Dungeons & Dragons have released the 2025 edition of their Monster Manual, which contains a menagerie of the deadliest creatures a party could encounter. From horrific monstrosities to cunning devils, the 2025 Monster Manual sees returning favorites come back with new abilities alongside brand-new monsters to face. The strongest stat blocks in this book are only for the strongest heroes who can take down the greatest threats to the world.
Every monster in Dungeons & Dragons has a Challenge Rating (CR) tied to their stat block. This determines a recommended level at which your party of at least four characters should be before taking on a monster. However, some monsters are so strong that they have a CR higher than 20, the highest player character level. These are the apex creatures who can shake worlds by their mere presence alone.
10
Arch-Hag (CR 21)
Leaders Of Powerful Covens
One of the strongest new creatures in the 2025 Monster Manual is the Arch-Hag, the wicked leader of hag covens. These monsters are the apex of hags, wielding multiple powerful spells when fighting alongside at least two hag allies. Hags are already hard enough to kill permanently, but the Arch-Hag makes this task even more difficult with certain spells at its disposal, including:
- At-Will: Detect Thoughts, Dimension Door, Dispel Magic, Hypnotic Pattern
- 2/Day: Mass Suggestion, Modify Memory, Plane Shift
- Once Per Long Rest: Augury, Find Familiar, Unseen Servant, Locate Object, Scrying, Identify
Furthermore, an Arch-Hag can use the Spiteful Escape ability to flee to a demiplane instead of dying in battle. While it can’t return to the plane it was defeated on for 2d6 days, anyone within 60ft of its Escape becomes cursed during that time. While a creature is cursed this way, they have disadvantage on Ability Checks and Saving Throws while the Arch-Hag knows its location anywhere in the multiverse to plot its revenge.
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Any cursed creature that tries to fight the Arch-Hag again also takes lightning damage if they get within 60ft of it, courtesy of the hag’s Witch Strike ability. The Arch-Hag can also use its Reaction to cast Counterspell against a spell, then cause whoever they counter to twist their tongue and speak the opposite of what they intend. This trickery is what makes the Arch-Hag so powerful, as it can shut down players with malicious magic.
9
Lich (CR 21)
The Deadliest Undead Makes Their Return
The Lich makes its return in the 2025 Monster Manual as the strongest undead in the game once again. This creature is a wizard who sacrificed their soul for eternal life, mastering dark magic, and necromancy to summon armies of zombies, skeletons, shadows, and more to their side. Like the Arch-Hag, Liches are equipped with powerful magic, including:
- At-Will: Detect Magic, Detect Thoughts, Dispel Magic, Fireball (Lvl 5), Invisibility, Lightning Bolt (Lvl 5), Mage Hand, Prestidigitation
- 2/Day: Animate Dead, Dimension Door, Plane Shift
- 1/Day: Chain Lightning, Power Word Kill, Finger of Death, Scrying
Spells like Power Word Kill and Finger of Death can instantly kill players, while other magic the Lich wields can lead to constant devastation toward an enemy party. The Lich can use a Paralyzing Touch to freeze targets in place, setting up critical hits for their undead allies. Through Legendary Actions, the Lich can teleport, create AoEs of Necrotic damage, and frighten targets to make fights against it seem impossible.
Liches are expert spellcasters, using Protective Magic to instantly counterspell or Shield against enemy magic. Even if you destroy a Lich, it reforms in its Spirit Jar after 1d10 days with all its Hit Points as it lingers in its undeath. The persistence and overwhelming undead hordes of a Lich can be enough to wipe out even the strongest heroes with the best subclasses in Dungeons & Dragons
8
Solar (CR 21)
Defenders Of The Heavens
Celestials are an underrated monster type in Dungeons & Dragons, with the Solar coming back in the 2025 Monster Manual to perhaps bring the heavens more acclaim. Solars are the final line of defense between heavenly realms and absolute evil throughout the multiverse. While Lawful Good usually, those who cross a Solar will quickly feel their divine wrath.
The Divine Awareness of a Solar will cause it to instantly know if someone is lying, which usually results in the creature’s Flying Sword making quick work of said liar with a ton of magical slashing and Radiant damage. While not a strict spellcaster, a Solar can use Divine Aid to cast extra magic as Bonus Actions, allowing it to heal itself or allies often with these spells:
- At-Will: Detect Evil And Good
- 1/Day Each: Commune, Control Weather, Dispel Evil And Good, Resurrection
- Divine Aid (3/Day Each): Cure Wounds (Lvl 2), Lesser Restoration, Remove Curse
With a 150ft Flying Speed, you’ll likely never catch a Solar without clipping its wings. With Blinding Gaze as a Legendary Action, Solars can disable the sight of their enemies while using Truesight of its own to pierce through an invisible enemy’s camouflage. If a Solar ever feels pressured, they can use the Legendary Action Radiant Teleport to instantly move elsewhere on the battlefield, causing an explosion of Radiant damage where they reappear.
Even if you manage to somehow kill a Solar, they gain a new body in the heavenly realm of Mt. Celestia with all their Hit Points as long as they died outside that realm.
However, the biggest tool in a Solar’s arsenal is the Slaying Bow, which can instantly kill a creature with 100 Hit Points or fewer. This bow can target any creature the Solar sees within 600ft, so you have almost no chance of escaping the creature’s arrows. While tied to a Dexterity saving throw, the DC for any ability against a Solar is 21, which characters will have a hard time beating.
7
Elemental Cataclysm (CR 22)
The Beginning And End Of Ages
The Elemental Cataclysm is a destructive Titan who is immune to almost every damage type in the game. Most elemental spells in Dungeons & Dragons won’t work against this foe, as it is a culmination of elemental forces clashing together to cause chaos. This monster has 150ft of Truesight, which pairs well with its ability to burrow through stone and earth as it moves.
As a Siege Monster, the Elemental Cataclysm deals double damage to structures and objects with its Elemental Burst attacks. The movement of this creature is enough to knock enemies Prone, as its bulk and sheer HP value make it incredibly tough to take down. The Cataclysm has the power to Control Weather at will, allowing it to bend the conditions of the battlefield to its favor.
The signature ability of the Cataclysm, though, is its Elemental Burst, which has a variety of effects, including:
- Clinging Flames – 60ft radius sphere of Fire damage
- Freezing Waves – 90ft cone of Cold damage and Prone condition
- Raging Storm – 60ft radius sphere of Lightning damage, Deafened + Blinded conditions
- Swallowing Earth – 90ft cube of Acid damage, Restrained condition
The chaotic Elemental Bursts are entirely randomized, making this creature hard to predict even under the best circumstances. The Elemental Cataclysm’s immunities to many in-game conditions make it almost impossible to slow down, creating a force of nature that could cause untold devastation.
6
Blob of Annihilation (CR 23)
The Ultimate Ooze Opponent
Normally, Oozes are not too strong in Dungeons & Dragons‘ original 5e books, but the 2025 Monster Manual introduces the strongest one yet – The Blob of Annihilation. This Ooze is a Gargantuan-sized mass of evil sludge that seeks to devour everything in its path. With 448 Hit Points, Magic Resistance, and resistance to most conditions that could slow it down, it could certainly accomplish its goal.
When the Blob of Annihilation is reduced to 0 Hit Points, it implodes and ejects all creatures it has swallowed into the Astral Sea, making them lost in a realm of dreams.
The Blob of Annihilation can swallow enemies, forcing them into continuous Force damage while they remain engulfed in its belly. Restraining Blobs of Acid damage can restrain players up to 600ft away from the Blob, Restraining them until the larger creature gets close enough to feast. With multiple Legendary Actions, the Blob and Decay creatures inside themselves with Necrotic Damage and attack or restrain their foes more often too.
5
Kraken (CR 23)
Ancient Weapon Of The Ocean Abyss
The Kraken is an iconic D&D monster that makes its return in 2025 with familiar abilities that set it apart as one of the most dangerous creatures in the game. Part of that danger comes from the Kraken’s size as an overwhelming Gargantuan Monstrosity and Siege Weapon. Similar to the Blob of Annihilation, the Kraken can now swallow targets to deal tons of continual Acid damage to it every turn.
Some tools of the Kraken have been reworked, like the Lightning Storm ability from base 5e. Now called Lightning Strike, the Kraken only targets one creature with a devastating blast of ranged lighting for massive damage tied to a Dexterity saving throw. However, with the new Storm Bolt Legendary Action, the Kraken can do this attack multiple times throughout a round instead of just once.
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The Toxic Ink Legendary Action returns to poison and blind enemies of the Kraken within a certain range. Krakens can still grapple and Fling enemies across battlefields, which helps the monster retain its title as the ultimate opponent for a party to face while out at sea.
4
Empyrean (CR 23)
Descendants Of The Very Gods
Another Celestial monster with a high CR in the 2025 Monster Manual is the Empyrean, a divine descendant of the gods. These noble beings are brimming with divine might, with 22 AC and 346 HP to wield power aligned with their patron parents. If an Empyrean is of good descent, it will use its power for justice, but those born of evil gods will cause untold terror throughout the realms.
Empyreans wield a Sacred Weapon that deals Force damage and automatically Stuns a creature when it lands a hit. That creature can choose to not be Stunned, but in exchange for a lot of extra Force damage that bypasses resistance or immunity. When combined with a 600ft range Divine Ray attack that deals extra Radiant or Necrotic damage, the Empyrean has multiple ways of shearing through a character’s health.
As a Legendary Action, the Empyrean can Bolster itself to give itself 10 Temporary Hit Points and all allies around it advantage on D20 Tests until the end of its next turn.
One of the strongest tools of an Empyrean is the Shockwave of Glory, which creates a massive AoE around itself. Creatures that fail a Constitution saving throw within a 30ft sphere of the Empyrean take Force damage and will likely gain the Prone condition. With DC 23 needed to beat an Empyrean’s saving throws, very few creatures will manage to overcome this Celestial’s sheer power.
3
Ancient Dragon (CR 20-24)
The Titular Monster Comes In Many Shapes & Sizes
Ancient Dragons of any Chromatic color or Metallic sheen are some of the strongest monsters in the game, even in the updated 2025 Monster Manual. Each dragon type offers something unique with different personalities that reflect multiple natures, good and bad. Ancient Dragons are the oldest of dragon-kind, having survived, hoarded, and conquered for hundreds to thousands of years in the world.
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The multiple Breath weapons of any Ancient Dragon can devastate parties, from a Red Dragon’s iconic Fire Breath to the more subtle Sleep Breath of a Brass Dragon. With the 2025 Monster Manual, Ancient Dragons get new Legendary Actions and spellcasting, giving them even more ways to aid characters as allies or stand against them as intimidating bosses.
2
Colossus (CR 25)
Unbreakable Construct Of War
One of the simplest but deadliest stat blocks in the 2025 Monster Manual is the Colossus, which sports an insane 23 AC with 553 HP. The health alone of this monster rivals some gods, which makes sense, as the Colossus was made to resemble a diety. As a Gargantuan Siege Monster, the Colossus can Slam targets for massive damage, dealing double damage to objects or structures.
The Colossus can use its limited Legendary Actions to make a ranged Radiant Ray attack or Stomp by moving half its movement speed, then making a Slam attack. The Colossus doesn’t provoke any attack of opportunity using the Movement from its Stomp.
Not much was replaced in Dungeons & Dragons for the Colossus’ 2025 stat block, except for the addition of a Divine Beam. Similar to a dragon’s breath, the Divine Beam shoots a huge line of Radiant damage that disintegrates targets reduced to 0 Hit Points by it. With virtually no weaknesses, the Colossus is a walking bulwark that few will be able to injure, let alone destroy.
1
Tarrasque (CR 30)
The Most Devastating Creature Once Again
There is no monster stronger than the Tarrasque, the Godzilla-like Gargantuan creature that is a walking calamity waiting to happen. An endless source of destruction, the Tarrasque has 25 AC and 697 HP, giving it near invulnerability to any attack. In the 2025 Monster Manual, the Tarrasque has an even stronger defense, with its Reflective Carapace reflecting ranged spells like the ever-reliable Magic Missile.
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The damage of the Tarrasque is already insane with its Claws, Tail, and Bite, but now it can swallow enemies as a Bonus Action rather than an Action. Along with it Thunderous Bellow to terrify anyone remotely near it, the Tarrasque can deal Thunder damage, swallow someone, and then deal constant Acid damage to them while they remain Restrained inside it.
The World-Shaking Movement of the Tarrasque can knock enemies Prone and disrupt Concentration on spells, giving the monster extra benefits by simply walking. With 6 uses of Legendary Resistance compared to the usual 3/4 on most monsters, the Tarrasque remains the deadliest creature your party could ever encounter in a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.
Dungeons and Dragons
- Original Release Date
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1974
- Publisher
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TSR Inc., Wizards of the Coast
- Designer
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E. Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson
- Player Count
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2-7 Players
