Clerics have eternally earned the reputation of being the “dedicated healer”; let's start this guide off by dismissing this notion. Clerics are so much more than a health battery you strap to your front-line allies.

War Domain comes out the gate swinging (literally). War Priest plus Guided Strike early will make every martial character at the table ask what the point of their class is, as you’re doing their thing better than them and have full-caster spells and cantrips.

Clerics who want a bit of extra edge but don’t want to fully commit to the ultimate edgelord nonsense Death Domain offers can find exactly what they’re looking for thematically in Twilight Domain. 

Trickery Domain offers clerics a route toward this fantasy. It doesn’t 100% stick the landing but does have a bunch of fun tools to play with alongside a robust Domain Spell list that will easily carry any character with it into greatness through the mid-game. 

Tempest Domain is crazy frontloaded. Their proficiencies, Wrath of the Storm, and Destructive Wrath play incredibly on their own, with massive potential to break other high-level effects in half.

Peace Domain doesn’t necessarily equate with pacifism. D&D is a tabletop RPG with a huge emphasis on combat. If you want to play a literal pacifist in a group breaking into dungeons, braving the dangers of the world, and toppling evil empires, a pacifist isn’t typically going to be a great fit.

Order Domain is one of the most cohesive subclasses ever designed. Everything from its domain spells to its stock cleric 8th level feature to its features overlap beautifully and paint a clear, unique play pattern that empowers some lesser valued effects in interesting and fun ways.

Nature Domain is weird in that it overlaps the most with this other archetype while providing nothing new, interesting, or meaningful to the concept. It sucks thematically and mechanically, adding nothing particularly meaningful to the game for its existence. 

Light Domain basically is two features: Domain Spells, and Warding Flare. Warding Flare is a great reaction option to play a somewhat supportive role with your reaction while laying waste to the creatures before with a burning vengeance.

Life Domain is, ironically, overkill. Most games aren’t seeing the entire team drop every fight, and if people aren’t dropping unconcious in fights prior to you using Life Domain, this option has no relevant text outside heavy armor proficiency. 

Knowledge Domain is a hollow shell with glaring skill problems, a mediocre Domain Spell list, and no features that actually bring the fantasy together until most people have stopped playing.

Mechanically, Grave is a bit all over the place with its features primarily focused on utility. If you’re in the market for a supportive cleric that functions on a bit of a different axis than Life or other supportive domains, Grave could be an option to consider. 

Something about a Dwarf Cleric is iconic in D&D; they’re garbed in ornate armor hand-crafted, destined to pursue artisanal perfection in the name of a glorious deity that shaped the clan they come from. Forge Domain has long been overdue for that fantasy; the Xanathar’s Guide to Everything offering gives you basically exactly what you’d expect from the archetype and nothing more. 

The Dungeon Master’s Guide has a few sneaky expanded options for villainous player characters. For Clerics, you get Death Domain: clerics dedicated to worshiping gods of slaughter or death. If you want a cleric with extra edge, Death Domain has your back. Pick up your darkest cloak, put on that eye shadow, pull out your scythe, and be prepared to kill some people. 

Wizards really like magic. It’s kind of their job. They’re dedicated to studying and practicing, learning the ways of magic for practicality. Arcana Domain Clerics don’t just like magic; they worship it.