D&D Wizard 5.5e Guide

Wizard 5.5e Guide Rating Scheme

This guide is a deep dive into the DnD 5.5e Wizard. For a quick overview of other classes, check out our Guide to DnD Classes.

The color code below helps you quickly identify how good an option is for your Wizard. These ratings are guidelines, and sub-optimal choices can still be fun and viable.

• Red: Weak, unlikely to contribute to your build
• Orange: Situationally good, but below average
• Green: A solid choice
• Blue: A great option worth considering
• Sky Blue: One of the best choices for optimization

Wizard Overview

Wizards are the classic arcane spellcasters of D&D, wielding immense magical power learned through study. With unmatched access to spells, they can adapt to nearly any situation, be it blasting foes with fire, controlling the battlefield, or problem-solving through magic.

Playing a 5.5e Wizard

Wizards specialize in raw spellcasting power, utility, and battlefield control:

Party Roles

1. Controller: Spells like Wall of Force, Hypnotic Pattern, and Web shape the battlefield and shut down enemies.
2. Blaster: Reliable AoE and single-target damage from classics like Fireball, Disintegrate, and Magic Missile.
3. Utility Caster: With the biggest spell list and the ability to prepare spells daily, Wizards solve problems others can’t—from Detect Magic to Teleport.

Leveling Up Your 5.5e Wizard

In this section, we’ll walk through your Wizard’s progression level by level:

Level 1

• Spellcasting: We already discussed why Wizard’s have the best spellcasting in the game: More prepared spells, stronger spells, and an unmatched library of spells to choose from. But, a Wizard’s spellcasting is also unique in that they prepare spells from a spellbook. The book starts with six level 1 spells and gains two more each Wizard level. The upside of this is you can copy found Wizard spells—like those on spell scrolls—into your book for 2 hours and 50 gp per spell level. But this comes with a massive risk: if you ever lose your spellbook, you lose access to all spells not currently prepared. Keep a backup or copy it to avoid starting over. For a guide on which spells to pick, check out our Wizard Spells Guide.
• Arcane Recovery: A Short Rest lets you recover a few low-level spell slots—super helpful when your party insists on pushing forward instead of taking a Long Rest.
• Ritual Adept: You can cast any ritual spell in your spellbook as a ritual, even if it’s not prepared. Utility spells like Detect Magic or Identify become at-your-fingertips tools that don’t cost you spell slots as long as you have 10 minutes to cast them. This is also excellent as these utility spells no longer take up space in your prepared spells for the day, allowing you to stock more combat-oriented options.

Level 2

• Scholar: You gain Expertise in a skill tied to your magical studies—Arcana, Investigation, Religion, etc. This makes your Wizard more than just a magical cannon: you’re a brainy beast in exploration and lore-based challenges.

Level 3

• Wizard Subclass: Time to specialize! Whether you want to control the battlefield as an Illusionist, protect allies as an Abjurer, or melt faces as an Evoker, this is where your identity takes shape. Each subclass offers a unique playstyle and flavor.

Level 4

• Ability Score Improvement: You get to pick up the Ability Score Improvement feat or another feat! Wizards will want to boost Intelligence first—it affects your spell save DC, spell attacks, and how many spells you can prep. If you’ve already got it to 20, consider grabbing one of the best Wizard feats like War Caster or Fey Touched for added defense and utility. You gain this feature again at Wizard levels 8, 12, and 16.

Level 5

• Memorize Spell: After a Short Rest, you can swap one of your prepared spells for another from your spellbook. This mid-adventure prep flexibility helps you by giving access to your wide library of spells if you have enough time for a 1 hour rest.

Level 18

• Spell Mastery: You can now cast one level 1 and one level 2 spell at will. There is, however, a catch: It needs to have a casting time of an action. Unfortunately, this disqualifies extra powerful options like Shield or Misty Step. It’s also no longer worth using this feature for ritual spells thanks to Ritual Adept.  For level 1 spells, I like False Life for extra Hit Points, Magic Missile for consistent damage, or Disguise Self for infiltration. For level 2 spells, Blur, Invisibility, Levitate, Mirror Image, and Suggestion are good choices. You can swap these out after a Long Rest for new choices depending on your needs.

Level 20

• Signature Spells: At level 20, you pick two level 3 spells from your spellbook to always have prepared. You can cast each once for free per Short or Long Rest. Fireball offers strong area damage, Hypnotic Pattern shuts down groups of enemies, and Counterspell lets you potentially negate big threats without spending a slot. You can still upcast them with spell slots as needed, and you can swap your Signature Spells after a Long Rest.

Wizard Origins

2024 Player's Handbook Species

Aasimar: Wizards with an innate Fly Speed will be nearly impossible to pin down, and that's not even taking into account the healing, Resistances, and extra damage.

Dragonborn: You already have access to Burning Hands, and would rather avoid damage than have Resistance. Flight and Darkvision are good, but there are more synergistic options.

Dwarf: Dwarves are not typically associated with Wizards, but their resilience can help keep a Wizard alive, which is the most important part. Still, other races might better align with a Wizard’s needs.

Elf: High Elves are the archetypal Wizard choice, offering spell versatility and easy access to Detect Magic. The other lineages also offer solid utility, but Wizards love having more Wizard.

Gnome: Gnome Cunning protects Wizards from enemy spellcasters. Darkvision and Small size help with positioning, while Forest Gnome’s illusion can add tricks to their repertoire.

Goliath: Multiple instances of Misty Step or some additional fire power on your spell attacks. A decent option.

Halfling: Basically the only thing worthwhile here is Luck, which is only offensively useful for spells that require attack rolls. It can also apply to saving throws or ability checks, but this feature is still underwhelming for a Wizard.

Human: Wizards love the ability to tailor their strengths with the Human race. For the skill proficiency, you can grab a face skill or Perception, and the Origin feat allows you to grab Lucky or Magic Initiate, both of which are incredible at increasing your versatility.

Orc: Adrenaline Rush is situationally useful for positioning spells like Fireball. Relentless Endurance provides a safety net, but Orcs aren’t the most optimized Wizard choice.

Tiefling: Infernal Tieflings are a classic Wizard choice, complementing their spellcasting with fire-based spells and a Resistance to Fire damage (just in case you singe yourself). Chthonic Tieflings also offer strong defensive tools, like a free casting of False Life each day, making them another excellent pick for Wizards who want added survivability.