D&D: The Five Best Damage Dealing Spells In 5E
Hit an enemy so hard they stay hit. Deal maximum damage. Find out if you’re using one of the five best D&D damage spells in 5E.
One of the best parts of D&D is rolling big numbers on the dice and watching the DM take minis off the table. Whether it’s virtual or physical, the joy is real. And sure, spells that do damage aren’t always the most efficient or optimized choice for a spellcaster. But you can’t spell damage without ‘mage’ – a lesson D&D learned well when they accidentally found + replaced all instances of damage into dawizard.
But we’re not here for typos. We’re here for spells. So let’s get cracking.
Eldritch Blast
Say what you will, there’s a reason every Warlock, even the Hexblades pick this one up. It’s different from every other damaging cantrip for two reasons. For one, it lets you make up to four different attacks. So instead of hitting one creature for 2d10 at 5th level, you’re hitting one or two targets for 1d10 at 5th level. But then on top of that, the 2nd level Warlock Invocation: Agonizing Blast means you add your Charisma modifier to the damage. So now you’re doing 1d10 + Charisma modifier on each hit. Up to four times.
If you want to fish for crits, or have a spell that has an effect “on hit” Eldritch Blast is a great way to keep that train rolling.
Fireball
Let’s get right into the other big one. Fireball is an iconic D&D spell. So much so that Wizards of the Coast deliberately overpowered it to make it feel extra special in 5th Edition. And that’s saying something in this edition. But it does 8d6 damage as a 3rd level spell. And it hits the biggest area of any spell you’re likely to have at a comparable level.
Sure it’s fire damage, and there are plenty of creatures that resist it. But if you want to do a lot of damage to a lot of people, Fireball is the right tool for the job.
Spiritual Weapon
Alright, now we get into the divine spell lists. Spiritual Weapons is widely regarded as a “must-pick” for Clerics because of its versatility. Now, it’s a good spell. Let’s be clear. It doesn’t take your concentration slot, it only takes a bonus action to cast it, and a bonus action to keep attacking with it.
In Critical Role, spiritual weapons abound in Campaign 2, and it’s not hard to see why. But let’s add a caveat that, often times there are better things to do with your bonus action than make an attack that does 1d8 + modifier (or slightly more if you’re using a higher level slot). Still, there’s no denying how much bang you get for your spell slot buck with this damaging spell.
Spirit Guardians
Spirit Guardians is the other big Cleric spell that everyone loves to talk about. This one does take your concentration. And it requires you to be near your enemies – within 15 feet. But, it does so much. It not only deals a 3d8 damage (save for half) to each creature you choose, so your friends are safe, probably, it cuts targets’ speed by half as well. No save required for that effect.
So not only does it do free damage just for playing, it also lets you control the battlefield.
Animate Objects
D&D is a game of numbers. You’ll often see people talk about the action economy. And all that means is that, the more attacks that get made, the better one side of the fight is likely to do.
Animate Objects lets you get as many as 10 extra attacks on your turn. You do the math.
This is one of those “encounter changing spells” that can solve a problem for you. And all it takes is your bonus action to direct it – so this spell overrides something like Spiritual Weapon but all it takes is a bonus action to do as much as 10d8+20 damage to one or more targets. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.
So that’s our picks for the best Damage Dealing spells. What are yours? Let us know in the comments
