The Best D&D Spell for Each Level 

But… but the meme… fireball, Eldritch blast, probably another spell meme

Part 2 with spell level 5 through 9 coming tomorrow (I couldn’t go through them all in 1 minute)

"No, not in this way" Face it guys, hes singling out the bards here.

for second level pass without trace might be a contender and first level goodberry is up there too, maybe im just a ranger/druid simp tho

Bless is a pretty good spell that remains relevant at any character level.

The info is great and all but the RS soundtrack in the background really hits a hole in my heart for that childhood moment

For level 1 I think we could put Find Familiar next to Healing Word

Counterspell has amazing scaling and I’d argue better than hypnotic pattern. Sure it’s only good against casters but there’s a lvl 7 spell for martials and then you’ve won almost any combat

I was a ranger who subclassed as a druid. One early spell I used well was entangle. I even used it on my allies who were being controlled

I am surprised that spirit guardians wasn't mentioned. It's the 'let's clean this dungeon just by walking into it' spell.

My Verdict so far: Cantrip: Guidance is a pretty clear answer. The only other cantrip that comes close is Minor Illusion, but the truth is, until you can burn higher level spells freely, you're never not going to be casting guidance. First Level: Healing Word is honestly a bit overrated. It loses value fast, and while it absolutely can save lives, spells like Goodberry, Find Familiar, Shield and Absorb Elements are good for far longer and are just really powerful all of the time. Second Level: Misty Step is another one of those spells that, while very powerful and highly impactful when used, has some competition that is certainly over it. Pass Without Trace is probably the clearest answer (why escape when you and your whole party can just not get caugh instead), and I'd say Web is better. That being said, Misty step is still a fairly acceptable answer. Third Level: Factually correct. I'd say the same thing without hesitation. One of your best spells until the DM starts making you fight fey creatures, even at higher levels. Fourth Level: You gave the actual best fourth level spell an honorable mention, lmao. Banishment honestly is overrated. Fourth Level Spell slot AND concentration to save or suck 1 guy out of combat. There are a plethora of scenarios where Hypnotic Pattern was probably the stronger choice. Banishment is definitely the closest thing to "???" so far, especially with Polymorph mentioned in the video, but despite its faults, it's not terrible. (Charisma is on average the weakest monster save iirc). Final verdict: Not a bad list. Automatically better than any list that mentions fireball, and I appreciate the shout out to Guidance over Eldritch Blast, since Guidance is a cantrip everyone wants, but Eldritch Blast is only useful for one class. Good work, Monkey! Probably like 8.5/10 imo. ♥

the bbeg after getting banishment casted on it: chuckles I'm in danger

Last time I used mistystep we had a fight on a ship and I just went to the mast, pretty fun cause an enemy had to follow me up just to get pushed down 10/10 spell

Me, the Warlock: I sold my soul for Eldritch Blast - the best cantrip in the game Monke: Guidance is the best cantrip in D&D Me: Excuse me, what the fuck?

Prestidigitation, Find Familiar, Misty Step, Counterspell, Greater Invisibility, Animate Objects.

Good to know that someone still uses the RuneScape soundtrack in their videos

Hex comes to mind. Alot, sure, by itself it doesn't do much but the power of who and what you can combine it with is amazing. This is probably because I'm a control minded player.

So happy to see Hypnotic Pattern getting recognition. I still remember finding it and showing it off. Everybody immediately feared it.

I completely agree with almost all of these, especially Hypnotic Pattern, bloody amazing spell. But, for cantrip I feel Firebolt is a worthy contender. It has great scaling damage while your character levels up, and since it’s a cantrip, you can use it as many times as you want. I myself have used Firebolt many a times in combat while playing a spell-caster that has ran out of their spell slots

Banishment and then sickening radiance and spike growth on where they were

My favorite spell is polymoph especially when you pair it with animal messenger it’s a great alternative to banishment because they can’t come back

I just love Sleep to much to agree with Healing Word, on an average roll you get rid of 3 goblins, just like that.

You just described the spell list of my Trickery Cleric! 😌

Helpful video,thanks!

That's 4 levels...

Him: 3. Lvl, Hypnotic Pattern is the best Me: Hypnotic Pattern only works at targets without charm immunity! And EVERYTHING has charm immunity!

I would say dont forget the find steed, and find greater steed spells as even if u dont use other self spells which get wacky with some like spirit guards it's a extra body on the battle field helping movement or just action economy

Earlier this week I was DMing a one shot where a party of 4 was facing a Night Hag Coven. The Wild Magic Barbarian was giving me some trouble, and my happiest moment was when the hag was able to polymorph him into a bunny for a couple turns. It was hilarious

Slow>hypnotic pattern.

The Old School Runescape background is just.. wow

Personal opinion Cantrip: Mage hand Level 1: Find familiar

Indeed the best level for each spell

Now if we are including strixhaven and other spells from those books, I think silvery barbs is the best first level spell… reaction, disadvantage to an enemy when they make either Attack, ability check, OR Saving throw, advantage to an ally…it’s just so good

I'd argue for first level it's familiar. It's amazing.

Guidence, find familiar or sleep, misty step or pass without trace, haste or hypnotic pattern, dimension door or polymorh

Banishment is good, But Conjure Woodland creatures can summon 8 Pixies to All cast polymorph; Giving you a mass polymorph for the cost of a single spell slot. But Conjure Minor elementals is on another plane of Broken when you summon 8 Chwingas, which can all bestow magical gifts; Which can allow you to cast spells like Leomunds Tiny hut (as an action), ignore dropping to 0 hp 9 times with charm of 9 lives, Cast Greater restoration for free, and Cast Conjure animals 3 times. And all of these are 1 magical gift; Which with Chwinga's you get 8 of.

Guidance, Find Familiar, Web, Hypnotic Pattern, Polymorph, Wall of Force, Mass Suggestion, Simulacrum, Antipathy/ Sympathy, and Wish. (Honorable mentions: Minor Illusion, Shield, Sleet Storm, Spirit Guardians, Tiny Hut, Circle of Power, Contingency, Heroes' Feast, Forcecage, Animal Shapes, and Shapechange.)

Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Chain Lightning, Enervation, Blight, Meteor Swarm

MDM: ...no not in that way the bard: Yes in that way!

*Cries in Eldritch Blast*

Now this I completely agree. And with healing word i put in Bless spell. Both are good and could mean life or death

prestidigitation is the best cantrip 101 uses 1 spell just from the stuff outlined in the spell description also find familiar is the best 1st level spell constantly get the help action use it as a messenger or a distraction also RAW it can use its action to make a medicine check on downed creature and stabilize it

tldr "heal or leave"

If you are a warlock, Eldritch Blast is the best cantrip!

The "No, not in this way" wasn't the least bit convincing

Cantrip: Minor illusion, 1st Sleep at level one, Find Familiar over the course of a long campaign. 2nd Find Steed but if you have a DM that plays along Rope Trick.... or pass without trace. 3rd Conjure Animals if the DM doesnt play along hypnotic pattern, 4th Conjure Woodland Beings if the DM doesnt play along Find Greater Steed, 5th Wall of Force, 6 Mass Suggestion, 7 Simulacrum 8 Maze 9 Wish

"No not in this way" But I'm a bard!

I got 4/5 not bad. Still gonna stick with Counterspell at 3rd level though :)

On god I have made myself a nickname for casting guidance so much

Find Familiar is hands down the best 1st level spell, healing word is good in combat situations but you can use find familiar for everything, combat, exploration, roleplay, stealth, it's the best

No Fireball. *only fireball* *A L W A Y S F I R E B A L L*

My vote for level 2 spells is Web. It basically does the same thing as hypnotic pattern but is a little more reliable.

Naming a different option for each present that I think is definitely a contender: Cantrip: Mold Earth. Reshaping the terrain is really powerful, granting you instant cover in combat or dig a tunnel/cave in some places. Out of combat, this can dig a trench or a moat or improvise a wall or similar fortification, even if it's only slightly useful for that. Having a hill for high ground can already be impactful. 1st Level: Shield. You may argue about whether you know the attack roll, but if there's a lot of attacks coming your way this turn, this can massively boost your staying power - especially if you're already well armored. Easily the most powerful defensive reaction overall. 2nd Level: Web. It's similar in its usefulness and efficacy as Hypnotic Pattern, which often works simply because a lot of monsters just fight in melee exclusively. The bonus damage from burning it down is not worth it, however. 3rd Level: Conjure Animals. So as long as you don't get complete trash, eight animals will usually have enough HP and damage to massively swing the fight in your favor. They can hurt enemies, control space, serve as mounts and scout ahead. (Clear with your DM if you plan on using any particular utility of an animal) 4th Level: Dimension Door. The big brother of Misty Step may require an action, but 500 feet is phenomenal for a retreat or skipping past an entire defensive line. It's also one of the very few spells that doesn't require seeing your target, so it saves you from situations where you get blinded.

Polymorph is a personal favourite of mine I have once used my Lvl 8 Warlock of the Fey to turn a spider-snake into a rat

I can't believe couterspell wasn't even mentioned

Hypnotic Pattern? The only crowd control I need is a 20ft sphere of 8d6 fire damage Just FIREBALL🔥💥

Level 1-Probably Shield Level 2-Pass without trace, web is an honorable mention. Level 3-Phantom Steed, followed by Conjure Animals, Spirit Guardians and Hypnotic Pattern. Level 4-Polymorph, followed by Summon Greater Demon and Dimension Door.

Cantrip: Minor illusion or prestidigitation. Level 1: shield Level 2: healing spirit or phantasmal force Level 3: hypnotic pattern or counterspell Level 4: polymorph Level 5: animate objects Level 6: Contingency Level 7: Teleport or Simulacrum Level 8: Feeblemind Level 9: Wish Best spells, every Level, in general, zero bias.

It's all about Advanced D&D

Web > Misty Step. Affects multiple opponents and inflicts the Restrained condition (adv to attack them; they have disadv to attack anyone)

Conjure animals is an incredible contester

I’d say eldritch blast competes with guidance and shield competes with healing word. Pass without trace is also leagues better then Misty step; surprise is an incredibly powerful mechanic.

Sounds good so far

Here is my list: 0. Eldritch blast - while not being that useful out of combat, it’s the only cantrip that literally has a class built around it, which is pretty sick 1. Find familiar - I don’t think I even need to explain this one, just busted 2. Invisibility- the utility you can get out of just a 2nd level spell slot with this is insane 3. Conjure animals - same as find familiar, I don’t think this need explanation 4. Polymorph - probably the most versatile spell in the game for its level, there are so many things you can do, from turning a nearly dead ally to a beast with 150 hp, to turning an enemy into a fish, so they can’t do anything 5. Wall of force - the control this spell gives you on the battlefield is ridiculous, completely shutting down multiple enemies potentially, and so many other powerful things 6. Mass suggestion - an absolutely ridiculous spell, you can just tell your enemies to not attack, and you won! 7. Simulacrum - turns out having an additional 13th level spellcaster in your party is very powerful 8. Clone - I don’t think I need to explain why immortality is sick 9. Surprising no one; wish! It straight up tells you in its description it’s the most powerful spell in the game Well that’s my list, but I definitely agree that every spell you talked about is great

Technically misty step doesn't necessarily get you out of shackles, for the same reason you don't leave all your clothes behind when you use it.

We were playing Curse of Strahd, and I had donned the armor Strahd can animate, well... the DM activated it while I was wearing it. I was a Paladin of Vengence with Misty Step and I used the spell to get out of the armor. Idk if RAW would allow for that, but the DM allowed it. Fun times

Summon animals is better than hypnotic patern I think

I'd like to point out that while DMs probably won't do it for every fight, I personally make the end of the arc boss immune to spells like banish. Doing it on any other boss is fair game, but there's a reason why the DM is able to modify Stat blocks.

Thank you for the Star wars meme

Bbeg tend to have legendary resistances that make banishment difficult so be careful. Still a great spell against mini-bosses

Hypnotic pattern over fireball, counter spell, and haste? Nah

Naked and alone? Send in ..... The bard 👀🤣

I was playing a one shot like a week or two ago and it showed how counter spells is one of the best spells ever. bbeg cast big death spell, guy on my right cast counter spell, bbeg counter spelled his counter spell, and then I counter spelled his counter spell. Absolutely bullied him.

I feel like this is all the best support spells

Level 1 is Goodberry. Just spend all your spell slots before a long rest and you can have 40 or so berries which last the until your next long rest.

My dm in one of my campaigns is going to send a really really powerful demon (eldritch god?) spell caster at us, with 9th level spells and a huge cult following at us. Now, by the end of the campaign, my paladin is going to cast banishment on it, so the wizard can cast magic circle on it, and from there we bully the demon who can’t fight back. Banishment for the win!

You don't even have to deal with the main guy with banishment, you can just keep concentration to get rid of him permanently.

If you really hate your dm, take Glyph of Warding as soon as you get a bag of holding. Glyph of warding let’s you store spells on the surface of an item with whatever vague or specific trigger you want, so long as it doesn’t move more than 10 feet from where it was cast. If you cast the spell on an object within the bag of holding, technically it doesn’t move as you travel. Also, the trigger can be *whatever* you want, in other words the trigger could be “saying [trigger word] while holding the item” and the glyph says whoever triggers the glyph is the target of the spell. At the end of the day just cast glyph as many times as you can storing upcast healing spells for instant free healing potions. Or cast misty step for an instant teleport. Any spell at free action speed by simply speaking a word with your hand in the bag… Or you can abuse Non-Euclidean geometry. Take the item out of the bag, it’s only moved a few inches… nowhere near the 10 feet limit, and have the trigger simply require a trigger word and not for someone to hold it. Any of your teammates who say the word get targeted by the spell. Hand out free heals, teleports, buffs, etc. Have the fighter shout “charge” and glyph will cast haste on him… if the rogue whispers “stealth”, instant greater invisibility… you can even make the trigger nonverbal: “when any creature within 60 feet casts a spell, cast counterspell”… for flavor, you could cast glyph on a deck of cards and pretend you’re playing magic the gathering in dnd. You can even set up a lair with them depending on how movement is ruled. If the object has to move away from the bag but not if the bag moves, you can drop the glyphs around the battlefield and set up little traps. Or if the object moving relative to the bag is how it’s ruled, you can make enchanted weapons and armor, so long as you wear the bag on you at all times. The bag of holding becomes a portable location to cast glyph so the glyphs never actually move more than 10 feet from the location they were cast in. And just to reiterate, ONLY USE THIS IF YOU HATE YOUR DM. Using the spell this way even a little is just a Rules As Written way of sidestepping the rules of combat. The rules are meant to make the game balanced and add meaning to your actions. If you can simply ignore the rules, nothing matters anymore… this will inevitably ruin the campaign, probably ruin the experience for the other players, and either get you kicked out or punished in future games. If you want to preserve your standing with the dm, the players, or the story you’re in, don’t do this if it ruins the balance of the gameplay. If your campaign gets to the point where every player is some god tier adventurer then this could just be another weapon for your arsenal, but your dm will probably notice how busted it is and try to suppress it in future campaigns.

"No not in this way" sir you clearly do not know me.

The challenge with a list like this is the answer changes depending on the level of play. I think sleep is the strongest level 1 spell, at character level 1. Its almost useless at character level 5. Shield is a phenominal spell late game. But at level 1 you're crazy to cast it.

I would argue good berry for level one. As it creates 10 one off healing items that fully nourish (food and water for the day). Survival settings become ridiculously easier.

Ah yes. The five levels.

My best spell for each level is; Eldritch blast. One of the best damage option in the game, force damage, more beams per tier, and can be buffed alot. Find familiar. Not only does it give you more rp options, it just gives you or allies a guranteed advantage each turn, unless the bad guys suddenly decide to shoot your owl familiar down. In which case though, thats one hit that didn't hit you or other friendlies. And who wouldnt love a pet. Spiritual weapon. Weaponizing your bonus action, no concentration, great damage for the spell too, just an awesome spell as well. Agreed with Hypnotic Pattern. Combat ending spell. If you're fighting a horde of enemies, high chance at least half of them will be out of commission. Polymorph. It has 2 modes imo. When you first get the spell at 7th lvl, its an amazing buff spell, just boost your or an allies dmg and survivability; and when its in its 2nd life at higher levels and still at that level too, its a superb utility spell. And you can always cast this on someone who's about to go down, make the fighter at 7 hp turn into a trex with 150 hp and go ham. Wall of force. I dont need to explain this spell much, its great, insane control, splitting the battlefield, confining a creature or 2, and just being a hindrance ppl have to deal with. And you can also use this for utility. You dont have to make it a wall. You can make a bridge of force, or a platform of force, and yeh. Contingency. The spell that rewards you for being extra smart and proactive, love this spell. Can do the thing i mentioned with polymorph, but on myself instead, since it doesnt take an action then, just need to go down to that hp lvl. Or cast dispel magic on myself if im affected by a harmful magical effect. And much more. Simulacrum. Just look it up, heh. Some ppl hav sung their praises on this spell better than i ever could. If not simulacrum, forcecage, a more insane version of wall of force, can be just outright deadly I actually really Maze at this level, but thats cause like, 8th lvl is a weird level of spells, basically its a no save, go to jail card, they just disappear, and then on the creatures turn, they get to make an int check to escape the maze, so even a lig with high int, will disappear, give you atleast one turn to heal and stuff, and then u can get a chance to turn the tides. 9th lvl, im not gonna say wish for fairness sakes, and gonna say prismatic wall. This spell, is amazingly strong, and if you know how to use it. You can just murk people

Fireball

I would say bless is the best first level spell. The 1d4 for hit and saving throws is a game changer in the early game. Moonbeam for the second level spell. 2d10 radiant damage when the creature enters the area and when it starts its turn its absurd for a 2nd level spell. You can also use your action to move it by 60 ft! There is also a special effect against shapeshifters that turn them back to their original form is they fail the save, which they make in disadvantage. Level 3 there are so many good spells that is too impossible to choose (and i'm not talking about you fireball shoo). Haste, Slow, Counterspell, Bestow Curse, Leomund's tiny hut, Mass Healing word, Spirit guardians. Level 5 is the best!

I prefer persuasion over hypnotic pattern

The irritating insects enter your most sacred chamber where you keep your treasure your minions form ranks and you spread your red scaled wings and prepare a blast of fiery breath to destroy the party at last. But before you can act one of them speaks a word and you find yourself somewhere else. Time passes and you return to the same place you were in alone and naked to find the party’s bard waiting

Do optimized bard next!!!

oh this reminds me about that tiefling video... ;)

For 3rd level counterspell is probably the best as written pre nerf

Might I recommend Crown of Madness

There are so many good 1st level spells but the one I think is best imo is magic missile. The fact it always hits makes it so reliable and if they're concentrating on a spell that's 3 con saves they have the pass There's also the early game encounter ending spell that is sleep lol

My choices would be: Cantrip: Minor Illusion (versatility) Lvl 1: Shield (protection) Lvl 2: Misty Step (escape) Lvl 3: Hypnotic Pattern (AoE) Lvl 4: Polymorph (versatility)

You should make physical copies of the books on or website like the secrets of gravity magic.

Dimension Door is a much stronger contender for 4th in my opinion, as it only has verbal components, so as long as you aren't trapped in an antimagic field, you can escape any situation. Banishment is good, but only if they have high Wisdom, and thus not as versatile.

*Angry conjure animals noises*

I agree with Guidance and Misty Step, level three has TOO MANY great spells. Level 4, Sickening Radiance is the only spell I’ve had a DM get mad about

Pass without trace and dragon’s breath def beat misty step Conjure woodland beings for level 4

*Eldritch blast left the chat* *Prestidigitation left the chat*

I would also consider heat metal it’s pretty good