If you don’t like the 2024 Player Handbook, take these steps right away

The announcement of Dungeons & Dragons Creator Wizards of the Coast that there will be a new Player’s Handbook Released in 2024 was met with mixed responses. The upcoming release will be the first major revision to the rulebook since the current 5e model was released in 2014, and Although the publisher promised that the new handbook would maintain backward compatibility with the old handbooks, it is already clear that this is not entirely true.

Many players have the simple option of not buying the new handbook when it releases on September 17, but for those with a subscription to D&D Beyond, it won’t be so simple. It is officially confirmed that Wizards of the Coast will have players automatically default to the new rules once the handbook is released – and many players are not happy with this decision.

Items and spells in D&D Beyond will automatically update with the 2024 Player’s Handbook

Players have to add homebrew items to follow the old rulebook

Items and spells have the biggest change with the outbreak of the 2024 player handbook, According to the changelog for The & the next. Once the new rules become available to subscribers, All spells and items will be updated with their new versions, meaning players will have to take some extra steps if they want to use the 2014 version instead. The versions of the spells and magic items that have been changed will still be available to players by navigating to the older handbook, but implementing the spells in a campaign requires homebrewing.

In the changelog, Wizards of the Coast detailed the update specifically, suggesting a possible workaround. “If you want to use the old version of a magic number or spell that has been replaced by its 2024 counterpart, You will need to create a homebrew copy of it and enable homebrew content on your character page. Then, you can add it to your character sheet,” The changelog reads.

Players also cannot make a homebrew version of non-magical equipmentAlthough the devs noted that “The only significant change to weapons is the addition of mastery properties.” Regardless, those unwilling to make the change to the new rules now have a lot more hoops to jump through if they want to use the 2014 handbook in conjunction with their D&D Beyond account.

There is no way to switch between the two rules

Players will automatically be updated to the rules of the 2024 Handbook.

Probably the biggest issue that players have taken with the upcoming updates is The blanket implementation of the newest rulebookAs D&D Beyond doesn’t offer players a lot of room to switch between the two. Although access to the 2014 Player’s Handbook Will still be available on the service, the streamlined process that made the subscription service so enticing has been eroded by the updates.

“I was already not a fan of the recent changes to the UI under the game rules section, but making the choice to play under the 2014 rule set so finicky and annoying is not appealing to the 2014 players such as me and my players,” User Emperor 1ama Noticed in response to the changelog on the D&D Beyond forum. There is no way for players to switch between the two rulesLeaving a lot of extra work for those not quite ready for the transition.

These changes specifically affect those who use D&D Beyond when running their campaignsAnd it left a sour taste in the mouths of many. As updated editions of the core rulebooks and manuals slowly release over the next year, Dungeons & Dragons Players have to lament the impermanence of their virtual access to the game – and the disappointment among players is palpable. Despite some proposed compromises in the changelog, the transition process looks like it will require a lot of additional work for players still holding on to the old rules.

Source: D&D Beyond (1, 2)