Our Verdict
The 2024 Player’s Handbook is bigger and more beginner-friendly than ever before. It still feels and plays like D&D fifth edition, but numerous quality-of-life tweaks have made the game more approachable and its player options more powerful. Its execution disappoints in a handful of places, and it’s too early to tell how the new rules will impact encounter balance, but this is an optimistic start to the new Dungeons & Dragons era.
- Approachable presentation
- Improved D&D classes
- Generous changes to action economy
- New weapon mastery feature
- Strong changes to species
- As fun to play as fifth edition
- Confusing wording in places
- Sacrifices flavor and worldbuilding
- Backgrounds are limiting
- Issues with homogenisation
Few books have shaped the past decade of tabletop roleplaying like the 2014 Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook. Fifth edition has proved so popular and so influential that, when it came to designing the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook, Wizards of the Coast didn’t want its apples to stray too far from the tree. This new, cross-compatible ‘edition-ish’ aims to be just as fun to play, but it’s also an opportunity to fix fifth edition’s biggest mistakes.
Those are big shoes to fill for a designer. They’re also pretty big shoes for any 2024 Player’s Handbook review – even with a novel’s worth of notes and multiple hours playtesting the new rules, I can’t fully assess the changes to balance and builds that this new Player’s Handbook brings. What I can give you in my Player’s Handbook review, though, is an extremely thorough first impression.
There are 384 pages of new content to cover, so let’s break the changes down into manageable chunks. First, the structure of the book itself:
D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook – structure
The 2024 Player’s Handbook marks the first time in history that a D&D rulebook explains what the game is before asking you to make a character (something Wizards of the Coast shouted about in the marketing). Chapter one, ‘Playing the Game’, explains the basics in significantly more detail than its 2014 predecessor.
This section covers what a typical session of play looks like, the difference between fully fledged D&D campaigns and one shots, and details about the dice you’ll be using. An extensive section on ‘D20 Tests’ (the new umbrella term for attack rolls, ability checks, and saving throws) is followed by lengthy explanations for combat, social interactions, and exploration.
Only after an overview of the game are you prompted to make a character in chapter two. This gives you a summarized tutorial, and details about D&D classes, species and backgrounds, feats, and equipment in the remaining chapters. By the time you’ve reached chapter seven, you’re browsing the nitty-gritty details for spells. Finally, the whole thing is closed off with a rules glossary that reminds you of everything you just read.
Overall, the structure of the Player’s Handbook is more logical, efficient, and beginner-friendly. This goes beyond the mere ordering of chapters, as each page is stuffed with details that make the whole thing easier to parse.
It’s never been easier to roll up a D&D character. The opening chapters make it clear exactly what each character can do, how complex they are to play, and how to fill in a D&D character sheet quickly. The 2024 Player’s Handbook isn’t afraid to state the obvious, and this is a real benefit for total beginners. My favorite additions include an actual definition of what an ‘object’ is, as well as suggested standard array stats for each class.
That being said, the execution isn’t perfect. Chapter two, ‘Creating a Character’, still hasn’t nailed the exact steps for character creation. Your stats, D&D races, and classes have always been so closely intertwined that fifth edition found it difficult to separate these choices in a step-by-step explanation. The same issue is present here, making chapter two feel vaguer than it ideally should be.
On more than one occasion, confusing wording rears its ugly head. Wizards of the Coast has addressed many grey areas that were found in fifth edition, but doing so has created new ambiguities. Despite my praise for this book’s logical execution, I’m expecting Wizards to release a lengthy rules FAQ sometime after publication.
The structure has one other small downside, and that’s the fact Wizards left very little room for fluff. For many of the classes and species, it was essential to cut some of the more problematic lore. However, the extra explainers and new rules have squeezed out most of the interesting worldbuilding that was left.
The upside of this is that it gives players a lot more flexibility when it comes to crafting their own worlds and stories. The downside is that the Player’s Handbook loses a sense of place and character. The book is so busy teaching you how to play Dungeons & Dragons that it forgets to show off the worlds you could explore.
D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook – classes
There is so, so much that could be said about the new D&D classes in chapter three. I could (and, before long will) write essays detailing how each individual class has changed, and whether I think it’s for the better. But we have limited time, so let’s stick to the big picture for now.
For the most part, the 2024 D&D classes are stronger, sexier versions of their former selves. The rules are far more generous now – core class abilities get more uses per day, and bad luck dice rolls are less likely to waste your precious resources.
Paladins can choose to cast a smite spell after they know they’ve guaranteed a hit. Druids can Wild Shape more often. The D&D 2024 Cleric has more Channel Divinity to work with, and Monks can more easily regain Focus Points. Everything from Second Wind to Sorcery Points is more accessible.
Action economy is where this new rulebook feels most philanthropic. A huge number of class abilities and spells that once cost a full action now spend a bonus action instead. Just as many convert actions and bonus actions into free actions, so you can focus on the most important stuff with your single action per turn.
I’m yet to see an individual case where this feels broken. However, when you take these small errata as a lump sum, characters can get so much more done in a single round of combat.
Further demonstrating their benevolence, Wizards of the Coast has targeted the most annoying character options and taken them out of the picture. The worst parts of every class, from Berserker Frenzy to Favored Enemy, have been stripped or remodeled.
There are still a few ugly ducklings in the bunch – the D&D 2024 Ranger has a disappointing new identity that revolves around Hunter’s Mark, and the 2024 Rogue feels comparatively underwhelming. But overall, it looks like we’re entering an era of more streamlined, more powerful D&D classes.
The new subclasses largely support this theory. I’m not convinced that the College of Dance Bard is going to be much of a powerhouse, but the Circle of Sea Druid’s damage potential puts it top of my ‘want to play next’ spell list. And the Path of the World Tree Barbarian looks like a genuinely exciting Tank with great battlefield control skills.
All this power might not be the blessing it first appears to be. I’ve previously written about my concerns for encounter balance, and these haven’t been relieved by a full readthrough of the Player’s Handbook. Until I see a Monster Manual full of equally powerful enemies, I remain concerned that the new classes can demolish most encounters they face. And that’s not as fun as it first sounds.
D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook – character origins
Chapter four, ‘Character Origins’, covers the D&D 2024 backgrounds, as well as options for species. The major change here is that backgrounds now decide your starting ability score increases, and they come with a starting feat. Your background gives you a +1/+1/+1 to three stats or a +2/+1 to two. Meanwhile, your species is responsible for your size, speed, and a handful of unique abilities.
Species may be divorced from stats now, but they still come with mechanics that give them a strong sense of identity. Some options stand out from the crowd more than others (looking at you, Goliath), but all included species have seen some great quality-of-life upgrades.
Smaller species get the same amount of movement speed as everyone else. Creatures that could only be Medium size in 2014 can now be Small, too (which feels like a win for diversity). The best subrace features have become mainstays for Halflings and Dwarves, and species like the Dragonborn and the 2024 D&D Aasimar have been adjusted to make their core abilities more convenient and flexible. Now everyone starts out with a feat, Humans get a whole new schtick that involves more feats and a regular source of Inspiration.
It’s safe to say that I’m a fan of D&D species. They still serve a mechanical purpose, even without stats, and the Player’s Handbook represents them as a diverse and interesting bunch rather than a list of limited stereotypes.
Separating stats and race is a good thing, but the new backgrounds feel like an imperfect solution. I’m not actually sure who these new backgrounds are meant to be for. Wizards of the Coast seems like it wants to limit character optimization, and it’s done so by pairing stats, skill proficiencies, and feats that don’t necessarily play well together.
First, let’s use the Barbarian as an example. Your most important stats are Strength and Constitution, but only two of the 16 backgrounds let you buff both. That means you’re either a Soldier or a Farmer. Both come with feats and proficiencies that are pretty good for a Barb, but their third stat increase (Dexterity for Soldier, Wisdom for Farmer) is a little redundant.
Next, let’s look at the Cleric. Wisdom and Constitution are your top goers, and you’ve got a few more options than the Barbarian. You could be a Farmer, a Guide, a Hermit, or a Sage. Or perhaps you’d like to go for the most thematic background and be an Acolyte. Your starting feat? Magic Initiate – but you can only pick from the Cleric spell list.
This leads to homogenous, less-than-optimized builds, which will upset the power gamers in the fanbase. However, if everyone sticks to the background that buffs their main stat and Constitution, this limits what you can do with your character’s backstory, too.
The reworked character origins aim to give a player more freedom and move them away from stereotypical storytelling. But I think the 2024 Player’s Handbook has only partially succeeded.
D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook – feats and equipment
Chapters five and six cover the D&D 2024 feats and rules for equipment. First come feats, which feel stronger and yet more similar than ever before.
Most of these feats are fifth edition favorites, with Crafter, Musician, Martial Weapon Training, Speedy and the Epic Boon feats being the only entirely new offerings. Some (mainly those from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything) have been ported over without so much as a scratch. However, most have seen changes, the most common of these being an ability score increase to a particular stat.
Being able to choose a feat without entirely forgoing your ability score improvement is certainly appealing, and there are many excellent changes. But this, combined with balance tweaks that buff the weak and subdue the strong, makes each feat feel slightly less unique.
Things feel less same-y in the equipment section. The new rules for D&D tools and crafting don’t feel overwhelmingly different from fifth edition, but tools and items do feel like they have concrete uses. I’m not much of a downtime fan in D&D, but I’m sure these options will make that kind of player quite happy.
D&D Weapon Mastery is the real star of the show, though. The eight mastery options add some much-needed crunch to the martial classes. With these, you can use attacks with your favorite weapons to inflict helpful conditions, create advantage or disadvantage, make extra attacks, manipulate the battlefield, or guarantee damage on a miss.
After my first session with the new Player’s Handbook, a member of the party gave a special shout-out to Weapon Mastery, saying that it was a game-changer for their preferred D&D classes. I can’t think of better praise.
D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook – how it plays
When you peer at the Player’s Handbook up close, you see a complex web of small changes. But when you step back and actually play, things still feel like fifth edition. The broader experience hasn’t been innovated much, but on the bright side, that means it’s just as fun to play as it was before.
You can expect your first sessions to involve a lot of rules-checking, as everything you thought you once knew about D&D has been moved slightly to the left. Thankfully, most of the new rules you come across will delight rather than dismay.
Our party’s Druid was excited (and kind of horrified) to learn that they could still talk to their friends as a spider. The College of Dance Bard discovered, between punches and kicks, that Poison Spray was a much better D&D cantrip than they remembered. And while it took the Assassin a while to adjust to their Weapon Masteries, they made a huge difference when tackling a troll.
D&D 2024 is the system you know, but with a much-needed oil change. My chosen review score reflects the quality of the Player’s Handbook itself, but it’s also a reflection of the current state of Dungeons & Dragons.
Yes, there are imperfections. Wizards of the Coast hasn’t managed to iron out all its creases, and its chosen changes will likely create a few new hiccups in the years to come. But the overall result is a better, more approachable version of the existing game – which was already pretty fun.
As far as first impressions go, the 2024 Player’s Handbook has put its best foot forward. For now, the new decade of D&D is looking promising.