Best Damage Spells in D&D 5e

A damage spell's value is the ratio of damage dealt to resources spent. 8d6 for a 3rd-level slot (Fireball) is efficient. 1d8 for the same slot would be terrible.

Here are the best damage spells by level.

Cantrips

Eldritch Blast (Warlock)

Best cantrip for sustained ranged damage, especially with Agonizing Blast.

Fire Bolt, Ray of Frost (Wizard, Sorcerer)

Solid single-target damage cantrips.

Toll the Dead (Cleric, Wizard, Warlock)

Best damage cantrip by raw math, especially against wounded enemies.

Sacred Flame (Cleric)

Ignores cover. Radiant damage.

For complete cantrips guide, see our best cantrips in 5e.

1st Level

Guiding Bolt (Cleric)

4d6 radiant damage + next attack on target has advantage. Great synergy.

Magic Missile (Sorcerer, Wizard)

3 darts, 1d4+1 each (3d4+3 total, avg 13.5). Auto-hit, no attack roll. Disabled by Shield but otherwise guaranteed.

Chromatic Orb (Sorcerer, Wizard)

3d8 of a chosen damage type. Can bypass resistances by picking a weakness.

Dissonant Whispers (Bard)

3d6 psychic + target uses reaction to move away. Damage + repositioning.

2nd Level

Scorching Ray (Sorcerer, Wizard)

3 rays, 2d6 fire each (6d6 total, avg 21). Rays can split targets.

Heat Metal (Bard, Druid)

2d8 fire damage per turn AND target must pass Con save or drop the metal item. Brutal against armored enemies.

Shatter (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard)

3d8 thunder in a 10-ft radius. Area damage. Objects in the area also break.

Spiritual Weapon (Cleric)

Bonus action cast, 1d8 + mod damage. Bonus action attacks on subsequent turns. Not concentration. This is the Cleric's damage workhorse.

3rd Level

Fireball

8d6 fire in a 20-ft radius. Still the gold standard. See our Fireball guide.

Lightning Bolt (Sorcerer, Wizard)

8d6 lightning in a 100-ft line. Fireball alternative with different geometry.

Spirit Guardians (Cleric)

Concentration, 3d8 radiant damage in a 15-ft radius to enemies. Self-centered. Very strong with melee Clerics. Best damage spell per concentration slot in the game for Clerics.

Animate Dead (Cleric, Wizard)

Not direct damage, but 2 skeletons with crossbows doing 1d6 each per turn = 2d6 free damage forever.

4th Level

Wall of Fire (Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard)

Concentration. Damage per enemy passing through, 5d8 fire. Area denial plus damage.

Banishment (Cleric, Paladin, Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)

Removes an enemy from combat (Cha save). Not damage per se, but disables.

5th Level

Flame Strike (Cleric)

4d6 fire + 4d6 radiant = 8d6 total in a 10-ft radius cylinder. Two damage types make resistances less likely.

Cone of Cold (Sorcerer, Wizard)

8d8 cold in a 60-ft cone. Bigger than Fireball for a higher slot.

Synaptic Static (Bard, Sorcerer, Wizard)

8d6 psychic in a 20-ft sphere + next attack roll penalty (psychic cracked for a round). Underrated.

Cloudkill (Sorcerer, Wizard)

5d8 poison per round in an expanding sphere for 10 minutes. Area denial over time.

6th Level

Chain Lightning (Sorcerer, Wizard)

10d8 lightning to up to 4 targets. Massive multi-target damage.

Disintegrate (Sorcerer, Wizard)

10d6+40 force damage (avg 75) to a single target. Save for half. If reduced to 0 HP, target is disintegrated and can't be revived by anything short of Wish.

The "kill it forever" spell.

Investiture of Flame / Stone / Ice / Wind (Sorcerer, Wizard)

Damage + resistance. Situational.

7th Level

Delayed Blast Fireball (Sorcerer, Wizard)

Up to 12d6 fire, detonating after a round. Time-delayed Fireball with ramp-up.

Finger of Death (Sorcerer, Wizard, Warlock)

7d8+30 necrotic damage (avg 62). Killed creatures become zombies.

8th Level

Sunburst (Druid, Sorcerer, Wizard)

12d6 radiant in a 60-ft radius. Huge AOE. Blinds creatures too.

Incendiary Cloud (Sorcerer, Wizard)

10d8 fire per round in a 20-ft radius for 1 minute. Moves 10 ft per round.

9th Level

Meteor Swarm (Sorcerer, Wizard)

Four 40-ft radius spheres. 20d6 damage (half fire, half bludgeoning) in each. Absurd damage at the cost of a 9th-level slot.

The biggest bang-for-buck single-cast damage spell in the game.

Power Word: Kill (Sorcerer, Warlock, Wizard)

Kill a creature with 100 HP or fewer, no save. Takes the biggest enemy out of the fight.

Damage Type Considerations

Some enemies resist or are immune to specific damage types:

• Fire: Red Dragons, Fire Elementals, Demons, Fire Giants. Immune.
• Cold: White Dragons, Ice Elementals. Immune.
• Poison: Undead, Constructs. Immune.
• Necrotic: Most Undead. Resistant.
• Radiant: Rare immunity. Great damage type.
• Force: Very rare resistance. Best damage type.

Chromatic Orb and similar flexible spells pay the value of picking the target's weakness.

In Solo Play

Solo damage priorities:

1. Efficient per slot. Fireball > Lightning Bolt > Scorching Ray at 3rd level.
2. Not concentration-dependent. Concentration during long fights risks breaks.
3. Adaptable to single targets. A Fireball on one enemy is mostly wasted vs. a Disintegrate.

Balance AOE and single-target. Keep some of each.

The Endlessness and Damage Spells

Our AI Dungeon Master handles damage calculations, save rolls, upcasting math, resistance/immunity interactions, and concentration effects for all damage spells. When you cast Fireball at 5th level on 4 goblins, the system rolls 10d6, applies Dex saves, and distributes damage per creature.

For related reads, our spell list, concentration rules, and spell slots guide cover more.

Final Takeaway

Damage spells reward knowledge. Know what's efficient at your level. Know which enemies resist what. Know when to AOE and when to single-target.

Start a caster on The Endlessness and start casting.