When it comes to classes, Dungeons and Dragons insists that it doesn't have favorite children. 'There is no best class', the tabletop RPG assures us, 'they are all equally loved'. As a Druid fan, I'd like to call bull on that sentiment. Druids in D&D are historically overlooked and unloved, and the rules overhaul proves that Wizards has continued to ignore them.
Before the 2024 Player's Handbook released, the Druid had just seven subclasses. DnD classes like the Wizard got 13 subclasses to play with, while Clerics had a frankly greedy 18. The only class with fewer options than the Druid 5e was the Artificer, the new kid on the block who wasn't even part of the core rulebooks.
The 2024 rules overhaul gave Wizards of the Coast a chance to rekindle its relationship with the Druid. At first, it seemed like things were getting better. We got an entirely new subclass, the Circle of the Sea Druid, which brought the overall total up to eight. It was thematic, and it offered an explosive-looking emanation feature.
However, a weak spell list and a lack of interesting builds meant that the Sea Druid quickly faded into the background. In an ocean of bombastic class changes, it became forgettable.
Now that the dust has settled on the new rules, Wizards has turned its eyes to the rest of the DnD release schedule. The publisher has pumped out playtest after playtest, giving us a glimpse into the future of the D&D classes. All except the Druid, that is.
In the past seven months, Wizards of the Coast has playtested:
- Four revised Artificer subclasses and two new ones.
- Three revised Cleric subclasses.
- Two revised Fighter subclasses.
- Five revised Wizard subclasses.
- One revised Bard subclass and one new one.
- One new Paladin subclass.
- Two new Ranger subclasses.
- One revised Rogue subclass and one new one.
- Two revised Sorcerer subclasses and one new one.
- Two revised Warlock subclasses.
- One new Monk subclass.
The Druid and the Barbarian are the only two classes that have been overlooked in playtesting. Both of these received a new subclass in the 2024 Player's Handbook, but considering that the Bard did too, this clearly wasn't the criterion for being excluded.
It's a shame that the Druid has been so overlooked, as it's an excellent class to play. Some of the most ridiculous DnD character builds have come from this class, and its limited subclass list has some of the most thematic and interesting caster options. Wisdom spellcasting makes Druids hugely versatile in and out of combat, and they're able to fill many different roles. This should make them ripe for experimentation, but Wizards still hasn't taken the bait.
My theory is that this is a classic case of middle child syndrome. The Druid's core mechanics aren't as potent as those of the Wizard or Cleric, and they don't quite reach the power levels of a Fighter, Warlock, or Sorcerer. At the same time, they weren't a low-power problem class in the 2014 rules like the Monk, Ranger, and Rogue.
The Druid's lack of star power means they're not getting new options on the regular. However, they're also not a class that Wizards needs to 'fix'. That leaves them in limbo, eating the dust of those classes that hog all the attention.
Got your own idea for a Druid subclass? You can tell us all about it in the Wargamer Discord. Or, if you'd like to build a Druid character, here's all you need to know about DnD races and DnD 2024 backgrounds.