donjon & Dragonsis gear up for a lot of huge changes with the forthcoming release of the newPlayer ’s Handbook , Dungeon Master ’s Guide , andMonster Manual , but the Holy Writ I ’m most excited about are n’t any of these core options . I ’ve been playing fifth editionDnDfor a long time , and like everyone , there are things I have sex about it and thing I detest . The newPlayer ’s Handbookdefinitely address some of my gripes ( even if it ’s lose a niggling too much tang text for my liking ) , but I could have survived another decade with the 2014 reading .

There ’s more torunning a just game ofDnDthan just have a rulebook on hand , a concept tell by the riches of supplementary materialsDnDpublisher Wizards of the Coast has put out in the past . In the third variation ofDnD(and the revised 3.5e ) , Wizards might have overdone it a bit , and 5th variant has spaced out its outlet with some additional care . One omission has always bothered me , however , and it ’s one thatDnDwill lastly objurgate in 2025 .

The fresh update 2024 Player ’s Handbook for Dungeons & Dragons is being released soon , and it will contribute some exciting change to the plot .

A druid from Dungeons & Dragons holding a cardinal-like bird on his finger in front of a city backdrop from the Forgotten Realms setting.

Custom Image by Ben Brosofsky

Forgotten Realms Guides Are Exactly What D&D Needs

Sourcebooks For The Main 5e Setting Are Long Overdue

The primary setting ofDnD5e is the Forgotten Realms , but in the X since the initiation of 5e , Wizards of the Coast has been fabulously spare with material describing the world of the Forgotten Realms . In 2025 , however , that will be shift , withtwo new source Koran for the Forgotten Realms herald in the D&D Direct 2024 , available on the officialDungeons & DragonsYouTube canal . At the moment , both books just have working title , but they ’re currently bear on to asThe Forgotten Realms Player Guideand The Forgotten Realms Adventure Guid

The Forgotten Realms rig was created by Ed Greenwood , who started craft the mankind as a shaver .

I would n’t inevitably call myself a diehard devotee ofThe Forgotten Realms , and I do n’t actually apply it as the background for my long - run drive , which takes home in a homebrew macrocosm that tends to expose new turning point as the players search it . I do , however , like to take inspiration from it and other publishedDnDsettings . One urban center that my party spent a while in earlier this yr was mostly a redux of Saltmarsh , which has some good 5e material to commit from in the anthology bookGhosts of Saltmarsh .

The cover art for the 2024 Player’s Handbook

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.

D&D ’s primary setting in the Forgotten Realms has plenty of locations with make traditional knowledge , but are rarely visit by prescribed political campaign fabric .

Like Saltmarsh , however , Forgotten Realms source material in 5e has incline to be sparse in nature and mixed in with adventure . Up until this point , the best standalone book on the subject was theSword Coast Adventurer ’s Guide , a volume that ’s frustratingly slim equate to every otherDnD5e ledger on my shelf . If it packed a net ton of detail into its 150 or so pages , I could forgive that , but I tend to regain my 2e copy ofGreyhawk : The Adventure Beginsmore utile despite its even humble footprint . Sometimes , walls of small school text can be a good matter .

My affection for the 2eGreyhawkbook decimal point to an alternative solution — dungeon masters and musician can always release to fabric from previous edition , as nothing about rule changes renders older preferences books as fundamentally incompatible . Third - party cognitive content or stuff for otherTTRPGs with their own fantasy settingscan be as great , and guess outside the Forgotten Realms box seat can add a lot . All the same , there should be good , current first - company subject , and I ’m beaming that Wizards of the Coast is finally addressing the gaping hole in the product line .

Drizzt from D&D with imagery from Moonshae Isles.

Magic in Dungeons & Dragons extend a moment of flexibility , but a system that offer more room for temporary expedient without losing bodily structure is promising .

What To Expect From The New Forgotten Realms Books

Content For DMs & Players Alike

There ’s not a ton of info out yet on what exactly the new Forgotten Realms book will deal , although the D&DDirect make mention of cardinal locations like Baldur ’s Gate and Icewind Dale that were already pretty obvious guarantees . A closet spillage clarifies that thePlayer Guidewill feature " new subclasses , feats , backdrop , cabal , and spells , " whiletheAdventure Guidehas the traditional knowledge and locations that DMs will need to reference when setting stories in the Forgotten Realms . It should all make building grown custom military campaign — or simply start off the rails in published adventures — easier than before .

Other note inclusions are the Dalelands , Moonshae Isles , and the land of Calimshan , each of which can provide a completely dissimilar savour for campaign .

Before those gain the market place , the World of Greyhawk is also draw some beloved with aninclusion in theDungeon Master ’s Guide , which could be a honest tool as a looser template for custom campaign . It ’s squeamish to have a pre - established world to throw down at the game tabular array without any other reference on hand , especially when it get along to running one - shots ad-lib sessions . I ’m excited about that as well , but I ’m inclined for it to be as anemic as most dress references have been in 5e so far , which is o.k. for its context of use .

A character using magic to heal the wound of another character chained to the wall in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere RPG.

The Future Of Dungeons & Dragons In 2025 & Beyond

2025 Is Sticking To The Basics

The Forgotten Realms sourcebooks are n’t the only tomes coming in 2025 , and theD&D Direct also revealed aDragon AnthologyandUpdated Starter Set(once again , work titles ) . It ’s all somewhat back - to - fundamentals stuff , in keeping with the fact that the game is getting a bit of a delicate relaunch . torrid fans might rather see a unexampled campaign book than a new starter readiness , but there ’s already a ten of 5e campaign books to piece from , and providing a clearer pathway to get fresh histrion on board makes a draw of sense .

keep & Dragons has released a wide change of crusade books over the form of 5th edition , and some by all odds stand up out more than others .

I ’m not unilaterally affirmative about the succeeding ofDnD , and missteps like recent design toremove old content onD&D Beyond(now turn back thanks to repercussion ) do occasionally raise serious concerns . All the same , there ’s also a lot of good ideas happening decently now , and I ’m not sure I can think of any books I ’d require to see more in 2025 than Forgotten Realms sourcebooks . It might have taken right smart longer than it should have , butDungeons & Dragonsis finally going to fulfil the gaping hole on my ledge that ’s been bothering me for years .

Baldur’s Gate map showing how much of the city is missing from Baldur’s Gate 3

Dungeons and Dragons is a pop tabletop game originally cook up in 1974 by   Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson .   The phantasy role - act as game bring together players for a campaign with various components , including abilities , races , fiber class , monsters , and treasures . The game has drastically thrive since the ' 70s , with legion update loge Seth and expansion .

A D&D party fighting hordes of enemies in a hellish landscape in art from the 2024 Player’s Handbook.

Images from Vecna Eve of Ruin, Curse of Shrahd, and Rime of the Frostmaiden

Dungeons and Dragons Game Poster

Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.

Dungeons and Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons