Orc (2024) Guide 5e

Which 5e Classes Work With Orcs?

Artificer: Adrenaline Rush enhances your battlefield mobility, and Relentless Endurance ensures survival in clutch moments. This race will be best for Artificers that like to wade into battle, but spellcasting builds can also benefit from the Bonus Action Dash to position themselves better for utility spells or ranged attacks.

Barbarian: As expected, orcs make the perfect barbarians. Dashing as a Bonus Action while gaining Temporary Hit Points is incredibly powerful on a Barbarian build, and so is the ability to pop up to 1 Hit Point if you're ever reduced to 0 Hit Points.

Bard: While not an obvious choice, Adrenaline Rush can help position a Bard for support or escape. Relentless Endurance offers a safety net in combat, but other races may align better with a Bard’s abilities.

Cleric: Orcs make solid Clerics, especially for melee-focused builds. Adrenaline Rush allows swift engagement or retreat, and allows you to self heal so you don't waste necessary spell slots. Relentless Endurance keeps you standing to heal or lay down your Spirit Guardians.

Druid: Not much here for a caster Druid, but Adrenaline Rush can be useful for Wild Shape mobility, and Relentless Endurance ensures your Druid can stay in Wild Shape longer. A versatile choice for frontline Circle of the Moon Druids.

Fighter: As expected, Orcs make the perfect fighters. Adrenaline Rush adds much-needed mobility, and Relentless Endurance keeps you in the fray longer, especially for tanky or melee-focused builds.

Monk: Orcs work surprisingly well as Monks. Adrenaline Rush boosts your already high speed, allowing you to control the battlefield with ease. Relentless Endurance gives you a safety net in tough encounters, which Monks are usually welcome to have because of their lower Hit Dice.

Paladin: Orcs make excellent Paladins. Adrenaline Rush provides battlefield control and lets you self heal so you can save your Lay on Hands for allies in trouble. Relentless Endurance ensures you stay up to heal allies or deliver your Divine Smites.

Ranger: Adrenaline Rush boosts your ability to reposition for ranged or melee combat. Combine this with Darkvision for excellent performance in stealth-heavy exploration.

Rogue: Unfortunately, Orcs have a key overlap with the Rogue's abilities: Dashing as a Bonus Action. Rogues love to use their Cunning Action to Disengage, Dash, and offhand attack, so you won't be using the Orcs premiere ability all that often. The survivability and extended Darkvision are good, but Rogues should look for a more synergistic choice.

Sorcerer: Adrenaline Rush is situationally useful for positioning spells like Fireball. Relentless Endurance provides a safety net, but Orcs aren’t the most optimized Sorcerer choice.

Warlock: Orcs make decent Warlocks. Adrenaline Rush allows better positioning for Eldritch Blasts or other AoE spells, and Relentless Endurance offers survivability, though other races may suit spellcasters better.

Wizard: Adrenaline Rush is situationally useful for positioning spells like Fireball. Relentless Endurance provides a safety net, but Orcs aren’t the most optimized Wizard choice.