With progression in Baldur’s Gate 3 ending at Level 12, spellcasters who reach this coveted level eventually get access to more powerful spells in the D&D adaptation. While 6th-Level spells can undoubtedly cause unprecedented havoc against opponents and bosses in Baldur’s Gate 3, players may want to consider using cost-friendly Level 5 spells that may pack just as much firepower.

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Although 5th-Level spells remain costly in terms of spell slots, their right usage can result in effects that make the cost worthwhile for casters. When players find themselves in need of saving their 6th-Level spells in case of dangerous situations, 5th-Level spells can become an efficient substitute for more tactical plays.

Updated May 15, 2024 by Rhenn Taguiam: Given the recent Game of the Year win of Baldur’s Gate in the recent BAFTA 2024, RPG fans and newcomers to D&D might be wondering exactly what the game brings to the genre that made it so noteworthy for enthusiasts. While players may already praise the game’s ingenuity in its earlier levels, characters assigned as spellcasters may showcase what the game has to offer in terms of complex mechanics through powerful effects.

This is evident by the time players access Level 5 Spells such as those that generate deadly cones of ice, movable death clouds, and a repelling effect against evil and good. When used properly, these Spells can be among the most powerful abilities in a Spellcaster’s repertoire of magic powers.

17 Dispel Evil And Good (Abjuration)

Become Harder To Kill By Evil, Good Beings

As agents of both higher beings and their respective causes, it makes sense for the Cleric and Paladin to possess Dispel Evil and Good (Abjuration). When used, the player will now impose Disadvantage on Attack Rolls made by all creatures of the Aberration, Celestial, Elemental, Fey, Fiend, and Undead types. Moreover, players now have the ability to Break Enchantments that have rendered allies Possessed, Frightened, and Charmed.

At first glance, players might feel like they’re wasting a 5th-Level Spell Slot for a dispel and Disadvantage on Attacks against themselves. However, this Spell lasting for 10 turns and its implications can make this extremely beneficial for a frontline tank. During the most crucial endgame boss fights, practically becoming nigh-unhittable by mobs and sometimes bosses can be the saving grace of a tank. Not only that, being able to get allies out of dangerous status ailments can ensure they are back in the battle as soon as possible.

16 Cone Of Cold (Evocation)

A Chilling Blast Of Cold Easy To Synergize With Water

Players who want a potent yet straightforward way of dealing damage to enemies may appreciate the chill of Cone of Cold (Evocation). Similar to the destructive Fireball, Cone of Cold also unleashes elemental wrath in its immediate vicinity. This time around, the spellcaster releases a flurry of cold air in a cone up to nine meters away, with all targets having to roll a CON Save or risk taking 8d8 Cold Damage.

Despite the straightforward nature of this attack, Cone of Cold is also easy to set up with combos. For instance, targets made Wet before Cone of Cold will be Vulnerable to Cold and Lightning Damage, making them take twice as much damage from Cone of Cold.

15 Cloudkill (Conjuration)

Create A Moving Ball Of Death

Poison Damage remains one of the most annoying damage types in Baldur’s Gate 3 combat, especially with the way it can debilitate its targets with damage over time. This is what makes Cloudkill (Conjuration) especially deadly, as it creates a poisonous cloud that deals 5d8 Poison Damage per turn. Targets inside need to pull off a CON Save or risk taking the full damage, and they take half on a success.

What makes Cloudkill especially potent is its special properties. The Cloud itself Heavily Obscures its immediate environment, which is a 6-meter cloud anywhere within 18m. Players can reposition the cloud during their turn, allowing spellcasters to chase enemies until the full 10 turns of the Spell runs out. With the right defenses, it could theoretically only take a spellcaster, their defending warrior, and a couple of ranged attackers to obliterate foes with this cloud.

14 Seeming (Illusion)

Transform Multiple Allies Into More Tolerable Disguises

Certain locations in a player’s Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough can become immediately hostile to their party, especially when they do an action that can cause a chain reaction to affect their reputation. For instance, attacking Dror Ragzlin in the Shattered Sanctum will cause all Goblins inside as well as those in the Goblin Camp outside to go hostile to players.

Theoretically, Seeming should be able to help players navigate this sticky situation. When cast, Seeming can disguise up to four members of the player’s adventuring party, allowing them to take on the guise of a more palpable being that enemies can tolerate. Likewise, disguised party members can benefit from other spells such as Speak With Dead, especially when the recently deceased refuses to talk to a character who had just murdered them.

13 Planar Binding (Abjuration)

Will An Extraplanar Being Into Submission

Although much of a player’s Baldur’s Gate 3 experience takes place in Faerun, their adventures may inevitably take them to various otherworldly locations fitting of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting. And with spells such as Conjure Elemental giving creatures access to otherworldly companions, it’s unsurprising for these beings to find their way to Faerun in some form or fashion.

Instead of players summoning their own extraplanar entity to fight on their behalf, they can use Planar Binding to will that being into submission. This spell can only target Elementals, Feys, and Fiends, and this only works once they fail a Wisdom Save. However, its 10-turn duration can turn the tide in a losing battle, especially if the beings in question are separate entities and not allies attached to an enemy caster.

12 Dominate Person (Enchantment)

Transform A Threat Into An Ally

Many bosses in a player’s Baldur’s Gate 3 experience are humanoid, making them more challenging to defeat as they possess similar options as player characters, such as armor, weapons, and even spells. Dominate Person can turn the tide in a losing battle, especially if the target has low enough Wisdom that they can’t pull off a WIS Save against this Concentration spell.

Being an Enchantment spell, Dominate Person’s effect isn’t entirely damaging. Instead, its target will fight on the player’s side for 10 turns. The target only tries to WIS Save against the control whenever they get hit - a complicated endeavor for bosses with high AC and stats such as Dexterity that are often needed to avoid attacks.

11 Insect Plague (Conjuration)

Use Insects To Control The Flow Of Combat

When it comes to managing enemy ranks in combat in Baldur’s Gate 3, AOE Spells have become a fundamental part of securing the team’s survival. However, should players have access to a 5th-Level Spell Slot, Insect Plague can turn the tide in a losing battle, especially when facing a lot of foes.

When cast, Insect Plague conjures a pack of locusts at a point within 18 meters. All opponents in the immediate area roll a CON Save or take 4d10 Piercing Damage. Not only that, the area transforms into a Difficult Terrain and imposes Disadvantage on Perception Checks. The Difficult Terrain alone should give players enough to run or reposition to more beneficial areas, while the 4d10 Piercing Damage can take care of mobs rather quickly.

10 Wall Of Stone (Evocation)

Control The Battlefield With A Wall Of Stone

Sometimes, a Spell packing a powerful punch isn’t enough to get Baldur’s Gate 3 players out of a pinch. With Wall of Stone, players can use their environment to their advantage, especially to secure the team’s safety. When casting this 5th-Level Spell, Wall of Stone creates a literal wall composed of stone within an 18-meter point. This is real and non-magical, creating a blockade in the area that lasts as long as the caster maintains their Concentration.

With Wall of Stone up, players can decide the flow of battle for as long as their caster stays protected. They can block entire pathways or even stop the enemy’s advance with the wall. Likewise, they may maintain Concentration on the wall while the rest of the team escapes or regroups.

9 Destructive Wave (Evocation)

Give The Tempest Cleric A Massive AOE Advantage

The power of a Tempest Cleric in Baldur’s Gate 3 truly shines when they start becoming one of the team’s heaviest hitters. One of the Spells they can access, Destructive Wave, can become a powerful asset in the damage front, especially when used correctly. After being cast, Destructive Wave brings in 5d6 Thunder and 5d6 Radiant Damage to all creatures within 6 meters, forcing them to pull off a CON Save or else take full damage and even knock them Prone.

What makes Destructive Wave quite useful as a Spell is its compatibility with the Cleric’s tendency to be both a tank and a support unit. Just ensuring enemies surround the Tempest Cleric could put them in a world of hurt, setting up Prone enemies to stronger attacks from the team’s other heavy-hitters.

8 Greater Restoration (Abjuration)

Help Allies Get Past Debilitating Statuses

Players who want their healers to get their healing game on point should have some of the game’s strongest Spells in case of emergencies. Such is the case of Greater Restoration which, at first glance, seems too expensive as a 5th-Level Spell considering its effects. After all, Greater Restoration simply removes a Curse or even negates effects such as Charm, Petrification, and Stun.

However, considering how these debuffs can potentially debilitate a character’s performance, Greater Restoration can become an integral part of a healer’s stash of emergency Spells. After all, a Stunned or Petrified character can easily reduce a team’s overall DPS, while having them Charmed to the enemy’s side can easily make them a powerful foe to face.

7 Flame Strike (Evocation)

Deal Fire And Radiant Damage In One Blow

Nothing defeats a powerful AOE when it comes to attacks in Baldur’s Gate 3 combat, with Flame Strike being among the finest of 5th-Level Evocation spells. When used, a spellcaster summons a pillar of fire that roars from the skies with the wrath of the divine. Despite needing a DEX Save, its victims suffer a fierce 5d6 Fire Damage + 5d6 Radiant Damage, easily clearing a small field of mobs and potentially debilitating the strength of bosses.

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While not necessarily the most optimal Evocation spell for DPS, Flame Strike is the most practical among its 5th-Level counterparts. Destructive Wave is an upgrade to the Thunderwave that still requires the risk of going in melee, whereas Cone of Cold has a much shorter area of effect.

6 Curriculum Of Strategy: Artistry Of War (Evocation)

A Rare Spell To Summon New Allies For The Team

Possessing a Legendary item in Baldur’s Gate 3 can give players access to powerful boosts and attacks, with The Red Knight’s Final Stratagem taking the form of a book. This red and gold tome lets players cast Curriculum of Strategy: Artistry of War, a 5th-Level Evocation spell that summons six spectral strategists to deal 18-78 Force Damage.

Unlike other spells in the D&D game, Artistry of War cannot be learned conventionally unless players get access to the Final Strategem in Ramazith’s Tower. Its Force damage output can make it quite worthwhile as an offensive spell, especially since its fellow 5th-Level counterparts don’t come close in terms of DPS.

5 Dethrone (Necromancy)

Deal Massive Necrotic Damage To Foes

Ramazith’s Tower is the perfect recreation of a traditional wizard tower in D&D lore in that it possesses quite a lot of valuable trinkets. Such is the case of The Annals of Karsus, another Legendary Book located in a room close to the site of the Final Stratagem in a player’s Baldur’s Gate 3 playthrough. After avoiding traps and going through a Silverhand, Evocation, and Silver Doors, players can unlock a lever that unlocks the Karsus Vault containing this book.

Be warned that this book only gives access to a scroll, making Dethrone a one-time use spell. This is a 5th-Level Necromancy spell that deals 38-80 Necrotic Damage, with its lowest damage output still impressive compared to other 5th-Level Evocation spells that serve as crowd control spells. Thankfully, Wizards such as Gale can learn Dethrone permanently thanks to their class features.

4 Hold Monster (Enchantment)

Stun A Monster Into Submission

Sometimes, it’s monsters and not humanoids that players fight in Baldur’s Gate 3 that become deadlier opponents. Their slate of unique abilities and tendency to multi-attack make them tougher to outmaneuver, especially when bigger monsters start fighting players. In these situations, Hold Monster may be exactly the spell players need.

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The spell requires a target monster to succeed in a Wisdom Save or be Paralyzed for up to 10 turns. Since Wisdom is often a dump stat, Hold Monster shouldn’t be significantly difficult to cast. What makes Hold Monster quite deadly is its secondary effect, wherein creatures within melee range always score Critical Hits, making Hold Monster a way to kill boss monsters quickly, especially with a Rogue like Astarion in the team.

3 Conjure Elemental (Conjuration)

Summon An Extra Ally For The Team

With RPGs like Baldur’s Gate 3 pinning a four-person party against numerous opponents, extra hands can help turn the tide against overwhelming odds. While Familiars from spells such as Find Familiar (1st-Level Conjuration) exist, their limited skillsets make them unideal for heavy combat scenarios. This is where Conjure Elemental shines, as spellcasters force the barrier between the Planes to summon an elemental to aid them.

Unlike typical Familiars, Elementals are tougher and have higher-DPS attacks, making their 5th-Level cost worthwhile. Conjure Elemental can create an Elemental or a Myrmidon out of the four elements, depending on the spell slot used and the need of the players at the time of summoning.

2 Telekinesis (Transmutation)

Move Almost Any Object To Manipulate The Battlefield

One of the most game-breaking elements in Baldur’s Gate 3 and even Divinity: Original Sin 2 playthroughs is how players can manipulate the environment to suit their very needs, allowing them to end encounters in a few measly moves through traps, surfaces, and conveniently shoving opponents off cliffs. Thanks to Telekinesis, players throw objects and even creatures with a mere thought.

When activated, Telekinesis is a 10-turn spell that lets players catapult an object or a creature up to 18 meters from its original location. Creatures need to succeed in a Strength Save or be subjected to this spell, with casters being able to throw them to a different area or even toward another creature. What makes Telekinesis quite broken is that casting it once for a 5th-Level spell slot lets players cast this spell again once every turn for free across its duration.

1 Mass Cure Wounds (Evocation)

Cure Multiple Allies At Once

With enemies at later levels making Baldur’s Gate 3 combat more challenging for players, spellcasters should worry not just about dishing out the most damage but also ensuring the team’s survivability. While most healing spells come from the Abjuration School, Evocation also boasts one of the best sources of recovery in the game: Mass Cure Wounds.

As the name implies, Mass Cure Wounds is a separate spell that “upcasts” traditional Cure Wounds, this time accommodating multiple targets. When cast, Mass Cure Wounds can heal up to six creatures for 3d8 + 1d8 HP/level + Spell Ability Modifier. With its high cost, Mass Cure Wounds can be used in emergencies, especially when the designated healer has used up all their available abilities.

Baldur's Gate 3

Platform(s)

PC , macOS , PS5 , Xbox Series X

Released

August 3, 2023

Developer(s)

Larian Studios

Genre(s)

RPG