Picking 2 out of 264 spells

WilliamCQ · May 17, 2019

I can only pick 2 in the following spells and the PC will have to use a slot to cast it (so lower level would get more use) which is a spellsword. I don't want a bias so I'm being vague. The spellsword has access to spells outside of the following. Any suggestion?

Thank you kindly

By level then lexicographically:

Absorb Elements
Alarm
Armor of Agathys
Arms of Hadar
Beast Bond
Bless
Burning Hands
Catapult
Cause Fear
Ceremony
Chaos Bolt
Chromatic Orb
Color Spray
Command
Compelled Duel
Create or Destroy Water
Detect Evil and Good
Detect Poison and Disease
Divine Favor
Ensnaring Strike
Entangle
Expeditious Retreat
False Life
Find Familiar
Fog Cloud
Goodberry
Grease
Guiding Bolt
Hail of Thorns
Hellish Rebuke
Hex
Hunter's Mark
Ice Knife
Inflict Wounds
Jump
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Protection from Evil and Good
Purify Food and Drink
Ray of Sickness
Sanctuary
Searing Smite
Shield
Shield of Faith
Snare
Tenser's Floating Disk
Thunderous Smite
Witch Bolt
Wrathful Smite
Zephyr Strike
Aganazzar's Scorcher
Aid
Alter Self
Arcane Lock
Augury
Barkskin
Beast Sense
Blur
Branding Smite
Continual Flame
Cordon of Arrows
Darkness
Darkvision
Dragon's Breath
Dust Devil
Earthbind
Enlarge/Reduce
Find Steed
Find Traps
Flame Blade
Flaming Sphere
Gentle Repose
Gust of Wind
Healing Spirit
Levitate
Magic Weapon
Maximilian's Earthen Grasp
Melf's Acid Arrow
Mind Spike
Mirror Image
Misty Step
Moonbeam
Nystul's Magic Aura
Pass without Trace
Prayer of Healing
Protection from Poison
Ray of Enfeeblement
Rope Trick
Scorching Ray
Shadow Blade
Snilloc's Snowball Swarm
Spider Climb
Spike Growth
Spiritual Weapon
Warding Bond
Web
Animate Dead
Aura of Vitality
Beacon of Hope
Blinding Smite
Blink
Call Lightning
Conjure Animals
Conjure Barrage
Create Food and Water
Crusader's Mantle
Daylight
Elemental Weapon
Erupting Earth
Flame Arrows
Fly
Gaseous Form
Haste
Hunger of Hadar
Life Transference
Lightning Arrow
Lightning Bolt
Magic Circle
Mass Healing Word
Meld into Stone
Melf's Minute Meteors
Phantom Steed
Protection from Energy
Remove Curse
Revivify
Sleet Storm
Slow
Spirit Guardians
Summon Lesser Demons
Thunder Step
Tidal Wave
Tiny Servant
Vampiric Touch
Wall of Sand
Wall of Water
Water Breathing
Water Walk
Wind Wall
Arcane Eye
Aura of Life
Aura of Purity
Blight
Conjure Minor Elementals
Conjure Woodland Beings
Control Water
Death Ward
Divination
Dominate Beast
Elemental Bane
Evard's Black Tentacles
Fabricate
Find Greater Steed
Fire Shield
Giant Insect
Grasping Vine
Guardian of Faith
Guardian of Nature
Ice Storm
Leomund's Secret Chest
Mordenkainen's Faithful Hound
Mordenkainen's Private Sanctum
Otiluke's Resilient Sphere
Phantasmal Killer
Shadow of Moil
Sickening Radiance
Staggering Smite
Stone Shape
Stoneskin
Storm Sphere
Summon Greater Demon
Vitriolic Sphere
Wall of Fire
Watery Sphere
Antilife Shell
Banishing Smite
Bigby's Hand
Circle of Power
Cloudkill
Commune
Commune with Nature
Cone of Cold
Conjure Elemental
Conjure Volley
Contact Other Plane
Contagion
Control Winds
Creation
Danse Macabre
Dawn
Destructive Wave
Dispel Evil and Good
Enervation
Far Step
Flame Strike
Hallow
Holy Weapon
Immolation
Infernal Calling
Insect Plague
Maelstrom
Negative Energy Flood
Passwall
Rary's Telepathic Bond
Reincarnate
Steel Wind Strike
Swift Quiver
Telekinesis
Transmute Rock
Tree Stride
Wall of Force
Wall of Light
Wall of Stone
Wrath of Nature
Arcane Gate
Blade Barrier
Bones of the Earth
Chain Lightning
Circle of Death
Conjure Fey
Contingency
Create Homunculus
Create Undead
Disintegrate
Drawmij's Instant Summons
Druid Grove
Flesh to Stone
Forbiddance
Globe of Invulnerability
Harm
Heal
Heroes' Feast
Investiture of Flame
Investiture of Ice
Investiture of Stone
Investiture of Wind
Magic Jar
Mental Prison
Move Earth
Otiluke's Freezing Sphere
Planar Ally
Primordial Ward
Scatter
Soul Cage
Sunbeam
Tenser's Transformation
Transport via Plants
Wall of Ice
Wall of Thorns
Wind Walk
Word of Recall
Conjure Celestial
Crown of Stars
Delayed Blast Fireball
Divine Word
Finger of Death
Fire Storm
Plane Shift
Power Word Pain
Prismatic Spray
Reverse Gravity
Sequester
Simulacrum
Temple of the Gods
Whirlwind

MarkB · May 17, 2019

How is it possible to answer that without context? The answer will vary wildly depending upon the character, the setting, the general situation, and their already-chosen spell selections.

Are they two spells to be added permanently to their spell list, or is this a short-term deal?

Fenris-77 · May 17, 2019

Absorb Elements and Alarm. I failed my fear test when faced with a giant WoT and quickly fled.

jaelis · May 18, 2019

Magic missile and simulacrum. MM is reasonably useful for nearly any character. Simulacrum lets you break the game. The chance of getting to use simulacrum optimally is probably low, but it you do then it’s the best.

Gradine · May 18, 2019

Only two spells you'll ever need: Grease and Web.

Does it move when it shouldn't? Use Web. Does it not move when it should? Use Grease.

The Crimson Binome · May 18, 2019

Healing Spirit is, by a wide margin, the most broken spell to ever exist. If your goal is power, then you should take that.

You say that you can cast other spells, which aren't on the list, so it's hard to say what the other spell should be. Lightning Bolt is a very powerful spell, but Fireball isn't on the list, and obviously you don't need both of them.