D&D (2024) D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Reviews

On Thursday August 1st, the review embargo is lifted for those who were sent an early copy of the new Dungeons & Dragons Player's Handbook. In this post I intend to compile a handy list of those reviews as they arrive. If you know of a review, please let me know in the comments so that I can add it! I'll be updating this list as new reviews arrive, so do check back later to see what's been added!

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Review List

• The official EN World review -- "Make no mistake, this is a new edition."
• ComicBook.com -- "Dungeons & Dragons has improved upon its current ruleset, but the ruleset still feels very familiar to 5E veterans."
• Comic Book Resources -- "From magic upgrades to easier character building, D&D's 2024 Player's Handbook is the upgrade players and DMs didn't know they needed."
• Wargamer.com -- "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 and Dragons era."
• RPGBOT -- "A lot has changed in the 2024 DnD 5e rules. In this horrendously long article, we’ve dug into everything that has changed in excruciating detail. There’s a lot here."

Video Reviews
Note, a couple of these videos have been redacted or taken down following copyright claims by WotC.

• 2024 PHB Rules Changes D&D 5.24 (Treantmonk's Temple)
• Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook 2024 Preview & Review | Key Takeaways and Comparisons with 2014 (Awesome Black)
• 10 Unexpected Changes in the D&D 5E 2024 Player's Handbook (This Effin' GM Games)
• Every Class and Subclass Change for 2024 (d4: Deep Dive)
• D&D Player's Handbook 2024 Winners & Losers! (The Character Sheet on ComicBook.com)
• 2024 Player's Handbook First Look Review (Dungeon Dudes)
• The 2024 Player's Handbook: Full Spoilers Review (DnD Shorts)
• Full Early Review! D&D 2024 Player's Handbook (JoeFudge)
• First Look at the 2024 Player's Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons (GameMasters)
• 2024 PHB Flip through (Jorphdan) [taken down]
• D&D New Player's Handbook, DM's Guide, Monster Manual, and Project Sigil Info (maturemindedgamers)
• 2024 Player's Handbook: Questions Answered! (Alphastream)
• D&D 2024 Player's Handbook Walkthrough (Sly Flourish) [redacted]

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Release timeline (i.e. when you can get it!)

• August 1st: Reviewers. Some reviewers have copies already, with their embargo lifting August 1st.
• August 1st-4th: Gen Con. There will be 3,000 copies for sale at Gen Con.
• September 3rd: US/Canada Hobby Stores. US/Canada hobby stores get it September 3rd.
• September 3rd: DDB 'Master' Pre-orders. Also on this date, D&D Beyond 'Master Subscribers' get the digital version.
• September 10th: DDB 'Hero' Pre-orders. On this date, D&D Beyond 'Hero Subscribers' get the digital version.
• September 17th: General Release. For the rest of us, the street date is September 17th.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Well you see, survival doesn't help the PCs "get to the action".

Frustrating that exploration and survival basically no longer exists in DnD.

 

[Parmandur]

I was never a big fan of 5E to begin with. One of my biggest complaints with it was that it was very poorly organized, hard to find the information you were looking for and there was a lot of page flipping.

Here's the quote I'm referring to:

• New rules glossary, which provides full technical definitions for rules terms. In many cases, the text explaining how to play the game doesn’t explain these terms, so expect to flip to the Rules Glossary frequently.

Considering that one of the main reasons I stopped playing 5E 2014 was all the page flipping and I don't think the new revision will solve that problem. I was on the fence ever since the revision was announced and the majority of the articles I've read since then has only decreased my enthusiasm. I wouldn't say that I will never read the new PHB but it's unlikely. If someone I know reads it and plays the game and they say it's worth playing I may, but again unlikely. So yes, it's a dealbreaker for me.

It seems that maybe there is a gap here in your visualizing what the rules glossary entails.

 

[mellored]

I am both narratively and mechanically repulsed by any combat style that involves hot swapping weapons every turn.

Most classes only get 2 masteries.
Seems likely that you will pick 1 melee and 1 ranged.

Only fighters get more.

 

[Mannahnin]

Frustrating that exploration and survival basically no longer exists in DnD.

Hopefully they're at least still options in the DMG.

 

[Parmandur]

Frustrating that exploration and survival basically no longer exists in DnD.

Or so, there are rules for that in this PHB.

 

[Nightfly]

Wondering if I'm the only one shocked that they changed the rules for grappling.

The new rule seems okay, so I'm not complaining about it per se. But it's strange that they changed something that didn't need fixing, at all. I frequently cited the grappling rule as evidence of how streamlined and sensible 5e was: Grappler rolls athletics, grapple-ee rolls choice of athletics or acrobatics, higher roll wins. That's perfect! 10/10 no notes.

Now the target gets a strength or dexterity saving throw, which is...fine? And it preserves the idea that you can escape by being either nimble or strong, which is important. But why change something that was pretty flawless to begin with? I never heard anyone complain about the grappling rules in 5e even once.

 

[R_J_K75]

This doesn't make any sense to me,

No disrespect intended but it doesn't have to make sense to you. It's the decision I've made.

Literally everyone who I've seen who has the book has praised this so far.

I'm glad for them but I guess the real test will be how well it works out at the table.

It seems that maybe there is a gap here in your visualizing what the rules glossary entails.

No, I don't think so. It's a glossary with rules, which based on the review I read, those rules don't appear in the descriptive book text. So, when reading the book to get a full understanding of the subject in question you need to refer to the rules glossary. That seems like an odd design choice one that makes me question how good this new revised game is overall. As a result, I have chosen not to purchase the game.

 

[Hatmatter]

Wondering if I'm the only one shocked that they changed the rules for grappling.

The new rule seems okay, so I'm not complaining about it per se. But it's strange that they changed something that didn't need fixing, at all. I frequently cited the grappling rule as evidence of how streamlined and sensible 5e was: Grappler rolls athletics, grapple-ee rolls choice of athletics or acrobatics, higher roll wins. That's perfect! 10/10 no notes.

Now the target gets a strength or dexterity saving throw, which is...fine? And it preserves the idea that you can escape by being either nimble or strong, which is important. But why change something that was pretty flawless to begin with? I never heard anyone complain about the grappling rules in 5e even once.

The thinking is to make the saving throw the uniform roll made to resist effects or conditions. So, whereas the 2014 version of grapple was fine, the idea is that the new version is also fine but contributes to a more consistent logic throughout the game system.

 

[Kurotowa]

Now the target gets a strength or dexterity saving throw, which is...fine? And it preserves the idea that you can escape by being either nimble or strong, which is important. But why change something that was pretty flawless to begin with? I never heard anyone complain about the grappling rules in 5e even once.

I've heard people complain about it frequently. Usually some variety of "It sucks that to make a strong grappler I need to get Athletics Expertise somehow. Or be a raging Barbarian." With the rules changes, the best grapplers are either Monks or anyone who took the Unarmed Fighting Style. Which is as it should be.

 

[Frozen_Heart]

Or so, there are rules for that in this PHB.

(The entirety of survival gameplay is "I cast goodberry" once per day)