Best Sorcerer Spells in D&D 5e (2014) — Ranked

Introduction

A Wizard who picks a mediocre spell shrugs and prepares something else tomorrow. A Bard who picks a mediocre spell still has a deep well of skills, Jack of All Trades, and Expertise to fall back on. A Sorcerer who picks a mediocre spell is stuck with it, possibly for the rest of the campaign, in a spell list capped at 15 known spells at level 20 and never growing past that number. Every single pick on this list is a permanent commitment weighed against everything else the class could have taken instead.

That scarcity is what makes a Sorcerer-specific spell guide different from a school-wide ranking. A school guide answers "which Evocation spells are strong." This one answers "which spells earn one of a Sorcerer's 15 slots, given that class's actual toolkit." A Wizard with the same spell in their spellbook can prepare it exactly when it's useful and swap it out the next morning. A Sorcerer who learns that spell is carrying it into every single day of the campaign, useful or not, unless they burn one of the rare level-up replacement opportunities to cut it loose.

Metamagic changes the math further. A spell's raw power matters less than whether it plays well with Twinned Spell, Quickened Spell, or Careful Spell. A spell that targets exactly one creature and does something a party badly wants doubled (control, buffs, transformation) outperforms a marginally stronger spell that can't be Twinned at all. This guide ranks every recommended pick with that lens applied, level by level, and flags which picks pair with which Metamagic option so the reader isn't guessing at combos after the fact.

Hot Take: The correct first four spells for most Sorcerers are not Magic Missile and Fireball. They're Chromatic Orb, Shield, Mage Armor, and Misty Step. Every generic ranking leads with damage output, but the actual bottleneck for a Sorcerer at levels 1 through 4 is survival: a d6 hit die, no armor proficiency, and a habit of standing in melee range of things that want to eat them. Fireball is still coming at 3rd level. Don't die before you get there.

Bottom line: Build your known-spell list around three questions in this order: does it solve a problem nothing else on your list solves, does it target one creature (so it can be Twinned), and does it work as the "throwaway" half of a Quickened Spell turn. Spells that fail all three are honorable mentions at best.

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Rating Legend

• ● Red: Skip. Weak for this class, or clearly outclassed by another pick at the same level.
• ● Orange: Situational. Correct in specific builds, subclasses, or campaign types.
• ● Green: Solid. A reliable, generally correct pick for most Sorcerers.
• ● Blue: Priority. Take this before most of the alternatives at its level.

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How Metamagic Reshapes Spell Priority

Before ranking individual spells, it helps to be explicit about the filter Metamagic applies, because it inverts some assumptions a Wizard or Bard reader would bring in.

Twinned Spell (1 Sorcery Point per spell level) only works on a spell that "targets only one creature and doesn't have a range of Self." That single clause eliminates most area spells from Twinning entirely. Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern, and Cone of Cold cannot be Twinned no matter how much you want them to be, because they're written to affect multiple creatures by design. It also eliminates spells whose targeting is flexible, even if you intend to use them on one creature: Scorching Ray fails the restriction because the spell itself is capable of dividing its rays among several targets, regardless of what you choose on a given cast. The spells that qualify are the ones with rigid, single-target text: Chromatic Orb, Magic Missile is a partial exception (see below), Hold Person, Polymorph, Haste, Fly, and similar single-subject spells. A Sorcerer who wants Twinned Spell to be worth its Metamagic slot needs single-target picks on the known-spell list, not just strong spells in general.

Quickened Spell (2 Sorcery Points) converts a spell with a casting time of 1 action into a bonus action. The value isn't in the spell itself; it's in what you do with the action you freed up. The strongest Quickened turns use a cheap, efficient leveled spell as the bonus action (Chromatic Orb, Scorching Ray) and then spend the freed action on a cantrip like Fire Bolt or Ray of Frost. Quickening your best spell and doing nothing with the action is a wasted combo; Quickening a merely-good spell and following it with a solid cantrip attack is the actual play pattern.

Careful Spell (1 Sorcery Point) lets a number of creatures equal to your Charisma modifier automatically succeed on their saving throw against a spell you cast. This exists specifically to make area spells usable without punishing your own front line, which is the main reason Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern, and other AoE picks still earn a slot despite failing Twinned Spell's targeting restriction. Careful Spell is the tool that makes a Sorcerer's small known-spell list still cover both single-target precision and group control without sacrificing either.

One more mechanical note that changes priority at the table: Counterspell has a casting time of 1 reaction, so Quickened Spell cannot apply to it (Quickened Spell only converts a spell whose normal casting time is 1 action). It's still one of the best spells on this entire list; it just doesn't interact with your Metamagic budget the way an action-cost spell does.

For a full breakdown of every Metamagic option with a complete rating table, see the D&D 5e Sorcerer Guide. Feats that support your concentration and spell-slot economy, War Caster chief among them, are covered in our Best Feats for Sorcerer guide.

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Cantrips: Your Only Unlimited Resource

Cantrips don't cost a known-spell slot in the way leveled spells do, but a Sorcerer only gets 4 at level 1, 5 at level 4, and 6 at level 10, a hard cap for the rest of the campaign. Every cantrip pick is still a real decision.

Fire Bolt — Cantrip — ●

1d10 fire damage at level 1, scaling to 4d10 at level 17, with a ranged spell attack roll instead of a save. This is the default action for a Sorcerer's turn once leveled spells are spent, and it's exactly what a Quickened Spell turn wants as the second half: fire off a leveled spell as a bonus action, then Fire Bolt as your action. It also ignites flammable objects, which is minor but occasionally decisive utility.

Ray of Frost — Cantrip — ●

1d8 cold damage scaling to 4d8, and on a hit the target's speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. Slightly lower average damage than Fire Bolt at every tier, but the speed reduction is real battlefield control against anything trying to close distance or flee. Take it alongside Fire Bolt rather than instead of it, once you have room for two damage cantrips.

Mage Hand — Cantrip — ●

A spectral hand that can manipulate objects, open unlocked doors and containers, and retrieve or stow small items at range. Not combat-relevant, but it solves trap and exploration problems a party otherwise burns a turn on, and it costs nothing to keep.

Minor Illusion — Cantrip — ●

Creates a sound or an image (not both) in a 5-foot cube. Distraction, misdirection, and cheap social utility. It doesn't need to be a damage cantrip: a Sorcerer with Fire Bolt and Ray of Frost already covered has room for one utility cantrip, and this is the strongest general-purpose option.

Prestidigitation — Cantrip — ●

A grab bag of minor magical tricks: light or douse a flame, clean or soil an object, chill, warm, or flavor food, create a minor sensory effect. Never combat-relevant, but useful for roleplay and downtime, and low-stakes enough that it's a reasonable pick once the first four (Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost, Mage Hand, Minor Illusion) are locked in.

Skip: Acid Splash and Poison Spray both duplicate Fire Bolt's damage role with strictly worse numbers or worse range; True Strike is a trap across the entire game (spends your action for advantage on your next attack roll, which most classes can get more reliably elsewhere).

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1st-Level Spells

Chromatic Orb — 1st Level — ●

3d8 damage of a type you choose (acid, cold, fire, lightning, poison, or thunder) on a hit, via a ranged spell attack roll. It targets exactly one creature by the spell's own text, which makes it a clean, unambiguous Twinned Spell candidate: two orbs, two targets, one action. It also scales at +1d8 per slot level above 1st, so it stays relevant well past level 1. The damage-type choice matters more than it looks: against a creature with resistance to one common type, you simply pick a different one on the spot, something Magic Missile's fixed force damage can't do.

Shield — 1st Level — ●

+5 AC until the start of your next turn, cast as a reaction to being hit or targeted by Magic Missile. This is a survival spell first and a spell-slot tax second: a single casting frequently turns a hit into a miss, and against Magic Missile it's an automatic no-damage response. A Sorcerer with a d6 hit die and no armor proficiency should treat this as close to mandatory in the first several levels.

Mage Armor — 1st Level — ●

AC 13 + Dexterity modifier for 8 hours, cast once per day outside of combat. A Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer gets this passively through Draconic Resilience and can skip learning the spell entirely, which frees a known-spell slot. Check your subclass before spending a pick here. Every other Origin should learn it, since it's the difference between a Sorcerer with AC 10 and one with AC 15 at Dexterity 14, for the cost of a single spell slot per day.

Feather Fall — 1st Level — ●

Slows a fall to 60 feet per round for up to five falling creatures. It's a reaction, it's cheap, and it removes fall damage as a threat entirely for the rest of the encounter once cast. Not a priority pick over Shield or Chromatic Orb, but strong value once you have a spare 1st-level slot and a campaign with any verticality: pits, cliffs, forced-movement effects, or a flying enemy that likes to grab and drop.

Magic Missile — 1st Level — ●

Three darts, 1d4+1 force damage each, no attack roll and no save. It always connects, which matters against enemies with high AC or Shield spells of their own, and force damage is resisted by almost nothing. Whether it can be Twinned is a real edge case: Twinned Spell requires a spell that "targets only one creature," and Magic Missile can split its darts across multiple targets by the caster's choice. Sage Advice treats this the same way as Scorching Ray: Magic Missile cannot be Twinned, because the spell is capable of targeting more than one creature even when you choose not to on a given cast. Learn it for its guaranteed-hit reliability, not because it combos with Metamagic.

Silvery Barbs — 1st Level — ●

A Strixhaven reaction spell, not a core Sorcerer spell, but one of the strongest 1st-level picks available once your table allows Strixhaven content. When a creature within 60 feet succeeds on an attack roll, ability check, or saving throw, force a reroll and grant advantage to a different creature of your choice. No save of its own, no concentration, and it can undo a successful save against a spell several levels higher than the slot spent casting it. See our full Silvery Barbs guide for reaction-economy timing and edge cases like death saves.

Chaos Bolt — 1st Level — ●

Chaos Bolt is the Izzet League's signature spell from Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica, and GGtR calls it out by name as an Izzet spellcaster favorite. A ranged spell attack deals 2d8 + 1d6 damage, and the type is decided by rolling one of the d8s: whatever number comes up sets the damage type (acid, cold, fire, force, lightning, poison, psychic, or thunder). Roll doubles on both d8s and the chaotic energy leaps to a second creature within 30 feet for a fresh attack roll and damage roll, which can chain again from there.

Whether it Twins is the same open question Magic Missile runs into. Chaos Bolt's own text lets it jump to a second target on doubles, so by the same Sage Advice logic that disqualifies Magic Missile and Scorching Ray, a spell capable of hitting more than one creature fails Twinned Spell's single-target requirement even on a cast where it happens not to chain. Treat it as non-Twinnable rather than assume a favorable ruling.

For a Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer specifically, Chaos Bolt actively works against Elemental Affinity rather than for it. Elemental Affinity adds your Charisma modifier to one damage roll of a spell that deals damage matching your draconic ancestry's type, but Chaos Bolt's damage type is randomized by the dice after you've already committed to the cast; you can't choose to line it up with your bloodline's element the way you can with Chromatic Orb's freely-chosen damage type. A Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer who wants Elemental Affinity to trigger reliably is better served by Chromatic Orb, not this spell.

Also consider: Silent Image (green, situational scouting and distraction utility) and Detect Magic (orange, useful for identifying threats but competing for a scarce slot against combat picks).

Skip: Burning Hands (3d6 fire in a 15-foot cone underperforms Thunderwave or Chromatic Orb at the same level) and Witch Bolt (1d12 per turn sounds appealing, but a single broken concentration check ends the whole spell; Fire Bolt outperforms it at almost every level for less investment).

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2nd-Level Spells

Misty Step — 2nd Level — ●

Teleport 30 feet as a bonus action, no material component, no line-of-sight requirement past what you can see. This is the Sorcerer's escape valve: out of a grapple, off a ledge, across a chasm, or simply out of melee range without provoking an opportunity attack. Cheap in slot cost relative to the problem it solves, and it doesn't compete with your action economy on the turn you need it most.

Hold Person — 2nd Level — ●

Wisdom save or paralyzed, with a new save at the end of each of the target's turns. Paralyzed means every melee attack against the target is an automatic critical hit. It targets one humanoid by its own text, making it fully Twinnable: two failed saves on two different enemies is often an encounter-ending swing, since your melee allies convert both into crits on their next turns. The humanoid-only restriction is the real limitation; it does nothing against constructs, undead, or beasts.

Scorching Ray — 2nd Level — ●

Three rays, each a separate ranged spell attack roll for 2d6 fire damage. You can put all three on one target or split them across several. This is the strongest efficient pick as the bonus-action half of a Quickened Spell turn: fire it off cheaply, then Fire Bolt with your action. It cannot be Twinned. Because it's capable of hitting multiple targets even when you fire all three rays at one creature, it fails Twinned Spell's single-target restriction outright. Take it for the Quickened combo, not for Twinning.

Mirror Image — 2nd Level — ●

Three illusory duplicates that absorb attacks meant for you until they're destroyed by a successful attack roll. No concentration required, which means it stacks with any concentration spell you're already maintaining. For a squishy backline caster who occasionally ends up targeted directly, this buys several rounds of effective damage mitigation for one slot.

Suggestion — 2nd Level — ●

A single-target charm effect that compels a course of action described in a sentence or two, provided it isn't obviously harmful to the target. No damage, but it can end a fight before it starts (convince a guard captain to stand down), redirect a dangerous creature, or extract information. It targets one creature, so it's Twinnable in principle, though its social-utility use case rarely calls for hitting two targets at once the way a control spell does.

Rime's Binding Ice — 2nd Level — ●

From Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. A 30-foot cone dealing 3d8 cold damage on a failed Constitution save, and the target's speed drops to 0 until it or an ally spends an action breaking the ice away. No concentration required, which is unusual for an area control spell at this level and means it stacks freely with Hold Person or Suggestion. Scales at +1d8 per slot above 2nd. It affects an area rather than a single creature, so it can't be Twinned; its Metamagic partner is Careful Spell if you need to protect nearby allies.

Also consider: Web (orange, strong area lockdown but rarely needed alongside Hypnotic Pattern once you reach 3rd level), Blindness/Deafness (orange, cheap debuff, outclassed once Hold Person is available), Nathair's Mischief (orange, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons - a 20-foot-cube random-effect spell rolled fresh each round on a d4 table, useful as party-support chaos but too unreliable to plan around), three picks from Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos: Kinetic Jaunt (orange, a bonus-action mobility buff that loses out to Misty Step's raw distance for most builds), Vortex Warp (orange, forcibly relocates one creature within 90 feet on a failed Constitution save, useful for shoving a melee threat away from a squishy ally), and Wither and Bloom (orange, 2d6 necrotic in a 10-foot sphere plus a Hit Die heal for an ally in the area, a small dual-purpose pick rather than a slot-defining one), and Air Bubble (orange, Spelljammer: Adventures in Space - a 24-hour no-concentration fresh-air globe, dead weight outside Wildspace or an underwater scenario but a zero-drawback fill when either comes up), and Warp Sense (orange, Planescape: Sigil and the Outlands - a campaign-gated concentration spell that senses portals within 30 feet and, on a successful check, reveals a detected portal's destination plane and required key; only relevant in a Sigil or Outlands-heavy campaign, dead weight otherwise).

Skip: Alter Self (niche disguise and combat utility that rarely earns a slot over the picks above) and Enlarge/Reduce (concentration cost for a modest size/damage buff that competes poorly against Hold Person or Mirror Image for the same slot).

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3rd-Level Spells: The Power Spike

3rd level is where the Sorcerer spell list peaks in raw value per slot. Fireball, Counterspell, Haste, and Hypnotic Pattern all sit here, and a Sorcerer who has room for all four by the time they reach 3rd-level spell access is playing close to the class's ceiling.

Fireball — 3rd Level — ●

8d6 fire damage in a 20-foot-radius sphere, Dexterity save for half. The best damage-per-slot spell available at this level, and it scales at +1d6 per slot above 3rd. It cannot be Twinned, since it affects an area rather than a single creature, so its Metamagic partner is Careful Spell, not Twinned Spell. A Sorcerer planning to drop this near their own melee line should budget 1 Sorcery Point for Careful Spell before relying on it in tight formations; without it, Fireball is just as happy to catch your Fighter as the enemy.

Counterspell — 3rd Level — ●

Interrupts a spell being cast within 60 feet. Automatic success against a spell of 3rd level or lower; against a higher-level spell, an ability check against a DC equal to 10 + the spell's level, using your spellcasting ability, unless you spend a slot matching or exceeding the spell's level for an automatic success. Because it's a reaction, it doesn't compete with Quickened Spell the way an action-cost pick would; you keep your action and bonus action free on the turn you use it. Against any enemy spellcaster, this is frequently the single most valuable thing a Sorcerer can do on their turn.

Haste — 3rd Level — ●

Doubles the target's speed, adds +2 AC, gives advantage on Dexterity saves, and grants an extra action limited to Attack, Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object. It targets one creature, so it's fully Twinnable: Twinned Haste on your Fighter and Paladin in the same action is one of the highest-impact single actions available to any support caster in the game, effectively doubling two martial characters' turns simultaneously. The lethargy penalty on the spell's end (speed 0, no actions or reactions until your next turn) is real but manageable with encounter pacing.

Hypnotic Pattern — 3rd Level — ●

Every creature in a 30-foot cube makes a Wisdom save or becomes incapacitated and has its speed reduced to 0, for as long as you concentrate (broken early if the creature takes damage). Careful Spell is the natural partner here to keep your own party out of the pattern's radius. Against a mixed group of enemies with generally poor Wisdom saves (the majority of martial-leaning monster stat blocks), this can neutralize an entire encounter's worth of threats in a single action.

Fly — 3rd Level — ●

60-foot fly speed for the target, single-creature targeting, fully Twinnable: two flying allies from one action, useful against aerial threats or terrain that otherwise forces a slow, dangerous approach. Competes directly with Haste for your concentration slot in the same encounter, so most parties get more consistent value from Haste and treat Fly as a situational pick for specific fights or exploration needs.

Also consider: Ashardalon's Stride (orange, Fizban's Treasury of Dragons - a bonus-action self-buff granting +20 feet of speed, no opportunity attacks while moving, and 1d6 fire damage to anything you pass within 5 feet of; a real skirmisher tool, but this is the Sorcerer list's power-spike level and it doesn't compete with Fireball, Counterspell, Haste, or Hypnotic Pattern for a slot).

Skip: Stinking Cloud (weak against creatures immune to the poisoned condition, and largely outclassed by Hypnotic Pattern's broader incapacitation) and Sleet Storm (situational terrain control that competes poorly against the four priority picks above for the same slot).

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4th-Level Spells

Polymorph — 4th Level — ●

Transforms a creature into a beast of challenge rating equal to or less than the target's (or the target's current CR, whichever is lower), replacing its statistics entirely for the duration. Used offensively against a dangerous enemy, it can neutralize a boss-tier threat by turning it into something with a fraction of its combat capability. Used on an ally, turning a Fighter into a Giant Ape or T-Rex is a legitimate damage and durability spike for a boss fight. It targets one creature and is fully Twinnable: two Polymorphs in one action is one of the single most disruptive things a Sorcerer can do at this level, whether that means neutralizing two enemies or radically strengthening two allies at once.

Greater Invisibility — 4th Level — ●

Invisibility that persists even while attacking or casting spells, unlike the 2nd-level version. Single-target and Twinnable: invisibility on both your melee striker and yourself in one action is a strong defensive and offensive combo, since invisible attackers gain advantage and invisible targets impose disadvantage on incoming attacks.

Banishment — 4th Level — ●

Charisma save or the target is banished to a demiplane for the duration; if maintained for the full minute against a creature native to another plane, it's banished permanently. Removes the single most dangerous enemy in a fight from the encounter entirely, without dealing damage. Single-target and Twinnable against two separate threats, though the Sorcery Point cost stacks with an already resource-heavy 4th-level slot.

Raulothim's Psychic Lance — 4th Level — ●

From Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Single-target Intelligence save for 7d6 psychic damage, plus the target is incapacitated until the start of your next turn on a failed save. No concentration cost, so it stacks with Polymorph, Banishment, or any other 4th-level concentration pick already running. Single-target and fully Twinnable: two failed saves is 14d6 psychic damage split across two enemies, or one devastating alpha strike on a single boss, for the cost of one spell slot plus 4 Sorcery Points. The V-only component list works even with your hands full. It can also target a named creature you can't currently see, as long as that creature is within range.

Dimension Door — 4th Level — ●

Teleport yourself, plus one willing creature within 5 feet, up to 500 feet with no line of sight required. A stronger, longer-range Misty Step for emergencies, at the cost of a full action and a much scarcer slot. Situational rather than a priority pick: most Sorcerers get by on Misty Step for mobility and reserve their 4th-level slots for Polymorph or Banishment instead.

Also consider: Gate Seal (orange, Planescape: Sigil and the Outlands - a campaign-gated abjuration that seals portals in a 30-foot cube for 24 hours, consuming a broken portal key as its material component; a strong tool for shutting down a specific portal threat in a Sigil-based campaign, irrelevant outside one).

Skip: Ice Storm (respectable damage but outclassed by Fireball's radius-to-slot-cost ratio one level down) and Stoneskin (expensive material component, competes with your own concentration slots, better suited to a class with spell slots to spare).

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5th-Level Spells

Hold Monster — 5th Level — ●

The upgraded Hold Person: works on any creature, not just humanoids. Wisdom save or paralyzed, new save each turn, and paralyzed still means automatic melee crits against the target. Single-target and Twinnable: against a boss fight with two dangerous non-humanoid threats, Twinned Hold Monster is one of the single strongest actions in the Sorcerer's entire kit, provided both targets fail their saves.

Telekinesis — 5th Level — ●

Move objects or, against an unwilling creature, force a Strength save contest each turn to grapple and reposition them (including shoving them off ledges). Flexible utility and control in one spell, with combat applications (repositioning a melee threat away from allies) and exploration applications (retrieving distant objects, disarming traps from range) in the same slot.

Cone of Cold — 5th Level — ●

8d8 cold damage in a 60-foot cone, Constitution save for half. Broader coverage than Fireball at the same slot level, and creatures reduced to 0 HP by the cold damage are instantly frozen into statues. A second area-damage option in a different damage type from Fireball, useful against enemies resistant to fire.

Summon Draconic Spirit — 5th Level — ●

From Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Summons a Large draconic spirit (choose a chromatic, gem, or metallic family, which sets its damage resistances) with AC 14 plus the spell's level and 50 plus 10 HP for every level above 5th. It shares your initiative and acts immediately after you, obeying verbal commands with no action or bonus action required from you, which is a real action-economy edge over a Beast Master-style companion. On your call, it Multiattacks with a number of Rend strikes equal to half the spell's level (rounded down) plus its cone Breath Weapon, and you gain resistance to one of its damage types for the duration. Fully scales with upcast level: cast it at 6th or higher and every number in its stat block uses that higher level instead.

Skip: Wall of Stone and Creation (both are strong exploration and problem-solving tools in a vacuum, but compete against combat-critical picks for one of only three 5th-level slots most Sorcerers ever gain access to before the campaign ends).

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6th Level and Beyond: The Last Few Picks

By the time a Sorcerer reaches 6th-level spells, they've already committed 11 to 13 of their 15 known spells to lower-level picks. What's left is one or two slots at each of the top tiers, so these choices should be the single spell at each level that does something nothing else on the list can do.

• ● Chain Lightning (6th) — 10d8 lightning to a primary target, with three additional bolts you can direct at up to three more targets nearby, each for the same damage on a failed save. The best single-slot damage option available once you reach this tier.
• ● Disintegrate (6th) — 10d6+40 force damage to one target, or the only spell in the game that can destroy a Wall of Force. Situational but occasionally the only answer to a specific problem.
• ● Fizban's Platinum Shield (6th) — Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. Half cover, resistance to acid/cold/fire/lightning/poison, and Evasion (no damage on a successful DEX save, half instead of full on a failure) for one creature of your choice, movable to a new target with a bonus action each round. Single-target and fully Twinnable: two party members with Evasion and five-type resistance simultaneously is a strong defensive combo, though it costs 6 Sorcery Points on top of the slot.
• ● Plane Shift (7th) — Utility escape valve and plot-relevant travel tool; less combat-oriented than most picks on this list but often the only way to reach or leave certain locations.
• ● Delayed Blast Fireball (7th) — 12d6 fire damage in the same 20-foot radius as Fireball, increasing by 1d6 per round it's left unexploded, up to 18d6 at the start of your fourth turn. The Sorcerer's biggest reliable single-target-adjacent damage spike.
• ● Draconic Transformation (7th) — Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. A self-buff granting 30-foot Blindsight, a 60-foot flying speed, and a repeatable Breath Weapon (action to activate, then a bonus action on later turns) dealing 6d8 force damage in a 60-foot cone on a failed DEX save. Combines ongoing area damage, full flight, and a real defensive upgrade in one slot, competing well against Delayed Blast Fireball for the same level.
• ● Sunburst (8th) — 12d6 radiant damage in a 60-foot-radius, plus blindness for a minute on a failed save. Excellent against undead and other creatures vulnerable to radiant damage.
• ● Meteor Swarm (9th) — Four 40-foot-radius explosions dealing 20d6 fire plus 20d6 bludgeoning each, placeable anywhere within a mile. The single highest total-damage spell available to any class; the campaign-ending payoff for a Sorcerer who has survived to 17th level.
• ● Wish (9th) — Duplicates any 8th-level-or-lower spell perfectly, or (with real risk of never casting a leveled spell again) does nearly anything else. The ultimate safety valve, if your Sorcerer reaches 9th-level spells at all.

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Which Subclasses Expand Your List (and Which Don't)

This matters enormously for a class this spell-starved, and it splits the seven PHB-through-Tasha's Sorcerous Origins cleanly into two groups.

Bonus-spell subclasses: Divine Soul adds a growing list of Cleric spells that don't count against your known total. Access to Healing Word and Spirit Guardians effectively means every one of your 15 core picks above can stay focused on damage and control, since healing comes for free. Aberrant Mind adds a fixed psionic list including Mind Sliver, Dissonant Whispers, and Dominate Person, none of which touch your known-spell count. This is close to doubling the Sorcerer's effective spell library. Clockwork Soul adds Aid, Dispel Magic, and Freedom of Movement among others, filling gaps the core list otherwise struggles to cover.

No bonus spells: Draconic Bloodline, Wild Magic, Storm Sorcery, and Shadow Magic grant no bonus spells known at all. Every one of these Origins' Sorcerers is working from exactly the same 15-spell budget covered in this guide, with no subclass-granted safety net. A Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer in particular still benefits from skipping Mage Armor as a known spell (since Draconic Resilience grants the same AC passively), which is the closest that group gets to a bonus slot.

For the complete feature-by-feature breakdown of every Sorcerous Origin, see the D&D 5e Sorcerer Guide.

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Priority Order: Filling Your First Ten Slots

A Sorcerer gains spells known at a slower, more deliberate pace than a Wizard adds to a spellbook. This is the priority order that produces the most functional Sorcerer through the levels where the campaign is most likely to actually be played.

This order front-loads survival (Shield, Mage Armor), then control and mobility (Misty Step, Hold Person), before committing to the two most resource-intensive picks (Fireball, Hypnotic Pattern) once the Sorcerer has the Sorcery Points from Font of Magic at 2nd level to actually pair them with Careful Spell when needed.

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Verdict

The Sorcerer's spell list is a coherent 15-spell toolkit, not a level-by-level ranking of the single best option in a vacuum. Nearly every pick either solves a problem nothing else solves or actively benefits from Twinned Spell, Quickened Spell, or Careful Spell. Chromatic Orb, Hold Person, Haste, and Polymorph anchor the Twinned Spell half of that toolkit. Fireball and Hypnotic Pattern anchor the Careful Spell half. Counterspell sits outside both categories and earns its slot purely on being one of the best reactive spells in the game. Build around those seven picks first, fill the remaining slots with the survival and utility spells covered above, and a Sorcerer's small known-spell count stops feeling like a limitation and starts feeling like a very sharp knife.

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FAQ

What is the best 1st-level spell for a Sorcerer in D&D 5e 2014? Chromatic Orb. It deals more damage than Magic Missile (3d8 versus 3d4+3), lets you pick the damage type on the fly to dodge resistance, and targets only one creature, which makes it fully compatible with Twinned Spell. Magic Missile is the safer floor, but Chromatic Orb has a higher ceiling and combos with Twinned Spell better.

Should a Sorcerer take Fireball? Yes, almost always. Fireball is the highest damage-per-slot spell a Sorcerer can learn at 3rd level, and no other class needs it less situationally. The one caveat: without Careful Spell or careful positioning, Fireball hits your own melee allies. A Sorcerer who plans to stand in the front line alongside a Fighter should budget 1 Sorcery Point for Careful Spell before relying on it in melee ranges.

Can Scorching Ray be Twinned in D&D 5e 2014? No. Twinned Spell requires a spell that targets only one creature. Scorching Ray is capable of splitting its three rays across multiple targets, even if you choose to fire them all at one creature on a given cast, so it fails the targeting restriction. This is a confirmed Sage Advice ruling, not a house rule. Chromatic Orb and Magic Missile remain Twinnable because their targeting is fixed to one creature by the spell's own text.

Which Sorcerous Origins grant bonus spells that do not count against a Sorcerer's known spells? Divine Soul (a growing list of Cleric spells), Aberrant Mind (a fixed psionic spell list), and Clockwork Soul (a fixed order-themed spell list) all grant spells that sit outside your normal known-spell count. Draconic Bloodline, Wild Magic, Storm Sorcery, and Shadow Magic grant no bonus spells at all, which makes spell selection even more important for those four subclasses.

How many spells does a Sorcerer actually get to choose by level 20? 15 spells known, plus 6 cantrips, at level 20 (unchanged from level 17 onward). That total does not grow again after 17th level, and it is the smallest known-spell list of any full caster in the game. Every one of those 15 slots should either solve a problem no other pick solves, or synergize directly with your chosen Metamagic options.

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For the full class breakdown (subclasses, ability scores, race and feat synergy, and level-by-level builds), see the D&D 5e Sorcerer Guide. For which feats to prioritize alongside these spells, see Best Feats for Sorcerer. Or return to the D&D 5e Class Guides hub to compare every class.

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