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The wizard has the biggest toolbox in the game, and that is exactly the problem. Dozens of spells, a book to manage and one fragile body. These dnd wizard tips are 13 short ways to make playing a wizard more fun, from level 1 on. Rules below are the 2024 version of the class, checked against the 2024 SRD and the free rules on D&D Beyond.
Treat the spellbook like a character
Per the 2024 SRD, your spellbook is a Tiny object that weighs 3 pounds and has 100 pages, and you decide what it looks like, such as a gilt-edged tome or vellum bound with twine. Give it a look, a smell and a few doodles. A book you can describe is a book your table will remember.
Start with the recommended spells
The SRD recommends Detect Magic, Feather Fall, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Sleep and Thunderwave as your six starting level 1 spells, and Light, Mage Hand and Ray of Frost as cantrips. If you are new, that list is a safe place to start. Swap in your own picks once you know what you like.
Change a cantrip when the story changes
After a Long Rest you can replace one of your cantrips with another Wizard cantrip, per the SRD. Your fire cantrip does not have to be forever. If the next dungeon is full of ice creatures, swap it. That is one of the easiest dnd wizard tips to forget.
Re-pick your prepared spells every morning
You choose four spells from your spellbook at level 1, and after a Long Rest you can change that list, according to the SRD. The number grows as you level. Ask your DM what is coming today, then prepare for it. Feeling like the smartest person in the room is half the fun of playing a wizard.
Use Ritual Adept to save slots
Ritual Adept lets you cast any spell with the Ritual tag as a Ritual if it is in your spellbook, even if you have not prepared it, per the SRD. You must read from the book to do it. Ritual casting is how a wizard makes a quiet scene feel clever without spending anything.
Remember Arcane Recovery on a Short Rest
After a Short Rest you can recover expended spell slots with a combined level up to half your Wizard level (round up), and none can be level 6 or higher, per the SRD. You can only do this once until you finish a Long Rest. Do not forget it. It is free spell slots.
Pick your Scholar skill on purpose
At level 2, Scholar gives you Expertise in one skill you are proficient in: Arcana, History, Investigation, Medicine, Nature or Religion, per the SRD. Pick the one you want to be known for. A wizard who is the party historian gets to answer lore questions, and that is a lot of fun.
Hunt for spells to copy
When you find a level 1+ Wizard spell, you can copy it into your spellbook if it is a level you can prepare. The SRD says transcription takes 2 hours and costs 50 GP per level of the spell. Tell your DM you want to find scrolls and old books. Looting a dead wizard’s library is the best reward in the game.
Carry a backup book
The SRD says that if you lose your spellbook you can transcribe the spells you have prepared into a new one, but filling out the rest takes finding new spells, so many wizards keep a backup. Copying a spell from your own book to another costs only 1 hour and 10 GP per level. Bring it up with your DM early and it becomes a plot hook, not a disaster.
Memorize Spell at level 5 for a mid-day swap
At level 5, you can study your spellbook after a Short Rest and replace one of your prepared level 1+ spells with another from the book, per the SRD. Use it when the fight turns out different than you expected.
Try the Evoker if you like loud magic
The Evoker subclass in the SRD focuses on elemental effects like cold, flame, thunder, lightning and acid. At level 3, Evocation Savant adds two Evocation spells of level 2 or lower to your book for free. It is a good pick if you want your wizard to blow things up.
Be the wizard who does not hit friends
At level 6, Sculpt Spells lets you pick a number of creatures equal to 1 plus the spell’s level when you cast an Evocation spell. They automatically succeed on their saves and take no damage if they would have taken half. At level 3, Potent Cantrip means a missed cantrip still deals half damage. Together they let you throw fireballs and still be invited to dinner.
Save Overchannel for the last turn
At level 14, Overchannel lets you deal maximum damage with a Wizard spell of levels 1 to 5 that deals damage. The first use has no cost, but using it again before a Long Rest deals 2d12 Necrotic damage per spell level to you, and it increases each time, per the SRD. Use it once when it counts.
How to get more out of playing a wizard
At level 18, Spell Mastery lets you cast a chosen level 1 and a chosen level 2 spell at their lowest level without a spell slot, and at level 20 Signature Spells gives you two level 3 spells you can cast once each per rest, per the SRD. If you want more dnd wizard tips, searching for wizard 5e builds will turn up plenty of ideas. Use them as a starting point, then make a wizard who feels like yours. If you run the game yourself, my guide to five rules new Dungeon Masters should break early has advice on handling clever players.
A wizard does not have to be an old man in a pointy hat. A nervous student, a retired professor and a wizard who is too curious for their own good are all more fun. Pick the personality first. That is the best of my dnd wizard tips.
My take: The best dnd wizard tips are about preparation and personality: make the spellbook yours, pick spells for the day ahead, and save the big moment for when it counts. Playing a wizard is more fun when you stop trying to cover everything. Tell me your favorite wizard spell and I will share the best picks.
