While this has been touched on in many threads, I think it deserves its own.
At will casting, both through cantrips and rituals, as or more generous then 4E. Hybrid prepared/spontaneous casting. And, if that was not enough, spells that can be spontaneously cast at different levels.
You seem to be concerned that casters are overpowered now. Let me assure you, that isn't the case. Casters have gained much, but they've lost much more. They get far, far fewer spells per day now, especially at higher levels. Casters can also only prepare (level + ability mod) spells at a time now, which means they don't have near the potential spell selection they cold have before. Further, concentration limits casters to only using only one powerful buff or attack spell at a time. You no longer will see flying, invisible, stoneskinned mages who are simultaneously dominating several monsters, etc. They can do only one of those things at a time, and their concentration can be easily ended with damage.
Further, spells no longer scale automatically with caster level, growing more and more powerful for free. Now, if you want more oomph out of a spell, you have to cast it with a higher level slot. Plus, many of the spells are
far less powerful than they were before. For example, Dominate Person, which used to last for days, now lasts 1 minute, unless you cast it in a higher level slot, and even then it lasts no more than 8 hours as a 9th level spell. It also offers a new save each time they target takes damage. Teleport was 5th level, and now is 7th, and there is no teleport without error. Knock opens only one lock, and makes an incredibly loud noise when cast. Save-or-die and save-or-suck spells are pretty much gone. Most spells that impose debilitating effects offer repeated chances to save, and save-or-dies like disintegrate and finger of death now just deal damage (no more damage than a fighter at that level can do).
