New changes are coming to D&D Beyond, and most people are shocked about the update on magic items and spells. It’s been announced that certain magic items and spells will no longer be accessible after the new D&D One update which is scheduled to take place at the beginning of next year. Gamers who have been using the app will have to manually, as homebrew, insert 5E spells and magic items into their character sheets that won’t be making the transition to D&D 2024.
In light of all the recent controversy surrounding Wizards of the Coast’s decision to monetize 3rd party content in the 2024 update, fans of the tabletop game continue to protest, and this particular decision may yet be the final nail in the coffin. Some gamers have outright canceled their subscriptions to D&D Beyond while others search for reasons to remain somewhat optimistic about the future of using the virtual platform of the tabletop game. So what exactly is changing now, and how are Wizards of the Coast (WotC) handling the pushback from the tabletop gaming community?
What’s Changing?
To be clear, players who purchased the 2014 rulebooks can still look up the old spells and items in the D&D Beyond app, however, they will no longer be able to use the app and website tools to add them to their character sheets when creating a character. Now, the only way for players to play the game using these old mechanics they enjoy is to copy and paste the old spells into their character sheets after changing some of the app settings to homebrew. Fans are completely outraged due to the inconvenience and seemingly blatant ruse to pressure players into buying new versions of the core books.
Community Pushback
It’s pretty straightforward how the overall reaction to this news took the tabletop gaming fanbase by storm. The general community of D&D gamers who purchased 2014’s core rulebooks, and who are still running campaigns from those books will now have to spend more time in preparation for all stages of gameplay if they want to incorporate these old mechanics. From an outsider’s perspective, this change may not seem like a big deal, but it still begs the question that if something isn’t broken, then is it really worth “fixing”? And there lies the issue. Was this change a necessary “fix”, or was this just a blatant scandal for a quick cash grab?
Many Youtubers who are fans of D&D have been listening closely to the news and were quick to provide their opinions. One such Youtuber, The Rules Lawyer, chimed in on the question of necessity and agreed that “it didn’t have to be this way”, pointing out the fact that other tabletop games using an online platform allow for quick and easy access for their players to equivocate between the options of old and new rules for their respective games without paywall restrictions. Pathfinder, through its app Pathbuilder, is one example that uses this feature with a toggle button, allowing players to switch as they see fit. WotC now faces an uphill battle to defend its position on proceeding with the unpopular update. And it seems to be a very steep climb.
WotC and D&D Beyond Damage Control
https://://gty.im/sb10061957k-002
WotC and D&D Beyond are once again on defense, as they took to Twitter (Now X) and issued a statement on the official D&D Beyond regarding this update:
“Yesterday, we released a changelog detailing the upcoming updates to the D&D Beyond site. We have been listening to your feedback and want to provide some important clarifications.”
The clarifications, to be clear, are reassurances that players can look up the magic items and spells and read about them. The problem for the players, however, is that this didn’t address the issue of being able to add these items and spells to character sheets. It seems that they ducked the question, but this didn’t prevent community pushback from pressing further. One comment on the post read:
“Your’e gonna need a clarification for your clarification. Will we still be able to use the 2014 version of the spells in character creation, like in D&D beyond? Or will the character sheets only use the 2024 spells?”
The answer to this question about spells is that “All 2014 versions of spells will still be accessible in the D&D Compendium and available for players to access.” Again, this doesn’t answer whether the 2014 spells can be added to a character sheet using the tools on the website and app for character creation. Now regarding magic items, D&D Beyond also said,
“Only two magic items are impacted by the 2024 update, with minor changes to their text: Potion of Healing and Spell Scroll. The 2014 versions of these items will still be acessable in the D&D Beyond Compendium. We will evaluate upcoming changes to other magic items with the release of the 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide.”
To the community, it’s the same song and dance of ducking the question. “Being accessible in the Compendium” and “Using the website/app tools to add items and spells to a character sheet” are two different things. WotC and D&D Beyond are redirecting the question to a different answer, and for the community of D&D gamers, it is a glaring red herring. Furthermore, their statement about “evaluating upcoming changes to other magic items” is even less reassuring that WotC and D&D Beyond are listening to community concerns.
Takeaways of the Day
The 2024 update for D&D Beyond regarding the controversy of spells and magic items is widely unpopular among fans. D&D Beyond users feel as though they are pressured into buying new core rule books for minor changes that aren’t complementary to players who already own the 2014 rules. Because of this, WotC and D&D Beyond are suspected of engaging in a scandal to force players to spend more money for an unnecessary update. They don’t provide a clear answer to the community for these concerns leading to a loss of loyalty and trust. Their attempt at damage control remains an uphill battle before the release of the new update.
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