Ranking All Pathfinder 2e Classes - Personal Favorites and Best Mechanics Post Player Core 2

[@RebelThenKing]

Minor corrections: - When discussing the Thaumaturge I said that the critical failure of Exploit Vulnerability leaves you clumsy, but it's actually off-guard. Similar, but not the same. - I accidentally say "fury ranger" instead of "fury barbarian" when discussing the barbarian. Clearly the flurry ranger was on my mind. - I said something about thaumaturge "bypassing" enemy resistances. I didn't mean bypass as in not being affected by the resistance, but instead meant that because you are triggering weaknesses, you are offsetting resistances. For example, if you stab a Centipede Swarm with a resistance 5 to piercing damage, but are also activating its weakness 5 to splash damage, you've offset the damage mitigation from the resistance. Creatures with strong resistances also tend to have slightly lower AC and HP, so you'll cut them down in no time "even though the damage type your weapon deals doesn't change". Let me know if there are more corrections and I'll update this comment.

[@TheLocalDisasterTourGuide]

So the primary takeaway from this video is that every time Rebelthenking releases a class ranking video, we all need to remind him to change his socks!

[@RebelThenKing]

The joke's on you. We're seeing some above average temperatures so I'm not even wearing socks 😄

[@FhtagnCthulhu]

I think the fact that you rank summoner 22nd and I rank it first is a compliment to the system.

[@RebelThenKing]

Completely agreed. I think everything works well now and it just comes down to personal preferences.

[@tinear4]

“How can you not like explosions?”. Sir, your adopted ancestry (goblin) is showing.

[@RebelThenKing]

Guilty as charged. I would say it's easily one of my top 3 ancestries.

[@EllieJerow]

Take that, wizard! [Team Witch]

[@saeedrazavi4428]

As someone who likes playing wizards in 5e, the 2e wizard makes me sad (not because it's not busted. I love 2e and its balance. The wizard here just isn't interesting enough to me bc of how interesting other casters are by comparison)

[@Rashagar]

​​@@saeedrazavi4428funnily enough, the 2e wizard is the closest I've ever been to being interested in a wizard. I like the idea of the arcane thesis as a mechanic... I'd still choose witch though.

[@toodleselnoodos6738]

It only took…how many Final Sacrifices for Paizo to notice?

[@klepikovmd]

26:12 in divine mysteries they finally added third subclass for cleric. It loses spell slots for martial skills. Basically, a PF1 warpriest.

[@KalaamNozalys]

I really wish the flow between spellstrike, conflux and arcane cascade got elaborated on with new released and some tweaks. Like having the ability to end Arcane Cascade as a free action to recharge Spellstrike, as a form of emergency recharge at the cost of losing the benefit of the cascade (which might gain to being better in some cases). One thing its needs even more of those is more attack spells being printed lol, so many good ones are actually focus spells.

[@Vic_v._Gerdenheim]

I'm a monk main, so I can understand the pitfall of thinking all your turns will be move, stance, flurry. In practice, this can be the case. However, I actually really like that monk has no subclasses to choose from, just feats. This allows players to really come up with their own unique fighting styles rather than be boxed into preexisting motifs. There are more than enough stances (with potentially more on the way) that you can pick one and stick with it, or switch them up. Fuse Stance now being available at level 16 is a huge buff! Qi spells, monastic weaponry, archery and stances all open up routes so no two monk players have the same build!

[@Dezbood]

I like class ranking videos, even if it might be overdone sometimes

[@maxh.6193]

Something worth noting about kineticist: it interacts very poorly with several other abilities. Anything that affects weapons, Strikes, or spells (most archetypes) do not function on the Kineticist since their impulses are none of these things.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

5:54 Counterpoint It's not a conflict between rogue vs swash vs investigator for example... Rather they are variants, or alternate takes on a concept. Consider the Role of Scoundrel or skilled PC, And you can enjoy creating those Charactees with rogue or Swashbuckler or other classes. The barbarian, might not as easily fill that role. However, when you consider building a tanky PC, you might look at th barbarian or the druid or the fighter or the champion as starting considerations... Whereas if you knew that you wanted to play a healer, you might consider magical classes, or skilled classes... Etc etc etc...

[@jonathanbennison9220]

43:21 Absolutely. Just a ton of options. Each. Element. Is diverse, And the combinations are nearly endless, but even the quality, tempting combinations are numerous... Definitely a lot.

[@jhustmyles275]

Is a shame that Invoke Disaster/Storm Lord comes so late for Storm Druid. Its awesome and definitely brings the "Wow" factor for me (along with free and actionless combat flight). But its at level 18 (and 8 for stormwind/16 for uplifting winds).

[@saeedrazavi4428]

Yay new RebelThenKing video!

[@jonathanbennison9220]

41:47 Yes. Kineticist. The Monk Sorceress Lovechild. Makes sense with the origin being the Warlock, which was the reimagined mage... Where they tried to fix what didn't work with the Wizard/Sorc

[@AlexKlindt]

I'm gonna talk bad at flurry ranger here for a moment: The subclass is perhaps the most action-intensive feature in the game and unless you're built to make more than 2 attack trait actions a turn and your party can help facilitate that, you're probably better off playing a fighter. However, on paper thrown weapon flurry ranger with +3 str and +4 dex at character creation is nuts. Quick draw on a flaming thrower's bandolier while hasted. (We'll assume 8th level) Chakram, Starknife, Starknife, Hunted Shot two shurikens. 2d8+1d6+6->[2d4+1d6+6]x2 with deadly trait->[2d4+1d6+6]x2 Assuming all strikes hit and none crit that averages out to 49 weapon damage and 17 fire a round. Critting on the starknives or chakram will also add a hefty chunk of damage too. 5 strikes per round at a target within 40 feet with an attack penalty that caps out at -4 with each hit getting full strength mod to damage? Great. Bonus points if one of your allies can put down difficult terrain under your prey so they're off guard to your flurry.

[@toodleselnoodos6738]

(Noticed RebelthenKing is a performer) (Sees Bard #1) Ergo, RebelthenKing is #1. ~QED

[@joshuaturnquist5538]

Kinda surprised Investigator is so high over the other "support" martials like Rogue and Ranger. It's a very fun and thematic class, but also GM and Adventure dependent. The other two just work.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

Significantly impacted by RtK s personal preferences there. Like how he described the fighter here, and elsewhere. Almost too good mechanically. But, not jumping off the page narratively... For RtK personally. About rogue, he has actually said before... Is it too good?

[@jonathanbennison9220]

Personally, I'd like most of the classes to be brought up to the functional level of the rogue or fighter, thaumaturge or Kineticist. Etc.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

I would be disappointed by nerfing balance passes.

[@teddennison344]

If you don't want Steampunk but like gunslinger, just use crossbows.

[@kadmii]

alchemists make me think of a fantasy version of medieval alchemists. Gunslingers make me think of fantasy wild west

[@RebelThenKing]

100% agreed.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

40:17 Correct me if I'm wrong. Companion vs Eidolon Companion attacks do not share MAP with the PC, Ie. The ranger, druid, beast master, Have a companion. And if it strikes... It does not suffer the PC's MAP.

[@americannerdinnz]

You should play in Pathfinder Society. Then you can have a dozen different characters going. I love all four of mine.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

29:43 The case you are making for Barbarian... DPS, take out the enemy. That has been our Thaumaturge. And our Kineticist (fire) and at times, our Flurry Archer. We have recently seen Haste cast upon our archer, which is Five + 1 strikes... Or 4+2 strikes. And while our Elven archer did not choose to be a Flying mounted archer... The potential is definitely there. Because anything a Halfing can do with a pony or riding dog... The Ranger can do with a Flying Companion... Ie... The Bird companion... And 60ft flight + Flyby attack, and a Daze Bleed support... Is a pretty terrifying mount. Combined with the archery Only a Thaumaturge mounted would be more frightening in our group.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

32:45 Unleash Psyche superpowers the DPS out of our psychic... They go from +2 bonus damage near our Regalia Thauma To +10 bonus damage? Rage Barbarian doesn't add that much damage does it?

[@RebelThenKing]

I have seen the psychic in our campaign and in the Glass Cannon Podcast unleash some seemingly impossibly high damage with their cantrips, so perhaps I need to re-rank and put the psychic higher. It is another day, which means it is already time for a change in my rankings 😂

[@JamesTillmanjimthegray]

wizard has most spells per day it makes them imho by far the best caster and i love magus and like the gunslinger though mostly i agree with your list

[@moonlight2870]

Sorcerers are cooler tho

[@JamesTillmanjimthegray]

I don't think so, people who master magic through skill are imho cooler then nepomages

[@LeahLuciB]

Studying is for dorks. Sorcery is cruise control for cool

[@BegravelseinBrussels]

Why is the gunslinger "steampunk"? Guns and gunpoweder were in use in the middle ages by the 14th and 15th centuries.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

1:57 Agreed!!

[@TheUrns]

38:40 what do you mean with "bypasses resistances"? As I understand it the thaumaturge triggers weaknesses but the damage type of their weapon never changes. So if i trigger a fire weaknes with my slashing sword but the enemy has resistance to slashing, that would reduce my damage, no?

[@RebelThenKing]

Addressed in the pinned comment.

[@TheUrns]

@@RebelThenKing thank you for explaining!

[@tinear4]

The replacement of alignment damage with spirit damage has delivered a huge boost to divine casters including sorcerer and oracle. Once people start to understand what a big deal this is, I think clerics will become more popular.

[@jonathanbennison9220]

45:01 Just for the record... Gunslinger is designed to function with Xbiws as well. Further... I'm not a real fan of the mechanics of the firearms in PF2, as representative of our firearms... How ere, mechanically firearms are not disproportionate or inherently flawed... Mechanically, the firearms in PF2 seem fairly well balanced, and if anything offer some advanced weaponry options. Similar to other advanced or uncommon weapons. As DM my solution was to simply reflavor the firearms x so that they are not in fact analogues of our world, But rather just magic/tekk from the Golarion realm. Crystal power cells... Bolt launchers, Magic powered weapons... Whatever it takes to find a suitable narrative for your campaign. Remember also that we did have alien civs crash land advanced tekk, like lasers, So knockoff reverse engineered firearms, Is a pretty awesome pivot. With that adjustment, I like the Gunslinger.

[@eduardoarancibia169]

I agree with most of the list, except I'd swap the fighter and the sorcerer.

[@Aarlaeoss]

Having a gun/arbelest in a pseudo high medieval setting is *hardly* steampunk

[@LordTridus]

Monk above Rogue? Wow. Rogue is a top 3 claas for me. Monk is... not, lol. Oracle above Fighter is wild woth how much i hate how Oracle was gutted of flavor and how some of its mysteries are just yoyal garbage now, while Fighter is one of the strongest classes in the game. Interesting to see these varied viewpoints.

[@AndrewDavenport-v1r]

Best Class is GM

[@jonathanbennison9220]

The forever flaw of the sorcerer. You desperately need wamds/scrolls Because you know so few spells. When you know a spell that can serve a situation. Great. When you don't. Well, good thing you have a stick to swing. Spontaneous is simpler in some ways, and pays a heavy price for it.

[@moonlight2870]

Everyone says that, but you don't need a ton of spells when you're focusing on one thing. Damage is always good. And with the remaster, sorcerers do damage better. You don't need a spell for every situation, let the rest of your team figure it out. Just cast fireball 16 times.

[@Dezbood]

There are casters that needs wands and scrolls even more. If all you prepare/learn are niche situation spells, then you’re gonna have a bad time. The sorcerer is one of the better blasters, and damage is almost always valuable.