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.

 

[dave2008]

PCs have a lot more going on that effect combat and the battle field than in 5E. I’m interested to see how the DMG and MM balance it out (if at all).

I came from 4e before 5e, this 5e24 is still way behind - no issue for me as a DM

 

[ECMO3]

From what I have seen so far I think I like the new rules and I would say I give them a passing grade. They are different than the old rules but I don't think they are better than the old rules and they did not fix the 5E deficiencies IMO.

As far as "broken" things people complained about in 5E, a lot of these have not been fixed in the new rules. A few have been fixed, but it seems even more unbalanced things have been added to the new rules to counter the few they fixed. The changes to some of the classes make multiclassing more powerful and more attractive than before and at many levels these will be more unbalanced than before.

The floor on some classes has been increased and in that respect there seem to be fewer really mechanically "bad" choices, this is countered by many combinations that will be crazy. So while the difference between the worst class and the average class is probably closer at most levels, I don't think the difference between the worst and the best will be any better.

The game is more focused on combat, with exploration and social pillars taking up far less space in the book. I think this too is a rather large negative. The new background system is really going to pigeon hole people I think. You are going to run into a situation where at some tables every Cleric is a Farmer, every Wizard is a Criminal and every Barbarian is a Soldier.

 

[jerryrice4949]

watching DNDShorts video and this sounds like absolute hell for a DM.

But as a player, woo I can dominate in and out of combat even more then before.

Really. I am a DM and I don’t see that at all.

 

[Clint_L]

Actually, I haven't. I have not seen one strength-based rogue in all the time 5e has been out. I guess my friends aren't munchkin-y enough. Is it bad that I'm kind of happy to know that strength rogue was a thing, even in that weirdo broken form?

Well, the rules now allow monks to use dex for grappling, and a rogue taking few levels in nu monk is very easy to imagine. Obvious, really, because they’d get this, plus deflect attack, plus unarmoured defence, plus extra movement, plus some handy options with focus points.

 

[Corinnguard]

Couldn't get that originally. Is it as good as hoped?

AFAIK, Ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realms is still in the playtesting and development phase. Backers such as myself won't be getting the hardback book until February 2025.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Off the top of my head a few things that I didn't like was the class system and the spell slot system. My first impression after reading it was that it was good, but after playing it for a few years it didnt hold up. If I understand correctly, Level Up is a crunchier version of 5E right?

Correct. Each class is redesigned with an eye towards creativity and versatility, particularly in regards to options out of combat. There's a lot more to it, of course.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Soooo.... Spellcasters are not the end all, be all of all battlefield control anymore?

I see that as a massive boon as a DM. A dynamic battlefield where half my players aren't going "I roll three attacks, 52 damage, is it dead?" is going to be wonderful.

How is that a boon for the DM? It would literally be more complicated.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Yes and yes for the PHB.

The next question is does it make it $50 easier to run and better. Which is a lot harder to answer.

How is it easier to run? I get how it might be more fun to play, what with the new batch of super powers for PCs, but what does that do for the DM?

 

[mellored]

How is it easier to run? I get how it might be more fun to play, what with the new batch of super powers for PCs, but what does that do for the DM?

Cleaner and clearer rules means less adjudication and easier to remember (i.e. exhaustion is -2 and -5' per level)
No longer needing to worry if the have magic weapons before you put in a wearwolf.
Better class balance makes encounter building and CR more consistent.
Reduced nova damage reduces the 5-minute work day.
Conjure spells have been replaced.

Not saying the difference will be big. But less time spent dealing with the player side is more time for the DM side.

 

[SlyFlourish]

I came to Sly Flourish's work through his podcast/YouTube presence, rather than as a book or blog writer. I think he does a good job of being fair and transparent in his views.

Not sure how much of his business is being a YouTuber versus the rest of his empire, though.

According to my polls, about %40 of new patrons come from YouTube. It’s my biggest single source of new people finding my work. So I consider it pretty vital to the rest of my work.