It depends on what sort of stuff you're looking for. Xanathar's for player options, Volo's for extra info on iconic foes, Mordenkainen's for info on major wars, SCAG for Forgotten Realms. Personally, I would say Xanathar's first, just from the sheer amount of mechanical content, but its also the one that's easiest to foist off onto a player to buy.
Thirding Xanathar's Guide. After that for me it's a toss up between Mordenkaiden and Volos. I like SCAG, but it might be worth holding off on SCAG and waiting for Ebberon to see what that brings.
As a DM, Volo's is the choice. Xanthar's Guide is about expanding Player options and thus can be foisted upon them if they want it. Mordenkainen's Book is for BIG things, Cosmology spanning things, and while nice can be back burnered for long time. The SCAG is ancient, poorly constructed from my perspective, and limited in the window it provides into the Realms. Buying a used copy of 3.x materials on the Realms is such a better buy.
Volo's will give you the ability to understand how some iconic foes of your PCs think and that helps you plan their actions better than "Orcs Attack!".
Depends on your DMing style and the preparedness of people you are mostly playing with.
* Xanathar's is the best book for a compendium of expanded elemental spells, a bunch of subclasses and optional rules and suggestions about traps, backstory and treasure. Some of it is better than the stuff in the PHB or the DMG, in my opinion.
* Mordenkainen is a fair value if you want to focus on the Blood War, the Fey-related races and the outer planes. I personally think is one of the least useful, but that's b/c I don't particularly care for angels and devils. Also, if you really want thorough backstory, the older material from 2nd or 3rd edition is probably cheaper and more thorough.
* Volo's is the book to get if you want to focus on monsters and new races outside of typical high Forgotten Realms fantasy. I like it's relative thoroughness re: monster personality and likely patterns of socializing or what 2nd edition called "Ecology."
* Sword Coast is a throwaway book if you ask me. A good deal of its more popular material has been reprinted in Xanathar's Guide. It's less popular material is mostly for world-building if you want to go by official Forgotten Realms geography and lore. Useful if you want it, but definitely not essential. I would just buy the subclasses you want piecemeal from DND Beyond.
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I have been DMing now for almost a year and still only have the three core books. Which rule book do you suggest I purchase?
It depends on what sort of stuff you're looking for. Xanathar's for player options, Volo's for extra info on iconic foes, Mordenkainen's for info on major wars, SCAG for Forgotten Realms. Personally, I would say Xanathar's first, just from the sheer amount of mechanical content, but its also the one that's easiest to foist off onto a player to buy.
XGtE is my favorite book. Between the racial feats, new spells and subclasses, and all the optional rules it has something for everyone.
Thirding Xanathar's Guide. After that for me it's a toss up between Mordenkaiden and Volos. I like SCAG, but it might be worth holding off on SCAG and waiting for Ebberon to see what that brings.
As a DM, Volo's is the choice. Xanthar's Guide is about expanding Player options and thus can be foisted upon them if they want it. Mordenkainen's Book is for BIG things, Cosmology spanning things, and while nice can be back burnered for long time. The SCAG is ancient, poorly constructed from my perspective, and limited in the window it provides into the Realms. Buying a used copy of 3.x materials on the Realms is such a better buy.
Volo's will give you the ability to understand how some iconic foes of your PCs think and that helps you plan their actions better than "Orcs Attack!".
Buy Volos!
I might wait for the Eberron book as it is supposed to have a lot of stuff about a world to DM in and a class for people to play.
But given your list, I voted on XGTE, it is well written and Xanathar's comments are great.
Depends on your DMing style and the preparedness of people you are mostly playing with.
* Xanathar's is the best book for a compendium of expanded elemental spells, a bunch of subclasses and optional rules and suggestions about traps, backstory and treasure. Some of it is better than the stuff in the PHB or the DMG, in my opinion.
* Mordenkainen is a fair value if you want to focus on the Blood War, the Fey-related races and the outer planes. I personally think is one of the least useful, but that's b/c I don't particularly care for angels and devils. Also, if you really want thorough backstory, the older material from 2nd or 3rd edition is probably cheaper and more thorough.
* Volo's is the book to get if you want to focus on monsters and new races outside of typical high Forgotten Realms fantasy. I like it's relative thoroughness re: monster personality and likely patterns of socializing or what 2nd edition called "Ecology."
* Sword Coast is a throwaway book if you ask me. A good deal of its more popular material has been reprinted in Xanathar's Guide. It's less popular material is mostly for world-building if you want to go by official Forgotten Realms geography and lore. Useful if you want it, but definitely not essential. I would just buy the subclasses you want piecemeal from DND Beyond.