Gab Hernandez 
Dungeons and Dragons 2024 will shake up the TTRPG space, but how is the newly renamed One DnD different from the broadly established 5e?
Initially codenamed “One DnD,” the 2024 edition of Dungeons and Dragons is fast approaching. While Wizards of the Coast, DnD’s publisher, hesitates to call it an “edition,” many fans called it “DnD 5.5” because it still follows the same ruleset as 5e, albeit with major modifications.
Still, the extent of these changes may confuse casual players. As with DnD jumping from 3.0 to 3.5e, the jump between editions isn’t the cleanest process. Still, it’s an exciting time for DnD fans, as these changes will surely spice up the decades-old game.
Table of contents
What’s new in DnD 2024?
DnD 2024 has overhauled every aspect of 5e, from classes to spells, while sticking to the core fundamental rules of its predecessor. DnD 2024 aims to fix many player complaints thrown 5e’s way. Reworking everything from the top down means veteran players will see familiar names with new mechanics.
The 2024 Player’s Handbook aims to incorporate the most popular elements from the past decade of Dungeons and Dragons. Optional rules from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and Xanathar’s Guide to Everything have become core rules for the latest evolution of DnD.
All DnD 2024 classes and subclasses
Every class now gets four core subclasses, with reworks and new features abound. While the changes for each class are far too numerous to list here, there are some notables worth mentioning:
- Every martial class now gets Weapon Mastery, a new feature that grants more combat options with mastered weapons.
- Every class now gets an Epic Boon at the 19th level, a feature once exclusively rewarded to 20th-level players after finishing campaigns.
- Most subclasses and class features have been reworked extensively, from overhauls to quality-of-life changes.
- Barbarian, Bard, and Druid each received a new subclass as part of its core class features. Respectively, these subclasses are Path of the World Tree, College of Dance, and Circle of the Sea.
Here are the core subclasses for each class in DnD 2024.
Barbarian
Barbarians have become more savage in the new rules thanks to the plethora of new martial features. As ever, they walk the fine line between being uncontrollable rage monsters and buff spiritualists.
- Path of the Berserker
- Path of the Wild Heart
- Path of the World Tree
- Path of the Zealot
Bard
Bards remain as musical as ever but their new subclass allows them to dance aggressively in celebration. While DnD 5e allowed bards to be everything from rock stars to slam poets, dancing somehow eluded them; DnD 2024 fixes that.
- College of Dance
- College of Glamour
- College of Lore
- College of Valor
Cleric
Clerics are still the peak of religious fervor in the Forgotten Realms, even with a multitude of tweaks.
- Life Domain
- Light Domain
- Trickery Domain
- War Domain
Druid
Druids have become more attuned to nature and even received a new subclass focused on the sea.
- Circle of the Land
- Circle of the Moon
- Circle of the Sea
- Circle of the Stars
Fighter
Fighters remain one of the most practical and easy-to-use classes in the DnD 2024, and new features have only made them more dangerous.
- Battle Master
- Champion
- Eldritch Knight
- Psi Warrior
Monk
Monks can still punch and kick their way out of any situation, but remain versatile outside of combat.
- Warrior of Mercy
- Warrior of Shadow
- Warrior of the Elements
- Warrior of the Open Hand
Paladin
Paladins benefit greatly from the martial and magical changes in DnD 2024 relative to DnD 5e. The class is once again the potent half-caster players expect it to be..
- Oath of Devotion
- Oath of Glory
- Oath of the Ancients
- Oath of Vengeance
Ranger
Rangers have changed significantly, but time will tell if these changes can elevate Ranger from its less-than-stellar reputation in 5e.
- Beast Master
- Fey Wanderer
- Gloom Stalker
- Hunter
Rogue
Rogues still have the sneakiest toolset among the classes, and new rules have made them even more dangerous.
- Arcane Trickster
- Assassin
- Soulknife
- Thief
Sorcerer
Sorcerers were always the most potent with magic, but the boosted spell changes have made them even more volatile and dangerous.
- Aberrant Sorcery
- Clockwork Sorcery
- Draconic Sorcery
- Wild Magic
Warlock
Warlocks have become even more powerful thanks to buffs across the board, particularly their number of Eldritch Invocations.
- Archfey Patron
- Celestial Patron
- Fiend Patron
- Great Old One Patron
Wizard
Wizards are still as complicated as ever, but with the right player, they are still the most powerful class at the highest levels.
- School of Abjuration
- School of Divination
- School of Evocation
- School of Illusion
All DnD 2024 Backgrounds
Here’s a list of the 16 core backgrounds for DnD 2024:
- Acolyte
- Charlatan
- Artisan
- Criminal
- Entertainer
- Guard
- Farmer
- Guide
- Hermit
- Noble
- Merchant
- Sage
- Sailor
- Soldier
- Scribe
- Wayfarer
Starting ability score adjustments now stem from Background rather than Species. As ever, these backgrounds are essentially “guidelines,” and players need not feel restricted to one particular role because of their initial background choice.
DnD 5e’s “races” have been rebranded as “species” in DnD 2024
Races are now called species in DnD 2024, and there are 10 species a player can choose during character creation:
- Aasimar
- Dragonborn
- Dwarf
- Elf
- Gnome
- Goliath
- Halfling
- Human
- Orc
The most notable additions are Aasimar, Goliath, and Orc. While they already existed as part of Mordenkainen Presents: Monster of the Multiverse, this is the first time all three are part of the official Player’s Handbook.
Controversially, half-species like Half-Elf and Half-Orc no longer exist in the Dungeons and Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook. Wizards of the Coast instead encourages players to “reflavor” species to their liking.
All DnD 2024 feats
Feats got a facelift in DnD 2024, and the 2024 Player’s Handbook has split them into the following categories:
- Origin
- General
- Fighting Style
- Epic Boon
Origin feats are obtained during character creation, and none provide stat bonuses. However, certain classes and species can obtain Origin feats through their class features. Warlocks have a new Eldritch Invocation named “Lessons of the First Ones,” which allows them to equip an Origin feat. Humans also get an extra Origin feat during character creation.
General feats don’t fit into other categories and are obtained through normal-level progression. Fighting Style, once a class feature, has now become a Feat category for classes with extensive martial ability. Epic Boons, as previously mentioned, are powerful feats that every class gets as a new class feature at Level 19.
Most feats still require certain prerequisites before they can be obtained. Some have also gained the “Repeatable” feature, which means they can be taken more than once. Notably, Ability Score Improvements are now considered “Feats,” and fittingly have the Repeatable feature.
Spells in DnD 2024 are stronger than they were in 5e
Spells have become more powerful and received new rules in DnD 2024. Dungeons and Dragons boasts hundreds of spells, and the changes range from slight tweaks to total overhauls. In general, spells have become more effective in whatever purpose they originally had, such as healing spells now granting more health at earlier levels.
Damage-dealing spells have also become more potent to encourage casters to take on a more aggressive playstyle befitting of their glass canon natures. In addition to tweaks to old spells, new spells have been added to DnD 2024. Spells such as Tasha’s Bubbling Cauldron and Jallarzi’s Storm of Radiance are only a glimpse of what’s next in DnD 2024.
When is DnD 2024’s release date?
The Dungeons and Dragons 2024 Player’s Handbook will launch on September 17, 2024.
Upon its release, Wizards of the Coast will focus its efforts and new source books on the 2024 edition of the rulebook. The extent of the rule changes and new additions have made it the biggest Players Handbook in DnD history.
Jeremy Crawford, Lead Designer of Dungeons and Dragons 5e, states the revised 2024 PHB will remain compatible with existing 5e material. How these changes will manifest remains to be seen, but many players are already preparing their campaigns to fit the new rules. You can pre-order the 2024 Digital Core Rulebook from DnDBeyond.
