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The most powerful DnD spells in the 2024 Player’s Handbook

Many of the best Dungeons and Dragons spells are the same in the 2024 Player’s Handbook, but just as much has changed for the top 5e spells.

DnD spells - Wizards of the Coast art of a human woman casting a spell

Most of the DnD spells got a makeover in the new 2024 Player’s Handbook. Many of Dungeons and Dragons’ biggest spells were re-balanced, for better and worse. After hours of reading and testing the new rules, we’ve put together a guide on which Dungeons and Dragons spells are currently the most powerful. A few of these are usual suspects you’ll recognize from 2014, while others have made the cut thanks to recent tweaks.

For more information on the new rules, check out our full 2024 Player’s Handbook review. Your favorite DnD classes and DnD races from fifth edition are, in some cases, barely recognizable in their new forms. For the most part, we think that’s a good thing.

These are the best DnD spells in the 2024 Player’s Handbook:

wizards of the Coast art of an elf casting a DnD spell

Bless

Bless works exactly as it did in the 2014 rules. Still, a low-level spell that gives three (or more, if you upcast) creatures a minute’s supply of roll bonuses? That’s a must-have.

Conjure Minor Elementals

Dear lord, what a comeback. Conjure Minor Elementals went from being a Plain Jane to the belle of the D&D ball. In its new form, this conjuration spell creates a 15-foot emanation of elemental spirits around you. It lasts for 10 minutes or until you break concentration.

Any attack you make until the spell ends deals 2d8 extra damage if it hits a creature inside that emanation, and the DnD damage type can be acid, cold, fire, or lightning. Oh, and the emanation is difficult terrain for anyone you don’t like.

This alone is pretty good – it’s Spirit Guardians with a melee-based twist. What makes this spell special is its upcast potential, though. For every spell slot level above four that you spend, the extra damage you deal increases by 2d8. Power-builders are already finding ways to exploit this – check out this Valor Bard build, for example.

Find Familiar

Find Familiar is a low-level spell that gives you a permanent animal companion, who can be used for all sorts of helpful activities. They can back you up in combat, scout for you, relay messages, and more. It’s excellent for both roleplay and gameplay.

The 2024 version of the spell offers even more benefits than its original fifth edition version. You can now cast the spell as a ritual, saving you a crucial spell slot. Additionally, you can choose any Beast stat block with a CR of zero, so you have more choice for your familiar’s form. You can now also see and hear through your familiar’s senses without being blinded and deafened to your own.

Wizards of the Coast art of an elf woman casting Fireball, one of the best DnD spells

Fireball

The new Player’s Handbook changed literally nothing about Fireball 5e. It’s that good. Our favorite area-of-effect, guaranteed-damage flame child still rules the roost.

Guidance

The 2014 version of Guidance lets you give a willing creature an extra 1d4 to add to the results of any one roll. The spell could last for up to one minute, but it ended as soon as that d4 was used. The 2024 version instead lets you add 1d4 to any ability check made within that minute, as long as it uses a single DnD skill that you specified when casting.

Multiple uses of Guidance make this spell even better than it was before. And because it’s a cantrip, you can keep casting it, again and again.

Healing Word

Generally, effective D&D parties deal damage first and heal second. But Healing Word has always been a special exception, as a bonus action heal still leaves your action open for attacks or support. This was one of the best spells in 2014 5e, and it’s only grown stronger in the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

As part of the new rules, Wizards of the Coast buffed pretty much all healing spells, allowing them to restore additional HP. Healing Word now offers 2d4 HP rather than 1d4, so it’s twice as enticing as it used to be.

Wizards of the Coast art of an elf Bard casting a DnD spell

Mass Suggestion

Mass Suggestion hasn’t changed much in the new Player’s Handbook, but it was already an extremely powerful spell in its own right. Both versions of the spell allow you to give up to 12 creatures a short, realistic command (i.e. not causing them to hurt themselves or their friends).

If they fail a Wisdom save, these creatures must follow your instructions. It’s an easy way to end a combat encounter without taking damage, and creative players can use this to solve all manner of problems.

Maze

In both versions of 5e, Maze is a high-level spell that can automatically trap a creature in a labyrinth-like demiplane for 10 minutes. The new Player’s Handbook makes some minor tweaks – it’s now an Investigation rather than Intelligence check to escape, and no creatures can automatically pass the roll.

Overall, we’d call that a fractional buff, so this deserves to maintain its place on the ‘best spells’ list.

Pass Without Trace

Pass Without Trace is functionally the same in 2024, meaning that it gives nearby creatures a +10 to Stealth checks and covers their tracks for up to an hour. However, the new version of the spell specifies that affected creatures must stay within 30 feet of you to keep gaining these benefits, as the spell creates a 30-foot emanation rather than targeting creatures within 30 feet when the spell is first cast.

It’s a little more restrictive, but Pass Without Trace is still the most cost-effective way to sneak an un-stealthy party through a dungeon crawl. Any group with a noisy DnD 2024 Paladin will find this is an essential spell.

Wizards of the Coast art of a Halfling casting a DnD spell to summon a spiritual warrior

Simulacrum

Simulacrum also saw a nerf in the new rules, but we love it regardless. The spell is functionally the same as in fifth edition – you create a perfect copy of one beast or humanoid of your choice. Crucially, the 2024 rules state that, if you create a copy of a creature that can cast Simulacrum, that copy can’t also cast Simulacrum.

The new Player’s Handbook is a bit more restrictive about healing, too. In both versions of the rules, a Simulacrum starts with half the HP of the creature they copied. They’re also unable to gain spell slots back, and they can have their HP restored if you spend a long rest (and 100GP per HP) repairing them. The 2024 rules clarify that this is the only way a Simulacrum can be healed, and they don’t gain any benefits from resting.

Creating a copy of yourself with Simulacrum is still worth it, though. All those other spells in this list can be cast twice as many times thanks to this bad boy.

Shield

Another gem from fifth edition that remains unchanged is Shield. This reaction is still a great way for spellcasters to shrug off damage, and it offers fantastic value for a first-level spell.

Spirit Guardians

Spirit Guardians was one of the most consistent damage spells in fifth edition, so it’s not surprising that the new rules nerf it somewhat. Despite the re-balance, we’d still rank Spirit Guardians as one of the game’s best spells. You can still summon a 15-foot emanation of spirits around yourself for up to 10 minutes, and they still deal 3d8 damage to creatures that fail a Wisdom saving throw when they enter the emanation.

However, the 2014 rules also force creatures who start their turn in the emanation to make the save. The 2024 version of Spirit Guardians forces the save on targets who end their turn in the emanation – meaning enemies have a chance to get out of dodge before you damage them.

Additionally, the 2024 rules specify that a creature can only make a Wisdom save against Spirit Guardians once per turn. This stops you from running backwards and forwards to force enemies to enter the emanation over and over again.

Wizards of the Coast art of a DnD spell being cast

Wall of Force

Wall of Force hasn’t changed between versions of the Player’s Handbook. However, fifth edition fans have long considered it a top spell, thanks to its ability to completely protect a small area from the outside world. Trap an enemy inside to nullify their spells, or surround your allies with a protective wall.

Web

Web offers incredible value for a level-two spell, allowing you to control a 20-foot area and hinder all who lurk there. This was true in the 2014 rules, but Web has grown a little more powerful in the new Player’s Handbook.

Firstly, let’s discuss what’s stayed the same. Both versions of Web conjure a 20-foot cube of difficult terrain that lightly obscures the area. Both force creatures to make a Dexterity saving throw, restraining them on a failure. These creatures now have zero speed, disadvantage on attacks, and attacks against them have advantage. If they want to escape, they’ll have to waste an action making another saving throw.

The 2014 version of Web triggered a Dexterity save when a creature started its turn in the web or entered it for the first time during its turn. In the 2024 rules, a creature makes that save if it starts its turn in the web or enters it during a turn. You can now get a creature stuck, even if it’s not their turn – which is far more practical.

Spells aren’t the only rules that got an overhaul in the new Player’s Handbook. Here’s everything you need to know about DnD 2024 backgrounds and DnD 2024 feats, for example.