D&D 5E Top 5 Damage Dealing Spells

[Zardnaar]

Similar to the recurring survivor threads I thought I would start a series of top 5 lists. The first one is direct damage. These spells are not always the ones that deal the most damage but you will/should be using them more than the other boom spells.

1. Eldritch Blast.
Yes it's a cantrip. At it's most basic it's a d10 cantrip that's force damage. Not much in the game resists or is immune to force damage. It can also be enhanced with agonizing blast and hex. Any charisma based character could also make use of this spell via magic initiate or magical secrets. Additionally the warlock/sorcerer aka Sorlock is a very basic build that's very effective.

2. Spiritual Weapon
Available to various classes but all clerics once again we have force damage. No concentration required and it's a bonus action. This spell combined with the next one is way I believe a good battle cleric is a primary spellcaster build and not worrying about melee combat to much. Not worth upcasting as a general rule perhaps in a 4th level slot, no higher. Divine Soul sorcerer also opens up other options.

3. Spiritual Guardians
This spell has the option of dealing necrotic damage but it's really a radiant damage spell. Any cleric can use this spell and it's still interesting on any other class that can get it. Combos with Spiritual Weapon so any cleric wading into melee combat with this, spiritual weapon and spamming cantrips can put out a lot of damage. Also worth upcasting.

4. Fireball
Gets the nod over lightning bolt just due to its size. The iconic boom spell is now available to a lot of 5E classes. Best used as a minion killer. Simple and effective probably not worth upcasting.

5. Destructive Wave
A rare spell that one has to be a level 17 Paladin to cast. However all bards can steal it at level 10 and tempest clerics can cast it from level 9. Out damages fireball, radiant damage and can knock people prone. As an added bonus doesn't hit allies.

Honorable mention

Animate Objects
Upcast to create a horde of tiny critters. Depends on how your DM let's it interact with bags if coins. Also a pain to use and doesn't get great until upcast.

Lightning Bolt.
It's not fireball. But if you can't cast or don't want to cast fireball this spell is good.

Meteor Swarm
The biggest by the numbers spell. Level 9 though so highly unlikely to be ever cast a problem going back to AD&D. May as well be NPC only.

4. Various conjure spells. Summon animals. Not always reliable but very useful. Has issues with DMs and slowing the game down.

 

[Iry]

Honorable Mention should also go to Animate Dead, Find Steed, and Find Greater Steed. Potentially huge Damage Per Cast ratio without expensive components.

 

[dave2008]

Meteor Swarm
The biggest by the numbers spell. Level 9 though so highly unlikely to be ever cast a problem going back to AD&D. May as well be NPC only.

With the ability to cause 140 average damage to 800 medium creatures (112,000 total average damage) one well placed meteor swarm is hard to beat IMO.

 

[Zardnaar]

With the ability to cause 140 average damage to 800 medium creatures (112,000 total average damage) one well placed meteor swarm is hard to beat IMO.

Yeah but it's mostly hypothetical.

It's why I used the bread and butter spelks more you'll get way more use out of them. Haven't seen meteor swarm cast yet in 5E I suspect the 1st time will be by an NPC around level 10-12.

 

[dave2008]

Yeah but it's mostly hypothetical.

It's why I used the bread and butter spelks more you'll get way more use out of them. Haven't seen meteor swarm cast yet in 5E I suspect the 1st time will be by an NPC around level 10-12.

Everything is hypothetical though. Of your top 5 the only one I have seen a PC has cast is eldritch blast (we have a half-warlock). So to me, Meteor Swarm is a likely as the rest of them.

 

[MonkeezOnFire]

In the games I've played Spiritual Weapon is pretty much always taken on clerics that want offense, Spirit Guardians is taken if you can actually be a bit exposed and take a hit, and Fireball is pretty much always taken on wizards and sorcerers.

Though I must say that Fireball's huge area can be as much a detriment as a boon. Once melee is engaged it's near impossible to use without hurting your allies. For this reason I've contemplated the relative precision of Lightning Bolt over it in melee heavy parties.

I've also personally gotten mileage out of Guiding Bolt and Scorching Ray. Guiding Bolt can hit like a truck at low levels and once your maintaining concentration on another spell I find it's not awful to throw them out there. Even better on my Celestial Bloodline Sorcerer with twin spell (though Chromatic Orb fills this role nicely for other bloodlines).

Scorching Ray is just a nice spell to have to target AC. There's surprisingly not a lot of AC targetting spells on the wizard spell list beyond cantrips. It scales relatively well, and when you throw out that many attacks some of them are bound to hit making the damage pretty predictable.

 

[Zardnaar]

In the games I've played Spiritual Weapon is pretty much always taken on clerics that want offense, Spirit Guardians is taken if you can actually be a bit exposed and take a hit, and Fireball is pretty much always taken on wizards and sorcerers.

Though I must say that Fireball's huge area can be as much a detriment as a boon. Once melee is engaged it's near impossible to use without hurting your allies. For this reason I've contemplated the relative precision of Lightning Bolt over it in melee heavy parties.

I've also personally gotten mileage out of Guiding Bolt and Scorching Ray. Guiding Bolt can hit like a truck at low levels and once your maintaining concentration on another spell I find it's not awful to throw them out there. Even better on my Celestial Bloodline Sorcerer with twin spell (though Chromatic Orb fills this role nicely for other bloodlines).

Scorching Ray is just a nice spell to have to target AC. There's surprisingly not a lot of AC targetting spells on the wizard spell list beyond cantrips. It scales relatively well, and when you throw out that many attacks some of them are bound to hit making the damage pretty predictable.

Guiding bolts decent, idk if I would call it great though.

Scorching Ray seems underwhelming to me. I prefer flaming sphere.

 

[Shiroiken]

Animate Objects is a solid damage spell, referred to as the Cuisinart by our group. We had a sorceress that kept a bandoleer of daggers she'd animate. They'd stay together as a group, attacking a single target at a time. Even giants fall pretty quickly due to the sheer number of attacks, and unless they have AoE damage, attacking the daggers is pointless.

Two not mentioned, but I feel deserve consideration.

Toll the Dead - cantrip that can deal 1d12 damage pretty regularly, and while more resist necrotic than force, not that many resist necrotic either. EB still takes the better cantrip, however, due to range, Agonizing Blast, and Hex combo.

Inflict Wounds - underrated IMO, as upcasting adds +1d10 per level. While it's melee, most clerics can withstand a little melee.

 

[Mistwell]

This post covers it pretty well. Top 5 are Forbiddance, Maddening Darkness, Meteor Swarm, Illusory Dragon, and Reverse Gravity. Some of these are kinda silly but some are pretty solid straight calculations,

 

[CleverNickName]

Magic Missile works well with Toll the Dead, and Guiding Bolt is a handy way to help out the barbarians and fighters on the front line. I'll round out the list with Hellish Rebuke and Thunderwave, for oh-so-clever foes that try to rush the "fragile" spellcaster.

Honestly though, damage-dealing spells in general aren't my favorites. I prefer battlefield control and action denial spells--things like Slow, Counterspell, Hold Person, Banishment, Confusion, that sort of thing.