Best Utility Cantrips in DnD 5e, Ranked
While any character can gain some extra utility with items or feats, cantrips are a great way to solve a lot of problems without costing any spell points. All full caster classes (Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard) get cantrips at level 1 and can gain more as they level up. Multiclassing into one of these classes is a great way to gain some additional cantrips. Some class features, like the Warlock’s Pact of the Tome, grant additional cantrips as well.
For half-casters or non-casters, picking the Magic Initiate feat will give you 2 cantrips from another class’s spell list, which can be useful for picking up a few staple options. Other features, like the Ranger’s Druidic Warrior or the Paladin’s Blessed Warrior fighting styles, can give some cantrips as well.
Whether you’re a spellcaster looking for useful spells to solve problems or you’re a non-caster looking to pick up a few additional tools, the cantrips on this list can solve a lot of problems that players face commonly.
15. Control Flames
Control Flames is available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It’s a cool concept, but most of the useful things it can do can also be done with other cantrips that have other uses. The biggest unique use for this is clearing fire out of the way if your party needs to get through a blaze, but that doesn’t come up often—at least, not without some other ways out. You can cause a fire to grow faster, but unless you’re running an arson campaign, probably not likely to come up either.
Control Flames can be useful for lighting or extinguishing campfires or torches, but there are 3 very useful cantrips further down this list that do that and much more. This is the only option on the list I’d advise against taking, unless you really want to blaze your trail through fires.
14. Mending
Mending is widely available as a cantrip, being open to the Artificer, Bard, Cleric, Druid, Sorcerer, and Wizard classes. This isn’t a bad cantrip by any means, it’s just that most of its uses are in roleplay without offering a hard mechanical benefit. If someone rips their clothing, instantly repairing it for them can be a fun roleplay moment, but it’s not going to win a battle for you.
Mending is flavorful, and if it sounds fun to you, you’ll probably find some uses for it. Just don’t expect it to give you a numerical advantage in many situations.
13. Create Bonfire
Create Bonfire is pretty widely available to the Artificer, Druid, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. It can be useful for starting bonfires (of course), but also functions as a decent low-level area control spell. If you block an exit with a bonfire, characters will have to think twice about jumping through the flames to escape. Higher-level foes probably won’t mind it, so this can be more useful when controlling crowds of non-combatants.
While limited in use, Create Bonfire is notably one of the only cantrips available for keeping people out of a certain area, and it gains some points for that.
12. Gust
Gust is available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. It has some use as a battlefield control spell, being able to push weaker opponents back, and that can be useful if the battlefield has area hazards like a lava pit or a Cleric’s Spirit Guardians spell. Where this cantrip shines as a utility spell, though, is in its ability to push around small objects. It’s amazing how many small problems can be solved by pushing or knocking over something small.
11. Mold Earth
Mold Earth is available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. This spell is basically a giant shovel—it’s used to move big clumps of dirt around. Yes, you can use an actual shovel, but the Mold Earth spell will be much quicker.
Need a quick camping spot where you won’t be spotted by enemies? How about something to hide behind in a battle against some ranged attackers? Spend a few minutes digging out a hole. This cantrip can also be used as a minor area control spell. It’s hard to get into that temple when there’s a 5-foot cube of dirt in front of it. It won’t do any damage like Create Bonfire, but it also won’t burn down any buildings.
10. Acid Splash
Acid Splash is available to Artificers, Sorcerers, and Wizards. This can be used as a damage cantrip that can hit 2 foes who are next to each other, but it’s also useful for utility purposes. Lots of things can be burned through—small locks, ropes, planks of wood, and much more. If you start thinking about things that acid can burn through, there are a ton of uses for this.
9. Dancing Lights
Dancing Lights is available to the Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, and Wizard classes. It’s often regarded as a poor choice, but it does have some useful applications.
The most immediate problem this solves is that of darkness. Even for characters with darkvision, total darkness means your Perception checks are made with disadvantage. But other cantrips solve this problem better and don’t require your concentration—a vital consideration for spellcasters.
Where this cantrip shines is lighting up areas of the battlefield while leaving you and your allies shrouded in darkness. If you’re in darkness and your foes don’t have darkvision, this means that they can’t see you, so they have disadvantage to hit you and you have advantage to hit them.
As mentioned, concentration is a hot commodity for spellcasters and there are honestly many better options than this for most casters. So the best characters to take this are non-casters who don’t have a lot of other uses for their concentration. A Fighter archer who takes the Magic Initiate feat to get this cantrip can find it extremely useful, even while a Bard or Wizard might not.
8. Minor Illusion
Minor Illusion is available to the Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. The illusions it creates are admittedly quite limited, producing only visuals (so no sound or temperature sensations), and only last for a minute. Throwing up a false wall during a chase is a big gamble because if the opponents stick around for more than 1 minute, your illusion is going to fall and leave you vulnerable again.
This cantrip is probably most useful when you haven’t been noticed yet. If a guard is patrolling an area, a 1-minute illusionary crate or barrel to hide behind will probably be plenty of time for an unaware guard to walk by.
Past that, using this is a calculated risk. 1 minute and visuals only might be enough to accomplish your trick, but make sure your mark doesn’t have reason to investigate closer or stick around, otherwise you could be in trouble.
This spell is pretty much mandatory for trickster characters, but less tricky casters might not need it, depending on how their party solves problems.
7. Message
The Message cantrip is available to the Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, and Wizard classes. A key difference between this and similar leveled spells is that you have to whisper for your Message to be heard. The target can reply once, also by whispering. If you’re being watched, you may be discovered using this spell. But for most applications, Message is a great option for solving a common problem.
6. Produce Flame
Produce Flame is a Druid exclusive. Even for characters with darkvision, having a source of light available is extremely useful, and this is basically a torch that you can light or extinguish at will. The fact that this doubles as an attack spell makes this even better. You can also use it to ignite something from a distance, making it useful for setting traps. The only real downside to this spell is that it takes a free hand to carry the flame, which you may or may not have. Aside from that, though, this spell is fantastic and solves a lot of problems.
5. Shape Water
Shape Water is available to Druids, Sorcerers, and Wizards. Water is abundant, and being able to manipulate it is useful.
People often talk about using Shape Water to open locks by pouring water into a lock and then freezing it. Water expands when it freezes, so it will break the inside of a lock. (I saw this on an episode of Macgyver.) Beware that it’s up to the DM whether this will work or not—and if it doesn’t work, you might be stuck with a broken lock that now can’t be picked. A great way to use this with locks is freezing water over and inside the lock so that other people can’t open it with a key or lockpicks, slowing them down considerably.
This cantrip allows you to freeze water in a 5-foot cube, which can be extremely potent. Freeze a 5-foot cube of water, then drop it on someone. Fill a small area with water, then when someone runs through it, freeze the water, trapping their feet. You might even be able to freeze water into a sharp point, allowing for a single-use dagger.
A generous DM might also let you control substances with a lot of water in them, like vinegar or beer. With this allowance in place, there are some additional uses. Force vinegar up someone’s nose as an interrogation technique. Manipulate some beer to help your Barbarian win a drinking contest. DMs are likely to deny anything like this that makes a real difference in battle (like forcing poison into someone’s mouth), but this does allow for some creativity.
If you’re interested in more detail on this spell, RPGBot has a write-up on practical uses of Shape Water.
4. Light
Having portable light is pretty much mandatory. Yes, you can use torches or lanterns, but this spell might be the most convenient way to get portable light. Cast Light on someone’s weapon or belt buckle, and now they can see in the darkness while having their hands free. Cast Light on a small object and throw it into a dark room to see what’s in there. You can even make a flashlight by casting Light on a small object and putting it inside a scroll case, enabling you to shut the light off if you don’t want to be seen.
You might be asking why this cantrip has a saving throw. It’s because you can forcibly cast light on an enemy. If a room is completely dark, having light on your enemy but not on you can offer a strategic advantage, especially if your enemy does not have darkvision.
3. Druidcraft/Prestidigitation/Thaumaturgy
There’s a hot debate as to which of these is the most useful. These are similar enough to talk about together, but each of them is slightly different and can be useful in different situations. It might not matter, though, because no class has access to all 3—the choice of which to use is often made by your choice of class.
Prestidigitation is probably the most straightforward of the 3 and is available to the Artificer, Bard, Sorcerer, Warlock, and Wizard classes. If you can think of a small magical effect, chances are it can be accomplished with Prestidigitation. It can notably light or extinguish flames within range, which has a myriad of uses. It has a few niche uses, like flavoring food or drink, cleaning clothing, or even soiling someone else’s pants. Prestidigitation has the widest application of the 3 and can be used on things up to 10 feet away, making it useful for trickster characters, but also broadly useful by just about anyone.
Druidcraft is a Druid exclusive that’s more limited in use but has a few perks. It can also be used to light or extinguish flames, but unlike Prestidigitation, it has a 30-foot range, which means that Druidcraft can be used more effectively in battle. Throw some oil down on the ground and place a torch in the middle—you can ignite it from 30 feet away. If you’re trying to ambush an enemy party, you can extinguish their campfire or torches, making it harder for them to spot you. Druidcraft also has a unique ability to predict the weather, which may or may not be useful in your game depending on how much you’re using weather effects.
Thaumaturgy is a Cleric exclusive and probably has the most limited usage of the 3 spells, but has some great applications for social encounters. You notably cannot light or extinguish flames with this. If you’re trying to make a dramatic first impression or get a message out to a crowd, Thaumaturgy is great for that.
The only time you need to think about which one of these to choose is when you’re picking the Magic Initiate feat and getting some cantrips that way. There are some differences, but I can’t imagine the differences would be great enough to base your entire build around. If you have a spare slot, though, having one of these cantrips is almost always useful.
If you’re curious about how these spells can be used in practical ways, RPGBot has a write-up on how to use them.
2. Mage Hand
Mage Hand is pretty widely available to Artificers, Bards, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. There are a lot of situations where you either can’t reach something or don’t want to stick your hand in something. Mage Hand can be useful for picking up the keys to your jail cell, holding a bucket above a door, checking for traps, or doing something like pulling two levers at the same time.
Some feats or classes allow you to make your Mage Hand invisible: the Telekinetic feat, and the Arcane Trickster subclass for Rogue. Having an invisible Mage Hand is extremely useful and allows for some creative applications.
1. Guidance
Guidance, available to Artificers, Clerics, and Druids, is a versatile support option that remains useful at all levels of play. It’s basically a free boost to just about any skill check. Casters who have Guidance should be casting it all the time—failing a check by a few points when you could have succeeded with a cantrip is a pretty lousy feeling.
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.