[Top 25] Best D&D Spells Every Party Should Have

According to Gary Gygax, one of the creators of tabletop juggernaut Dungeons and Dragons, when you play D&D, you can “enjoy a world where the fantastic is fact, and magic really works.” But you might find the “magic really works” thing challenging for your current playgroup if you have a lackluster set of spells in your arsenal. If you find your party’s spell-casting composition more frustrating than fulfilling, it’s time to get honest with yourself. When was the last time you did a spring cleaning of your magic character’s spell slots? Has your party’s magic user been lugging around spell-casting dead weight without realizing it?

So whether you’re assembling your party for the first time as new players or already seasoned adventuring pros, it’s worth evaluating all the spells you and your party selected. While this list may have more utility spells than big damage dealers, the goal is to balance your party with both. If these are spread across your entire party, each magic class will bring some powerful damage and function spells to the table so you can dominate your next encounter.

(And if you’re worried that all of this info will be a moot point by the time the next edition of D&D rolls out in 2024, never fear – Wizards has already confirmed backward compatibility with 5E of the new system.)

So here’s a ranking guide of the top 25 D&D spells that are party “must-haves.”