Half-Orcs are powerful abominations who live as both an Orc and a Human and tend to become bloodthirsty Barbarians, skilled Fighters, vengeful Warlocks, or intelligent Wizards.
Half-Orcs embody power and can easily overwhelm enemies in strength and intellect because of their paths as Humans and Orcs.
Best Classes for Half-Orcs
5. Ranger
Primary Ability Score – Dexterity
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution, Wisdom
Spellcasting Ability – Wisdom
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Shields
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Martial
Why the Ranger?
Half-Orc can make decent Strength-based Rangers because of their Strength (2) increase, and the Constitution (1) increase adds some much-needed durability.
Savage Attacks help increase the damage done by your weapons if they crit, and having Darkvision lets you roam around in the dark, taking down enemies silently and opening the door to increase Dexterity for extra Stealth.
Menacing can be useful, but since you’ll most likely be focusing on other ability scores, it might not give you as much value as you’d hope.
Recommended Subclasses
- Beast Master fits an Elf well because of their affinity with beasts.
- Gloom Stalkers are the kings of the dark and exceptionally stealthy.
4. Paladin
Primary Ability Scores – Charisma and Strength
Secondary Ability Score – Constitution
Spellcasting Ability – Charisma
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Heavy, Shields
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Martial
Why the Paladin?
Half-Orcs should aim to become Paladins if they want to do one thing…smite the living HELL out of anything in their way!
Since Divine Smite works as a melee weapon attack, you can use the Half-Orc’s Savage Attacks to increase the damage dealt when you crit.
The increased Strength (2) and Constitution (1) are also useful for a Paladin. It’s just a shame there’s no Charisma bonus.
Recommended Subclasses
- Oath of Conquest is a good mix of offense and crown control.
- Oath of Redemption is a good roleplaying option for a Half-Orc seeking to become more Human and leave their Orcish heritage behind.
- Oathbreaker is a good roleplaying option for Half-Orcs who have embraced their evil Orcish heritage.
3. Druid
Primary Ability Score – Wisdom
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution, Dexterity
Spellcasting Ability – Wisdom
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Shields (Druids won’t use shields or wear armor made from metal)
Weapons Proficiencies – Spears, Slings, Sickles, Scimitars, Quarterstaffs, Maces, Javelins, Darts, Daggers, Clubs
Why the Druid?
Standard Half-Orcs, as well as Mark of Finding Half-Orcs, work well as a Druid. Standard Half-Orcs will focus mainly on using Wild Shape because of their Strength (2) increase, while Mark of Finding Half-Orcs can choose to be traditional Druids as they receive a Wisdom (2) increase.
Savage Attacks will work well with Wild Shape, but the problem is that it doesn’t offer many more traits, so you’ll have to increase your Wisdom by quite a bit to catch up.
On the other hand, the Relentless Endurance will work well when playing the primary healer, especially as the Mark of Finding subrace.
Recommended Subclasses
- Circle of the Moon uses the Strength increase of Half-Orcs and basically turns you into a werewolf Defender/Striker for your party.
2. Fighter
Primary Ability Score – Strength (STR-based), Dexterity (DEX-based)
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution
Spellcasting Ability – Intelligence (For Eldritch Knight)
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Heavy, Shields
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Martial
Why the Fighter?
Many players have heard of the Half-Orc Champion and understand that it’s not only simple to play but pretty powerful to boot.
You’ll be focusing on critical hits, using Savage Attack to boost the damage, and using the increased Strength (2) to propel you forward, making it possible to roll more crits.
The Menacing feature is also nice to have if you want to be intimidating, but you’ll have to raise your Charisma to use it effectively later on in the campaign.
Recommended Subclasses
- Champion Half-Orcs needs no introduction.
- Echo Knight if you want to be more impactful in campaigns with fewer player characters and still want to be a traditional Half-Orc.
1. Barbarian
Primary Ability Score – Strength
Secondary Ability Scores – Constitution, Dexterity to a lesser extent
Armor Proficiencies – Light, Medium, Shields
Weapons Proficiencies – Simple, Martial
Why the Barbarian?
Half-Orc Barbarians need no introduction, as almost everyone has thought about playing one.
Standard Half-Orcs have both Strength and Constitution, the most important ability scores for a Barbarian. When you combine Savage Attacks with Brutal Critical, you’ll wreak havoc on the battlefield!
Recommended Subclasses
- Path of the Ancestral Guardian is the perfect Defender build for a Half-Orc Barbarian.
- Path of the Totem Warrior is for Half-Orc Barbarians who want a lot of options and fit into any role.
Final Thoughts
These classes will make your Half-Orc perform optimally and become what all Half-Orcs strive to be.
Whether you swing an axe or cast spells, both of your ancestors will be proud of who you’ve become!