OVERALL RATING: B-TIER

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Cure Wounds 5e

In the 2014 rules, Cure Wounds was often considered a “trap” option compared to Healing Word. While it healed slightly more, the cost of using your main Action and the requirement to be in Touch range usually wasn’t worth the trade-off.

In the 2024 update, Wizards of the Coast buffed Cure Wounds to the point it’s actually decent. It now heals significantly more Hit Points and scales twice as fast as it used to. Below, I break down the new math, explain why this is now a viable combat spell, and detail the removal of specific creature restrictions.

What Does Cure Wounds Do in 5e?

Cure Wounds is a straightforward, 1st-level healing spell. It heals 2d8 (9 average) + spellcasting modifier hit points to a creature you touch, which gives it the highest heal potential of any 1st-level spell.

If you cast the spell using a spell slot of level 2 or higher, the healing increases by 2d8 for each slot level above 1.

Your spellcasting modifier depends on your class:

So, if you’re a Cleric with a +3 Wisdom modifier, Cure Wounds heals 2d8 + 3 when cast using a Level 1 spell slot (12 average).

Spell Rating: Cure Wounds

Overall: ➕ B-Tier (Decent Single-Target Healer)

Contextual Performance (1-10)

• Combat: 5/10. While Healing Word is still king for action economy (Bonus Action, ranged), Cure Wounds is still better in terms of raw throughput. Healing an ally for an average of 22 HP with a level 2 slot (assuming +4 modifier) is enough to actually keep them standing through an enemy’s Multiattack, rather than just waking them up from 0 HP.

• Exploration: 6/10. Cure Wounds is now much more viable as a healing option between fights when a Short Rest isn’t possible or a party member is out of Hit Dice.

  It is a resource tax, but once first and second level spells are no longer scarce, it’s not a heavy price to pay. There are better downtime options for group healing, like Prayer of Healing or Aura of Vitality…but only Clerics and Paladins get PoH and only Clerics, Druids, and Paladins get AoV.

• Social: 2/10. You can save a dying NPC or impress commoners with miracles, but it has no direct social application. That being said, your DM might allow you to sell healing as a service during downtime in a big enough city.

Core Metrics (1-10)

• Raw Power: 8/10. 2d8 + spellcasting modifier healing is solid for a level 1 slot. Assuming a +3 modifier, you heal an average of 12 HP. Compare this to a Potion of Healing (Common), which costs 50 GP, requires a Bonus Action to drink (or an Action to administer), and only heals an average of 7 HP.

• Versatility: 2/10. It does one thing: restores Hit Points. However, the removal of the Undead/Construct restriction does make it more versatile for different party compositions (specifically Artificers and Necromancers).

• Efficiency: 6/10. Because the dice have doubled, you get much more HP per spell slot. Using a level 1 slot to heal 12 HP is efficient; using a level 1 slot to heal 7.5 HP (the 2014 version) was not.

• Upcast Scaling: 9/10. Technically, getting +2d8 (+9 average) healing per slot level is a lot. A level 3 Cure Wounds heals 6d8 + Mod (average 31 HP, assuming +4 mod). A level 3 Mass Healing Word heals 2d4 + Mod (average 9 HP) to multiple targets. If you need to save one specific ally, it’s better to upcast Cure Wounds.

Playstyle and Synergy

• Playstyle. This is your “out of combat” top-up or your emergency stabilizer for the tank. In combat, you still have to weigh the cost of your Action and movement. If you are standing next to the Fighter, use this. If you are 30 feet away, use Healing Word.

• Party Synergy: High. Every party takes damage. This spell is now particularly synergistic with Pact of the Chain Warlocks or Wizards with familiars, as they can deliver this spell at range using their familiar’s Reaction.

How to Use Cure Wounds in 5e

Here are the optimized ways to utilize the buffed Cure Wounds:

1. The familiar delivery system. If you have the Find Familiar spell (Wizard, Warlock, Druid via Wild Companion), your familiar can use its Reaction to deliver spells with a range of Touch. You can stay safely in the backline, cast Cure Wounds, and have your Owl fly by the Fighter to deliver healing without provoking opportunity attacks.

2. The upcast stabilizer. Because the scaling is now +2d8 per level, upcasting this is viable. If the Barbarian is at 0 HP and taking a beating, a Level 2 Cure Wounds (4d8 + Mod) heals for an average of 21-23 HP. That is often enough to absorb two hits from a CR 2-3 monster, keeping the Barbarian in the fight for a whole round longer.

3. Between-combat patching. Hit Dice are valuable resources. If the party is short on Short Rests but the Cleric has spell slots remaining before a Long Rest, burning a few level 1 Cure Wounds is mathematically efficient. Healing 12 HP is roughly equivalent to a Fighter (d10+2) spending a Hit Die and getting a good roll.

4. Downtime moneymaker. The game’s rules clearly state that casting spells like Cure Wounds and Identify are commonly offered as spellcasting services (PHB 159).

   The immediate implication is that players have the option to pay for necessary spells that their party composition lacks.

   But this also opens up opportunities to sell your wound-curing services while you’re just chilling in town. The Player’s Handbook indicates that spells like this typically cost between 10 and 50 gp — not too shabby for a downtime activity!

5. Bringing someone back from the brink. If a party member is unconscious and making death saving throws, a healing spell can end all that anxiety real quick.

   Cure Wounds is one of the least effective for this purpose, because of its limited range, but it still works in a pinch.

What Are the Rules for Cure Wounds in 5e?

The rules for Cure Wounds in the 2024 Player’s Handbook are as follows:

• It works on Undead and Constructs. Unlike the 2014 version, the text no longer prohibits these creature types. You can heal your Steel Defender, your Skeleton summon, etc.

  Fun fact: In earlier editions of DnD, Cure Wounds actually dealt damage to undead creatures. That’s definitely no longer the case.

• Touch range is strict. You must be beside a target to touch them. And yes, you can touch yourself, so you can cast Cure Wounds on yourself.

• It does not reattach limbs. The spell restores Hit Points; it does not regenerate lost body parts. You need the level 7 spell Regenerate for that.

Is Cure Wounds 5e a Good Spell?

Yes, Cure Wounds is now a good spell in DnD 5e (2024), whereas it was mediocre in 2014. The math has shifted in its favor.

• The healing output. 2d8 (9 average) base healing is substantial at level 1. It is almost double the output of Healing Word (1d4, 2.5 average).

• The trade-off. You are trading your Action and movement for raw throughput. In a high-stakes situation where an ally needs significant health to survive the next turn, Cure Wounds is the superior choice. If you just need to wake someone up from 0 HP so they don’t miss a turn, Healing Word remains the tactical winner.

Cure Wounds Compared to Healing Word

If you’re a Bard, Cleric, or Druid, you’ll have the choice between Cure Wounds and Healing Word — Healing Word is the better option if you only have the budget for one prepared low-level healing spell. It has a 60-foot range, allowing you more freedom of movement in combat.

Plus, it only costs a bonus action, freeing you up to attack, cast a cantrip, or use another action.

Less importantly, Healing Word only has a verbal component, so you can use it even if your hands are bound.

The only downside to Healing Word is that it heals slightly less health. Healing Word heals for 2d4 + spellcasting modifier (average of 8 at 1st level). That’s 4 less than Cure Wounds.

Healing Word scales worse than Cure Wounds when upcasting, but that actually doesn’t matter much. The main function of low-level healing spells in the late game is saving an unconscious ally from making death saves.

Raw numbers don’t matter much for that purpose — even 1 hit point is enough to get a player back on their feet.

All that being said, if you have a long dungeon crawl ahead of you and endurance matters more than surviving a single tough fight, Cure Wounds wins out as the better downtime healing option.

Cure Wounds 5e DM Tips

The only tip a DM might need for Cure Wounds relates to players who want to buy or sell it as a spellcasting service.

If your players want to sell Cure Wounds as a spellcasting service, consider how much locals would pay. Perhaps the rich quarter of a small town would have sufficient funds and find healing spells sufficiently rare enough to pay 50 gold for it.

But country folk without much liquid wealth might instead offer up some food or a family trinket in return for the service.

If your players want to buy Cure Wounds…tell them there are better ways to restore hit points while in town (resting).

DnD 5e Cure Wounds FAQ

1. Can Cure Wounds heal undead in 2024? Yes. The 2024 Player’s Handbook removed the text stating that the spell “has no effect on undead or constructs.” It now heals any creature you touch.

   This is in contrast to 3e and other earlier editions, where cure wounds did damage to undead creatures, rather than healing them.

2. Is Cure Wounds better than Healing Word? It depends on your goal. Cure Wounds heals roughly twice as much damage (2d8 vs 1d4), making it better for keeping someone alive through hits. Healing Word is a Bonus Action and has a range of 60 feet, making it better for action economy and emergency revivals from 0 HP.

3. Can I cast Cure Wounds on myself? Yes, you are a creature you can touch. As long as you have a hand free to perform the Somatic component and touch yourself, you can heal yourself.

4. Does Cure Wounds cure bleed effects? Whether or not Cure Wounds cures bleed effects is up to your DM. There is no “bleeding” condition in DnD 5e, so any description of bleeding is purely in service of narratively describing why a character is losing Hit Points. However, most DMs will grant that a non-serious wound is “cured” by Cure Wounds for a satisfying roleplaying experience, especially if you expend a 1st-level spell slot to heal up an injured NPC.

2014 Cure Wounds (Legacy Version)

The text below covers the version of Cure Wounds found in the 2014 Player’s Handbook. I have preserved this section for players running legacy campaigns or using older modules that haven’t updated to the 2024 rule set.

If you are playing with the 2024 rules, use the guide at the top of this page.

Matt Zane

Author, DnD Lounge

Matt Zane started DnD Lounge in 2021. Matt began playing DnD 5e in 2015, and has been DMing since 2017. He loves optimization, but also enjoys looking for creative ways to use spells and abilities that follow the spirit and letter of the rules. He also eschews pure optimization in favor of a more balanced approach, where building a character is primarily about serving an interesting story arc and party dynamics rather than maxing out DPR.