The best level 1 wizard spells give you more than another way to deal damage. For a balanced starting spellbook, I would choose Shield, Find Familiar, Mage Armor, Detect Magic, Magic Missile and Sleep. That mix covers defense, scouting, investigation, reliable damage and crowd control. The order below is an editorial priority list for a general adventuring campaign; a cliffside expedition or an intrigue game can change it.
Rules scope: the main recommendations use the 2014 D&D 5e rules. Separate notes explain important changes in the revised 2024 rules. All ten choices appear in the official wizard spell lists; this shortlist leaves out optional supplements and setting-specific spells. Confirm which rules your table uses before copying a spell onto your character sheet. The 2014 wizard rules and revised wizard rules are available online.
Know the difference between your book, preparations and slots
A single-class first-level wizard starts with six first-level spells in a spellbook, three cantrips and two first-level spell slots in either rules version. Those six spells are your options, not six casts per day. In 2014, you prepare your wizard level plus your Intelligence modifier, with a minimum of one spell. In the revised rules, a first-level wizard prepares four. Casting a prepared spell does not erase it from the prepared list.
Rituals make your spellbook especially useful. A wizard can ritual-cast an eligible spell from the book without preparing it, spending ten extra minutes instead of a spell slot. The revised Ritual Adept feature explicitly requires reading from the book. Ritual casting still needs the spell’s components, so Find Familiar’s consumed materials remain a real cost. See the 2014 spellcasting rules and revised spellcasting rules.
10 first-level wizard spells worth considering
1. Shield: the strongest default defensive preparation
Choose Shield when surviving an attack matters more than saving the slot. Its reaction raises your AC by five until your next turn starts, including against the triggering attack, and blocks Magic Missile damage. It needs no concentration. The limitation is the resource tradeoff: at first level, one use spends half your starting slots. It also does not solve attacks that still beat your improved AC or damage resolved through a saving throw. The revised Shield keeps those core benefits.
2. Find Familiar: a spellbook investment that lasts beyond one encounter
Choose Find Familiar for scouting and an extra perspective during exploration. The familiar cannot attack, and sending it into danger can mean losing it and paying to summon it again. Casting normally takes an hour; ritual casting adds ten minutes. The 2014 version consumes 10 gp of specified materials. The revised version uses incense worth at least 10 gp and changes sharing its senses from an action to a bonus action. Check the exact version before planning your turn around it.
3. Mage Armor: useful when your existing defenses are weak
Mage Armor gives an unarmored willing creature a base AC of 13 plus its Dexterity modifier for eight hours, without concentration. For example, Dexterity 14 produces AC 15. That makes it a practical preparation for a wizard expecting a dangerous day. It replaces the base calculation; it is not a flat bonus added to every other armor formula. Compare it with the defense your character already has before spending a slot. The revised spell retains this calculation and duration.
4. Detect Magic: a useful investigation ritual
Detect Magic helps you decide what deserves closer investigation. It detects nearby magic within 30 feet and uses concentration for up to ten minutes. That does not reveal every property of an item or automatically solve a magical trap. Casting it as a ritual is attractive when the party has time; preparing it lets you act sooner. Barriers matter: the 2014 version is blocked by three feet of wood or dirt, while the revised version uses one foot for those materials.
5. Magic Missile: straightforward damage when an attack roll is a gamble
Magic Missile creates three darts at its lowest level, each dealing 1d4 + 1 force damage to a visible creature in range. It asks for neither an attack roll nor a saving throw, and you can split the darts between targets. I would choose it for a simple finishing option rather than build an entire spellbook around damage. Shield is an explicit counter, so automatic hits do not mean unavoidable damage. The revised spell retains the three-dart starting effect.
6. Sleep: excellent early control in 2014, a different decision in 2024
The 2014 Sleep uses a 5d8 hit-point pool and affects creatures starting with the lowest current hit points. It requires no saving throw or concentration. That makes it a strong early choice against groups of weakened or low-hit-point enemies. Placement is crucial because allies can be caught in the area too. Damage wakes a sleeper, and undead or creatures immune to being charmed are unaffected. As enemy hit points rise, the spell becomes less dependable.
Revised-rules difference: 2024 Sleep abandons the hit-point pool. Chosen creatures in a small area make Wisdom saves; an initial failure incapacitates them, and a second failure at the end of their next turn makes them unconscious. It now uses concentration. Creatures that do not sleep, or that are immune to exhaustion, automatically succeed. Treat it as save-based control, not a guaranteed way to remove weak enemies. Its place in your preparations depends on the opposition and your other concentration options.
7. Grease: control without reserving your concentration
Grease turns a ten-foot square into difficult terrain for a minute and can knock creatures prone through Dexterity saves. It does not require concentration, leaving that resource available for another spell. Choose it for a chokepoint your party can avoid; careless placement creates a problem for allies as well. The revised text explicitly calls the grease nonflammable. The 2014 description provides no rule for igniting it, so do not count on extra fire damage.
8. Feather Fall: prepare it when the route makes falling plausible
Feather Fall is a reaction that can slow up to five falling creatures within 60 feet. Landing before its one-minute duration ends prevents falling damage. It is a strong situational preparation for towers, cliffs or airborne travel, but it cannot help you if it is merely written in your book and unavailable when the fall starts. It also competes with Shield for your reaction. The revised reaction trigger specifies seeing the falling creature.
9. Silent Image: flexible when your group enjoys creative solutions
Silent Image creates a visual illusion fitting inside a 15-foot cube and lasts up to ten minutes with concentration. It can support distractions or concealment plans, but it supplies no sound, smell or physical barrier. Touching it reveals the trick, and examination can expose it. Discuss what you intend with the DM instead of assuming an illusory wall will stop every opponent. The revised version keeps those important limits.
10. Comprehend Languages: a strong ritual for text-heavy adventures
Choose Comprehend Languages when unfamiliar speech or inscriptions regularly block progress. Its hour-long duration and ritual tag make it convenient for patient investigation. It supplies literal understanding rather than the ability to speak a language, decode a cipher or interpret every magical symbol. Written words also require contact with their surface. The revised text explicitly includes understanding signed language, a useful distinction when choosing the right version.
A practical first spellbook and preparation plan
My general-purpose six are Shield, Mage Armor, Magic Missile, Sleep, Find Familiar and Detect Magic. For a 2014 first-level wizard with Intelligence 16, prepare the first four and use the last two as rituals when time permits. A revised first-level wizard also has four preparations, so the same arrangement works, using the revised spells. This is a starting template, not the official quick-build list. If you cannot afford Find Familiar’s materials yet, its value is delayed; an immediately usable exploration spell may suit your first session better.
Adapt the book to the campaign before play. For a route full of dangerous drops, I would replace Magic Missile with Feather Fall. For an intrigue campaign, I would consider Silent Image instead of one combat option. For ancient ruins and unfamiliar documents, Comprehend Languages becomes a higher priority. At second level, the wizard’s two additional spellbook choices are a chance to add the gaps you actually noticed, rather than collect more versions of the same attack.
Before an encounter, mark which spells use concentration. You cannot maintain two concentration spells at once. Detect Magic and Silent Image compete for it; revised Sleep does too. Shield, Mage Armor and Grease leave it available. Choose your control spell, then think about which non-concentration options support that plan. In the 2014 rules, damage can also force a saving throw to keep concentration, another reason positioning and defense matter.
Common questions
Are cantrips included in these ten choices?
No. Cantrips are level-zero spells and use a separate selection. They do not spend spell slots, so a damaging cantrip can handle routine attacks while your first-level slots stay available for spells that change the situation.
Should every wizard pick exactly the same six?
No. The useful question is what your party cannot already do. A short dungeon crawl, a wilderness trek and a social mystery reward different tools. Start with a defensive plan, an encounter-changing option and something useful outside combat, then adjust for the campaign and the rules version.
Do I need to buy spell cards or accessories?
No accessory is needed to use this shortlist. Read the linked official spell descriptions and record the version your table uses. If you already have printed cards, check them against that version, especially for Sleep, Find Familiar and Detect Magic.
