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.

 

[ECMO3]

I am already concerned that I have heard no mention of Personality Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws

These are not in the 2024 backgrounds.

 

[ECMO3]

There are many spells that were a total pain to adjudicate in 2014 like the various conjure spells that are totally reworked. Same with summon spells. The rules overall are easier to interpret.
My high-hit-count article about “how surprise works” is about to fall off a cliff. Exhaustion is way better. A lot of things have been smoothed out which will make the game easier to run.

I would disagree with this. Based on the reviews I have seen so far, the rules overall are more difficult to interpret IMO and will overall be more difficult to run, especially for newer players. This is mostly because combat is much more complicated and there are many more player reaction options.

Reactions undoing or changing the outcome of a creatures turn are going to be much more common now. Before you had shield which a couple people at every table had and Silvery Barbs which one player might have had if you didn't ban it, and an occasional martial with Protection. Now those kinds of reaction options are widespread and nearly universal.

Some problem spells and some mechanics are easier to use, but other spells are more unbalanced than before and some spells have difficult action economy.

 

[ECMO3]

I don't see it as more complext at all. The vast majority of the effects are things that were already possible, at-will, for certain characters.

The reactions are the problem. That is what will make it more complex and more of a slog. We have always had them but it was limited when they could be used.

I would expect with 2024 that most PCs will have a reaction to use almost every single round.

 

[Minigiant]

I have spent a lot of time reading the reviews and listening to critiques over the past day. Most of the reviews have been neutral and some of them negative. I have not seen a review from anyone who has the new books that I would categorize as "positive" overall.

The new rules are a mixed bag but I don't think it was backwards compatibility or the need for it that is the root of the problems.

A lot of the changes they made, particularly with spells are just plain baffling. They made Find Familiar MORE powerful. They made Mirror Image so all the images have your AC. They weakened Inflict wounds, something that was already a weak spell with very niche uses.

It also seems like they didn't think things through. Like the new Feeblemind (renamed Beffudlement). All it does now, other than damage, is stop targets from taking the magic action. So it doesn;t really nerf non-magic enemies at all. Further, it doesn't even completely stopm spells the way they worded it. It stops the magic action, so you can still cast spells that cost a bonus action, or a Sorcerer can quicken or you can cast spells that have a time based casting. For an 8th level spell!

Why tie the ability increases to backgrounds? At one of my tables this is the thing that players are most upset about.

No one was asking for any of these changes. No one was asking for many of the changes they seemed to have made.

Indeed.

WOTC just heard that people wanted changes but one of the game to still be backwards compatible.

Half the changes they made were stuff they wanted that weren't asked for.

Kinda like someone who only listens to half the instructions. On just looks at the pictures once.

 

[I'm A Banana]

These are not in the 2024 backgrounds.

 

[Daztur]

I would disagree with this. Based on the reviews I have seen so far, the rules overall are more difficult to interpret IMO and will overall be more difficult to run, especially for newer players. This is mostly because combat is much more complicated and there are many more player reaction options.

Reactions undoing or changing the outcome of a creatures turn are going to be much more common now. Before you had shield which a couple people at every table had and Silvery Barbs which one player might have had if you didn't ban it, and an occasional martial with Protection. Now those kinds of reaction options are widespread and nearly universal.

Some problem spells and some mechanics are easier to use, but other spells are more unbalanced than before and some spells have difficult action economy.

I think you're talking about different things. 5.5e gives players more bells and whistles to play with so each player is going to have to keep track of more things. This does make the game less newbie friendly and will potentially bog down combat. Making combat take longer has the potential to be a real Achilles Heel of 5.5e.

However, that's not really what they're talking about, it more that a lot of 5.5e rules are clearer and easier for DMs to apply on a inr to oen basis than 5e rules, the era of "rulings not rules" seems to be coming to a close. Since I like a more "rulings not rules" approach to D&D I don't much care for it but I can see why other people want rules that are less up to DM interpretation.

 

[Micah Sweet]

I would disagree with this. Based on the reviews I have seen so far, the rules overall are more difficult to interpret IMO and will overall be more difficult to run, especially for newer players. This is mostly because combat is much more complicated and there are many more player reaction options.

Reactions undoing or changing the outcome of a creatures turn are going to be much more common now. Before you had shield which a couple people at every table had and Silvery Barbs which one player might have had if you didn't ban it, and an occasional martial with Protection. Now those kinds of reaction options are widespread and nearly universal.

Some problem spells and some mechanics are easier to use, but other spells are more unbalanced than before and some spells have difficult action economy.

This is what I was talking about in regard to increased DM workload.

 

[ECMO3]

This is what I was talking about in regard to increased DM workload.

Ok. The most frustrating thing I see as a DM in 5E is - Monster X does this and Bob take Y damage and fails his save and is poisoned

Mike: Oh wait I silvery barbs it and give Bob advantage

DM: Ok it still hits, Bob reroll your save with advantage.

Jim: I use lucky to make him reroll.

DM: Ok it still hits

Bob: I rolled a 2 on my save, but I am going to use my feat to half the poison damage.



This kind of thing is going to be a normal turn in the new game I think.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Ok. The most frustrating thing I see as a DM in 5E is - Monster X does this and Bob take Y damage and fails his save and is poisoned

Mike: Oh wait I silvery barbs it and give Bob advantage

DM: Ok it still hits, Bob reroll your save with advantage.

Jim: I use lucky to make him reroll.

DM: Ok it still hits

Bob: I rolled a 2 on my save, but I am going to use my feat to half the poison damage.



This kind of thing is going to be a normal turn in the new game I think.

You're definitely going to have to wait a lot longer after each action the monsters take before you can describe what actually happened with any degree of logic, let alone flair.

But PCs get more cool powers, so I guess...yay?

 

[dave2008]

You're definitely going to have to wait a lot longer after each action the monsters take before you can describe what actually happened with any degree of logic, let alone flair.

But PCs get more cool powers, so I guess...yay?

I mean, it is still a lot less options then levelUp isn't it? And you love levelUp, so I guess it is good for you?