The Winds of Magic in Total War: Warhammer 3 can spell (pun intended) the difference between victory and defeat. Whether it is buffing friendly units to last longer in battle, decimating enemy fighters with a rain of boiling metal, or calling on a god to heal allies, all spells have a utility that can make having a spell caster an extremely effective boon in any fight.

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Below are the most effective spells that any spellcaster should take at the first chance. While we have included a range of spell types—buffs, projectiles, vortexes, and line spells—one spell per each Lore, or School of magic has also been included so that any spellcaster will be able to access a selection to improve their combat capability.

10 Searing Doom - Lore of Metal

A Cheap Cast That Controls The Battlefield

Searing Doom is a spell that casters can access quite early in the game. As a bombardment spell, it deals with any units that are blobbed effectively, allowing casters to support frontline battles when enemies are clumped and out of formation. Searing Doom itself does a good amount of damage for a relatively cheap cast, only costing 6 winds of magic.

It can also displace units, which means breaking up any effective formations that the enemy is moving in. It can also be used to create space for a general's own troops to move into. Options in a campaign can make Searing Doom even cheaper to cast, making for an effective spell against any army that isn't made up of single-unit combatants.

9 Infernal Gateway - Lore Of Tzeentch

Stationary Vortex With Complete Armor Piercing

Infernal Gateway is a vortex spell, usually meaning that it can drift off target and end up doing much less damage than it potentially should have. Infernal Gateway, though, remains stationary and so can be used to inflict perfectly aimed damage for a full 15 seconds.

The damage is 100% armor piercing, and the vortex effect is one of the coolest-looking spells in the game. This spell deals effective damage over a wide radius and can obliterate a bottlenecked army that has started to clump into a tight area.

8 Vindictive Glare - Lore Of Da Little Waaagh!

Spammable Explosive Hero Killer

The most effective and consistently useful projectile spell, Vindictive Glare is incredibly cheap to cast. Using only 4 Winds of Magic per cast, the spell can be used liberally in battle. As a projectile, if the caster has a clear shot it can deal reliable damage, especially effective against a hero or lord that might be harder to pin down in combat with a unit.

Vindictive Glare also causes a small explosion when it hits, to deal damage in an area around the target. Like other projectile spells, it is particularly useful against large single-model units like monsters and artillery pieces.

7 Foot of Gork - Lore Of Da Big Waaagh!

Explosive Stomp With Massive Radius

Another spell that gets points for looking awesome, the Foot of Gork has the Orc god stomping down on a unit for massive damage. An explosion spell, The Foot can effectively halt any unit, with a huge radius of effect to cull the numbers of any problematic frontline fighters or speedy cavalry.

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It also deals a decent amount of armor-piercing damage, to help give the frontline an edge after the blast to any opposition. Pair this with the cathartic feeling of stomping on the enemy, and this spell can effectively hit multiple units for a devastating kick in the head.

6 Rune of Negation - Runic Magic

Huge Ward Save For Armored Units

One of the most effective spells that buffs units in the game, the Rune of Negation adds a ward save to a unit. Allies in range of the caster are given a huge 22 percent damage resistance that can go a long way to holding off the attacks of any fearsome infantry that an enemy might face a general with.

This magic is specific to the Dwarfen factions and so this pairs with the dwarfs' large armor capabilities, with campaign abilities giving even more armor to lots of units. Using this on Hammerers or Slayers will make for a deadly frontline that can outlast most attackers.

5 Warp Lightning - Skaven Spells Of Ruin

Speedy Damage That Can Shove Units Aside

Another bombardment spell that can break up a unit, Warp Lightning is surprisingly cheap to cast. A Skaven spellcaster might get the chance to use this numerous times in battle and with its quick casting time it can be challenging to dodge for an enemy army.

It deals exceptional damage and can assault any part of an army's formation for a decent amount of damage. It excels with armor-piercing damage, though, and can help to clear any hardy fighters that are a problem for the weaker units in a Skaven army.

4 Vermintide - Skaven Spells Of Plague

A Cheap Summon For More Rats

A Skaven army relies on sheer numbers to overwhelm any opposition and the Vermintide spell lends even more bodies to the horde armies. Only costing 7 Winds of Magic, the spell summons a unit of clan rats in the same manner as the Menace Below faction ability.

The unit can be used to block off a flank, clog up the battle with numbers to stop enemy infantry from advancing, or even just serve as a buffer before any big damage dealers get to the Skaven spellcaster. The short cooldown means that even if a Skaven player enters a battle with very little in the way of frontline fighters, enough numbers can be summoned to give the rats a fighting chance.

3 Regrowth - Lore Of Life

Minimize Losses With A Huge Heal

When fighting against an army with high-threat units that have good damage-dealing ability, Regrowth is an obvious choice. The spell heals a single target for 36 percent of the unit's maximum health. This healing can be massive - either allowing a powerful lord or hero to return into the fray or to get a big unit back on its feet in a defensive position to hold out longer.

The amount of healing that the spell does is game-changing; enemies might be forced to retreat as a front that they were fighting on suddenly becomes an unwinnable fight. It can also ensure minimal losses so that an army can continue to fight after a battle and continue with some momentum on a campaign map.

2 Net of Amyntok - Lore Of Light

Gain Complete Control Of Your Position

The Net of Amyntok lets players control the battlefield by halting enemy movement and ruining enemies' formations as they advance. This is a must-have for any army that relies on ranged units to deal their damage so that the spellcaster can completely stop enemy cavalry, fast units, and flying units from getting to the heart of the army.

Freezing a unit in place means that players have an opening to reposition, fire on the stopped unit with missiles, or even charge in with friendly cavalry or a damage-dealing lord. To have total control of the battlefield and hold a position against the toughest foes, the Net is unparalleled.

1 Wind of Death - Lore Of Vampires

Huge, Brutal Damage

For dealing with units with a high model count and hordes of enemies as they approach, Wind of Death is unparalleled. One of the most damaging spells in the game, it can be used to obliterate any multiple-model unit.

While it is costly to cast and cannot deal as effectively with monsters and single entities, it can be used to destroy a backline, shred through infantry, or even take out cavalry caught in its way. Wind of Death perfectly exemplifies the hideously powerful magics of the undead factions.

Total War: Warhammer 3

Platform(s)

PC

Released

February 17, 2022

Developer(s)

Creative Assembly

Genre(s)

Strategy , Tactical