[Top 5] D&D Best Elementals To Summon

Updated:

15 Mar 2022

With thunderous applause, crackling lightning splits the sky in half, tearing through the darkness in the shape of a four-armed storm.

Ash and embers are all that’s left in the wake of a flaming vortex rampaging through the countryside to avenge the destruction of a centuries-old cairn.

Intelligent yet primal, elementals are the purest form of the natural powers that make up the world, brought to life by forces beyond mortal comprehension.

Elementals embody the ferocity and nature of air, earth, fire, water, and more exotic forms of natural expression, inhabiting long-dormant volcanoes and frozen wastelands.

Elementals in Play.

5th edition Dungeons & Dragons, elementals are commonly found as powerful guardians to ancient sites, noble protectors of a druidic grove, or avatars of raw chaos that sow destruction on their paths.

This adversarial nature makes it natural to want to learn more about them, enticing adventurers to unearth deep lore until they figure out how to turn the tables…by binding them to their will.

Summoning and binding elementals are no easy task, for it requires a great deal of magical power to contain the raw elemental force that they are made out of, but it’s not impossible, and if you master it, you can bring a powerful ally into the field of battle.

Currently, the surefire way to summon an elemental to your side is through the Summon Elemental spell from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and the Conjure Elemental spell from the Player’s Handbook.

Other lower-tier spells exist, but we’re going to be focusing on bringing in the most powerful elemental allies we can find.

5. Elemental Spirit.

The corporeal manifestation of an elemental figment, this powerful ally can be brought forth by casting the Summon Elemental Spell.

While not as powerful as those brought forth by the Conjure Elemental spell, the elemental spirit does not go berserk if you lose concentration, you can summon it as an action and can do so with a 4th level spell slot instead of a 5th level one.

What the Elemental Spirit Excels In.

Team Tactics: The Elemental Spirit shares your initiative, taking its turn immediately after you. This means you can have greater control over its positioning, always counting as an ally to your party.
Versatility: Unlike conjured elementals, the Elemental Spirit’s power grows as you increase the level of the Spell Slot used to summon it, rivaling the power of others if you so wish it.
Reliable: Another point in favor is the fact that there is no chance of the Elemental Spirit turning rogue if your concentration breaks.

Elemental Spirit details: http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:summon-elemental

4. Earth Elemental.

Strong, stoic, and more than sturdy enough, this large pile of animated rock will let your party’s tank rest as it strolls through the battlefield with 126 Hit Points and enough resistances to back it up.

With a whopping +8 to hit and 2d8+5 points of damage, this conjured elemental can easily turn the tide of battle as it’s also resistant to non-magical physical damage.

What the Earth Elemental Excels in.

Siege! As a giant clump of hurt, the Earth Elemental has the Siege Monster feature. This means it deals double damage to structures, perfect for destroying enemies who hide behind paltry castles.
Durable: With 126 Hit Points and resistance to non-magical physical damage, the Earth Elemental will soak up a lot of damage.
High Armor Class: An armor class of 17 is nothing to scoff at as it places the Earth Elemental as the hardest to hit on this list.

Earth Elemental details: https://5thsrd.org/gamemaster_rules/monsters/earth_elemental/

3. Water Elemental.

A river’s worth of fury can be conjured to your aid in the form of a Water Elemental.

These aquatic powerhouses are dangerous and slippery foes. Thanks to their liquid anatomy they can pass through the tiniest openings, deliver devastating attacks and cover insane distances underwater.

What the Water Elemental Excels in.

Crowd Control: With their Whelm ability, these bad boys can grapple large or smaller foes, depriving them the ability to breathe unless they can do so underwater and automatically damage them at the start of its turn, becoming efficient at locking down foes.
Speedy Delivery: Water Elementals can pass through spaces as tiny as 1-inch-wide without squeezing, perfect for chasing down escaping foes or grabbing McGuffins before the bad guys do.

Water Elemental details: https://5thsrd.org/gamemaster_rules/monsters/water_elemental/

2. Fire Elemental.

Bringing in this roaming pillar of flame can prove to be advantageous in every non-aquatic scenario.

With a speed of 50 feet, the Fire Elemental moving barbecue as simply by moving through an enemy’s space it can damage them.

Highly mobile and difficult to pin down, Fire Elementals are a great choice against enemies who like to grapple and get close and personal.

What the Fire Elemental Excels in.

Can’t Touch this: Fire elementals can’t be grappled, restrained, or detained conventionally, throw their three-dimensional mobility and you have the perfect ally to deal with several foes at a time.
Porcupine: Anyone who dares touch or strikes a Fire Elemental in melee suffers fiery payback, making it so foes who wish to whittle down your conjured allies weaken themselves before getting to you.

Fire Elemental details: https://5thsrd.org/gamemaster_rules/monsters/fire_elemental/

1. Invisible Stalker.

So good that you need to up-cast Conjure Elemental with a 6th level spell slots, these translucent creatures are the perfect hounds and assassins to take care of foes.

More than just a name, these elementals are permanently invisible, what this means is that anything without a means to circumvent that, is essentially blind against them!

Not only that, they can fly and have a quarry selected by the summoner. Now they know its exact location as long as it’s on the same plane of existence. Take that sneaky one!

What the Invisible Stalker Excels in.

Covert operations: Scouting ahead, listening in on conversations, and much more, the Invisible Stalker is perfect for the subtler approach when tackling obstacles, and it can be a great asset for anyone in need of one.
Assassination: Since they are invisible, most foes will have disadvantage on attacks against them while your elemental will enjoy advantage. See your foes suffer at the hands of an unseen killer.

Invisible Stalker details: https://5thsrd.org/gamemaster_rules/monsters/invisible_stalker/