Wizard

Wizard — summary

Game version: 4.1.1 (Patch 8) · Last updated: 3 August 2026

• Hit die — d6, the lowest in the game
• Main ability — Intelligence
• Saving throws — Intelligence, Wisdom
• Armour — None: you rely on the Mage Armour spell
• Weapons — A few simple weapons such as quarterstaffs, daggers and slings
• Resource — Spell slots plus Arcane Recovery, which returns some slots once a day
• Feat levels — 4, 8, 12
• Ability scores — Strength 8, Dexterity 15, Constitution 15, Intelligence 17, Wisdom 10, Charisma 8
• Party role — In a party this class covers: Area control, Ranged damage.

Two ready-made builds

• Easy path: Evocation — Fireball Specialist — One class. Throw area spells from the back, and Sculpt Spells keeps your friends out of the blast.
• Strong path: Abjuration — The Unbreakable Wizard — Still one class. The Arcane Ward refills with every spell, turning the most fragile class into the hardest caster to kill.

Subclasses

• Evocation — Unlocks at level 2. Your area spells never hurt your allies, so you can throw Fireball without a second thought.
• Abjuration — Unlocks at level 2. You carry a self-renewing shield: the most durable Wizard school.
• Divination — Unlocks at level 2. You bank dice results and swap them into any roll: powerful, but it needs planning.
• Necromancy — Unlocks at level 2. You raise the dead into an army: crowded to manage, but fun.
• Bladesinging — Unlocks at level 2. A Wizard that fights with a blade: Patch 8's new school, but it wants points in two abilities.
• Conjuration — Unlocks at level 2. Strengthens your summons and clouds, for someone who wants to block space with bodies.
• Enchantment — Unlocks at level 2. Makes mind-affecting spells harder to resist, but stalls against immune enemies.
• Illusion — Unlocks at level 2. Steers fights with invisibility and illusory creatures: it deceives rather than damages.
• Transmutation — Unlocks at level 2. A transmuter's stone hands the party an ability bonus: the most supportive school.

Recommended races

• High Elf — +2 Dexterity, +1 Intelligence and a free cantrip: the cleanest pick for a Wizard.
• Githyanki — +1 Intelligence, medium armour proficiency and a free Misty Step, which saves a fragile Wizard.
• Gold Dwarf — +2 Constitution and extra health: the sturdiest Wizard, and the least likely to drop concentration.

Recommended backgrounds

• Sage (Arcana, History) — Arcana and History both come from Intelligence, the Wizard's main ability, so both proficiencies work at full strength.
• Acolyte (Insight, Religion) — Religion runs off Intelligence and works at full strength; Insight leans on Wisdom so it stays weak on a Wizard.

Companions who play this class

• Gale — Evocation

Resource rhythm

• Arcane Recovery gives back a few slots once a day on a short rest. Use it before you long rest, or you burn free slots.
• Scribing scrolls into your book needs no long rest but does cost gold: before selling a scroll, check whether you can learn it.

In Honour Mode

• The Abjuration build is the safer Honour Mode pick: Arcane Ward and concentration protection keep alive exactly what Legendary Actions break.
• The Wizard's health is low and there is only one save file, so treat Shield and Misty Step as life insurance rather than damage.

Level by level: Evocation — Fireball Specialist

• Level 1 — Pick 3 cantrips and 6 spells · Gain: Arcane Recovery
  • Fire Bolt — Your free, unlimited fire attack: you fall back on it when spells run out. Useless against fire-immune foes like fire elementals and devils; switch to Ray of Frost.
  • Ray of Frost — Slows the enemy it hits so they cannot reach you.
  • Light — Lets you see in dark caves, where you would otherwise miss more.
  • Magic Missile — Never misses: your only guarantee against invisible or dodgy enemies.
  • Shield — Triggers even when it is not your turn, turning a hit into a miss.
  • Mage Armour — You cannot wear armour, so this all-day spell stands in for it.
  • Grease — Makes the floor slippery so enemies fall over and lose their turn.
  • Sleep — In the early hours this alone puts a whole room to sleep. Has no effect on undead; pick a different control spell against them.
  • Burning Hands — Burns a cone in front of you: excellent in crowded corridors. Useless against fire-immune elementals and devils; switch to ice or lightning.
  Tip: Learn every scroll you find: that is the Wizard's real power.
• Level 2 — School: Evocation · pick 2 spells · Gain: Sculpt Spells
  • Chromatic Orb — You choose the damage type, and it leaves ice or fire on the ground.
  • Thunderwave — Pushes enemies back, which alone wins fights beside a cliff.
  Tip: The Wizard picks its school at level 2, not level 3.
• Level 3 — Pick 2 spells: second-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Scorching Ray — Fires three separate rays, which stack into serious damage on one target. All three rays weaken on a fire-resistant target; switch to ice or lightning.
  • Misty Step — A bonus-action teleport that gets you out of an enemy pile-up.
• Level 4 — A feat, 1 cantrip and 2 spells · Gain: Ability Improvement
  • War Caster — Damage no longer breaks your spell, essential for anything needing concentration.
  • Toll the Dead — Hits wounded enemies far harder than any of your other cantrips. Most ghost- and shadow-type undead are immune to this damage.
  • Mirror Image — Creates three fake copies, so enemies swing at them instead of you.
  • Shatter — Shakes everyone around you, and Sculpt Spells keeps your allies out.
• Level 5 — Pick 2 spells: Fireball is here · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Fireball — Wipes out a crowd in one cast: the most famous spell in the game. No effect on fire-immune enemies; switch to ice or lightning.
  • Counterspell — Cancels the enemy caster's spell in mid-air.
  Tip: Always keep Counterspell ready: it silences the enemy caster.
• Level 6 — Pick 2 spells · Gain: Potent Cantrip
  • Hypnotic Pattern — Freezes a whole group of enemies and cuts hard fights in half. Fails against undead (except zombies) and mechanical enemies like Steel Watchers.
  • Lightning Bolt — Strikes in a straight line, ideal for enemies standing in a row.
• Level 7 — Pick 2 spells: fourth-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Ice Storm — Deals damage and ices the floor, so enemies slip and fall.
  • Dimension Door — Teleports you and one ally far away, for escape or ambush.
• Level 8 — Ability Improvement and 2 spells · Gain: Ability Improvement
  • Ability Improvement (Intelligence +2) — Intelligence hits 19, so your spells land more often and burn harder.
  • Wall of Fire — Raises a wall of fire, so enemies either burn or go around. Fire-immune enemies walk straight through it without hesitation.
  • Polymorph — Turns a dangerous enemy into a harmless sheep.
• Level 9 — Pick 2 spells: fifth-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Cloudkill — A spreading poison cloud that melts every enemy left inside it. Deals no damage to poison-immune enemies like skeletons, zombies and Steel Watchers.
  • Cone of Cold — Freezes a wide cone, for enemies that resist Fireball.
• Level 10 — Pick 1 cantrip and 2 spells · Gain: Empowered Evocation
  • Minor Illusion — Creates a fake noise that pulls enemies into the corner you choose.
  • Hold Monster — Paralyses a boss, and every hit against it counts as a critical. This also fails against undead; skeletons and zombies need a different tactic.
  • Telekinesis — Lifts an enemy into the air and drops them off a cliff.
• Level 11 — Pick 2 spells: sixth-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Chain Lightning — One spell sends lightning arcing to several enemies.
  • Disintegrate — Enormous damage to one target: your hardest single-target spell.
• Level 12 — Ability Improvement and 2 spells · Gain: Ability Improvement
  • Ability Improvement (Intelligence +1, Constitution +1) — Intelligence reaches 20 and your health rises a little too.
  • Otiluke's Freezing Sphere — Freezes a wide area and even builds an ice bridge over water.
  • Wall of Ice — Splits the enemies in two so you deal with half at a time.

Level by level: Abjuration — The Unbreakable Wizard

• Level 1 — Pick 3 cantrips and 6 spells · Gain: Arcane Recovery
  • Fire Bolt — Your free, unlimited fire attack: you fall back on it when spells run out. Useless against fire-immune foes like fire elementals and devils; switch to Ray of Frost.
  • Ray of Frost — Slows the enemy it hits so they cannot reach you.
  • Light — Lets you see in dark caves, where you would otherwise miss more.
  • Shield — Triggers even when it is not your turn, turning a hit into a miss.
  • Mage Armour — You cannot wear armour, so this all-day spell stands in for it.
  • Magic Missile — Never misses: your only guarantee against invisible or dodgy enemies.
  • Grease — Makes the floor slippery so enemies fall over and lose their turn.
  • Sleep — In the early hours this alone puts a whole room to sleep. Has no effect on undead; pick a different control spell against them.
  • Protection from Evil and Good — Makes it much harder for fiends and undead to hit you.
  Tip: Shield and Mage Armour are both abjuration spells, the first pair that feeds your ward.
• Level 2 — School: Abjuration · pick 2 spells · Gain: Arcane Ward
  • Chromatic Orb — You choose the damage type, and it leaves ice or fire on the ground.
  • False Life — Grants temporary health and is the cheapest way to charge your ward.
• Level 3 — Pick 2 spells: second-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Misty Step — A bonus-action teleport that gets you out of an enemy pile-up.
  • Mirror Image — Creates three fake copies, so enemies swing at them instead of you.
• Level 4 — A feat, 1 cantrip and 2 spells · Gain: Ability Improvement
  • War Caster — Damage no longer breaks your spell, essential for anything needing concentration.
  • Blade Ward — For one turn you take only half damage from weapons.
  • Scorching Ray — Fires three separate rays, which stack into serious damage on one target. All three rays weaken on a fire-resistant target; switch to ice or lightning.
  • Invisibility — Turn invisible to escape, or reposition without being noticed.
• Level 5 — Pick 2 spells: Counterspell is here · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Counterspell — Cancels the enemy caster's spell in mid-air.
  • Fireball — Wipes out a crowd in one cast: the most famous spell in the game. No effect on fire-immune enemies; switch to ice or lightning.
  Tip: Counterspell is also an abjuration spell, so it refills your ward.
• Level 6 — Pick 2 spells · Gain: Projected Ward
  • Hypnotic Pattern — Freezes a whole group of enemies and cuts hard fights in half. Fails against undead (except zombies) and mechanical enemies like Steel Watchers.
  • Protection from Energy — Halves one damage type you choose, which saves lives against a dragon.
• Level 7 — Pick 2 spells: fourth-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Dimension Door — Teleports you and one ally far away, for escape or ambush.
  • Stoneskin — Halves weapon damage and makes your ward last far longer.
• Level 8 — Ability Improvement and 2 spells · Gain: Ability Improvement
  • Ability Improvement (Intelligence +2) — Intelligence hits 19, so your spells land more often and burn harder.
  • Banishment — Removes an enemy from the fight entirely, which eases boss battles.
  • Greater Invisibility — You stay invisible even while attacking, so enemies rarely hit you.
• Level 9 — Pick 2 spells: fifth-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Cloudkill — A spreading poison cloud that melts every enemy left inside it. Deals no damage to poison-immune enemies like skeletons, zombies and Steel Watchers.
  • Cone of Cold — Freezes a wide cone, for enemies that resist Fireball.
• Level 10 — Pick 1 cantrip and 2 spells · Gain: Improved Abjuration
  • Minor Illusion — Creates a fake noise that pulls enemies into the corner you choose.
  • Hold Monster — Paralyses a boss, and every hit against it counts as a critical. This also fails against undead; skeletons and zombies need a different tactic.
  • Telekinesis — Lifts an enemy into the air and drops them off a cliff.
• Level 11 — Pick 2 spells: sixth-level slots opened · Gain: Spell Slots
  • Chain Lightning — One spell sends lightning arcing to several enemies.
  • Globe of Invulnerability — Raises a globe that lower-level enemy spells cannot enter.
• Level 12 — Ability Improvement and 2 spells · Gain: Ability Improvement
  • Ability Improvement (Intelligence +1, Constitution +1) — Intelligence reaches 20 and your health rises a little too.
  • Disintegrate — Enormous damage to one target: your hardest single-target spell.
  • Wall of Ice — Splits the enemies in two so you deal with half at a time.

Key equipment

• Mage Armour (Act 1) — Not an item, but the most important thing: cast it on yourself after every long rest.
• Spellmight Gloves (Act 3) — Substantially increases your spell damage. Where: Circus of the Last Days — a reward from Lucretious for completing Find Dribbles the Clown.
• Cloak of Displacement (Act 3) — Gives the first attack against you disadvantage, which saves a fragile Wizard. Where: Wyrm's Crossing — sold by the merchant Danthelon.
• Markoheshkir (Act 3) — The best staff in the game, raising your spell accuracy and damage across the board. Where: Act 3, Ramazith's Tower — inside a Globe of Invulnerability.

Combat tips

• Learn every spell scroll you find: that is what makes a Wizard a Wizard.
• Keep Counterspell in reserve as a reaction: it shuts down the enemy caster on its own.
• Remember to use Arcane Recovery before you take a long rest.
• Play from the very back: a d6 hit die drops you in two hits.

Common mistakes

• Do not try to wear armour: you are not proficient and it blocks your spellcasting.
• Do not neglect Constitution or you will lose every concentration spell you cast.
• Do not drop Fireball into a crowd unless you are an Evoker: your friends burn too.

All twelve classes and the party picker