When you are playing DnD 5e, there are a ton of interesting weapons to use. Some are great, some are bad, but most of them are a ton of fun.
In this article, we are taking a closer look at the strongest and most useful thrown weapons 5e Dungeons and Dragons has to offer. This ranking is based on their stats, general usefulness, and our own experience using these weapons in a campaign.
1. Javelin
The javelin is my favorite thrown weapon in 5e and probably the best one you can use as a beginner. It is a cheap simple weapon that is abundant. The damage and range are pretty good too.
It has a range of 30/120 feet and can deal 1d6 of piercing damage. Due to the fact that you can find this weapon at the starting levels, the low price, the incredible range, and how common the javelin is, it takes our top spot as the best-thrown weapon.
2. Handaxe
A less common thrown weapon is the handaxe. This weapon has a couple of very clear advantages. First, due to the small size of the weapon, you can easily take multiple with you. Second, it also has quite a lot of utility as a melee weapon.
In a pinch, you might even be able to use it to chop wood, open up a wooden door, or cut ropes. The handaxe deals a decent 1d6 of slashing damage and has an effective range of 20/60 feet.
3. Spear
While easily confused with the javelin, the spear is a whole different throwing weapon. The main advantage over the javelin is that it can be used as a melee weapon much more effectively. It can be used as both a one-handed and a two-handed weapon in melee combat.
There are also a few minor downsides to using this thrown weapon. The spear is a bit more expensive and less common. Spears have a range of 20/60 feet and can deal 1d6 piercing damage.
4. Dagger
The dagger is a classic weapon in DnD and the real world too. This finesse weapon is easy to conceal and can be used for both melee and ranged attacks. Due to the fact that it is a finesse weapon, you have to use your DEX for the attack rolls.
Due to the fact that it is a rather small weapon, it deals significantly less damage. The dagger when used as a throwing weapon deals 1d3 of piercing damage and has a range of 20/60 feet.
5. Dart
Talking about small and easy-to-conceal weapons, the dart makes it into our top 5 best thrown weapons in 5e DnD. Thanks to the fact that the dart is small and light, you can easily take a bunch with you. The range of the dart is 20/60 feet, and it deals 1d4 of piercing damage.
Interestingly enough, darts can be thrown with both hands if you have access to the two-weapon fighting style. This way, you can throw multiple attacks per turn and deal a ton of damage from afar.
6. Shuriken
If you are into using more unorthodox weapons when playing DnD, the shuriken is worth considering. While there is nothing too special about the stats, it still is a pretty useful thrown weapon to consider. The shuriken can deal 1d4 of piercing damage to the target and has a range of 20/60.
The main benefits of the weapon are that they are quite light and very easy to stack. Thanks to the fact that they do not need a huge range of motion to use them and their finesse property, you can use them as part of a sneak attack.
7. Net
If you don´t need to deal damage, then the net can be a magnificent and versatile tool. Nets are martial ranged weapons with the ability to restrain creatures.
A net has a range of 5/15 feet – which is not much – and can disable the target upon a successful hit. There are a few downsides to the net: it has a high price, is quite bulky, not very subtle to use, and has a short range.
While the net won´t be great for a sneak attack, the fact that you can disable enemies without hurting or killing them is a unique benefit giving them place 7 on our list of best 5e thrown weapons.
8. Boomerang
Another pretty exotic and uncommon weapon that is a ton of fun to use is the boomerang. This martial ranged weapon has a very impressive range of 60/120 feet but lacks the damage output. With only 1d4 bludgeoning damage, this weapon seems weak on the surface. However, it has the unique ability to be able to hit multiple enemies in one throw (one turn).
If your DM is often throwing mobs at you, the boomerang is a great weapon of choice.
9. Chakram
Number 9 is another weird thrown weapon. This martial weapon has a range of 30/120 feet and can deal a decent 1d6 of slashing damage. The chakram can be used as both a range and melee weapon thanks to the thrown property. While quite bulky, it is a fun and potent weapon to use.
10. Harpoon
The harpoon is a weapon everyone knows, but very few use it. Out of all the weapons on this list, it has the highest damage output at 1d8 of piercing damage. The range is not very bad either at 20/60 feet.
Harpoons also have the ability to be able to grapple creatures on successful hits. You can then pull these creatures closer to you to put them into melee range or stop them from escaping. You can also use the harpoon to pull objects closer to you.
11. Throwing Axe
Finishing off our list of best-thrown weapons is the throwing axe. This axe, not to be confused with the handaxe, is a range-only weapon that deals 1d6 of slashing damage. The range of 20/60 feet is pretty mediocre, but the fact that the weapon is easy to carry and deals decent damage makes up for that.
Final thoughts
There are plenty of thrown weapons to choose from if you like to attack enemies from a distance. Thanks to the Homebrew community, you will never run out of weird ammo to use in your campaign.
If you are struggling to choose the perfect thrown weapon for your character, then this list of top thrown weapons in 5e is a great starting point. While my number one is the javelin, you might find more pleasure or utility using a different weapon from the list.