Why does a new player in 2026 have a need to pick a choice that was made 12 years ago, especially when they have multiple subclasses right in their new PHB?Well, that's a hypothetical world. At the moment, plenty of people still buy the hardcover books. (Cue all the folks posting Amazon stats.)
Why do we want a new player in 2026 to not have the ability to pick up a PHB subclass from 2014 without hunting it down on D&D Beyond?
Because some of them, like the Oath of Devotion, are iconic for a reason?Why does a new player in 2026 have a need to pick a choice that was made 12 years ago, especially when they have multiple subclasses right in their new PHB?
I feel confident that WotC is creative enough to express iconic class tropes in more than one way.Because some of them, like the Oath of Devotion, are iconic for a reason?
We know there is one new Subclass, a Bard College of Dance (unless that's a refluff of Swords or something).I feel confident that WotC is creative enough to express iconic class tropes in more than one way.
And like I said, I'm fine with them reusing some. But if the 2024 PHB has all the same subclasses as the 2014 PHB, plus a few standouts from XgtE/TCoE, that's a waste of potential.
It ended up being worth it, though!Well, they got my money for Monsters of the Multiverse, and that offered relatively few updates, so I guess I'm the sucker they are looking for.
To be clear, I'm against this because I don't want to see a cleavage in the community between "old" 5e and "new" 5e. I want the 2024 PHB to simply be "more" 5e, and the best way to do that is to present a book that isn't simply a redux of concepts we already have.We know there is one new Subclass, a Bard College of Dance (unless that's a refluff of Swords or something).
Mostly I'd expect redo of established popular archetypes.
I feel what you are laying down, but the audience for the PHB is, mainly, new players: and that means providing the moat popular options front and center, which WotC knows better now thanks to years of Beyond and survey data.To be clear, I'm against this because I don't want to see a cleavage in the community between "old" 5e and "new" 5e. I want the 2024 PHB to simply be "more" 5e, and the best way to do that is to present a book that isn't simply a redux of concepts we already have.
I want tables where players mix-and match old material, new material, and third-party material to be the norm. Tables where people say "New books only, everything from before the new PHB isn't allowed" should hopefully be rare. WotC can heavily influence the way that transition goes with the choices they make in presenting new material.
And that's fine. I'm not offended if WotC's marketing focus means new material isn't something that appeals to me. But going back to the OP's question, I won't buy a book that's predominantly reprints, whether that be a later expansion book or the PHB. I'm not anti-revision, I'm simply anti-rehashing.I feel what you are laying down, but the audience for the PHB is, mainly, new players: and that means providing the moat popular options front and center, which WotC knows better now thanks to years of Beyond and survey data.
To add to this: After Monsters of the Multiverse was released, new users couldn't go back and buy Volo's and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes material anymore on DDB - it only remained accessible to existing buyers. I would expect the same to happen when the 2014 core is replaced by the 2024 core. Updates for 2024 edition will likely be the only form in which these options remain available (unless you have legacy access or an old print copy).Why do we want a new player in 2026 to not have the ability to pick up a PHB subclass from 2014 without hunting it down on D&D Beyond?