Best 1st-Level Spells in D&D 5e (2014): The Complete Guide

Introduction

1st-level spells are the only spells you will cast at every tier of play. A 3rd-level spell stops being your best option somewhere around level 11. A 1st-level spell that uses a reaction, or that can be cast as a ritual, or that scales cleanly when upcast, is still earning its place at level 20 - because a 20th-level Wizard has four 1st-level slots and nothing better to spend them on.

That is the frame this guide uses. The question is not "which 1st-level spell does the most at level 2," it is "which 1st-level spell is still on my sheet at level 15."

The answer sorts these spells into three groups that behave very differently. There are the spells that solve the early game and then fade - Sleep, Burning Hands, Inflict Wounds. There are the spells that never fade because they cost a reaction rather than an action - Shield, Absorb Elements, Silvery Barbs. And there is a small group that scales so well on upcast that a 5th-level slot spent on them is a fair trade - Magic Missile, Healing Word, Chaos Bolt.

Verdict: Bless and Shield are the two best spells at this level. The trap is loading up on concentration spells, because you can only ever run one.

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The Concentration Problem

Concentration is the single most important constraint on a 1st-level spell list, and most spell rankings ignore it.

You may concentrate on exactly one spell at a time. Casting a second concentration spell ends the first, no exceptions. Taking damage forces a Constitution saving throw against DC 10 or half the damage taken, whichever is higher.

Look at the strongest 1st-level spells and notice how many are concentration:

Two practical consequences.

A party should divide the concentration spells, not duplicate them. Two characters both running Bless is two Blesses and one wasted slot, because they do not stack. One character on Bless and one on Faerie Fire covers two different problems.

A caster whose entire list is concentration spells has one turn of options. After you cast Bless in round one, every other concentration spell on your sheet is dead weight for the rest of the fight. The non-concentration spells - Magic Missile, Healing Word, Shield, Silvery Barbs, Sleep, Thunderwave - are what you actually cast in rounds two through six.

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The Best 1st-Level Spells

Bless

Cleric, Paladin. 1 action, 30 feet, V S M (a sprinkling of holy water), concentration up to 1 minute.

Up to three creatures add 1d4 to every attack roll and every saving throw they make for the duration.

This is the strongest 1st-level spell in the game and the margin is not close. An average +2.5 to every attack roll is roughly a 12.5% increase in hit rate; across three creatures making two attacks each over four rounds, that is around twenty-four rolls improved from one slot. No damage spell at this level comes near that.

The saving throw half is the part people undervalue. Bless applies to every save, which means it blunts every enemy save-or-suck the party faces for the next minute - a Hold Person, a Fear, a dragon's frightful presence.

Upcasting adds one target per slot level, which is a genuinely good use of a 3rd or 4th-level slot in a large party.

The weakness is that it is concentration on a Cleric who is going to take hits, and losing it in round two undoes the whole investment. War Caster is close to mandatory on a Cleric who leads with Bless.

Rating: A-Tier. Cast it in round one of every serious fight.

Shield

Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 reaction, self, V S, 1 round.

When you are hit by an attack or targeted by Magic Missile, you gain +5 AC until the start of your next turn, including against the triggering attack, and take no damage from Magic Missile.

The most efficient defensive spell in the game, for one structural reason: you cast it after you know the attack roll. You never waste it. A caster with 15 AC who casts Shield has 20 AC, which is plate-and-shield territory, and the +5 applies to every attack until your next turn - so against a monster with Multiattack, one slot can turn three hits into three misses.

It is also the answer to Magic Missile, which otherwise cannot be avoided at all.

There is no upcast benefit. Casting it with a 5th-level slot is identical to a 1st.

Rating: A-Tier. Any Sorcerer or Wizard who does not have this prepared is playing a harder game than they need to.

Silvery Barbs

Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard (Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos). 1 reaction, 60 feet, V, instantaneous.

When a creature you can see succeeds on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, you force it to reroll and use the new roll. You also give one other creature you can see advantage on its next attack roll, ability check, or saving throw within the next minute.

The most contentious spell in the 2014 ruleset. It does two strong things for one 1st-level slot and a reaction, and the first of them is enormous: undoing a success. An enemy passes its save against your party's Hypnotic Pattern - reroll it. The boss lands a critical hit - reroll it, and the crit is gone with roughly 75% probability. A skill check that would have exposed the party - reroll it.

The advantage rider is a second full effect stapled on, and it does not have to be used immediately.

Be aware this spell is banned or restricted at a large number of tables, and that Adventurers League restricted it. It came from Strixhaven and some DMs limit it to that setting. Ask before you build a character around it.

Rating: A-Tier where it is legal. Check first.

Absorb Elements

Artificer, Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard (Xanathar's Guide to Everything). 1 reaction, self, S, 1 round.

When you take acid, cold, fire, lightning or thunder damage, you gain resistance to that damage type for the triggering attack, and your next melee hit before the end of your next turn deals an extra 1d6 of that type.

Halving a dragon's breath weapon, a Fireball, or a Lightning Bolt for one 1st-level slot and a reaction. At the levels where those hit for 30 to 60, that is the best defensive value per slot in the game. Like Shield, it triggers after you know you were hit, so it is never wasted.

Upcasting increases only the small melee damage rider, so do not.

Rating: A-Tier. The other reason a high-level caster keeps 1st-level slots open.

Faerie Fire

Artificer, Bard, Druid. 1 action, 60 feet, V, concentration up to 1 minute.

Each creature in a 20-foot cube must succeed on a Dexterity save or be outlined in light for the duration. Attack rolls against an outlined creature have advantage, and the creature cannot benefit from being invisible.

The most efficient advantage-granting spell at this level. Advantage is worth roughly +3.5 to a d20 roll, applied to every attack from every party member against every outlined enemy - and it does not require the enemy to be in melee, prone, or restrained.

Two riders that matter more than they read. It has no material component and it does not require a saving throw to maintain - one save, and then the effect is locked in for a minute. And it reveals invisible creatures inside the cube, which is a hard problem to solve otherwise at low level.

The catch is that it is Dexterity-save based, and it competes for concentration with Bless on the classes that have both.

Rating: A-Tier. The best control spell at 1st level.

Healing Word

Bard, Cleric, Druid. 1 bonus action, 60 feet, V, instantaneous. 1d4 + spellcasting modifier.

Barely heals anything, and it is the best healing spell in the game. The reason is the action economy: it is a bonus action at 60 feet, so you can pick an unconscious ally up off the floor and still cast a full spell in the same turn.

Understand what healing is for in 5e 2014. Healing does not out-pace damage, and topping up a conscious ally is almost always worse than removing the enemy dealing the damage. What healing does is undo the loss of a party member's entire turn. Healing Word does that for 1d4 and no action cost, which makes it strictly the most efficient way to do it.

Upcasting adds 1d4 per slot level, which is a poor rate. Cast it with the smallest slot you have.

Rating: A-Tier. Every party wants someone who has this prepared.

Find Familiar

Wizard (and others via Pact of the Chain, Magic Initiate, Ritual Caster). 1 hour, 10 feet, V S M (10 gp of charcoal, incense and herbs, consumed), ritual.

Summons a spirit that takes an animal form of your choice. It acts independently, cannot attack, shares its senses with you when you use your action, and can deliver touch spells for you at range.

The single most versatile 1st-level spell in the game, and because it is a ritual it costs no slot at all once you have the 10 gp of components. What you get:

• A scout that costs nothing to lose. An owl with flyby, or a bat with blindsight, can map a dungeon with no risk to the party. If it dies it vanishes, and you re-summon it for another 10 gp.
• Advantage on attacks. An owl's Flyby means it can move adjacent to an enemy, granting a Rogue a source of Sneak Attack, and leave without an opportunity attack.
• Touch spell delivery at 100 feet. Your familiar delivers Shocking Grasp, or more importantly the Cure Wounds an ally needs across a room.
• The Help action. A familiar can Help, granting an ally advantage on an attack, every single round, forever.

Rating: A-Tier. There is no level at which this stops being worth an hour.

Hex

Warlock. 1 bonus action, 90 feet, V S M (the petrified eye of a newt), concentration up to 1 hour.

Deal an extra 1d6 necrotic damage whenever you hit the target with an attack, and the target has disadvantage on ability checks with one ability of your choice. If the target drops to 0 hit points, you can move the hex to a new creature as a bonus action on a later turn.

The Warlock's damage multiplier. Its value is entirely a function of how many attacks you make: a Warlock with 4 beams of Eldritch Blast adds 4d6 per turn from a 1st-level slot. On a caster who attacks once per turn, it is barely worth the concentration.

The 1-hour duration and the free re-targeting are what make it a slot you cast once per combat rather than once per turn. Upcasting extends the duration to 8 hours at 3rd level, which is how a Warlock covers a whole adventuring day with one slot.

The ability-check disadvantage is genuinely useful and almost always forgotten - disadvantage on Strength checks shuts down a grappler, disadvantage on Stealth ruins an ambusher.

Rating: A-Tier for Warlocks, C-Tier for anyone attacking once a turn.

Hunter's Mark

Ranger. 1 bonus action, 90 feet, V, concentration up to 1 hour.

An extra 1d6 damage on each hit against the marked target, advantage on Perception and Survival checks to find it, and free re-targeting when it dies.

Hex with a different name and a different rider, restricted to Rangers. The same logic applies: it multiplies by your number of attacks, so it is strong on an archery Ranger with Extra Attack and Crossbow Expert and unremarkable before that.

The real cost is that Hunter's Mark occupies a Ranger's concentration for the entire fight, which means no Spike Growth, no Pass Without Trace, no Conjure Animals. Many strong Ranger builds deliberately do not use it, which is the sort of thing that surprises people.

Rating: B-Tier. Good, and it costs you the rest of your concentration.

Magic Missile

Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, 120 feet, V S, instantaneous. Three darts, 1d4+1 force damage each.

Three darts that automatically hit. No attack roll, no saving throw, no miss.

Average 10.5 damage that cannot be avoided is unremarkable at level 1 and remarkable in one specific situation: finishing a concentration check. Each dart is a separate instance of damage, so a single Magic Missile forces three separate Constitution saving throws from an enemy caster concentrating on something dangerous. Nothing else at this level breaks concentration that reliably.

It also upcasts cleanly - one extra dart per slot level - and it is the answer to a target you simply cannot hit, whether because of very high AC, heavy cover, or the party's inability to roll above a 6.

Its counter is Shield, which negates it entirely.

Rating: A-Tier. Underrated as a damage spell, correctly rated as a concentration-breaker.

Sleep

Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, 90 feet, V S M (a pinch of fine sand, rose petals, or a cricket), 1 minute.

Roll 5d8; that many hit points of creatures, starting with the lowest current hit points, fall unconscious. No saving throw.

The best 1st-level spell in the game at character levels 1 to 4, and close to worthless after. No saving throw is the key phrase: at low level, 5d8 averaging 22 hit points takes two or three enemies out of a fight with total certainty, and an unconscious creature can be killed with an automatic critical hit from an adjacent ally.

Then hit point totals grow and the same 5d8 cannot drop a single relevant enemy. Undead and creatures immune to being charmed are unaffected throughout.

Upcasting adds 2d8 per slot level, which never keeps pace with monster hit points.

Rating: A-Tier at levels 1-4, D-Tier from level 7. It is the clearest example of a spell you should stop preparing.

Fog Cloud

Druid, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, 120 feet, V S, concentration up to 1 hour.

A 20-foot-radius sphere of fog that heavily obscures its area.

Heavy obscurement means creatures inside are effectively blinded, so attacks against them have disadvantage and their attacks have disadvantage - which sounds symmetrical and is not, because the party chooses when to enter and when to leave.

Its real use is disengagement. A losing fight, a caster who needs to break line of sight, an escape from archers - Fog Cloud ends the ranged phase of an encounter for one slot. It also upcasts to a larger radius, and its 1-hour duration means it covers an entire retreat.

Blindsight and truesight see through it, and a party with a Devil's Sight Warlock or a blindsighted enemy changes the calculation completely.

Rating: B-Tier. Situational, and the situations are the ones where you were about to lose.

Protection from Evil and Good

Cleric, Paladin, Warlock, Wizard. 1 action, touch, V S M (holy water or powdered silver and iron, consumed), concentration up to 10 minutes.

Against aberrations, celestials, elementals, fey, fiends and undead: those creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls against the target, and the target cannot be charmed, frightened, or possessed by them.

Extremely narrow and extremely strong inside its window. Six creature types is a large slice of the Monster Manual's dangerous entries, and disadvantage on all their attacks against one creature is close to halving the damage they deal to your front line. The charm and fright immunity shuts down a whole category of boss abilities.

It does nothing against a human bandit, a dragon, a giant, or a beast, and it is concentration - so it competes with Bless on the Cleric who has both.

Rating: B-Tier. Prepare it when you know what you are fighting.

Thunderwave

Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, self (15-foot cube), V S, instantaneous. 2d8 thunder, Constitution save for half, and creatures that fail are pushed 10 feet.

The escape spell. A caster surrounded in melee casts Thunderwave, pushes everyone 10 feet away, and walks out without provoking - because the enemies are no longer adjacent.

It is decent damage in a cube that can catch three or four enemies, and the forced movement is the point: off a ledge, into a Spike Growth, or simply away from you. Upcasting adds 1d8 per slot level, a fair rate.

The audible-out-to-300-feet clause makes it terrible for stealth.

Rating: B-Tier. Damage is the secondary effect; the push is what you cast it for.

Detect Magic

Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, self, V S, concentration up to 10 minutes, ritual.

Sense the presence of magic within 30 feet, and with an action, see a faint aura around any visible magical object or creature and learn its school.

The most-cast spell in most campaigns, and because it is a ritual, it costs nothing. It finds the magic item in the hoard, the enchantment on the door, the illusion in the corridor, and the invisible creature standing behind you - it detects the magic, so an invisible creature's aura is visible even though the creature is not.

It does not tell you what a magic item does; that is Identify. It also does not penetrate a thin sheet of lead, 3 feet of wood or dirt, or 1 foot of stone.

Rating: A-Tier as a ritual. Never spend a slot on it.

Identify

Artificer, Bard, Wizard. 1 minute, touch, V S M (a pearl worth at least 100 gp and an owl feather), ritual.

Learn a magic item's properties, whether it requires attunement, and how to use it - plus any spells currently affecting the target and, if you touch a creature, its active spells.

Whether Identify is worth anything depends entirely on your DM. Many use the Dungeon Master's Guide short-rest identification rule, where an hour of examination reveals the same information for free, which makes Identify redundant. Others require Identify for anything non-obvious, in which case it is the only way to safely attune to a found item.

The 100 gp pearl is not consumed, so it is a one-time purchase.

The overlooked half is the second sentence: touching a creature reveals what spells are affecting it. That is how you diagnose a curse, a charm, or a polymorph.

Rating: B-Tier, entirely dependent on the table. Ask your DM which rule they use before you buy the pearl.

Charm Person

Bard, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard. 1 action, 30 feet, V S, 1 hour.

A humanoid must succeed on a Wisdom save or be charmed - it regards you as a friendly acquaintance and has advantage on your social checks against it. It knows it was charmed when the spell ends.

The most misunderstood spell in the game. It does not create obedience. A charmed creature is friendly, not controlled; it will not attack you, but it will not betray its employer, hand over its keys, or walk into a trap for you. It ends combat with the target, which is often the real value.

The "it knows it was charmed" clause is the reason experienced players use it as an opener rather than a solution. You get an hour of goodwill and then a permanent enemy.

Upcasting adds one target per slot level, which turns it into a way to defuse an entire patrol.

Rating: B-Tier. Strong in the hands of a player who understands what "friendly acquaintance" means and weak in everyone else's.

Command

Cleric, Paladin. 1 action, 60 feet, V, 1 round.

Speak a one-word command; the target must succeed on a Wisdom save or obey on its next turn. It cannot be commanded to do something directly harmful.

A one-word save-or-lose-a-turn for a 1st-level slot, which is excellent value when it lands. The listed words are examples, not a limit, but the "directly harmful" restriction stops the obvious abuse.

The reliable choices: Grovel (drop prone and end its turn, giving your melee advantage), Flee (it spends its turn running, and provokes opportunity attacks), Drop (it drops what it is holding, disarming a weapon), Halt (it does not move, though it can still attack).

Upcasting adds one target per slot level.

Rating: B-Tier. Consistently useful, and its ceiling is limited by Wisdom saves being common.

Bane

Bard, Cleric. 1 action, 30 feet, V S M (a drop of blood), concentration up to 1 minute.

Up to three creatures must succeed on a Charisma save or subtract 1d4 from every attack roll and saving throw for the duration.

Bless in reverse, and worse for three reasons: it allows a save, so it may do nothing at all; it competes with Bless for concentration on the exact classes that get both; and buffing three allies who will each act several times is worth more than debuffing three enemies who may die early.

Its one advantage is that it targets Charisma saves, which are weak on a large number of monsters.

Rating: C-Tier. Bless is better in almost every situation where you could cast either.

Inflict Wounds

Cleric. 1 action, touch, V S, instantaneous. 3d10 necrotic on a hit.

The biggest single-target damage die at 1st level, delivered by melee spell attack. 3d10 averages 16.5, and upcasting adds 1d10 per slot level, which is a good rate.

The delivery is the problem: touch range means a Cleric standing in melee, and it is an attack roll, so it can simply miss and waste the slot entirely. High variance in both directions.

Rating: C-Tier. A burst option for a melee Cleric, and Guiding Bolt is usually the better damage spell.

Chaos Bolt

Sorcerer (Xanathar's). 1 action, 120 feet, V S, instantaneous. Ranged spell attack, 2d8 + 1d6 damage of a randomly determined type.

Roll 2d8 for damage and the two dice determine the damage type; if both dice roll the same number, the bolt leaps to a new target within 30 feet and repeats. That chain can continue indefinitely.

A Sorcerer-only novelty with a real ceiling. The chain probability is 1 in 8 per bounce, so a long chain is rare, but the random damage type means it is never fully resisted by design - and with Metamagic, particularly Empowered Spell, you can reroll toward a match.

Rating: C-Tier. Fun, swingy, and outperformed by simply casting Magic Missile when it matters.

False Life

Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, self, V S M (a small amount of alcohol or distilled spirits), 1 hour.

Gain 1d4 + 4 temporary hit points for 1 hour.

Roughly 6.5 temporary hit points, castable before a fight, lasting an hour, no concentration. That is unremarkable at 1st level and reasonable when upcast - +5 temporary hit points per slot level is one of the better upcast rates in the game.

Its actual home is on a Necromancer Wizard or an Undead Warlock who has features keyed to temporary hit points, and on any caster who wants a buffer that does not compete with concentration.

Rating: C-Tier. Fine, unexciting, and better upcast than cast.

Longstrider

Artificer, Bard, Druid, Ranger, Wizard. 1 action, touch, V S M (a pinch of dirt), 1 hour.

Target's speed increases by 10 feet for 1 hour. No concentration. Upcasts to one additional target per slot level.

Ten feet of movement for an hour on the whole party, cast before you set out, with no concentration cost. It is quietly one of the better uses of a spare 1st-level slot in a dungeon, and it is completely invisible in a combat-only evaluation.

Rating: C-Tier. Better than its reputation, and nobody remembers to cast it.

Silent Image

Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, 60 feet, V S M (a bit of fleece), concentration up to 10 minutes.

A purely visual illusion up to a 15-foot cube that you can move with your action. An Investigation check against your spell save DC reveals it.

The 15-foot cube is the number that matters - that is a wall across a corridor, a closed pit, a fake ally, or a bridge that is not there. It has no sound and no physical substance, so anything that touches it or listens to it is not fooled.

Compare it honestly to Minor Illusion, which is free, lasts a minute without concentration, and does sound. Silent Image buys size, mobility and duration for a slot and your concentration. That trade is only worth it for a plan that needs the size.

Rating: C-Tier. A specialist tool for a player with a specific plan.

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Also Worth a Prepared Slot

The spells above are the ones people argue about. These are the ones that quietly show up on good characters' sheets anyway.

Guiding Bolt

Cleric. 1 action, 120 feet, V S, 1 round. Ranged spell attack, 4d6 radiant, and the next attack roll against the target before the end of your next turn has advantage.

The Cleric's best 1st-level damage spell, and the reason Inflict Wounds mostly sits unprepared. 4d6 averages 14 at 120 feet instead of 3d10 at touch range, and the advantage rider hands the party's Rogue a guaranteed Sneak Attack setup.

Upcasting adds 1d6 per slot level, which is one of the better damage rates in the game. The advantage only applies to the next attack against the target, so call it out loud - a rider nobody hears is a rider nobody uses.

Rating: A-Tier for Clerics.

Cure Wounds

Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Paladin, Ranger. 1 action, touch, V S, instantaneous. 1d8 + spellcasting modifier.

More healing than Healing Word, at touch range, for your whole action.

The comparison is the entire review. Cure Wounds heals roughly 8 where Healing Word heals roughly 5, and it costs an action rather than a bonus action and requires you to be adjacent. That trade is almost never worth it in combat, where the point of healing is to spend as little of your turn as possible. Out of combat it is strictly better, and out of combat you should be using Hit Dice on a short rest instead.

Rating: C-Tier. Prepare Healing Word first; prepare Cure Wounds as well if you have the room.

Tasha's Hideous Laughter

Bard, Wizard. 1 action, 30 feet, V S M (tiny tarts and a feather), concentration up to 1 minute. Wisdom save or fall prone, incapacitated and unable to stand.

A full save-or-lose for a 1st-level slot. An incapacitated creature takes no actions, no reactions, and no movement, and it is prone, so melee attacks against it have advantage - and any attack that hits gives it advantage on its next save.

The restriction is real: it has no effect on a creature with an Intelligence of 4 or lower, which rules out most beasts and many constructs and oozes. It also allows a new save each time it takes damage, so the party has to deliberately leave the target alone.

Rating: B-Tier. The strongest single-target lockdown available at this level, against the right creature type.

Dissonant Whispers

Bard. 1 action, 60 feet, V, instantaneous. Wisdom save, 3d6 psychic (half on a success), and on a failure the target immediately uses its reaction to move as far as its speed allows away from you.

Damage plus forced movement, and the forced movement is the interesting half: the target moves away, using its reaction, which means it provokes opportunity attacks from everyone it leaves. In a party with a Sentinel-feat front line, this is a way to convert a 1st-level slot into several free attacks.

The highest 1st-level damage that also does something else. Upcasts at 1d6 per slot level.

Rating: A-Tier for Bards.

Entangle

Druid, Ranger. 1 action, 90 feet, V S, concentration up to 1 minute. A 20-foot square of grasping weeds; Strength save or restrained, and the area is difficult terrain.

The Druid's other area-control option, and the one that mostly loses to Faerie Fire. Restrained is a strong condition - attacks against the target have advantage, its attacks have disadvantage, and its speed is 0 - but a restrained creature gets a Strength check to escape on every one of its turns, so the duration on any given enemy is short.

The difficult-terrain half persists for the full minute regardless, which is worth more than the restraint against a group.

Rating: C-Tier. Faerie Fire is the better concentration spend almost every time.

Shield of Faith

Cleric, Paladin. 1 bonus action, 60 feet, V S M (a small parchment with holy text), concentration up to 10 minutes. +2 AC to one creature.

+2 AC for a bonus action at 60 feet, for ten minutes. That is a real defensive improvement on the party's front-liner, and it is a bonus action so it costs nothing on the turn you cast it.

Its problem is the one that follows every 1st-level concentration spell on a Cleric: it competes with Bless, and Bless is better. On a Paladin who is not casting Bless, it is a straightforward improvement.

Rating: C-Tier on a Cleric, B-Tier on a Paladin.

Feather Fall

Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 reaction, 60 feet, V M (a small feather or piece of down), 1 minute. Up to five falling creatures descend 60 feet per round and take no falling damage.

A reaction spell that costs almost nothing to have prepared and prevents a total party kill. Five creatures, 60 feet of range, triggered by the fall itself.

Whether it earns a prepared slot is a question about your campaign, not the spell. In a dungeon with pits, an airship game, or anything involving cliffs, it is close to mandatory. On a road-and-tavern campaign it never comes up.

Rating: B-Tier, and entirely campaign-dependent.

Goodberry

Druid, Ranger. 1 action, touch, V S M (a sprig of mistletoe), instantaneous. Ten berries; each restores 1 hit point and feeds a creature for a day. They lose potency after 24 hours.

Ten hit points from a 1st-level slot, split into ten separate instances that anyone can eat as an action - and each berry counts as a separate application of healing, which matters for effects keyed to "whenever you regain hit points."

It is also a complete solution to food and water for a party of five, which quietly removes survival tracking from most campaigns.

The famous interaction is with a Life Domain Cleric's Disciple of Life, which adds 2 + the spell level to each healing instance - turning ten berries into ten 4-hit-point berries. Whether that works is a well-known rules argument; check with your DM before building on it.

Rating: B-Tier. Mundane, efficient, and it makes the survival pillar go away.

Burning Hands

Sorcerer, Wizard. 1 action, self (15-foot cone), V S, instantaneous. 3d6 fire, Dexterity save for half.

The 1st-level area damage spell. 3d6 in a cone that catches two or three enemies at low level, upcasting at a good 1d6 per slot level.

It has the same problem as every self-originating cone: you have to be close enough to include the enemies and not the party, which for a level 2 Wizard is a dangerous place to stand. And fire is the most-resisted damage type.

Rating: C-Tier. Real damage at levels 1-4, superseded the moment you have Shatter.

Divine Favor

Paladin. 1 bonus action, self, V S, concentration up to 1 minute. Your weapon attacks deal an extra 1d4 radiant damage.

An extra 1d4 per hit for a Paladin's concentration and a bonus action. On a two-attack Paladin that is roughly 5 damage a round.

Compare it to Bless, which the same Paladin could cast with the same slot and the same concentration: Bless improves three party members' attacks and saves; Divine Favor adds 5 damage to yours. Bless wins.

Rating: D-Tier. The spell that looks right on a damage-focused Paladin and is not.

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The Level 1-4 Opening List

Levels 1 to 4 are the only stretch where 1st-level slots are your entire arsenal, and the correct list looks different there than it does later.

What is stronger at low level than its overall rating suggests:

• Sleep removes two or three enemies with no save. Nothing else at this level does that.
• Burning Hands and Thunderwave are real area damage against 7-hit-point enemies.
• Inflict Wounds can one-shot a low-level enemy outright.
• Faerie Fire and Bless are already top-tier and stay there.

What is weaker at low level than its overall rating suggests:

• Shield is excellent but you have two slots, and spending one on defense may mean not casting anything offensive that fight.
• Absorb Elements has nothing large to halve yet.
• Find Familiar costs 10 gp you may not have at level 1, and the familiar dies to a stiff breeze.
• Silvery Barbs needs something worth rerolling.

The transition happens around level 5, when enemy hit point totals outrun Sleep, Fireball-tier damage arrives, and reaction spells start paying for themselves several times per fight.

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Which 1st-Level Spells Are Worth an Upcast

A 1st-level spell changes when upcast only if it has an "At Higher Levels" entry. These are the ones where spending a big slot is genuinely correct:

The pattern worth internalizing: the reaction spells never upcast, and the spells that add targets almost always should.

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Best Picks by Class

Wizard

Shield, Magic Missile, Find Familiar, Absorb Elements, Detect Magic (ritual), Silvery Barbs if legal. Shield is non-negotiable. Sleep belongs on the level 1-4 list and comes off it around level 6. Fog Cloud earns a prepared slot on days you expect archers.

Sorcerer

Shield, Absorb Elements, Magic Missile, Silvery Barbs. Sorcerers know few spells and cannot change them freely, so every pick has to still be good at level 15 - which rules out Sleep and Chaos Bolt as long-term picks despite both being fun early. Subtle Spell plus Charm Person is a genuinely strong social combination.

Cleric

Bless, Healing Word, Command, Protection from Evil and Good, Detect Magic. Bless in round one, Healing Word when someone drops, and rotate the rest by what the day looks like. Guiding Bolt is the damage option a lot of Clerics prefer over Inflict Wounds for the advantage rider it grants an ally.

Druid

Faerie Fire, Healing Word, Fog Cloud, Longstrider, Detect Magic. Faerie Fire is the Druid's best 1st-level slot and it is not close - Entangle is the alternative and it allows a save every turn. Absorb Elements from Xanathar's is a strong addition.

Bard

Healing Word, Faerie Fire, Silvery Barbs, Charm Person, Dissonant Whispers. Bards get fewer spells known than anyone and should weight toward the ones that never expire, which is why Sleep and Silent Image are worse picks for a Bard than for a Wizard who can rewrite the list.

Warlock

Hex, and then whatever your Pact needs. With two slots that recharge on a short rest, a Warlock's spell selection works differently from every other class - you are not rationing across a day, you are choosing what to do twice per fight. Protection from Evil and Good is strong on a Warlock who fights fiends, which is most of them.

Paladin

Bless, Command, Protection from Evil and Good. Paladins have very few slots and a compelling alternative use for all of them, which is Divine Smite. The honest answer is that a Paladin should cast Bless in round one and smite with everything else.

Ranger

Hunter's Mark, Absorb Elements, Longstrider, Cure Wounds. Rangers are the class most likely to be better off not casting their signature spell - Hunter's Mark blocks the concentration slot that Spike Growth and Pass Without Trace want at 2nd level.

Artificer

Absorb Elements, Faerie Fire, Longstrider, Detect Magic, Cure Wounds. Artificers prepare from a short list and get Magical Tinkering and infusions to cover utility, so the prepared slots should lean toward combat effects.

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Ritual Casting at 1st Level

Five 1st-level spells can be cast as rituals, adding 10 minutes to the casting time and costing no spell slot:

• Detect Magic - the one you will cast most.
• Identify - if your DM requires it.
• Find Familiar - once, and then whenever the familiar dies.
• Comprehend Languages - understand any language you hear, and read any writing you touch, for an hour.
• Alarm - a mental or audible ping when anything Tiny or larger enters a 20-foot cube, for 8 hours. This is the spell that makes camping safe.
• Illusory Script, Purify Food and Drink, Speak with Animals and Unseen Servant round out the list at varying usefulness.

If you have Ritual Casting - Wizards and Bards natively, and anyone with the Ritual Caster feat - these spells are additions to your capability that cost nothing at all. A Wizard should have every 1st-level ritual in their spellbook. There is no reason not to.

The Warlock's Book of Ancient Secrets Invocation grants ritual casting from any class's list, which is the single best source of utility on the class.

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Hot Take: Sleep is a better spell than Fireball, for exactly four levels, and then it is one of the worst spells in the book. No other spell in D&D 5e 2014 has that trajectory, and it is the clearest possible illustration that "best spell" is a question about your character's level, not about the spell. If you are still preparing Sleep at level 9, you are preparing a spell that has not worked since level 5.

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The 1st-Level Rulings That Come Up Every Campaign

These are the interactions that stop a table mid-turn. Most have a clear answer in the rules; a few genuinely do not, and those are marked.

Shield versus Magic Missile. Shield's text says you take no damage from Magic Missile, and the reaction triggers on being targeted, not on being hit. So you may cast Shield the moment the Magic Missile is declared and negate all darts, including from an upcast 7-dart version. This is the one hard counter Magic Missile has.

Can you cast Shield after the attack roll but before damage? Yes. The trigger is "you are hit by an attack," and the +5 applies to the triggering attack, which means the DM tells you the attack hits, and you then decide whether to spend the slot. If the new AC would cause a miss, the attack misses. This after-the-fact timing is the entire reason Shield is rated so highly.

Absorb Elements and the same question. Same structure: it triggers on taking the damage, and resistance applies to the triggering damage. You always know the damage type before you commit the slot. You do not always know the amount, which is the one real gamble.

Silvery Barbs on a critical hit. Yes. A critical hit is an attack roll that succeeded, so Silvery Barbs forces the reroll and the crit is very likely gone. This is the single strongest application of the spell and the main reason tables ban it.

Does Hex move for free when the target dies? No. Re-targeting Hex costs a bonus action on a later turn, and the target must have dropped to 0 hit points. You cannot move it off a healthy enemy you have stopped caring about.

Hunter's Mark and Hex do not stack with themselves across casters. Two Warlocks can both Hex the same creature and both riders apply, because each is concentrating on their own spell and each adds damage to their own attacks. What does not happen is one caster running two.

Goodberry with Disciple of Life. Contested. Disciple of Life adds healing "whenever you cast a spell of 1st level or higher that restores hit points," and Goodberry does not restore hit points when cast - the berry does, later. Sage Advice has come down on the side of it working; a large number of DMs rule the other way because ten 4-point berries from one 1st-level slot is a lot. Ask first.

Charm Person on a creature already in combat with you. It works, and it immediately ends that creature's hostility toward you specifically. It does not end the fight, does not affect its allies, and the creature has advantage on the save if you or your companions are fighting it - which is the clause most people miss. Cast it before the swords come out.

Waking a sleeping creature. Any creature can use its action to shake a Sleep victim awake, and any damage wakes them immediately. Loud noise does not. This is why the correct follow-up to Sleep is a coup de grace, not another spell.

Bless and Bane are not opposites you can stack. They are separate spells with separate effects, so a creature under both adds 1d4 and subtracts 1d4 - they do not cancel, they both apply, and the net is usually a wash with extra dice.

Faerie Fire and invisibility. An outlined creature cannot benefit from being invisible. It is still invisible in the sense that you cannot see it, but it gains no advantage on attacks and imposes no disadvantage on attacks against it. This makes Faerie Fire one of the few 1st-level answers to an invisible enemy.

Find Familiar and the Help action. A familiar can take the Help action, and nothing in its stat block or the spell prevents it. Some DMs rule that the familiar must be able to credibly threaten the target for Help to work in combat, following the guidance in the Help action's own text. This is the most common familiar house rule.

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Related Guides

• Cantrips - the spells you cast when the slots run out.
• 2nd-Level Spells
• 3rd-Level Spells
• 4th and 5th-Level Spells
• 6th to 9th-Level Spells
• D&D 5e 2014 Spell Guides hub - class-by-class spell selection.

Want to see how a 1st-level slot holds up at a real table? Find a D&D 5e game on The Role Players Guild.