With so many powerful and interesting spells to choose from on the Druid’s spell list, the question must be asked: “What are the best Druid spells?”
There are so many ways to rank the Druid’s spells, but I thought that it would be interesting to choose the single best Druid spells by level.
It’s no easy feat and there was certainly some very close competition at each level. When factoring in how you choose to build your Druid, there may be some difference.
However, taking the core strengths and role of the Druid class in general, these are my picks for the best Druid spells by level in D&D 5e.
Best Druid Cantrip
The Druid isn’t hurting for useful cantrips, but Guidance takes the top spot.
When one of your party members are making an ability check, being able to add an extra d4 to their roll can easily be the deciding factor in their success.
Unless you are concentrating on another spell effect, there is absolutely no downside to using Guidance and it should quickly become habit to throw it on your party members before they attempt an ability check.
Level 1
As expected, choosing the single best Druid spell of the Level 1 options was very difficult. The class has several standout options at this early level, but only one could take first place.
With great choices for control spells, healing spells, and some awesome utility spells, this was a head-scratcher. But every Druid I’ve ever played always keeps this one spell on their list no matter what.
The award for Level 1 Best Druid Spell goes to Faerie Fire.
Faerie Fire carries incredibly well and can easily find use for your entire adventuring career. Not only is it a great way to combat invisible enemies, but giving advantage to all attacks against the affected creatures is a game-changer.
Level 2
For level 2 spells, the top pick is Spike Growth.
Druids are fantastic for controlling large areas of the map with spells that outright deny movement or make them a less-than-ideal option. Spike Growth does this to devastating effect!
This spell covers a 20-foot radius which is more than ample space to rip enemies apart. When passing through the area, a creature takes 2d4 damage for every 5 feet that it moves. This can add up really quick!
But this damage isn’t restricted to the creatures’ movement on their turn. This damage is done specifically for every 5 feet that the creature travels. Using Spike Growth in combination with spells like Grasping Vine or other abilities that force creatures to move can be downright disgusting.
Level 3
The Druid’s Level 3 spell options offer a lot of cool utility effects, but most of these options are pretty situational. But Conjure Animals is a very powerful spell option that is sure to turn the tides of combat and probably frustrate your DM to no end.
This was a tough call between Conjure Animals or Erupting Earth, but it’s impossible to overstate the benefits of summoning creatures to help you.
Need to swarm an enemy? You can summon eight CR 1/4 (or less) beasts or four CR 1/2 ones. Need something a bit tankier? You can summon one beast of CR 2 (or lower) or two of CR 1.
Your animals will help put out more damage against your enemies while also helping to soak up damage that the enemy is putting out.
Of course, because these creatures last for 1 hour, you may also find some interesting utility for them as well.
When my group was running the Rappan Athuk adventure from Frog God Games, the apes that my Druid had conjured in combat also proved very useful for breaking down several doors that were giving us all a strange amount of trouble! It wasn’t the quietest way, but it worked!
Level 4
While there are plenty of great level 4 spells available to Druids, this one was a no-brainer.
Polymorph is such an incredibly useful spell. Honestly, who wouldn’t want to turn into a Tyrannosaurus Rex and go crazy? Sure there are other beasts that you can turn yourself or an ally into, but let’s be honest here…
Of course, you can also use this spell defensively if you need to! Turning one of the Hill Giants that’s trying to crush you into something like a harmless turtle is a quick way to even the playing field!
This is one of those spells that any Druid will want to take and never get rid of!
Level 5
Maelstrom from Xanathar’s Guide to Everything comes in as the champ for the Level 5 Druid spell options.
It was a tough call between this and Greater Restoration (because every party should have this at the ready), but I’m a sucker for huge AoE spells.
With a crazy range of 120 feet and a 30-foot radius for the spell’s effect, the Druid can unload on a group of enemies before they even get a chance to close the distance. Not only is the area difficult terrain (which slows the enemies’ movement), but it deals solid damage and pulls them towards the center if they fail their Strength saving throw.
You can get absolutely dastardly with this spell. Just trap the enemies in the maelstrom and fire at them from a safe distance!
Level 6
The Heal spell has to take the honors of being the best Druid spell at level 6.
Its effect is simple but very useful. A creature within 60 feet of you regains 70 hit points and is cured of any blindness, deafness, or diseases that are affecting it.
Being able to heal a large chunk of hit points from a safe distance is very potent. Many times, a character may get back up from being knocked down to 0 hit points only to get knocked back down on the enemy’s next turn. With the Heal spell, your ally is back in the fight at (or very near) tip-top shape!
Level 7
We are now in the levels where the biggest spells become available. These are powerful, but incredibly limited which means that your choice matters even more for spells at this level!
For Level 7, the title of Best Druid Spell goes to Plane Shift!
When your higher level resources are limited, having a spell that can be either offensive or defensive is great. In the case of Plane Shift, you can either yeet an enemy to some other plane of existence or use this as a quick escape option.
If you’re using this on an enemy, you have to make a successful melee spell attack against them. If you hit, the creature makes a Charisma saving throw. If they fail this save, you send them to a random location of whatever plane your tuning rod is attuned to.
The enemy may find their way back eventually, but it almost certainly be a very long time before that happens.
Alternatively, you can use this spell to get yourself and up to eight willing buddies to a different plane. Once again, you must have a tuning rod that is set to the plane you are wanting to go to. But this can be invaluable if your party finds themselves needing to get away quickly.
Level 8
There’s something extra satisfying about casting Feeblemind on a particularly fearsome enemy. One moment, they’re trash-talking and barking orders to their group, but the in the next moment they are staring blankly ahead and drooling on themselves.
This spell’s 4d6 damage is “meh,” but that’s not why you’re using it. The real joy comes in reducing the target’s Intelligence and Charisma scores to 1.
A creature afflicted with Feeblemind can’t cast spells, communicate, or understand language. They have some very basic instincts, but that’s pretty much it.
Envying the intelligence of rats (with their intelligence score of 2) is a bad place to be.
Oh, and this lasts for 30 days unless it’s cured with Greater Restoration, Heal, or Wish.
Level 9
Finally, we have the biggest of the big spells at Level 9!
I very nearly gave this one to Foresight, but I just can’t deny the sheer wonder that is Shapechange.
As a Druid, you are not unfamiliar with changing your form by this point in the game.
But the wording here is what counts the most. It’s not just any beast as you have probably gotten used to. This spell lets you turn into any creature!
The only limitation here is that you cannot turn into a construct or Undead creature.
Did you party once have an encounter with something epic like a Purple Worm or a Beholder?
Well congratulations, dear Druid! You now get the privilege of playing as these creatures (or whatever else you may choose) for the next hour!
Not only is this spell unbelievably useful, but it’s possibly the most fun of all of the Druid’s spells.
Either Foresight or Shapechange have to take the top honor, but Shapechange has some of the most incredible potential for stories that your group will never forget!
Conclusion – Best Druid Spells By Level
So there you have it, my picks for the Best Druid Spells of each spell level.
Some of these were considerably more difficult to narrow down to just one pick than I expected going in.
Naturally, some of these may vary depending on your party and particularly flavor of Druid. But every time I’ve played a Druid, I just can’t resist keeping these at the ready!
Do you agree with these picks? Is there a different spell that you think deserves a permanent spot on every Druid’s spell list?
Let me know in the comments!
Also, don’t forget to check out our Complete Druid Guide for D&D 5e! It covers everything you need to fully channel the power of nature on your adventures!
Hey Joab!
Your content is awesome! Could you do some articles on “Feats”, and how they are obtained, what you “give up” to get them, how they they work?
I’m personally curious about feats most applicable to Druids, and must worth considering. Thanks!!
Hiya Ben!
Thank you so much!
That’s a great suggestion! I’ll look at getting an article about feats out soon! I definitely want to do some articles for each class (“Best Feats for *CLASS*) at some point. I’ll see if I can’t bump up the Druid one in the queue if it will help you!
My personal top pick for Druids is the War Caster feat. So many of your spells as a Druid require that you maintain concentration on them. If you find yourself getting smacked, you might lose the effect of the spell!
War Caster gives you advantage on saves to maintain concentration. If you also take a good damage cantrip like Primal Savagery, you’re also able to use that spell as an attack of opportunity as well!
It’s such a fantastic feat!
Hey Ben!
Thanks again for the article suggestion! Bumping here with a link to today’s article covering feats!
Hope it helps!
https://tabletopjoab.com/feats-in-dd-5e-the-complete-guide-with-recommendations/
Hi Joab!
At level two, Spike Growth is awesome, but can it only be used outdoors? It is magic, so maybe it can be used inside a dungeon or on a hard floor? The description in the PH doesn’t really specify.
Thanks!! 🙂
Hi Joanne!
Spike Growth can certainly be used indoors! It’s kind of like the Entangle spell in that you are magically summoning the plants to do their thing.
I figure that spells like Plant Growth explicitly require there to be plants for the spell to work. Since Spike Growth doesn’t have this requirement, the thorns can be summoned even if you’re indoors or in a stone dungeon!
Hej Joab!
Still a noob Druid playing with my besties and an adversarial DM.
I just learned there’s a Poisoner’s Kit. Would it be worth it to trade ONE of my TWO Herbalism Kits for a Poisoner’s Kit? It basically gives you chemistry beakers and such. Plain tools. But if that ALSO gives me Proficiency in Poisons, maybe it’s worth it?
I don’t want to trade my extra herbalism kit for a worthless item when playing with an adversarial DM. I’d take lock picking tools or something no one ever gives you grief over.
And Poisoner’s Kit mentions mostly taking poisons from dead creatures. I think at level two, my Druid should be able to negotiate venom from willing creatures in exchange for tasty treats or removal of itchy mites, scratches & snugs, etc. Itchy mites under scales is likely very annoying to reptilians, if I can remove them, I think a snakes would give some venom in return. Plus, a build up of unused venom in venom sacs probably gets uncomfortable.
There’s mention of longevity with poisons. This ticks me off. I don’t think indigenous warriors in the Amazon sweat over duration of tree frog poison on arrows or darts, they just slather it on and they’re good to go.
Would my Druid (playing with adversarial DM) perhaps benefit from a Poisoner’s Kit? If not, can you think of something else I should ask for?
Best wishes for sweet dreams in a gentle fey land,
Stiorra????
PS: I think if I master poison proficiency, this MIGHT naturally lead to taking Chef’s Feat. Especially as I’m also the primary healer of the group. But I’m also thinking I could combine these talents to extract magical organs from magical beasts to feed my party for some added benefit…?
Hey Stiorra!
I think being able to cast Speak With Animals really opens up some interesting ways your character can acquire poisons! It could certainly lead to some really fun roleplay!
Poisons are a fun but often-ignored (in my experience) part of 5e. The longevity can be inconvenient, but I get it from
a game balance perspective.
Still, there are some truly incredible poisons in the world and I think it would complement your character nicely from what you’ve told me!
As for the Chef feat, that’s an interesting idea. I think it would definitely be something worth mentioning to your DM when that time comes! Just be wary of what kind of magical beasts you’re cooking! Unicorn Burgers are probably a quick way to end up with some bad karma! 🙂
Hope this helps!
Joab
I’m a new player, a 2nd level Shepherd Druid. My party decently ran into a single Dire Wolf while on a trail. Her 2 cubs were ahead of us, and she attached us.
I have Speech of the Woods. I attempted to speak with her, but DM vaguely said she was too upset to listen or understand (I threw liverwurst at her a additional enticement, entreaty). She ripped into me for 7 points damage.
Next, I cast “Entangle”. I rolled a 17. My spell modifier is 5. My proficiency bonus is 2.
I don’t really understand strength checks. Dire Wolf strength is 17(+3).
Dire Wolf somehow (per DM) was “still restrained” but somehow managed to “grab” me for an additional 9 points of damage. I have 11 HP, so now I was unconscious.
I’m so annoyed I’m not sure I want to play again. I feel like the DMs finger is ALWAYS on the scale. Paladin saved me, and killed the Dire Wolf. Then the DM wouldn’t let me recover the cubs, they apparently “ran off too far, too fast”, would simply die in the elements (he clearly hadn’t thought through that I’d naturally want to save them, and they would eventually be a boon to your party).
Is there anyway that Dire Wolf actually made a Strength saving throw that could have beaten my roll of 17????
Other aspects of this encounter were clearly bogus, but I need to understand better before I discuss this with him.
None of my spells or actions seem to do much when playing with this group, but THIS time I’m upset.
I feel like Entangle is worthless unless only used against the weakest possible creatures: maybe if we’re fighting bunnies or something.
Of course, DM rolls are “in secret” and never shared. But I don’t think rolling a 20 would have helped here.
Unilaterally taking away my “Speech of the Woods” was wrong. The Dire Wolf SHOULD have had it’s action consumed by it’s Strength Check, and even if successful, shouldn’t have had an additional action to attack me again, right? We weren’t playing with a graph, and I never really knew how far I was from it to begin with. Maybe it pulled me toward it with the first bite? That was never really communicated or explained to me. None of us were really saying whether or how far we were moving. But a Dire Wolf ONLY has one attack action, a bite. Its DOES NOT have a Bite AND a Claw attack.
In a regular game, what sort of creatures could I reasonably expect to restrain with Entangle? Just Bunnies??
A Shepherd Druid with Speech of the Woods SHOULD have been able to de-escalate without injury. Clearly the DM had thought this would be a “good” encounter for level 2 players, and railroaded us– particularly ME. I think he forgot what I could do.
I really appreciate your thoughts before approaching my DM. If the other PCs weren’t my long time friends outside the game, I wouldn’t bother returning. The game became the opposite of fun for me after that. I pretty much checked out.
And mostly: I don’t understand Strength Saving Throws, despite looking online at several sources.
Thanks in advance for you input or ideas! I still hope to resolve this so I can continue playing, just because of the PC friends I get to see.
I love your content, Joab. I’m hoping to present a reasonable case to my DM to reduce these unfairly hobbling incidents in the future.
~Stiorra❤️?
Hi Stiorra!
Speech of the Woods would let you attempt to communicate with the wolf and I’d think the food would help. However, that doesn’t mean that she could necessarily be calmed down. But you would have at least been able to figure out why she was attacking.
It makes me think she might have been trying to protect her pups, which could have led to an interesting interaction between your Druid and the Wolf. Maybe you would have been able to reason with the wolf enough to let your party pass peacefully.
Entangle is actually a wonderful spell that very nearly took the top Level 1 spot for this article. It’s definitely more useful against creatures that have less Strength. After all, a Hill Giant could pretty easily rip through it (though would still have to use its action to do so, which still means it’s not useless!) Meanwhile, a Wizard would probably have a pretty rough time unless they’re just oddly ripped or something haha.
Looking at the situation you described:
It looks like the wolf made its saving throw against your spell save DC which actually didn’t require a roll from you. With a spell modifier of 5 and a proficiency bonus of 2, your spell save DC would be 15. With a +3 Strength, the Wolf would break free on a roll of 12 or higher so that’s a 40% chance she managed to do so.
So, it’s actually pretty likely that the Dire Wolf broke out of the Entangle. (Sorry!) But, RAW, it would have had to use an action to break the Entangle effect unless you were right next to it.
Honestly, getting a Chessex battlemat or some of the Dungeon Tiles would be a cost-effective way to help your group better visualize things like distance in such situations! You can see my picks here: https://tabletopjoab.com/dnd-gift-guide/#Grids_and_Terrain
To your other point:
You’ve mentioned having difficulty with this DM previously. I’m so sorry to hear that things are still a bit rough!
D&D should be fun. Let’s be real, it’s quite a time commitment!
But it sounds like you’re playing a character that you really enjoy alongside some long-time friends. That’s a great foundation for making your games EPIC even though it’s maybe a bit rough right now.
Are your friends having issues with the DM as well? Could you have a conversation with the DM to maybe hash out individual expectations for the campaign?
I’m sad to hear that you’re finding things so frustrating. Leaving the group should be the last resort, though. In my experience, it’s almost always communication issues that can be fixed by saying “what are we looking for in a D&D experience?”
The reality is that you’re a group of friends who are making a time commitment to play a game, tell a story, and have some fun. Being proactive to maintain that isn’t a bad thing at all!
Hang in there, my friend! 🙂
Would like to see more of these for the other spellcasting classes. I think the “best spells” is a great way to guide players (especially newer ones) on the ways the spells chosen could be used. Another interesting idea would be a list of underrated/overrated spells, either by class, school, or just in general.
Hi Arp!
I appreciate the feedback!
I’ve been meaning to get more “best spells” articles out for some time now. But I’m finally getting those put out over the next few weeks for each spellcasting class!
I like the idea of underrated/overrated spells!
You might like the article I published yesterday that goes over great but underused spells for villains! 🙂
https://tabletopjoab.com/best-villain-spells-5e/
I actually read it yesterday! Loved the inclusion of Magic Mouth. That spells’s always a fun one, no matter the caster. While I’m not a DnD player nor plan to be in the future, I draw a lot of good writing material from the game. RPGs (or board games in general) aren’t really my thing, but I enjoy exploring them from an outside perspective.
Oh wow! That’s really interesting!
Well, I’m happy you found my humble, little site and hope you’ve found some material/inspiration here. 🙂
Some of my favorite articles to write are about taking writing tips and translating them into the TTRPG medium.
That and topics that let me really “nerd out” and go into the lore behind certain monsters, characters, etc.
I’m currently focusing heavily on creating guides for all of the subclasses and classes in D&D 5e, but there will be more lore/writing articles in the near future as well!
Oh, I’m fine with that. The subclass and class guides are a great way for me to explore character and possible magic/useful abilities they may have. The connecting the subclass to the party section you do is always a good read. Gets me thinking about characterization and why they’re in the plot. Will be interesting to see what class you’ll focus on now since Cleric’s been finished. Can’t wait to read the next guide!