As the 2024 edition of D&D marches closer, one thing is clear: Wizards of the Coast is trying to walk a line between honoring what worked and fixing what… didn’t.
And as lifelong players (and podcasting nerds who analyze this stuff way too hard), we’ve got thoughts — not just on what’s cool, but what’s weird, flat, or needs another pass before the ink dries.
Here are our favorite and least favorite things about D&D 2024 — from a player and actual play perspective.
❤️ What We Like About D&D 2024
1. Backgrounds Actually Feel Like Part of the Character Now
Backgrounds aren’t just flavor anymore — they affect gameplay. Starting with a feat gives players a mechanical identity immediately, and tying backgrounds to stat boosts helps make backstories matter more.
You’re not just a "Human Fighter" — you’re a Former Cultist who took Magic Initiate and hasn’t been the same since.
2. Early Level Class Features Make Level 1 Less of a Snooze
Characters used to feel like blank slates at level 1. In D&D 2024, most classes get something juicy right away — whether it’s a signature spell, unique mechanic, or early taste of their subclass identity.
Especially for actual play podcasts: the sooner characters feel distinct, the better the story lands in Episode One.
3. The Martial Classes Are Finally Getting Some Love
No, it’s not perfect. But Weapon Mastery, extra features, and cleaner scaling give martial characters more toys to play with. Fighters, monks, and barbarians feel more tactical and less like “just roll and hit again.”
Let them do something cool besides “I swing.” D&D 2024 is at least trying.
😬 What We’re Not Loving About D&D 2024 (Yet)
1. The “Three Spell Lists” System Is Functional… But Bland
Arcane, Divine, Primal — it's clean, but it flattens class identity. When Wizards, Sorcerers, and Bards are pulling from the same “Arcane” bucket, subclass and flavor have to work overtime to differentiate them.
It feels like sorting every spell into a filing cabinet. Efficient? Sure. Inspiring? Not really.
2. Subclass at Level 3 Still Feels Late
We get it — balance, tradition, blah blah. But for narrative-driven players and actual play performers, waiting until level 3 to unlock the defining part of your class is still a drag.
Let that Wild Magic Sorcerer chaos burst in Session 1. Trust us. We’re ready.
3. Inspiration Still Feels Like an Afterthought
The new “get Inspiration on a nat 20” rule is tidy but weird. It turns what should be a storytelling reward into a math-y side effect.
We'd rather see DMs handing out Inspiration for clutch roleplay, self-sacrifice, or dumb ideas that absolutely shouldn’t work but somehow do.
4. Flavor Feels Smoothed Out — and Sometimes Sanded Down
Yes, the rules are cleaner. Yes, it’s easier to teach new players. But there’s a creeping sense that some of D&D’s weirdness — the funky class quirks, the niche edge cases, the asymmetrical design — is being polished away.
Which is fine… unless you liked the parts that made your character feel specific, not generic.
🎙️What This Means for Actual Play (Like Ours)
For story-driven campaigns and audio-first storytelling, D&D 2024 is a mixed bag:
Streamlined rules? Love that.
Faster-to-define characters? Even better.
Slightly homogenized spellcasting and subclass delays? Less exciting.
We’ll be adopting what we love and homebrewing the rest — just like always.
🎧 Want to hear what that sounds like in action? Start with:
Let's Get Critical
Reviews:
What’s Your Take on D&D 2024?