DnD 2024. One D&D. Whatever you call it, the new edition of Dungeons & Dragons is rapidly approaching. The game millions around the world play and adore is going to change. For many, this will be their first time seeing a new D&D edition as players.

Buckle up. These often get tense.

D&D 2024, the artist formerly known as the One D&D playtest, is far more familiar to players than most new versions of D&D. Besides its extensive playtesting spanning years, it’s far more of an update to D&D 5e than a whole new version of the game.

There’s a reason it’s the D&D Player’s Handbook 2024 instead of D&D 6e, and I genuinely don’t think that’s just for branding purposes.

With these big changes coming, along with a big price tag, some fans will be wondering if they need or want to change to D&D 2024 or whether they can keep their D&D 5e game going.

Here at Artificial Twenty, I cannot answer that question for you. I’m not a priest. But please don’t click away.

What I can do is look at how the One D&D playtest/Player’s Handbook 2024 stacks up as a new product and what reasons there are to hand over or keep your money. From there, it’s your choice.

Do You Need to Switch to D&D 2024?

A new D&D edition comes with changes, ideally for the better. From what we’ve seen, a lot of the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is Wizards of the Coast applying the lessons of ten years to refine D&D 5e, which is already a beloved edition.

There will be some genuine improvements in D&D 2024. Backgrounds, races, and feats are all getting huge overhauls, some of which are for the better. Overpowered spells, feats, and abilities are getting balance tweaks to bring them more in line.

Whole new systems have been added, such as OneD&D Weapon Mastery. Perfect for people who want more complex martial builds in D&D 5e.

Furthermore, most new material will be exclusively for D&D 2024, not for your beloved D&D 5e. Despite mentions of backwards compatibility, people still aren’t entirely sure what that means. The changes will likely lead to new One D&D content being at best clunky, and at worst very difficult to fit into a D&D 5e campaign or character.

If you’re a big fan of trying out the latest premade D&D campaigns or playing with brand-new character options, the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is going to be nigh-essential for that. Similarly, its changes and tweaks may well address some of your personal issues with D&D 5e. We all have them.

However, the end of a D&D edition doesn’t mean you have to stop playing it. The rules are still there (even if the recent DnDBeyond D&D 5e spells and magic items drama threatens that) and are still more than playable.

People still play D&D 4e. They still play D&D 3.5. I bet you can find some group around a table playing the original Dungeons & Dragons game in the year of our lord.

If there are still things you want to explore in D&D 5e, campaigns you have yet to play or characters you have yet to try out, D&D 5e is still there and still fun. Maybe the changes in D&D 2024 don’t excite you. If not, don’t feel the need to switch right away.

This is particularly true as, from OneD&D and marketing previews, the 2024 D&D Player’s Handbook doesn’t fix everyone’s issues with D&D 5e. The Ranger and Rogue are commonly listed as sore points, as is the removal of certain D&D 5e races like Half-Orcs and Half-Elves.

So yes, you don’t need to switch to D&D 2024, whatever your feelings. However, you should weigh up if the changes are in the direction you want and excite you.

The Cost of D&D 2024 Books

Nerd hobbies are expensive. This is a well-known fact. If you’ve already bought the core books for D&D 5e, and especially if you’ve bought more supplements on top of that, your wallet might be wincing at the thought of another round.

The 2024 Player’s Handbook for D&D appears to be around £30 (and similar in dollars) for the book alone. Add in the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual, and you’ve got what could be a hefty investment in uncertain economic times.

Reportedly, the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is the biggest PHB in D&D history. It contains hundreds of spells, twelve classes with four subclasses each, and other options not seen in the base D&D 5e book. The Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual are similarly dense.

However, much of One D&D and the new edition are highly similar to D&D 5e. The skeleton is the same, the muscles are the same. Honestly, the skin and hair look pretty similar too. The changes aren’t unimpressive and aren’t surface-level tweaks, but much of the book will be something you’ve already purchased.

On the flipside, I do have to admit that TTRPGs like D&D are excellent value for money. You can play with a D&D book you purchase once for years to come. This is on top of how much most TTRPG players adore their games. It’s often better value for money than other hobbies in time spent alone, even if the initial investment can be steep.

If you can split the cost of the D&D 2024 core books with your table, even that investment can be more manageable.

I can’t speak to your personal finances or how much use you get out of your D&D 5e books. But I do often find I get more out of my D&D purchases than various subscription services, and much more than a lot of other purchases I make.

Do You Want to Support D&D 2024?

Many of the questions around D&D 2024 aren’t just about the changes made or the financial value. People are growing more and more conscientious about how they spend their money, and how the companies they spend with use it.

I’m not going to beat around the bush. Wizards of the Coast have had several scandals over the past few years. The D&D 5e Open Game License situation was the biggest and most visible, but far from the only one.

We’ve had AI art (in Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants). We’ve had stolen art (the Magic: The Gathering card Trouble in Pairs). Wizards had the Pinkertons sent to a Magic streamer’s house over some product.

Most recently, D&D 5e magic items and spells were going to be removed on DnDBeyond and replaced with the D&D 2024 versions – with clunky workarounds for players who didn’t want the change.

Wizards and Hasbro have also openly announced that they want D&D to have ‘recurrent spending’ of the sort you see in video games – and I don’t know anyone who likes that aspect of modern video gaming.

In most cases, Wizards and D&D walked back these incidents and apologised. However, there have been a lot of them.

Wizards of the Coast employ and pay genuinely talented and community-minded people who produce games TTRPG players love. Their scandals aren’t as bad as those seen at larger companies like Activision Blizzard. However, this is a very low bar to clear. Many online D&D fans are increasingly wary about financially supporting the company in light of recent scandals.

At the same time, sticking with D&D 5e isn’t a total lack of support. You still prop up D&D‘s dominance in the TTRPG space, the thing that draws in countless others to play. It’s not an easy fix to any ethical quibbles you have.

I can’t tell you the morally right choice here. Fundamentally, this blog ends up supporting D&D. By being part of the D&D ecosphere, by building the game’s online presence, by running public D&D games, I support Wizards of the Coast. So it’s not my place to tell people where they should and shouldn’t spend their money on a game they love.

However, it is worth considering these things with any company before you buy, including Wizards of the Coast and the 2024 D&D Player’s Handbook.

Are Other Games the Answer?

I love D&D 5e. Even with my fairly wide-ranging TTRPG experience, I always come back to it. There’s a reason why, despite Artificial Twenty covering TTRPGs as a whole, I discuss D&D 5e the most (besides view counts).

With that said, I always encourage players to branch out. D&D 5e is a genuinely fantastic game. So are others on the market.

Even with D&D 2024 coming out, it’s not a binary choice. You don’t have to stick with D&D 5e or make the switch to the new D&D edition.

If there are things you don’t love about D&D 5e (or even if you’ve played it enough and you want a change), but the D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook doesn’t set your soul on fire, look further afield.

This is a time of change in the D&D world. You can make that change as large or as small as you like.

Pathfinder Second Edition, Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Torchbearer, 13th Age, Dungeon World. These are a handful of similar medieval fantasy TTRPGs that, while not better than D&D 5e or D&D 2024, do things differently.

Go even further. Look at areas D&D 5e can’t cover well. Cyberpunk RED. Blades in the Dark. The Star Wars Roleplaying Game. Check out your indies and the weird niche hacks people online make.

This does come at a cost. It is far harder to play TTRPGs that aren’t D&D 5e, especially in a public setting. It’s often a case of scouring the internet for games or making your entire group switch with you.

There’s nothing wrong with continuing to play D&D 5e or switching to D&D 2024. Just remember that you do have other options if neither makes your heart flutter.

Hell, play the many other TTRPGs in the world and also D&D, whether the current edition or the Player’s Handbook 2024. It’s how I like to keep things fresh.

As I said, I can’t tell you outright whether you should or shouldn’t buy D&D 2024, or even whether you should stick with D&D 5e. There’s a lot to consider, including your own personal circumstances. I just hope I’ve laid out enough information to make that easier.

If you’ve enjoyed this article, please leave a like and share it around. Please also check out some other Artificial Twenty content, such as the suggestions below. It means a lot.

Branching out might be a moot point if you’re between D&D groups. ‘Games Like DnD For Solo Players‘ can help with that.

If you want some good old-fashioned DMing advice that transcends most edition barriers, consider ‘How to DM a DnD Mystery Adventure‘ instead.