Ultimate D&D 5e Cantrips Tier List: Best Picks for Your Next Adventure

Introduction

Greetings, adventurers! If you're delving into the world of Dungeons & Dragons 5e, you know that choosing the right cantrips can significantly shape your gameplay experience. Whether you're a seasoned player or a Dungeon Master (GM) guiding your party, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each cantrip is crucial. Today, we're breaking down every cantrip in D&D 5e, offering you a tier list that ranks them from the indispensable to the less favorable, based on their utility, damage potential, and how they bring your character's fantasy to life.

The Tier System Explained

Before we dive into the rankings, let's clarify our tier system:

• S Tier: Cantrips that are powerful, unique, and should be considered by any class that can cast them. These spells offer great damage or utility that's hard to replicate with mundane means.
• A Tier: Strong choices that perform well in utility or damage, offering something that might be achievable with mundane equipment but is enhanced by the cantrip.
• B Tier: Good for specific builds or situations but might not be the go-to choice for every character.
• C Tier: Situationally useful, offering benefits in niche scenarios but generally limited in their applications.
• D Tier: Offers little beyond what can be achieved with mundane equipment and skills, making them less desirable choices.

Cantrip Highlights

• Acid Splash (C Tier): A decent damage dealer with the unique ability to potentially hit two targets. However, its damage output and situational utility relegate it to the C tier.
• Blade Ward (C Tier): While it offers resistance to certain types of damage, the requirement to use your action makes it less appealing compared to other defensive options.
• Booming Blade (B Tier): Excellent for melee-focused characters like Eldritch Knights or Arcane Tricksters, but less useful for those who don't engage in close combat.
• Chill Touch (A Tier): Surprisingly effective against regenerating creatures and undead, making it a solid choice for damage and utility.
• Control Flames (D Tier): Its applications are too limited to justify a spot in most spell lists, especially when other cantrips offer more versatility.
• Create Bonfire (B Tier): Offers interesting battlefield control and utility, particularly when combined with spells that move enemies.
• Dancing Lights (D Tier): While it can illuminate areas, its concentration requirement and limited utility make it a less attractive option.
• Druidcraft (C Tier): Offers various small, thematic effects useful for role-play and some exploration scenarios, but it's overshadowed by more versatile cantrips.
• Eldritch Blast (S Tier): A standout choice for ranged damage, especially for Warlocks. Its force damage and scalability make it invaluable.
• Firebolt (B Tier): A reliable damage dealer with the ability to ignite objects. However, fire resistance among enemies reduces its overall effectiveness.
• Friends (D Tier): While it can be fun for mischief, the backlash from the spell ending often creates more problems than it solves.
• Frostbite (B Tier): Offers damage and the chance to impose disadvantage on an enemy's next weapon attack, though its reliance on a saving throw limits its reliability.
• Green Flame Blade (B Tier): Good for characters who engage in melee combat, offering additional fire damage and the ability to hit a secondary target.
• Guidance (A Tier): Provides a significant boost to skill checks, though its current need for foresight and concentration slightly limits its utility.
• Gust (B Tier): Offers unique battlefield control by moving creatures or objects, especially useful in combination with other area control spells.

Conclusion

This roundup provides a comprehensive overview of the cantrips available in D&D 5e, helping you make informed choices for your character or campaign. Remember, the right cantrip can significantly enhance your gameplay experience, whether by bolstering your combat capabilities, offering creative solutions to challenges, or enriching your character's story.

For more details on each cantrip and to join the discussion on how these have worked in your games, check out our video here. Your experiences and strategies can offer valuable insights to fellow players and GMs alike. Happy adventuring!