Spell rating

Thunderwave 5e

Thunderwave is a powerful evocation spell in the early levels. It offers significant area of effect damage as well as battlefield control. That being said, Thunderwave comes with some drawbacks and contentious rules once you dig deeper.

We’ll cover the basics of Thunderwave, as well as ways to optimize your use of the spell. I’ll also clear up some common rule misconceptions and show some of the extra utility that Thunderwave offers.

How Does Thunderwave Work in 5e?

Thunderwave forces each creature in a 15-foot cube emanating from you to make a Constitution saving throw. If they fail, they take 2d8 (9 average) thunder damage and are pushed back 10 feet. If they pass, they take half as much damage and aren’t pushed.

Unsecured objects in the cube are automatically pushed. Finally — and this part is one you don’t want to forget on stealth missions — Thunderwave can be heard up to 300 feet away.

What Are the Rules for Thunderwave in 5e?

The rules for Thunderwave in DnD 5e are as follows:

• All creatures, including allies, must make a Constitution saving throw or take half damage and be forced 10 feet away from the spell’s point of origin.

• A cube originating from you does not mean you are the center of the cube. Rather, you are the “point of origin” for one face of the cube. Here’s more from Jeremy Crawford on Sage Advice.

  A range of self means the caster is the target, as in shield, or the point of origin, as in thunderwave (PH, 202). https://t.co/pojyAyYVoL

  — Jeremy Crawford (@JeremyECrawford) June 3, 2015

  In other words, your space is the point of origin.

• You can hit yourself with Thunderwave. You can choose to include the space you’re standing on (the point of origin) in the spell’s effect if you choose. That’s just how cube-shaped area-of-effect spells work in DnD 5e (PHB 204).

• Thunderwave is audible for 300 feet, which is bigger than most battle maps — that means far-off foes may come check things out.

Let’s look at how Thunderwave’s area of effect works with some visuals. In the illustrations below, “C” refers to the Caster, and Xs refer to squares affected by Thunderwave. This is how all cube-based, self-ranged spells work:

1. _XXX

   CXXX

   _XXX

2. CXXX

   _XXX

   _XXX

3. CXX

   XXX

   XXX

4. XXX

   CXX

   XXX

You can place C anywhere on the perimeter or just outside of the perimeter, but not at the center. Here’s Jeremy Crawford confirming this on Sage Advice.

That’s because, for cubes (and all area of effect spell shapes), “point of origin is not included in the cube’s area of effect, unless you decide otherwise” (PHB 204). When the caster (C) is part of the 3×3 square affected by Thunderwave, their square is also affected by the spell’s effect.

Does Thunderwave damage you if you use it like in example 3 or 4? Yes, it should damage any creature in the 15-foot cube, including allies and yourself. That still begs the question of how it would push the player, since there are an infinite number of ways to be “pushed 10 feet away” from yourself.

The most common-sense approach would be that the center of the 3×3 cube is where the force is the greatest, and so the caster is pushed away from that point.

At the end of the day, it’s up to DM discretion. There aren’t many situations where extending Thunderwave’s range out from the caster is a bad thing, so it shouldn’t be a problem. This point of contention mostly comes up when a player is trying to avoid damaging an ally by placing Thunderwave closer to themselves.

Can you lie prone and cast Thunderwave up to avoid the damage while still centering it on yourself? Many players on the internet seem to think so, and the 3D nature of a cube does seem to suggest this is possible. The opposite also seems possible (jumping and readying Thunderwave beforehand to give yourself a 10-foot jump boost).

5e’s developers have yet to weigh in on these issues explicitly, so it’s up to you and your table.

Spell Rating: Thunderwave

Overall: ⚡ A-Tier (Essential Crowd Control + Solid Damage)

Contextual Performance (1-10)

• Combat: 8/10. One of the best “get off me” spells in the game. When enemies swarm you in melee, Thunderwave deals 2d8 (9 average) thunder damage and shoves them 10 feet away. That forced movement is the real MVP here — it breaks grapples, pushes enemies off cliffs, creates space for kiting (without taking an opportunity attack), and disrupts enemy positioning. The 15-foot cube is awkward to aim (it’s a cube, not a cone), but once you get used to it, you can reliably hit 2-4 enemies. Thunder damage is rarely resisted, which is a nice bonus. The only downside is the Constitution save, which many melee bruisers have a decent chance of passing.
• Exploration: 3/10. Surprisingly useful. The 10-foot push works on unsecured objects, so you can clear rubble, knock over furniture, push obstacles, or trigger pressure plates from a safe distance. The thunderous boom audible within 300 feet is a double-edged sword — great for creating distractions or signaling allies, terrible for stealth. You can also use it to test for traps or knock down fragile structures. It’s not Knock, but it’s more versatile than most damage spells.
• Social: 2/10. The only social application is intimidation — nothing says “back off” like blasting someone across the room. But that’s more “assault” than “diplomacy.” The thunderous boom could be used creatively to cause a distraction during a heist or social infiltration, but that’s niche at best.

Core Metrics (1-10)

• Raw Power: 8/10. For a 1st-level spell, 2d8 damage to multiple targets is solid, and the forced movement adds significant tactical value. Pushing enemies 10 feet doesn’t sound like much, but in practice it’s game-changing. You can shove enemies into hazards, off ledges, away from downed allies, or out of melee range so your backline can reposition. The damage alone is middle-of-the-pack for 1st-level AoE spells, but the combination of damage and forced movement pushes it into top-tier territory.
• Versatility: 6/10. It does two things: deal thunder damage and push targets away. That’s more versatile than pure damage spells, but less creative than utility spells. The forced movement opens up tactical options (environmental kills, protecting allies, breaking grapples), and the object-pushing ability adds exploration utility. It’s not a Swiss Army knife, but it’s more than a one-trick pony.
• Efficiency: 7/10. As a 1st-level spell slot and an Action, it’s cheap and effective. The AoE lets you hit multiple enemies, which makes the action economy math work out beautifully. The only knock against efficiency is that you need to be in melee range to use it, which is risky for squishy casters.
• Upcast Scaling: 3/10. Gains +1d8 damage per spell level, which is decent scaling. The problem is that the forced movement doesn’t scale — it’s always 10 feet, whether you’re casting at 1st level or 9th level. By the time you’re upcasting to 3rd or 4th level, you have better AoE options like Fireball. It’s not bad scaling, but it’s not compelling enough to justify using higher-level slots unless you desperately need the forced movement.

Playstyle and Synergy

• Playstyle: Essential for Control and Utility casters who need a defensive option. It’s also fantastic for gish builds (Bladesinger, Swords Bard, Hexblade) who operate in melee and need a panic button when surrounded. If you’re a pure caster who stays at range, this spell loses value — you shouldn’t be in Thunderwave range in the first place.
• Party Synergy: High. Thunderwave enables your party by creating space. Push enemies off your Ranger so they can create distance and use their ranged attacks without disadvantage. Knock enemies into your Druid’s Spike Growth for bonus damage. The forced movement is a team player’s tool. Just be careful — the cube can hit allies if they’re in the wrong spot, so communicate your positioning before you blast.

How to Use Thunderwave in 5e

Thunderwave has ample uses in DnD 5e, both in and out of combat. Here are some fun ways to use Thunderwave to great effect:

1. Blast loads of baddies. The most obvious application of an area-of-effect damaging spell is blowing up big groups of enemies. Thunderwave does a solid average damage of 9 at level 1 to opponents who fail their save. That means you can potentially deal 81 damage in one spell cast at level 1 (although it would take a huge, densely-packed group of enemies, all with terrible Consitution modifiers).

2. Lion King style cliff tosses. If you’ve got your enemy trapped in a high space with no room to run, Thunderwave can push them off the side, potentially ending the fight really quickly (or at least giving you a big advantage). A variant of this would be blasting an enemy into a trap previously set up by yourself or an ally.

3. Pushing enemies into hazardous terrain. Thunderwave is great in conjunction with long-term damage or control effects that occupy an area, like Spike Growth, Spirit Guardians, or Web. If you can deal Thunderwave’s damage and get extra damage or control by pushing an enemy into such an area, you’ll multiply the value of your spell slot (and your allies who set those spells up will love you).

4. Causing a distraction. Thunderwave’s audible component opens up some interesting tactical options. Maybe you want to draw the hordes of undead to one room so you can Fireball them all at once. Or perhaps you’d like to trick the guards into abandoning their post.

5. Sounding an alarm. DMs won’t allow for groups to communicate if they’ve split up (unless they have Sending Stones), but Thunderwave allows you to send an audible message a long distance. This can be the signal to start the attack, to meet at the rendevous point, or to complete their part in the mission.

6. Getting attention. Whether a packed room of nobles is too busy arguing to listen, a city sleeps while danger approaches, or some other situation arises where a literal “bang” is what you need to get eyes on you, Thunderwave is wonderful for that.

7. Pushing people away. Thunderwave is good if you need to Disengage, but also really want to deal damage. Once enemies are blasted away, they can’t take opportunity attacks against you when you run away from them.

Who Can I Target With Thunderwave 5e?

Thunderwave targets a 15-foot cube emanating from the caster. On a battle map, this can be represented by 3×3 squares of 5 feet each.

As detailed above, Thunderwave is not centered on the caster, but rather emanates from them. As per the rules in the Player’s Handbook regarding area of effect spells, a caster may always choose to include the point of origin in the spell’s effect range. Since the player is the point of origin, you can include yourself in the spell’s area of effect.

Thunderwave deals damage and blasts creatures away indiscriminately; even allies must make a Constitution saving throw or take full damage and be pushed 10 feet from you.

Is Thunderwave 5e a Good Spell?

Yes, Thunderwave is inarguably a good spell. 2d8, area of effect damage affecting 15 cubic feet at first level is quite potent, even without the potential knockback effect.

The major downsides of Thunderwave are threefold:

1. It causes a loud sound that carries a very long distance, meaning it’s not suited for stealth missions in the slightest (unless used as a distraction).

2. It blasts unsecured objects away as well. This might cause unforeseen collateral damage or cause more of a ruckus than you intended.

3. You have to watch out for allies when you use Thunderwave, unless you’re an Evocation Wizard and can protect your allies with Sculpt Spells.

If you’re able to work around these problems, Thunderwave is a solid spell into the midgame, as an extra 1d8 damage per upcast level keeps it competitive.

Thunderwave 5e DM Tips

Hopefully, the rules laid out above have cleared up how Thunderwave’s cube area of effect works. That’s the biggest point of confusion around Thunderwave, especially with new players.

An intuitive reading might suggest Thunderwave is centered on the player, which actually makes the spell weaker in most scenarios. If anything, this reading of the rules should be welcome news for your players.

Other than that, be sure to have fun making players pay for failing to consider Thunderwave’s massive audible range. In some scenarios, it might make sense to rule that stone walls or rushing water muffles the sound and reduces that range. But when you want to introduce a horde of baddies to short-sighted parties, each cast of Thunderwave opens up that door.

DnD 5e Thunderwave FAQ

1. Does Thunderwave damage the caster? No, Thunderwave does not damage the caster unless they choose to include their own space in the spell’s area of effect.

2. Does Thunderwave affect allies? Yes, Thunderwave affects all creatures, including allies, within its area of effect. It deals damage and can potentially push them away.

3. Does Thunderwave end a grapple? Yes, Thunderwave can end a grapple if the grappler is pushed out of reach of the grappled creature. The forced movement from the spell can break the grapple.

2014 Thunderwave 5e