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.

 

[FrogReaver]

Your listed changes are new to 2014, not when comparing to the playtest.

Which playtest?

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Which playtest?

It's pretty obvious that they are referring to "the later ones".

Sure, you're right that the playtest changed over time, but it built over time to something that was pretty close to what we're going to be getting. Sure, there's little things here-and-there, but the comparison was made when referring to combat length - and there's no reason to think that 2024 will play much different from the playtests did in that regard. (Maybe by the time the MM shows up? Probably not).

Oh, and "Surprise Rounds" were never a thing in 5e. You have a few other inaccuracies in your last few posts, but I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing.

 

[FrogReaver]

It's pretty obvious that they are referring to "the later ones".

I don’t think so. Thus the question.

Sure, you're right that the playtest changed over time, but it built over time to something that was pretty close to what we're going to be getting. Sure, there's little things here-and-there, but the comparison was made when referring to combat length - and there's no reason to think that 2024 will play much different from the playtests did in that regard. (Maybe by the time the MM shows up? Probably not).

Besides weapon masteries what actions are similar in the late playtests to the actual 2024 rules? For example-

Is grappling the same?
Is Spirit Guardians the same?
Is stealth the same?
Is surprise the same?
Are bonus action potions the same?
Are healing spells the same 2dX+mod?

Oh, and "Surprise Rounds" were never a thing in 5e. You have a few other inaccuracies in your last few posts, but I don't want to sound like I'm lecturing.

Sigh . You know exactly what I meant. I’m all for being technically correct, but when it’s done in a way that minimizes a legitimate point that doesn’t hinge on the technicality, it’s very aggravating.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I don’t think so. Thus the question.

Okay. They were referring to the later playtest UAs.

Besides weapon masteries what actions are similar in the late playtests to the actual 2024 rules? For example-

I didn't want to get into a point-by-point, but okay:

Weapon masteries came in about halfway through. But by the final playtests:

Is grappling the same?

Yes.

Is Spirit Guardians the same?

No. But changing when the damage takes place is not a huge difference under most circumstances. Sure, in some rare cases it makes a big deal but I don't see how it changes the length of combat (most of the time the difference will speed things up).

Is stealth the same?

Yes.

Is surprise the same?

Yes.

Are bonus action potions the same?

Yes. It was also a very very common houserule.

Are healing spells the same 2dX+mod?

Yes.

Sigh . You know exactly what I meant.

No I didn't. I played with a "surprise round" in 5e for quite awhile because I forgot that it wasn't how surprise worked. It's a common mistake. Surprised in 2014 was a condition that gave you no actions. In 2024 it's what, Disadvantage on Init? It's still Round One, so that part of it hasn't changed. (From 2014 - it's the same as the Playtest surprise, IIRC.)

I’m all for being technically correct, but when it’s done in a way that minimizes a legitimate point that doesn’t hinge on the technicality, it’s very aggravating.

That's why I didn't want to lecture you on all the pedantic things that you were slightly off about.

 

[FrogReaver]

Okay. They were referring to the later playtest UAs.


I didn't want to get into a point-by-point, but okay:

Weapon masteries came in about halfway through. But by the final playtests:


Yes.

No. But changing when the damage takes place is not a huge difference under most circumstances. Sure, in some rare cases it makes a big deal but I don't see how it changes the length of combat (most of the time the difference will speed things up).


Yes.


Yes.


Yes. It was also a very very common houserule.


Yes.

I have some significant doubt here since stealth is definitely not the same as it was in the playtest. For the 2024 version they removed some very key rules compared to the playtest. What they kept of it was fairly similar though.

No I didn't. I played with a "surprise round" in 5e for quite awhile because I forgot that it wasn't how surprise worked. It's a common mistake. Surprised in 2014 was a condition that gave you no actions. In 2024 it's what, Disadvantage on Init? It's still Round One, so that part of it hasn't changed. (From 2014 - it's the same as the Playtest surprise, IIRC.)

Most people I find mean ‘the round where you are surprised’ when referring to a surprise round in 5e. So while the rules don’t call it that, the concept is still applicable despite not being the same thing as 3e.

I’ve not encountered many that think 5e surprise works like 3e surprise but I get how that could cause some confusion.

Amazes me you’ve never encountered surprise round being used that way before.

That's why I didn't want to lecture you on all the pedantic things that you were slightly off about.

The alternative is something like - ‘that’s technically wrong, it’s actually xyz, but that doesn’t really diminish your point’

 

[FrogReaver]

Your listed changes are new to 2014, not when comparing to the playtest.

I’d be interested in seeing a list of rules changes that weren’t in one of the later playtests.

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

I’d be interested in seeing a list of rules changes that weren’t in one of the later playtests.

Indeed. I'm waiting for someone else to go through word by word for that.

I did run the 'first fully 2024 session' just now, and this is of course a session where we didn't have combat. So me pointing out that you can put away your shield as an object interaction now didn't even get used.

 

[FrogReaver]

Indeed. I'm waiting for someone else to go through word by word for that.

I did run the 'first fully 2024 session' just now, and this is of course a session where we didn't have combat. So me pointing out that you can put away your shield as an object interaction now didn't even get used.

Level 1?

 

[fluffybunbunkittens]

Level 1?

Why would it be? Level 5. Players met a devil and made a deal with it, as you do, as 'you can trust devils'.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

I have some significant doubt here since stealth is definitely not the same as it was in the playtest. For the 2024 version they removed some very key rules compared to the playtest. What they kept of it was fairly similar though.

What do you see as the difference from the last playtest? I'm not seeing anything of note.

Most people I find mean ‘the round where you are surprised’ when referring to a surprise round in 5e. So while the rules don’t call it that, the concept is still applicable despite not being the same thing as 3e.

I’ve not encountered many that think 5e surprise works like 3e surprise but I get how that could cause some confusion.

Amazes me you’ve never encountered surprise round being used that way before.

I have heard people use it that way. It just IME causes confusion with there actually being a "Round Zero" Surprise Round, so it's best not to use that terminology - 5e specifically got rid of it for a reason. It's just round one. You said "no Surprise Round" in 2024 as if it were a change from THE PLAYTEST, which it isn't - it's not even a change from 2014. But I understand what you meant by it now, but I don't think that "Surprise Round" is so widely used to mean "Round 1 with Surprise" that I should have understood that from what you wrote.

The alternative is something like - ‘that’s technically wrong, it’s actually xyz, but that doesn’t really diminish your point’

That honestly sounds more "Well, technically..." to me than what I wrote. I honestly didn't want to argue with you.