D&D (2024) New D&D Edition's Player’s Handbook Cover Reveal

Game Informer has revealed the cover to the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

The cover features a gold dragon behind the old-school D&D characters Strongheart the paladin, Mercion the cleric, Elkhorn the dwarf fighter, and Molliver the thief. Ringlerun the wizard is absent (then again he got his showcase on one of the 1E AD&D Player's Handbooks), but a drow mage appears to have joined the party!

 

[Ringtail]

I like it. Colorful, cool adventurers, dragons, clean design. Pretty standard if I'm being honest but that's not a bad thing.

 

[Charlaquin]

Too generic and doesn't tell a story. The sorceress has her back turned on the only enemies shown. Sure, everyone is getting ready for combat, But against whom and why?

Against the red dragon and the kobolds that are pictured facing off with them, obviously.

 

[Charlaquin]

Is it acceptable to not like this art? It's just not connecting or inspiring me like previous art has. Then again I'm probably not the target audience for 6e purchases, given I prefer the older styles of d&d, like 1e and 2014 5e, or like Shadowdark or DCC.

Of course it’s acceptable. We all have different tastes, nothing wrong with disliking something a lot of other people like.

 

[Oofta]

I still say all the artwork has been downhill since this masterpiece.

 

[lyle.spade]

When everything is awesome, when every battle or scene is epic...it's all boring. DnD art has been striving for AWESOMELY WORLD-SHAKING ACTION!!!! for the last two editions so hard that it's not at all remarkable anymore.

 

[AstroCat]

I still say all the artwork has been downhill since this masterpiece.

View attachment 363027

This is actually more inspiring to me than the 6e phb cover.

 

[Parmandur]

I'd have to say 4e PHB was my least favorite followed by 3e/3.5e covers. 2e is probably my favorite but this one is close. Really can't wait to see the rest of the book.

The OG 1E and the 2E one are mine, though I grew up with the 3.x covers. The 5E one is decent, but this is clearly a step up towards theose Classics. Feels like an 80s/90s Epic High Fantasy novel cover...which is the right mode for D&D.

 

[Lidgar]

I do like the artwork for the bronze dragon. Apologies if this was posted in one of the earlier art threads.

 

[Parmandur]

When everything is awesome, when every battle or scene is epic...it's all boring. DnD art has been striving for AWESOMELY WORLD-SHAKING ACTION!!!! for the last two editions so hard that it's not at all remarkable anymore.

I don't know but I've been told, everything is awesome when you are part of a team.

 

[Oofta]

I do like the cover, but kind of like the back cover more. The cartoon characters art is a lot of fun with everything from pixies to mimics and perhaps the goblins are a nod to 5E art?