Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook (2024) Review –

Last February, we were among the first to get our hands on the new and revised Dungeons &Dragons Monster Manual in its Fifth Revised Edition, also known as D&D (2024) or, unofficially, D&D 5.5E. That digital edition of the Monster Manual completed the triad of essential books for this new era of Dungeons and Dragons, and is finally beginning to be localized in more languages, making ” the world’s greatest role-playing game”. will become accessible to even more adventurers. International publishers will follow the same publication schedule as the original English edition, and in this case we already have the Player’s Handbook (2024) available.

In our case, we have analyzed the Spanish edition in this review, so the attached images you are about to find are of this edition. However, we have had access to other recent localized versions (German, Italian, French), and the result, both in terms of print and content, is just as good. Please keep this in mind if you are reading from an area with these languages.

Let’s assume that this manual is in almost every way an improved and expanded version of the previous Player’s Handbook from 2014. The Player’s Handbook (2024) is the ideal companion for any D&D player, as well as a regular reference point during gaming sessions when you start a new game and want to keep abreast of Fifth Edition changes. Not that it’s an overhaul deep enough to meet the definition of Sixth Edition, and you’ll probably be able to quickly adjust your character sheets according to the rules from 2014 to 2024 without having to switch to half a campaign, but I do think it’s the go-to book if you’re starting a new campaign or getting started in Dungeons & Dragons in 2025.

Notable changes between Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook (2014 vs. 2024)

For starters, it is a more comprehensive manual, with 384 pages in color (the previous version had 316 pages) devoted to creating your characters, choosing every aspect you want to detail them with, equipment, alignment, spells and even the way they talk, react or sneer. The structure of consulting and reading is now much more enjoyable, starting with a more-than-necessary explanation for all audiences (hence, this is the starting point for any new role-player) of what role-playing is, what Dungeons and Dragons is, and how the various scenes of dialogues between characters and NPCs, explorations, encounters, bartering and, of course, Turns in battles are developed.

Clearly, revising the D&D system from top to bottom involves many changes, and significant changes in the way the character is created, which is now much more intuitive. For example, the first thing to notice is that we can now dispense with race, sub-race or species modifiers. Now you don’t have to sacrifice physical aspects to gain certain racial advantages, as was the case in D&D 5E in 2014. Instead, these bonuses and stats are now earned through the character’s background and various skills as they reach higher levels.

Character Classes have also been completely rebalanced and new subclasses have been added up to a total of four per class, which you get from Level 3. Now you can create even more dynamic and fun combinations without giving up points or multiclassing (although this is still available, of course). While almost all classes have benefited from the changes, some, like the Druid seem to have lost a bit of their charm so far, as the change in life in both Wild and Regular Form now makes them more vulnerable. A fair rebalancing, yes, but one that the DM may want to “dodge” in its future game, in this case.

While classes like the Bard, Barbarian, Warlock or Cleric have expanded their range and versatility, others like wizards and sorcerers (who may have been more balanced in the past) are now less affected by the changes. Another major highlight of this new Player’s Handbook is that the expanded list of Equipment, Weapons, Spells and Spells is much longer, based on the revised contents of Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything.

The Player’s Handbook (2024) is not just a revision of the rules for creating and using characters in games. This version is much easier to read and understand, even for those still new to the game. The look-up tables are easier to find and more intuitive, filling in the gaps left by earlier versions of the Handbook. The expanded basics of spells and weapons make it much more independent of other reference books, and the explanations of how roleplaying works, explanations of mission creation and game situations make it almost possible to create a game that uses it for reference only. But European readers will soon also have the localized versions of the Dungeon Master’s Guide and the Monster Manual, and a new chapter in the history of D&D is sure to begin for everyone.

“Adventure awaits you… “