D&D 5e Spell Guides (2014): Every Spell by Level and Class

Introduction

Spells are the most varied and contextually powerful tools available to any D&D 5e character. The right spell at the right moment ends encounters. The wrong spell choice leaves you with a full spell slot and no way to use it effectively. Understanding which spells are strong, which are traps, and which are situationally excellent is the core of spellcaster optimization.

This library is organised two ways, because there are only two questions people actually arrive with. By level, if you have just gained a new slot and want to know what to put in it - six guides, one per level band, each covering every spell at that level worth knowing. By class, if you are building a character and want the short list your class can actually cast.

Each guide breaks down exact mechanics, rates every class the spell benefits, covers synergies and common rulings, and gives a clear upcast verdict. Coverage includes Xanathar's Guide to Everything, Tasha's Cauldron of Everything, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons and Strixhaven alongside the core spell list, ranked and rated the same way as everything else.

Rating system:

• ● Red — Weak or rarely useful
• ● Orange — Situational
• ● Green — Good
• ● Blue — Fantastic, near-essential

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Spells by Level

Six guides, one per level band, each covering every spell at that level worth knowing - mechanics, ratings, upcast value, and the class picks that follow.

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Best Spells by Class

If you know your class, start here:

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Top Tier Spells

● Must-Know Spells

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Where the Most-Searched Spells Live

Every spell that used to have its own page now has a named, anchored section in its level-band guide. These are the direct links.

Cantrips

Eldritch Blast ● - Sacred Flame ● - Guidance ● - Booming Blade ● - Encode Thoughts ●

1st Level

Bless ● - Shield ● - Silvery Barbs ● - Faerie Fire ● - Healing Word ● - Find Familiar ● - Hex ● - Hunter's Mark ● - Magic Missile ● - Charm Person ● - Detect Magic ● - Identify ● - Thunderwave ●

2nd Level

Misty Step ● - Spiritual Weapon ● - Pass Without Trace ● - Hold Person ● - Suggestion ● - Spike Growth ● - Invisibility ● - Aid ● - Shatter ● - Darkness ●

3rd Level

Counterspell ● - Hypnotic Pattern ● - Spirit Guardians ● - Fireball ● - Haste ● - Fly ● - Revivify ● - Conjure Animals ● - Mass Healing Word ● - Dispel Magic ● - Slow ● - Lightning Bolt ● - Call Lightning ● - Animate Dead ● - Thunder Step ● - Remove Curse ●

4th and 5th Level

Wall of Force ● - Polymorph ● - Banishment ● - Greater Invisibility ● - Dimension Door ● - Hold Monster ● - Wall of Fire ●

6th to 9th Level

Forcecage ● - Simulacrum ● - Wish ● - True Polymorph ● - Contingency ● - Foresight ● - Disintegrate ● - Meteor Swarm ●

Class Features Frequently Mistaken for Spells

• Divine Smite - a Paladin class feature, not a spell. It consumes spell slots but is never prepared, never counterspelled, and never on a spell list.
• Eldritch Invocations - Warlock features that modify Eldritch Blast rather than spells in their own right.
• Wild Shape and Rage are class features on the Druid and Barbarian and are covered in those guides.

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