Wizards of the Coast released the long-anticipated 2024 Player’s Handbook for Dungeons and Dragons. It was released in early Sept. to mixed opinions from players about the new changes.
Some of the most obvious and well-received changes start with character creation. Races have been renamed to Species, and now bonuses come from your background as opposed to your species.
New characters also get to select a feat, which was previously only applicable when leveling up. Classes also received bonuses to start, making them more powerful. The wording of the handbook has also been updated to make it more user-friendly and easier to understand.
Class bonuses and additional subclasses make many new classes enticing, though some still haven’t met player’s standards. Namely, the ranger class. Players often perceive it as the least finished class and are less than happy with the new updates. Artificer, an additional class not included in the base 2014 handbook, will not be brought up with the new handbook, leaving some players saddened.
Weapons also receive a new feature, and players with proficiency will be able to reap these benefits, which include doing more damage and unique features to the weapons. Spells also got a rework, making most of them more powerful.
Making itself backwards-compatible with the 2014 edition has opened up some interesting loopholes. Players can now multiclass as a Double Wizard, for example, with both the 2024 wizard and the 2014 wizard options available.
While there are plenty of changes, not everyone is happy with all the updates. Dungeon masters may not enjoy their suddenly overpowered players, and adjusting to the new rules mid-campaign can be a nightmare, especially on DND Beyond, the official DND website where changes occurred automatically.
The 2024 Handbook is here to stay, and while some minor adjustments will occur, the basis of the new system makes it more user-friendly and gives players more options with personalizing their character and increasing their power in battle.
