak Attack dice from Eye for Weakness also help counterbalance the cost of Cunning Strike – a hilarious coincidence, considering the subclass was printed 7 years before Rogues got the ability in the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook.

Between the free skill or tool proficiency every rest, and their ability to bounce their Sneak Attack to a second target, the Phandom Rogue has a little bit of everything. While Tokens of the Departed used to be too limited, buffs seen in Dungeons and Dragons’ recent Horror Unearthed Arcana made this subclass even better. Slap on Ghost Walk’s ability to move through walls, Speak with Dead via Voice of the Dead, and general improvements to every part of the subclass with Death’s Friend, and you have the Phantom Rogue as a contender for the strongest on this list.

Scout Rogues can outperform even Rangers and Druids when it comes to outdoorsmanship thanks to their bonus skill Expertises in Nature and Survival. While Skirmisher and Superior Mobility help Scouts stay at a safe distance, the subclass really comes online at level 13 with Ambush Master. Advantage on Initiative and marking a target to grant Advantage on allies’ attacks against it make them dangerous squad leaders, and Sudden Strike giving access to Sneak Attack twice every turn lets them pump out truly overpowered damage numbers in D&D.

While the Thief would have been much lower on this list before, the 2024 Player’s Handbook catapulted this Rogue subclass to the top. Using magic items as a bonus action means a Thief wielding the right staff or wand can sling spells almost as good as a Wizard, and even more so once they can use Spell Scrolls at level 13. An extra attunement slot, the ability to stay hidden after attacking, and excellent mobility with Second-Story Work would be amazing on their own, but Thief’s Reflexes granting a second turn in combat may be one of the most powerful abilities in all of Dungeons and Dragons.

A-Tier: Excellent Subclasses With Potent Tricks

• Arcane Trickster
• Assassin
• Scion of the Three

The Arcane Trickster gains access to spellcasting, which automatically makes them a pretty powerful pick for Rogues. Unfortunately, that’s all they get for some time, as the Mage Hand Legerdemain D&D ability is mostly flavor. That said, Magical Ambush can help their otherwise-low DC spells stick, and Spell Thief can let them counter and temporarily learn spells that aren’t on their list. Versatile Trickster is also good, but it forces them into using Trip Cunning Strike to gain benefits from it.

The Assassin is another subclass that benefited greatly from the 2024 rules refresh. Assassinate and Death Strike no longer require the target to be Surprised in order to grant their damage bonuses, and they now get more combat efficiency at levels 9 and 13 with Roving Aim and Envenom Weapons. With an even split between skill and combat support, the Assassin has become an incredibly solid subclass.

The Scion of the Three, introduced in Dungeons and Dragons’ Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerun sourcebook, is a dream come true for fans of the Dark Urge from Baldur’s Gate 3. However, the class revolves around a single trick in the form of Bloodthirst. Luckily, the ability to attack out of turn, thus granting an extra use of Sneak Attack in the process, is a fantastic trick. Even so, the 30-foot range of Bloodthirst means ranged weapons are basically off the table, and its Strike Fear and Aura of Malevolence features are both niche due to reliance on the Frightened condition, low damage, and short range.

B-Tier: Solid Subclasses With a Few Flaws

• Magic Stealer
• Mastermind
• Swashbuckler

The Magic Stealer from the recent Mystic Subclasses Dungeons and Dragons Unearthed Arcana is the Arcane Trickster for Rogues who don’t want to use spells. It can pump up its Sneak Attack by stealing power from spells, end spells with Drain Magic, and even foil enemy spellcasters with Magical Sabotage and Eldritch Implosion. That said, most of its features are reliant on facing enemy spellcasters or fighting alongside allied ones, which can limit the Magic Stealer in certain encounters or team compositions.

With abilities like Master of Intrigue, Insightful Manipulator, and Soul of Deceit, the Mastermind Rogue is perfect for players looking to play a super spy or crime lord. However, while the Mastermind excels in social scenarios, it suffers in combat. Its only utility in battle comes with Master of Tactics and Misdirection, and while the former lets them play a unique support role on the battlefield, Misdirection competes with the general Uncanny Dodge ability, which is more reliable and unlocked earlier.

Few Rogue archetypes are as iconic as the Swashbuckler in Dungeons and Dragons. The Subclass is born to mix it up in melee, with Fancy Footwork letting them slip in and out without using Cunning Action to Disengage, and Rakish Audacity granting an Initiative bonus on top of another way to score Sneak Attack. Unfortunately, Panache and Elegant Maneuver are essentially just ways to get advantage on certain ability checks, meaning they don’t get much other combat utility Master Duelist at level 17, which is underwhelming due to its once-per-rest limitation.

C-Tier: A Psionic Subclass Whose Core Feature Cripples Them

Image via Wizards of the Coast

The Soulknife is in a tough spot. While the Psionic subclass has a lot of cool tricks, it runs out of Psionic Energy Dice quickly at early levels. While this is somewhat remedied at higher levels, they then run into another issue: their entire subclass relies on using their Psychic Blades in battle, which means wielding powerful magic weapons they find in D&D would make almost half of their features useless.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date

1974

Designer

E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson