The 2024 Player’s Handbook rewrote the rulebook — literally. The result? A metagame that some corners of the internet are calling “hilariously broken.” Whether you’re here to optimise or just curious what the theorycrafters are cooking, here are the builds dominating tables right now.
The State of the Meta: Two Eras of 5e
Before diving in, it’s worth acknowledging that 5e currently has two metagames running in parallel. Legacy builds from the 2014 ruleset are still widely played, while the 2024 PHB introduced enough changes that entire subclasses flipped from weak to dominant. A thread on EN World titled “PHB 2024 Is Hilariously Broken. Most OP of All Time?” touched a nerve — because it’s not entirely wrong.
Sorcadin (Paladin + Sorcerer) — The Boss Killer
The Sorcadin has been a powerhouse for years and remains king. The formula: Paladin’s Divine Smite converts spell slots into explosive radiant damage on melee hits. A Sorcerer dip floods you with additional spell slots to fuel those smites. Land a critical hit and you can erase a boss in a single turn. This is the “one-turn kill machine” build, and it’s as effective as advertised. Recommended split: Paladin 5 / Sorcerer 15, or Paladin 6 / Sorcerer 14 for the Aura of Protection.
Sorlock (Sorcerer + Warlock) — The Cantrip Machine Gun
One of the longest-standing broken combos in 5e. Warlock’s Eldritch Blast combined with Hex provides strong, consistent cantrip damage. Add Sorcerer’s Quicken Spell Metamagic and you can cast Eldritch Blast as both a bonus action and action on the same turn — effectively doubling your output. With Agonizing Blast adding your Charisma modifier to each beam, this scales terrifyingly well at higher levels.
Padlock / Pallock (Paladin + Hexblade Warlock) — The One-Stat Wonder
The Hexblade subclass changed the Paladin multiclass landscape permanently. Normally, a Paladin uses Strength for attacks and Charisma for spellcasting — two different stats pulling in opposite directions. Hexblade’s Hex Warrior feature lets you attack with Charisma instead. The result: every class feature, attack, spell, and save DC runs off one stat. Combined with Warlock’s short-rest slot recovery to fuel Paladin smites, this delivers sustained, high-damage performance across a full adventuring day.
Coffeelock (Warlock + Sorcerer) — The Banned Build
Technically legal. Almost universally banned. The Aspect of the Moon Eldritch Invocation removes the need to sleep. Instead of long rests, you take multiple short rests, regenerating Warlock spell slots and converting them into Sorcery Points via the Sorcerer’s Font of Magic. Chain enough short rests and you accumulate theoretically unlimited spell slots. Most DMs ban this on sight. If yours doesn’t, this is the most powerful build in the game on a long enough timeline.
Twilight Domain Cleric — The Support Monster
Widely regarded as one of the strongest single subclasses ever printed. Channel Divinity provides a massive temporary HP aura to all allies within 30 feet as a bonus action — refreshing on every short rest. Add darkvision, advantage on initiative rolls, and eventual flight, and Twilight Cleric does everything. It’s so strong that many groups house-rule the temp HP scaling down. If your table allows it at full strength, take it.
2024 PHB: The Beast Master Ranger Redemption Arc
The Ranger was 5e’s most criticised class for years, and the Beast Master was its weakest subclass. The 2024 PHB fixed both. Rangers now get 4 attacks at level 5 and 5 attacks per turn by level 11 when you include beast companion attacks. A subclass that was a punchline is now genuinely competitive. If you wrote off the Ranger before the rewrite, it’s worth revisiting.
The Grapple Abuse Meta
The Grappler feat combined with Spike Growth and Spirit Guardians creates a devastating damage loop: grapple an enemy, drag them repeatedly through a Spike Growth field, proc Spirit Guardians damage each time they move. The new Conjure Minor Elemental spell is also flagged by the optimisation community as borderline broken above level 9. Both strategies are gaining traction at competitive tables.
A Word of Warning
Optimised builds are tools, not guarantees. The most broken character at a table that doesn’t do combat well, or that has a DM who adjusts on the fly, is just a character with a complicated character sheet. Know your table before you bring a Coffeelock to session one.
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