Only a few weeks away from the release of the 2024 Player Handbook Wizards of the Coast has put on Dungeons & Dragons Direct 2024. The D&D Direct 2024 offered us a final look on the 2024 PHB before it's release, where D&D is looking to go for the immediate future, and it also provided us with more information on Project Sigil, the 3D VTT offering that is currently taking sign-ups for the Closed Beta period.
D&D Direct began with a sizzle reel of fans and creators highlighting the memories that they've all had playing D&D together whether it be playing the games, building relationships, or watching Actual Plays like Critical Role with footage as recent as Gencon from last month.
Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player Handbook
Starting off we get to see designers for the Dungeons & Dragons 2024 Player Handbook talking about each of the changes that fans can expect when they get their hands on the new Player Handbook. Some highlighted changes are silly like the Cat finally having Darkvision, while others fundamentally reshape the way you build your character like with added Origins.
If you're interested in learning what we think of the 2024 Player Handbook then you can check out our full review.
D&DBeyond integration was also discussed, something that recently came under fire before WOTC reversed the decision.
Moving on from that the Dungeon Master Guide was discussed, such as the increased options in the Treasure section, and the Monster Manual with is going to be "packed with the most monsters."
The PHB will also be available in French, German, Italian, and Spanish to make sure globally players can hop into the game with as little barrier of entry needed.
The Future Of D&D
To start off talking about the future of D&D an adventure anthology based on Dragons was announced. Simple titles Dragon Anthology at this time, and releasing in early 2025 this collection will contain 10 adventures "all about dragons, in dungeons."
There will also be a new Starter Set releasing as a new way for groups who haven't played before to get into the game with the new ruleset. Set in the Borderlands players will go to the Keep, the Wilderness, and the Caves of Chaos.
Wizards of the Coast is doing a lot outside the core game to get more players involved. Local Game Stores will continue to receive early access two weeks ahead of the standard release. There are Secret Lair x Dungeons & Dragons Magic The Gathering cards that are available now, and in a few short weeks a collection of LEGO Minifigures based on D&D characters will also be released.
2025 will also feature two Setting books for Dungeons & Dragons set in the Forgotten Realms. This will be broken into two books, the Forgotten Realms Player Guide that will go over player options including new sub-classes, Origins, Feats, and more. There will also be information about different known and currently unknown factions that players can join, two that were named were the Harpers and the Red Wizards of Thay.
The Forgotten Realms Dungeon Master Guide will cover the different parts of the realm, highlighting them by there theme. If you want to run an urban adventure or a horror adventure the guide will prompt you with ideas and tools to bring those ideas to life.
Project Sigil
For Project Sigil not too much more was revealed about the 3D VTT. This system is still token based, so you and your party will be rolling physics based dice and moving miniatures around a 3D space. You'll be able to build a world, but also fill it with props and even add sound and visual elements.
It was even shown off that a 2D map that you might use in the currently available D&DBeyond map tool can be used in Sigil allowing you to place miniatures on the map like you would with a printed map.
Interestingly it was highlighted that while it's a tool being made by D&D they are also opening it up to any platform as a place to create landscapes, populate it with tokens, and then roll dice. A brief glimpse of gameplay showed Drizzt facing off against Optimus Prime.
With an initial release planned for PC WOTC wants to allow this system to come to mobile and consoles. This will be free to try out, but no further word on what pricing could look like or what microtransactions couple be available other than to say DMs will get more advanced tools. The Closed Beta will be releasing this fall.
