D&D Direct 2024 honored the first fifty years of Dungeons & Dragons with a look into the future of the game. We went behind the scenes for the 2024 Core Rulebooks, announced an upcoming pair of Forgotten Realms books, as well as a dragon anthology book, showcased Project Sigil, and more.
Get all the scoop in this recap of D&D Direct 2024!
- Behind the Scenes of the 2024 Player’s Handbook
- 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide and 2024 Monster Manual
- An Anthology of Dragon Adventures
- A New Starter Set for the Revised Rules
- Launch of the Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons Superdrop
- 12 LEGO Collectible Minifigures Coming September 1
- New and Returning Third-Party Contributors
- Two Full-Sized Forgotten Realms Sourcebooks with Player Options and More
- Project Sigil Takes Your Games into a 3D Sandbox
Behind the Scenes of the 2024 Player’s Handbook
The 2024 Player’s Handbook will soon hit store shelves and be accessible on D&D Beyond, and we’re excited to share what’s in store for your gaming table!
For the new core rulebook, we revisited and revamped the 2014 Player’s Handbook from top to bottom to pack in more player options, make quality-of-life improvements, and make fifth edition D&D more accessible than ever before.
We offer a breakdown of the core rulebook in our What’s New in the 2024 Player’s Handbook? article, but here are a few highlights:
- The book has been rewritten from start to end, and it includes tons of all-new artwork.
- Early chapters make the game more accessible with extensive information on what D&D is and how gameplay works.
- New subclasses, spells, feats, and other character options allow you to customize your character in more ways than in the 2014 Player’s Handbook.
- Weapon Mastery allows characters who prefer to wield weapons to unlock new tactical options in combat.
- The Rules Glossary collects all the game’s crunchier rules in one place. Not sure about the new rules for Exhaustion? Flip to the glossary, and you’ll find your answer straight away!
We’re also hard at work on translating the 2024 Core Rulebooks into French, Italian, German, and Spanish.
Early Access for D&D Beyond Subscribers
D&D Beyond subscribers who preorder a digital copy of the 2024 Player’s Handbook or the Digital & Physical Core Rulebook Bundle in the D&D Beyond marketplace will get early access to their books.
- Master Tier Subscribers: September 3
- Hero Tier Subscribers: September 10
Local Game Store Early Access
The 2024 Player's Handbook gets its wide release on September 17, but local game stores in the U.S. and Canada can begin selling their copies two weeks early, on September 3, as part of our Local Game Store Early Access Program.
2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide and 2024 Monster Manual
The 2024 Player’s Handbook kicks off the rules revisions for the most popular edition of D&D. The release of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide and 2024 Monster Manual will follow in the coming months, bringing tons of new gaming material for your table.
The 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide is a top-to-bottom rewrite of the original, chockful of advice for returning and aspiring DMs. With nearly all the artwork being brand new, this core rulebook will also be filled with inspiration for your home games. Players will also enjoy the 100 or so pages of magic items, many of which are new.
The 2024 Monster Manual is the most monster-packed Monster Manual in D&D history. It will serve as a tome of inspiration to challenge, frighten, and delight your tables.
An Anthology of Dragon Adventures
We heard you like Dungeons & Dragons, so we’re dropping an adventure anthology jam-packed with dragons in dungeons next summer! Delve into the new dragon designs and set off on adventures that showcase each of the metallic and chromatic dragons.
The Dragon Anthology (working title) book contains ten short adventures that span every tier of play and is packed with dragon lore, making it a perfect way to experience the revised D&D dragons.
A New Starter Set for the Revised Rules
Whether you’re new to the game or bringing friends into the fold, the Fall 2025 starter set is a beginner-friendly introduction to D&D. Based on the past ten years of play, we’ve revamped the new player experience to kick off your adventures with ease regardless of your experience level.
Heroes of the Borderlands (working title) makes it easy to start playing D&D in minutes with a quick-start guide; intuitive, component-centric character creation; and a modular, introductory adventure. It reimagines B2: The Keep on the Borderlands—a classic introductory D&D adventure—for use with this boxed set by splitting the adventure into three self-contained booklets: the Caves of Chaos, the Keep on the Borderlands, and the Wilderness. Each booklet includes a short tutorial to help new and returning players learn as they go. A how-to-play video will also accompany the release.
Launch of the Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons Superdrop
D&D and Magic: The Gathering come together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the tabletop roleplaying game! Available now in limited quantities are five Secret Lair drops that celebrate the game’s storied history.
The Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons 50th Anniversary Superdrop features new and classic artwork of iconic characters and more, with one drop showcasing our favorite Tiefling Barbarian, Karlach, and another spotlighting the anything-but-demure vampire Astarion.
12 LEGO Collectible Minifigures Coming September 1
On September 1, you’ll get the chance to pick up LEGO Minifigures Dungeons & Dragons mystery boxes. There’s 12 collectible LEGO minifigures that depict iconic characters and classes from D&D. You can learn more here: The LEGO Group Announces Dungeons & Dragons Minifigures Collection.
New and Returning Third-Party Contributors
We’re proud to showcase the works of just some of the immensely talented creators in the D&D space. Expect to see more third-party releases brought into the D&D Beyond toolset and marketplace, with works from new and returning creators, such as:
- Dungeon Dudes
- Free League Publishing
- Ghostfire Gaming
- Hit Point Press
- Kobold Press
- Loot Tavern
- MCDM
- The Griffon’s Saddlebag
Two Full-Sized Forgotten Realms Sourcebooks with Player Options and More
When we revisited the core rules for fifth edition D&D, we were spurred to also revisit the game’s most popular setting: the Forgotten Realms. The setting will be featured in two full-sized sourcebooks—The Forgotten Realms Player Guide (working title) and The Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide (working title).
The Forgotten Realms Player Guide contains everything players and Dungeon Masters need to play in this beloved D&D setting. It contains a setting overview for new and returning players, as well as the following player options:
- Subclasses
- Feats
- Backgrounds
- Spells and a new type of spell
- Key information on factions such as the Harpers and Zhentarim and how to join them
The Forgotten Realms Adventure Guide will be a trove of information and resources for Dungeon Masters to create their own epic fantasy adventures. It will also contain five in-depth setting guides for iconic locations in the Forgotten Realms that support a variety of adventure genres:
- Baldur’s Gate
- Calimshan
- The Dalelands
- Moonshae Isles
- Icewind Dale
Project Sigil Takes Your Games into a 3D Sandbox
Project Sigil is all about letting your imagination run wild as you and your friends enjoy D&D or your other favorite franchises. Both Dungeon Masters and players can use the 3D sandbox to bring their characters and adventures to life. Customize and manipulate high-quality miniatures to immerse yourself in your characters and use the level builder to create your next favorite dungeon, tavern, or other setting! Then, share your trap-filled designs with others.
Want to jump straight into adventure? Project Sigil will offer modules, which are short adventures that come with premade settings and characters. The first of these will be Danger in Dunbarrow. All you’ll need to do before rolling dice is have your players join your game with their D&D Beyond characters! The 3D sandbox will be available on PC to start; we hope to later expand to mobile and console.
The closed beta for Project Sigil kicks off this Fall, but you can sign up today using your D&D Beyond account. And if you preorder the 2024 Core Rulebook Bundle on the D&D Beyond marketplace, you’ll unlock a gold dragon miniature in Project Sigil, in addition to other preorder perks.
Michael Galvis (@michaelgalvis) is a tabletop content producer for D&D Beyond. He is a longtime Dungeon Master who enjoys horror films and all things fantasy and sci-fi. When he isn’t in the DM’s seat or rolling dice as his anxious halfling sorcerer, he’s playing Helldivers 2 and Magic: The Gathering with his partners. They live together in Los Angeles with their adorable dogs, Quentin and Eliot.
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Posted Aug 28, 2024Very excited for the upcoming Forgotten Realms books, I like this approach to settings books.
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Posted Aug 28, 2024The traduction is it just for physical book or are we gonna have the option in dnd beyond also ??
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Posted Aug 28, 2024All I want to know is which book will introduce Necromancer subclass
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Posted Aug 28, 2024I hope they update chult. I love my dinosaurs.
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Posted Aug 28, 2024I wish that you weren't expected to buy every book twice to build a character on Ddb you want all the digital books and to actually play in person you want a physical copy total bs. We pay for a sub let us use the books we bought!
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Posted Aug 29, 2024We emailed WOTC regarding the plan for supporting Educators & clubs - you know, the people who have a hand in growing the D&D community (while also keeping students busy, committed, and less likely get involved with/be subjected to violence) through after school programs. We were told there were NO PLANS to support Educators through this change nor beyond.
I'm seeing a lot of things here that seems like exactly the type of support these programs need: upgrades like a starter set *specifically for* the revised rules & upgrading the digital access to the DMG & MM to these new editions. Wouldn't be a difficult route to take but would sure mean a lot to these Educators who are volunteering their time, trying to spread the love of the game.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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Posted Aug 29, 2024Did they discuss the pay structure (if any) for Project Sigil?
Will we need to purchase pieces of the VTT, or have access to it all with our normal subscription?
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Posted Aug 29, 2024Bring back a la carte purchases.
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Posted Aug 29, 2024I'd love to have the digital books available in different languages as well.
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Posted Aug 29, 2024can't believe i only had to wait 10 years for a FR setting book for 5e
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Posted Aug 29, 2024The power creep in this revision is unreal and completely ruins the experience imo. This is 4th edition all over again. Hard pass on all this.
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Posted Aug 29, 2024Awesome stuff!
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Posted Aug 29, 2024Honestly most people online. It's another way to play and ensures you can find a group that likes to play the same way you do. Would be nice to play in person, but even when I do I use online tools to help people visualize what's happening.
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Posted Aug 30, 2024About time someone else asked this question. I have asked this exact same question a bunch of different times on multiple forums (including this one) and no one has any clue if they are going to go back and make 3D maps for all of their previously released 5e Adventures. Needless to say, they would be saving us a large amount of time if they simply created the 3D maps for all of their previously released 5e adventures. It is a one and done situation. If we have to do it, then we are all making these maps on our own, and collectively spending a huge amount of time making these maps. WOTC could do it, and probably do it fairly fast, as their people would know how to use the map builder. I will say the map builder looks very easy to use, as it reminds me so much of Dungeon Alchemist (a great map making program). Just choose what type of room you want, and click and drag to get the size you want, and presto, the AI forms the room. Or at least it seems like the Sigil map builder will function like that. Nevertheless, I hope they do go back and start creating 3D maps for the previously released adventures.
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Posted Aug 30, 2024Let's just hope that you don't have to individually purchase every mini and piece of terrain and stuff for Project Sigil. I'm gonna be honest, I never got my hopes up about this VTT.
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Posted Aug 30, 2024The cost of Project Sigil is the real make-or-break. Most people won't be willing to subscribe to access things like custom minis, but a ton people would absolutely love to make a mini to go with the character sheet they already have here. And if we've all got minis, maybe the DM can throw together a battle map for everyone to use them on. And if we're playing our combat in the VTT, why not just purchase the adventure that we're already running?
I worry that Hasbro is going to demand a higher cost of entry, which would kill the project due to a low adoption rate.
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Posted Aug 30, 2024A New Starter Set for the Revised Rules
The DoSI, starter set is fairly new on the market (2022). Yes it has the old 2014 Pre-Gen Character Sheet, but could these Pre-Gen Character Sheet be updated and bought via a WOTC store. The section on how to create a character is not a part of the rule book and it only goes up to level 3.
The same could apply to LMoP, but as it been expanded in the PaBTSO that be unrealistic. The EK (2019) only needs a book on revised rules, a 64 page booklet that could at least be bought separately.
I know Hasbro needs to make money from us players and DM's but not all of us can afford the PHB (2024)
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Posted Aug 30, 2024Of course we will, did you not hear them calling the mini's 'toys' every five seconds. It's just going to be a way to try and monetise the game; "here's your basic stuff, if you want anything more interesting we have a dozen or so microtransactions that will fulfil your desires.". And whilst I'm aware the game from the con was showcasing an alpha variant of the system, so it's unfair to judge the unpolished edges, I was not particularly impressed with the direction they're taking it.*
For my part, I like the sound of a "Dungeons with Dragons in" book, and the Faerun guide books, if they can keep the quality of the core books going, I've long wanted them to do a series of dedicated setting guides for DM's. Otherwise, I'll probably keep to using Hero Forge and Eldritch Foundry for minis, and good old fashioned pen and paper for my environments.
Edit: * That is to say, nothing about it stood out to me as being particularly innovative, genre changing or future-standard setting. As opposed to there being anything egregiously problematic or incomprehensible about what they've shown recently.
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Posted Aug 31, 2024Been doing a bit of research...
The classic B2 Keep on the Borderlands gave you - you'll never guess - a keep!
Hopefully the new 2025 Borderlands adventure (no, the new D&D starter box, not the computer game franchise) will do the same and help integrate the new Bastion system into the 5.[4th-edition] game.
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Posted Aug 31, 2024Seems half-baked programme for a whole year of work for "the world's greatest roleplaying game."
They've stripped back their support for actual plays that drove the renaissance and have fired most of their staff so they can't make many new books.
All the eggs are in the VTT basket, for a digital future.
So forgive me if I hope it tanks, and Hasbro divests, and we get our real game back.