AOE Blaster Caster Builds in DnD 5e

by Brandon Gregory

Blasting enemies with magic in DnD is fun, but it’s also a great way to contribute to the party. Blasters excel at taking out crowds of weaker foes but can take on more powerful foes as well. For this article, “Blaster” means a caster who can cast area of effect (AOE) spells that damage the entire area. Spells that damage a single target are also useful, but those fall under the Striker role. The quintessential blasting spell is Fireball, but many options fit the bill (listed below). Single-target spells like Magic Missile and Eldritch Blast are categorically not blasting spells.

Please note that, while some half-casters get some of these spells, they get them much later than full-casters. That Fireball spell is less exciting when the Artificer gets it at level 9 while the Sorcerer has had it since level 5. For that reason, this will be a comparison of just the full-casters.

Also, note that some subclasses get access to some of these spells and can make great Blasters. In particular, the Light domain Cleric and some Warlock subclasses get some great blasting spells. For now, though, this is beyond the scope of this article and I’ll just be focusing on spells the base classes gets access to.

Blaster Spell Options by Class

Here are good blasting spells and classes that have them.

Here’s the count of how many options each class has at each spell level:

Blaster Caster Class Breakdown

Every casting class has some blasting spells, but some are better at it than others. Some classes have access to better spells, while other classes might find a conflict between what their class is supposed to be doing and casting all those fun blasting spells. Here’s a rough breakdown of each full-caster class, with ratings for spell selection and role fit. Spell selection rates their options for blasting spells. Role fit compares the Blaster role to the overall class design and examines how easily a class can shift to being a Blaster.

Sorcerer

While Sorcerers can lag behind Wizards when looking at the sheer number of spells they can learn, Sorcerers can absolutely keep up with Wizards in the number of blasting spells they learn. Of the 32 blasting spells I listed above, Sorcerers have access to 26 of them—the same number as Wizards. Beyond spell selection, Sorcerers also have metamagic, which is amazing for Blasters. Sorcerers can use metamagic to deal less damage to friendly targets, boost the damage of their spells, change the damage type of a spell (like if you want to hit some fire-resistant enemies with a Fireball spell), and much more. They can also use Quickened Spell to cast a leveled spell like Fireball, and then also cast a cantrip for extra damage. For a dedicated Blaster caster, it’s hard to do better than a Sorcerer.

Spell Options: 5

Role Fit: 5

Wizard

Wizards lack the metamagic feature that Sorcerers have, but have some good things going for them as Blasters. They’re tied with Sorcerers for the number of blasting spell options (26 out of 32) and can do solid damage with their blasting spells. Unlike Sorcerers, Wizards have many spell options and can easily fit into roles besides Blaster. Wizards prepare their spells, meaning they can switch them out upon long rest, allowing them to be a Blaster but slip into other roles based on what’s needed. As a Wizard, you won’t have the useful metamagic features that make Sorcerers great Blasters, but there’s more room for versatility. Note that the School of Evocation subclass does offer some great features to a dedicated Blaster.

Spell Options: 5

Role Fit: 4

Cleric

At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss Clerics as Blasters, as they have few spell options (in fact, the least of any full-caster class: only 4 of the 32 options available) and usually fall into the Support role. But Clerics are amazing Blasters for one reason: Spirit Guardians, a 3rd-level spell exclusive to Clerics. This spell has a 15-foot radius centered on the Cleric, and it amazingly prevents friendly fire in this area. This spell is pretty central to the Cleric playstyle in the same way that Rangers use Hunter’s Mark and Warlocks use Eldritch Blast. So, while they have few options available, they have one amazing option that’s core to the class design, making them surprisingly great Blasters. Note that this does place Clerics in the middle of the biggest groups of enemies, but Clerics are surprisingly hardy compared to other casters.

Spell Options: 2

Role Fit: 5

Druid

Druids offer a lot of versatility with Wild Shape and have great spell options for support and control, but their blasting options are somewhat limited compared to top contenders. One thing they do have going for them is that Druids prepare their spells, so they can swap out spell options on long rest, offering them some versatility depending on what the situation requires. Still, with the many great things that Druids can do, it can be hard to focus on the Blaster role.

Spell options: 3

Role Fit: 3

Warlock

The Warlock’s effectiveness as a Blaster hinges on the answer to one question: is Eldritch Blast a blasting spell? For this article, blasting spells are AOE damage spells that can target multiple opponents, so my answer is not really. That makes Warlocks kind of hard to recommend as Blasters because they’ll spend many turns just Eldritch Blasting enemies. They’re great at this, feeling like magic archers; however, they have limited options for tackling groups, having just 6 of the 32 options available. Note that some Warlock subclasses (namely Fiend) have additional blasting options that can improve this. That said, the Warlock’s main responsibility is damage, so if you can fit blasting spells into your build, they’re actually well-suited to it.

Spell Options: 2

Role Fit: 4

Bard

Bards have great support and control options and also function as jacks of all trades, being able to fill in a lot of gaps in the party that might otherwise not be filled. That said, their blasting options are very limited compared to other classes, having just 5 out of the 32 options available. Unlike Clerics, none of these spells are central to the class’s playstyle. Bards are usually support characters first, and building them for blasting means sacrificing some of the Bard’s primary strengths to try to be good at something they’re not really good at. For that reason, it’s hard to recommend Bards as Blasters, although they have a few options they can throw in for some versatility.

Spell Options: 2

Role Fit: 2

Best Feats for Blaster Casters

Blasters can typically get all the power they need from their spells, but some feats can make the role a little easier to manage.

Metamagic Adept

Sorcerers are the best Blasters because they get metamagic; this feat allows any caster class to gain some access to metamagic. This can be incredibly useful for non-Sorcerers, but even Sorcerers might get some use out of a little additional versatility in their metamagic options. Careful Spell, Empowered Spell, Heightened Spell, Transmuted Spell, and especially Quickened Spell can all be useful for Blasters.

Elemental Adept

This can be useful if most (or all) of your blasting spell options use the same damage type (like Clerics with radiant damage). The Transmuted Spell metamagic is probably more useful, but that uses a limited resource (sorcery points) to work.

Telekinetic

You gain a small bonus to your spellcasting stat (useful for rounding out odd numbers), but the real bonus is that you get a free bonus action to shove enemies away from you. Remember that you can’t cast two leveled spells in one turn, so gaining a useful bonus action ability can help make the most of your turn.

Tough

With the two top picks for Blasters being the two classes with the least hit points per level (Sorcerer and Wizard), getting a few extra hit points can help with survivability. Remember, though, that your main goal is to stay out of melee (except Clerics), so if you’re taking a lot of damage, look at changing your tactics.

About the Author

Brandon Gregory

Brandon Gregory is a web developer and writer in the Kansas City area. He's been playing TTRPGs since 2020 and is involved in the disability-related TTRPG podcast Tales from the Crips. He's into classic movies, mental health, and, of course, DnD. Also, he's in a band. One time, they rocked so hard it killed a man.