The 10 Best Weapons For Wizards in D&D 5e [Ranked]

The world of D&D lets adventurers pick and choose between various ranged and melee weapons.

However, some weapons stand out above the rest, fitting an adventurer’s background, build, flavor and simply giving more useful stats to that character.

In the case of Wizards, their backstories and playstyles mainly include staffs, wands, daggers, grimoires, crossbows, and, at times, swords.

Wizards are extremely powerful spellcasters, which is why their best weapons will affect their spellcasting, but other weaponry can also be plausible depending on what subclass is chosen.

Wizard Weapon Proficiency

• Simple weapons (daggers, darts, slings, quarterstaffs, and light crossbows)

Best Weapons for the Wizard in 5e

10. Rapier

Cost: 25 GP

Damage: 1d8 Piercing

Weight: 2 lbs

Properties: Finesse

Explanation

Bladesinger Wizards looking to optimize their build, should get a Rapier.

Its high damage die and finesse allow you to use Dexterity rather than Strength for your damage and attack rolls, so you won’t need to raise Strength.

You can’t take a shield, but that leaves your other hand open if you need to cast spells with it or hold a spellcasting focus with which you’ll cast spells.

9. Light Crossbow

Cost: 25 GP

Damage: 1d8 Piercing

Weight: 5 lbs

Properties: Ammunition, Range (80/320), Loading, Two-handed

Explanation

The Light Crossbow will do more damage than most of your Cantrips before level 5 (if you have 14 Dexterity), so you can take it if you want to deal some damage.

However, other than that, it isn’t too good, but it can leave you with more spell options (that aren’t offensive spells) early in the game.

8. Arcane Grimoire

Rarity – Uncommon (+1), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3) (requiring attunement by a Wizard)

Item Type – Wondrous item

Description

Holding this book lets you use it as a spellcasting focus for your Wizard spells, gaining a bonus to saving throw DCs and spell attack rolls of your Wizard spells. Your bonus is determined by the rarity of the book.

You may use this book as a spellbook. Using your Arcane Recovery feature lets you increase the number of spell slot levels you’ll regain by 1.

Explanation

The Arcane Grimoire is a simple item that increases the effectiveness of your Wizard spells across the board.

It even modifies your Arcane Recovery, lets you use it as a spellcasting focus, and becomes your spellbook.

7. Wand of the War Mage

Rarity – Uncommon (+1), Rare (+2), Very Rare (+3) (requiring attunement by a spellcaster)

Item Type – Wand

Description

Holding the wand lets you gain a bonus to your spell attack rolls, which are determined by the wand’s rarity.

When making a spell attack with the wand, you’ll also ignore half cover.

Explanation

Wand of the War Mage is one of the best offensive items you can get your hands on.

It’s a simple item that gives you a rarity-determined bonus to your spell’s attack rolls.

That might not seem like much, but when you don’t have unlimited resources, each hit counts more than you’d think.

6. Rakdos Riteknife

Rarity – Legendary (requiring attunement)

Item Type – Weapon (dagger)

Description

Gain a +1 bonus to damage and attack rolls with this weapon. Slaying a creature with an attack using the dagger imprisons its soul within the dagger. 

The creature can only be brought back to life by the Wish spell, and the dagger can hold a maximum of five souls.

Each soul imprisoned in the dagger makes your attacks deal an extra 1d4 Necrotic damage on hit. While the dagger is within 5 feet of you, your dreams will be haunted by whispers from the souls you’ve trapped.

Siphon Vitality – Using a bonus action lets you release any number of stored souls from the dagger to regain 1d10 HP per released soul.

Annihilation – This property can be used if the dagger holds five souls.

Using a reaction immediately after hitting and damaging a creature, you may release the 5 souls.

If the target has fewer than 75 HP afterward, it must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution save or die. If it dies, you can’t use this property again until you’ve finished a long rest.

Explanation

Wizards can easily be turned to the dark side with the promise of knowledge, and with the power Rakdos Riteknife holds, a Wizard can easily be tricked into using it by a demon.

Its ability to steal souls to increase damage and heal enormous amounts of HP is fantastic, but it all comes at a cost.

Not only will you have bad dreams at night, but there is a chance that you’ll eventually give in to its overwhelming evil and turn to the darkness.

5. Rod of Absorption

Rarity – Very Rare (requiring attunement)

Item Type – Rod

Description

Holding the rod lets you use your reaction to absorb a non-AoE spell targeting you. The spell’s effect is canceled, and its energy (not the spell itself) is stored in the rod at the same level as the spell when it was cast.

The rod can store and absorb up to 50 levels of energy throughout its existence. Once 50 levels are absorbed, it can’t absorb more. Being targeted by a spell the rod can’t store means the rod has no effect on that spell.

Becoming attuned to the rod shows you how many levels of energy the rod has absorbed and how many levels of energy it currently has.

Spellcasters holding the rod can convert its energy into spell slots to prepared or known spells. You can only create spell slots at a level equal to or lower than your own spell slots up to 5th level. 

You will use the stored levels in place of your slots, otherwise, the spell is cast as normal. Example: 3 levels in the rod can be used as a 3rd-level spell slot.

A newly found rod has 1d10 levels of energy stored in it already. A rod that can no longer absorb spell energy and has no energy remaining will become nonmagical.

Explanation

The Rod of Absorption is perfect for Wizards who have an abundance of spells but can’t always choose what to prepare and what not to.

Whether you want extra damage, more defense, or fantastic control spells, the Rod of Absorption allows you to cast them all.

4. Blackstaff

Rarity – Legendary (requiring attunement by the Blackstaff hair, who has to be a Wizard)

Item Type – Staff

Description

The Blackstaff exists as a sentient staff covered with carved runes and thin silver veins. It is a symbol of the office for the Blackstaff, who is the highest-ranking Wizard in Waterdeep.

The rightful owner of the Blackstaff, Vajra Safahr, is the only one who can attune to the staff, but the staff can choose a new owner.

The Blackstaff has all the magical properties of a Staff of Power, as well as some others: Animate Walking Statues, Dispel Magic, Drain Magic, Master of Enchantment, Sentience, Personality, and Spirit Trap.

Explanation

If the Blackstaff didn’t have many attributes linked to Waterdeep, it could easily battle with the Staff of the Magi for first place.

Not only does it hold all the magic of a Staff of Power, but it has various other properties like gaining a +2 bonus to damage and attack rolls, as well as being able to drain a creature’s magic after being hit with the staff.

Its incredible array of spells and features make it one of the best staffs a Wizard can get their hands on, even if it means traveling to Waterdeep to get it!

Note: If you desperately want the Blackstaff and you’re not playing a Campaign that features Waterdeep, they can still add the item to the game but with certain properties modified or removed.

3. Dragon-touched Focus

Rarity – Rarity varies

Item Type – Wondrous item

Description

The Dragon-Touched Focus can be a crystal, amulet, orb, scepter, or any other finely crafted object. 

Slumbering (Uncommon) – Gain advantage on initiative rolls, and while holding the focus, it can function as a spellcasting focus for your other spells.

Stirring (Rare) – The Stirring focus has the Slumbering focus’ property, as well as a property determined by the family of the dragon in whose hoard it became Stirring.

Chromatic – Using a spell slot to cast a spell dealing Poison, Lightning, Fire, Cold, or Acid damage lets you roll a d6, gaining a bonus equal to the number rolled for one of the spell’s damage rolls.

Gem – Using a spell slot to cast a spell lets you immediately teleport to a visible, unoccupied space within 15 feet of you.

Metallic – When a visible creature within 30 feet of you makes a saving throw, you may use a reaction to give that creature advantage on the save.

Wakaned (Very Rare) – The Wakened focus has the Stirring and Slumbering properties, as well as using it to cast certain spells. Casting a spell means that spell cannot be cast again until the next dawn, and the spells are determined by the family of the dragon whose hoard it became Wakaned.

Chromatic – Hold Monster, Rime’s Binding Ice

Gem – Rary’s Telepathic Bond, Raulothim’s Psychic Lance

Metallic – Fizban’s Platinum Shield, Legend Lore

Ascendant (Legendary) – The Ascendant focus has the Wakened, Stirring, and Slumbering properties. It also lets you treat any 1st-level spell or higher as if you were using a 9th-level spell slot. This property can only be used once and cannot be used again until the next break of dawn.

Explanation

The Dragon-Touched Focus is a powerful item imbued with power accumulated from sitting in a dragon’s hoard.

It can easily be picked up when a party enters a powerful dragon’s lair or if a DM grants players magic items while they create their characters.

This item, at its best, is extremely rare but worth every difficulty gone through to obtain it.

2. Tome of the Stilled Tongue

Rarity – Legendary (requiring attunement by a Wizard)

Item Type – Wondrous item

Description

Five of these books exist, but which one is the original is unknown.

If you’re able to attune to this item, it can be used as an arcane focus and a spellbook. 

Holding the tome lets you use a bonus action to cast a spell you’ve written in the tome without expending a spell slot or using Somatic or Verbal components. This property cannot be used again until the next break of dawn.

While you’re attuned to the book, removing the tongue from the book’s cover permanently erases all spells from the book.

Vecna will watch anyone who uses this tome, writing cryptic messages in the book. These messages will appear at midnight but will fade away after they’ve been read.

Explanation

The Tome of the Stilled Tongue makes spellcasting much easier for Wizards, but it does come with an unpleasantly dark past.

It allows you to cast spells from the tome using bonus actions. However, you will constantly feel the gaze of one of D&D’s most infamous villains.

Not only is this tome a powerful dark item, but it also allows the DM to expand on a Wizard’s darker side as they are influenced by the Undying King, Vecna!

1. Staff of the Magi

Rarity – Legendary (requiring attunement by a Wizard, Warlock, or Sorcerer)

Item Type – Staff

Description

This staff may be wielded as a magic quarterstaff, granting a +2 bonus to damage and attack rolls. Wielding it also gives you +2 spell attack rolls.

It has 50 charges, regaining 4d6 + 2 expended charges each day at dawn. Expending the last charge forces you to roll a d20. Rolling a 20 lets the staff regain 1d12 + 1 charges.

Spell Absorption – Holding the staff gives you advantage on saving throws against spells. You can also use your reaction when a creature casts a spell only targeting you.

Doing this makes the staff absorb the magic of the spell, canceling the effects and gaining charges equal to the spell’s level. But, if this brings the staff’s total charges above 50, the staff explodes, activating Retributive Strike.

Spells – Holding the staff lets you expend some of its charges to cast certain spells: 

Flaming Sphere (2 charges), Invisibility (2 charges), Knock (2 charges), Web (2 charges), Dispel Magic (3 charges), Ice Storm (4 charges), Wall of Fire (4 charges), Passwall (5 charges), Telekinesis (5 charges), Conjure Elemental (7 charges), Fireball (7th-level version, 7 charges), Lightning Bolt (7th-level version, 7 charges), Plane Shift (7 charges).

Certain spells can also be cast without any charges, only using an action:

Protection from Evil and Good, Mage Hand, Light, Enlarge/Reduce, Detect Magic and Arcane Lock.

Retributive Strike – Use an action to break the staff against a solid surface or on your knee to perform a Retributive Strike. This destroys the staff, releases its remaining magic, and explodes to fill a 30-foot radius centered on it.

There is a 50% chance to instantly travel to a random plane of existence, avoiding its explosion. Failing to avoid the effect means you will take Force damage that’s equal to 16 X the number of charges in the staff.

Creatures in the area must make a DC 17 Dexterity save. Failing means the creature takes damage depending on how far away they are from the point of origin. Succeeding in the save means the creature takes only half the damage.

Explanation

The Staff of the Magi is one of the most powerful magical staffs out there, and its power turns an ordinary spellcaster into a near god.

It not only leaves its use with an excessive amount of free spells but it can also be used as a magical Quarterstaff to inflict damage on enemies who get too close.

You can even absorb spells and turn them into charges to continue blasting spells without care!

Final Thoughts

For the most part, each class in D&D has its most used or beloved weapon that is both iconic and functional.

Though some of these weapons might not be the best D&D weapon overall, they remain the best option for that character at the moment.

A good example would be the choice between a staff and a grimoire, as both give you various advantages, but staffs directly improve the power of your spells, while grimoires give you access to more spells.

In the end, whether you decide to take a conventional or unconventional weapon, as long as you like it and it fits your playstyle, you should roll with it!