3rd-Level Spell Tier lists and which ones are best.

[TheNerfGuy]

For 5e spells, which ones are the best 3rd level spells to take?

For context, my wizard just became 5th level, and I'm having trouble figuring out what would be best to take.

My DM also highly prizes roleplaying and characterization, so that will influence my decision making.

Currently, I've taken Fireball because my wizard is a pyromaniac. He is also an Abjurer, so adding Abjuration spells won't take up as much in-game time or wealth.
I do plan to take Counterspell at 6th level or earlier if I can copy it into my character's spellbook.

What other 3rd level spells are there that are good?

He is a tiefling and thus can cast Thaumaturgy at will and Hellish Rebuke and now Darkness once per long rest.
I took "Fires of Phlegethos" as his feat, and boosted his INT.
This is his current spell list:

Cantrips:
Fire Bolt
Prestidigitation
True Strike
Mold Earth

1st level:
Color Spray
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Shield
Identify
Grease
Detect Magic
Earth Tremor

2nd Level:
Web
Phantasmal Force
Shadow Blade
Misty Step

[johnbragg]

For 5e spells, which ones are the best 3rd level spells to take?

For context, my wizard just became 5th level, and I'm having trouble figuring out what would be best to take.

My DM also highly prizes roleplaying and characterization, so that will influence my decision making.

Currently, I've taken Fireball because my wizard is a pyromaniac. He is also an Abjurer, so adding Abjuration spells won't take up as much in-game time or wealth.
I do plan to take Counterspell at 6th level or earlier if I can copy it into my character's spellbook.

What other 3rd level spells are there that are good?

A lot of classics. Haste, Fly, Sending, Leomund's Tiny Hut.

[KorvinStarmast]

For 5e spells, which ones are the best 3rd level spells to take?

For context, my wizard just became 5th level, and I'm having trouble figuring out what would be best to take.

My DM also highly prizes roleplaying and characterization, so that will influence my decision making.

Currently, I've taken Fireball because my wizard is a pyromaniac. He is also an Abjurer, so adding Abjuration spells won't take up as much in-game time or wealth.
I do plan to take Counterspell at 6th level or earlier if I can copy it into my character's spellbook.

What other 3rd level spells are there that are good?
Slow. You need to help your party. Slow does that.

The third level wizard list has so, so many great spells. And yes, Counterspell is most excellent, make sure that you get it somehow. Oh, wait, I forgot: Glyph of Warding. don't need to pick it right now, but get that one into your spell book.

[TheNerfGuy]

Slow. You need to help your party. Slow does that.

The third level wizard list has so, so many great spells. And yes, Counterspell is most excellent, make sure that you get it somehow. Oh, wait, I forgot: Glyph of Warding. don't need to pick it right now, but get that one into your spell book.

Slow does help with the spells I've got. Can definitely consider using it.

Also, after giving Glyph of Warding a read, that's another one I'll try adding.

[Urbanmech]

Fireball and Fear or Hypnotic Pattern give you both a solid damaging option and a good crowd control option. 3rd level is chock full of great spells. Fly, Dispel Magic. Counterspell, Phantom Steed, Water Breathing, Slow, Summon Undead, Summon Fey, gotta figure out what you absolutely need and take them as your automatic picks then try to find the others from allied wizards.

[diplomancer]

Hypnotic Pattern and Fear. Hypnotic Pattern is better, but if Fear fits your character better, it's still a top choice. If this spells have a problem, it's that they are too good and some DMs metagame them to try to balance them out, which can be annoying.

Phantom Steed and Water Breathing are quite good rituals; Water Breathing can be very nice if your DM usually has water in your battle maps, opening up the tactics for your entire party.

If you like Minions, Animate Dead and Tiny Servant; the Tasha's summons line of spells is quite good too, but they are better with a 4th level slot, so you can wait to see if you find them by other means. As an Abjurer, you can project your ward to make them last longer, thus helping with their main weakness (they are glass cannons).

Dispel Magic is a must-have for a party, specially at later levels, but it's in so many spell lists that if there is another caster in the party, specially if there's a Cleric, it's best to let him take it.

[Chronos]

You definitely want at least one of Hypnotic Pattern, Fear, or Slow: An area-effect save or be disabled is great. That said, they're all similar enough that you probably shouldn't take more than one, unless you happen to get them from loot (and then only prepare one, but maybe change which one you prepare day to day).

If your specific wizard is a pyromaniac, then obviously Fireball, but in general, you might consider Lightning Bolt instead. You probably won't hit as many enemies with it, but it's also a lot easier to avoid hitting allies. And lightning damage is resisted a bit less often than fire damage.

I don't think anyone has mentioned Major Image yet. Obligatory warning that some DMs nerf illusion spells horribly, but I see Phantasmal Force on your list, so you probably already have a pretty good idea of how yours will handle it.

Counterspell is great, especially for an abjurer... but probably not yet. When you're casting a leveled spell on your reaction, in addition to what you're doing on your turn, you can burn through those third-level slots fast. When you only have two third-level slots, it's not really sustainable.

And since Water Breathing has been mentioned, just a couple of notes on that. First, it's got a 24 hour duration and a large number of targets, so you can just cast it every morning if you think there even might be a chance of water, and never have to worry about it again. Second, it's a ritual, which means that as a wizard, you don't need to spend either a slot, nor even a preparation, on it. The only cost is the ink and/or opportunity cost to put it in your book. The vast majority of the time it won't matter, but that one time it does can be huge, and you're not paying much for that one time.

[ImproperJustice]

Slow is a great support spell, easy to aim and affects almost everything. It’s a great hold out spell in the standard wizard arsenal.

Tidal Wave is also easily missed. But it is super easy to aim because of how you can rotate its point of origin, or use it in the air to ground flowers.
Your melee friends will appreciate not being in harms way and having vulnerable prone enemies to mop up.

Or: Sleet Storm is another option with it’s huge area of effect. It can be really good against armored knights, clerics, and non agile casters, leaving then floundering and blind for several rounds.

Also, don’t underestimate an upcast fog cloud. A 60’ radius cloud that goes around corners means that if an enemy left a window open their gonna have a bad time getting around their house / fort for the next hour.

[Pildion]

For 5e spells, which ones are the best 3rd level spells to take?

For context, my wizard just became 5th level, and I'm having trouble figuring out what would be best to take.

My DM also highly prizes roleplaying and characterization, so that will influence my decision making.

Currently, I've taken Fireball because my wizard is a pyromaniac. He is also an Abjurer, so adding Abjuration spells won't take up as much in-game time or wealth.
I do plan to take Counterspell at 6th level or earlier if I can copy it into my character's spellbook.

What other 3rd level spells are there that are good?

He is a tiefling and thus can cast Thaumaturgy at will and Hellish Rebuke and now Darkness once per long rest.
I took "Fires of Phlegethos" as his feat, and boosted his INT.
This is his current spell list:


Well, your an Abjuration Wizard, make sure you get Counterspell and Dispel Magic. You already have Fireball, I personally love Slow for the 3rd level disable spell as I don't need to worry about friendly fire with it like you do Fear or Hypnotic Pattern. Ether of them would be fine though, both great spells.

[kingcheesepants]

If you're only going to get the level up spells take a control option (fear, hypnotic pattern, slow, sleet storm, bestow curse) a damage option (fireball, lightning bolt, pulse wave, minute meteors), a summon (animate dead, tiny servant, summon shadowspawn), and a utility (phantom steed, counterspell, dispel magic, thunderstep, tiny hut, fly, major image, tongues, sending, water breathing, remove curse), you might also consider not taking any damage or any summon and taking more utility or control spells. If you have the opportunity to look for scrolls look for the utility stuff first especially the rituals followed by control and then summons and then damage. But really what's useful depends on your specific circumstances such as what and how often you're fighting, who else is in the party etc etc.

Someone mentioned Haste but I wouldn't bother with it. I've seen people die because of Haste, the lose a turn if concentration breaks is just too much of a downside. Fireball gets a lot of love (and there's a lot to like about it sure) but fire damage is pretty commonly resisted and occasionally immune so be aware of that also the big AoE is a double edged sword since it means that it's easy to hit your own allies or yourself. Pulse Wave doesn't do as much damage but it's Force and has a useful movement effect so that's a backup option you might consider. Lightning is much less resisted than fire but there are a fair number of fiends who are resistant/immune to both so it's not the greatest backup.

Slow/Hypnotic Pattern/Fear all do a very similar AoE control with a wisdom save so you should probably just pick your favorite of the 3. Hypnotic Pattern is just one save and then it makes the people impacted completely useless which is great but the enemy comes out of it as soon as they're hit which is too bad and also lots of stuff is immune to charms (constructs, undead, lots of fiends) so that's not great either. Slow is a useful effect, you can hit them as much as you want, and as far as I know nothing is immune to it (aside from things like Rakshasas with magic immunity) but it's a save at the end of each turn so unless the guy has poor wisdom (and wisdom is rarely a dump stat for monsters) you probably won't get more than a turn or two out of it. Fear lets you hit the guy, they only get a second save when they're out of sight and it makes them useless, the only real downside is that fear immunity is even more common than charm immunity (most constructs, plants and undead, many fiends, a decent number of aberrations, and a smattering of other random things) so it's great when it works and I would say that all else being equal it's the best of the 3 but the immunity really drags it down.

There are also a few spells like Magic Circle, Glyph of Warding (and arguably Counterspell) which aren't super important to get right away but increase in value later on such that you'll eventually want them in your spellbook. Major Image and Bestow Curse might also be considered in that vein since you can upcast those spells to have no concentration and a duration of until dispelled which makes them much more useful later on.

[kingcheesepants]

For 5e spells, which ones are the best 3rd level spells to take?

For context, my wizard just became 5th level, and I'm having trouble figuring out what would be best to take.

My DM also highly prizes roleplaying and characterization, so that will influence my decision making.

Currently, I've taken Fireball because my wizard is a pyromaniac. He is also an Abjurer, so adding Abjuration spells won't take up as much in-game time or wealth.
I do plan to take Counterspell at 6th level or earlier if I can copy it into my character's spellbook.

What other 3rd level spells are there that are good?

He is a tiefling and thus can cast Thaumaturgy at will and Hellish Rebuke and now Darkness once per long rest.
I took "Fires of Phlegethos" as his feat, and boosted his INT.
This is his current spell list:

Cantrips:
Fire Bolt
Prestidigitation
True Strike
Mold Earth

1st level:
Color Spray
Mage Armor
Magic Missile
Shield
Identify
Grease
Detect Magic
Earth Tremor

2nd Level:
Web
Phantasmal Force
Shadow Blade
Misty Step

Alright I made a post about 3rd level spells but I need to talk about the 2nd and under spells. Get rid of True Strike I don't know if you just didn't read the spell carefully or someone thought it would be funny to recommend a trap spell to you but it's worse than useless, replace it ASAP with literally anything else (I recommend Mind Sliver). You should try to get the rest of the 1st level rituals if you can, particularly Find Familiar, Unseen Servant and Alarm. Alarm in particular is useful as an abjuration ritual and thus you can refill your ward for free. Also try to get Absorb Elements if possible (you already have fire res from being a tiefling but still it's good to have that if you're fighting other element using enemies). Among the 2nd levels Suggestion, Mind Whip, and Vortex Warp (my personal favorite 2nd level spell) are standouts that you missed. If you can find those it would be good. Also you mention being a bit of a pyro but you don't even have burning hands, which I find odd (though it's a little late to get it now).

[MrStabby]

If you're only going to get the level up spells take a control option (fear, hypnotic pattern, slow, sleet storm, bestow curse) a damage option (fireball, lightning bolt, pulse wave, minute meteors), a summon (animate dead, tiny servant, summon shadowspawn), and a utility (phantom steed, counterspell, dispel magic, thunderstep, tiny hut, fly, major image, tongues, sending, water breathing, remove curse), you might also consider not taking any damage or any summon and taking more utility or control spells. If you have the opportunity to look for scrolls look for the utility stuff first especially the rituals followed by control and then summons and then damage. But really what's useful depends on your specific circumstances such as what and how often you're fighting, who else is in the party etc etc.

Someone mentioned Haste but I wouldn't bother with it. I've seen people die because of Haste, the lose a turn if concentration breaks is just too much of a downside. Fireball gets a lot of love (and there's a lot to like about it sure) but fire damage is pretty commonly resisted and occasionally immune so be aware of that also the big AoE is a double edged sword since it means that it's easy to hit your own allies or yourself. Pulse Wave doesn't do as much damage but it's Force and has a useful movement effect so that's a backup option you might consider. Lightning is much less resisted than fire but there are a fair number of fiends who are resistant/immune to both so it's not the greatest backup.

Slow/Hypnotic Pattern/Fear all do a very similar AoE control with a wisdom save so you should probably just pick your favorite of the 3. Hypnotic Pattern is just one save and then it makes the people impacted completely useless which is great but the enemy comes out of it as soon as they're hit which is too bad and also lots of stuff is immune to charms (constructs, undead, lots of fiends) so that's not great either. Slow is a useful effect, you can hit them as much as you want, and as far as I know nothing is immune to it (aside from things like Rakshasas with magic immunity) but it's a save at the end of each turn so unless the guy has poor wisdom (and wisdom is rarely a dump stat for monsters) you probably won't get more than a turn or two out of it. Fear lets you hit the guy, they only get a second save when they're out of sight and it makes them useless, the only real downside is that fear immunity is even more common than charm immunity (most constructs, plants and undead, many fiends, a decent number of aberrations, and a smattering of other random things) so it's great when it works and I would say that all else being equal it's the best of the 3 but the immunity really drags it down.

There are also a few spells like Magic Circle, Glyph of Warding (and arguably Counterspell) which aren't super important to get right away but increase in value later on such that you'll eventually want them in your spellbook. Major Image and Bestow Curse might also be considered in that vein since you can upcast those spells to have no concentration and a duration of until dispelled which makes them much more useful later on.

I think sometimes fear/charm immunity is overemphasised on thse things. It isn't that it is rare or that it wouldn't be significant, but I find that most things with fear/charm immunity have some combination of magic resistance, legendary saves or really high wisdom stats - i.e. you don't want to be using these spells on these enemies anyway.

[sithlordnergal]

So, I typically take Fireball and Tiny Hut when I reach 5th level, simply because Fireball is an amazing AoE, and Tiny Hut is such a handy spell for resting. Outside of that, Dispel Magic and Counterspell are must have for any Wizard.

[kingcheesepants]

I think sometimes fear/charm immunity is overemphasised on thse things. It isn't that it is rare or that it wouldn't be significant, but I find that most things with fear/charm immunity have some combination of magic resistance, legendary saves or really high wisdom stats - i.e. you don't want to be using these spells on these enemies anyway.

Yes and no. A sizable portion of the enemies with these immunities are plants, constructs and undead and they typically don't have magic resistance or a particularly noteworthy Wis save. However, It's true that a good portion of the charm/fear immune enemies are fiends and they usually have good Wis saves and magic resistance to boot. Also the abberations, scattered humanoids and random other enemies with the immunites typically do have some combination of magic res and good Wis saves. So you're correct that on those guys Wis save spells aren't a great idea.

[TheNerfGuy]

Alright I made a post about 3rd level spells but I need to talk about the 2nd and under spells. Get rid of True Strike I don't know if you just didn't read the spell carefully or someone thought it would be funny to recommend a trap spell to you but it's worse than useless, replace it ASAP with literally anything else (I recommend Mind Sliver). You should try to get the rest of the 1st level rituals if you can, particularly Find Familiar, Unseen Servant and Alarm. Alarm in particular is useful as an abjuration ritual and thus you can refill your ward for free. Also try to get Absorb Elements if possible (you already have fire res from being a tiefling but still it's good to have that if you're fighting other element using enemies). Among the 2nd levels Suggestion, Mind Whip, and Vortex Warp (my personal favorite 2nd level spell) are standouts that you missed. If you can find those it would be good. Also you mention being a bit of a pyro but you don't even have burning hands, which I find odd (though it's a little late to get it now).

I will have to talk about replacing True Strike with my DM. It is a cantrip, so retraining might be required. I think retraining is a thing in 5e?

Another player in my group is wanting to trade out some skill proficiencies, and retraining can help with that.

[Dualight]

If the variant class options from Tasha's Cauldron are in play, then you can switch a cantrip out on levels where you get an ASI, but asking your DM if you can do it sooner so you actually have a usable cantrip is still a good idea.

[follacchioso]

Yes, you need at least another attack cantrip - either something for Melee like Shocking Grasp, or something Save Based, like Toll the Dead.

As for lv3 spell, I find that Tasha's Summons are the ones that are the most effective in combat. The best one is Summon Undead, but the other options are good as well. As an Abjurer you will be able to use your ward to protect them from attacks (at lv6), improving their survivability. Dispel and Counterspell are also solid choices that recharge your ward. Many 3rd level spells are good, you will likely not regret any choice.

[Kane0]

My DM also highly prizes roleplaying and characterization, so that will influence my decision making.

Currently, I've taken Fireball because my wizard is a pyromaniac. He is also an Abjurer, so adding Abjuration spells won't take up as much in-game time or wealth.

I do plan on taking Counterspell


Dispel Magic
Glyph of Warding
Magic Circle
Nondetection

Sleet Storm
Fear
Slow
Haste
Fly
Tiny Hut