D&D Reveals New Player’s Handbook Cover Art And More
In a recent interview with Game Informer, Wizards of the Coast showed off the new cover of and concept art for the 2024 PHB.
The new D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook is looking better than ever. A stunning new cover reveal over at Game Informer has us all dreaming of adventures yet to come. But it’s not just the new cover, the interview includes a look inside the book at some of the gorgeous new art that went into crafting the new look.
With the 2024 release looming large on the horizon, there’s plenty to be excited about. It truly does look like a whole new era, WotC has clearly leveled up their game with this one. Let’s take a look.
D&D New Player’s Handbook Cover and More
Game Informer‘s exclusive reveal goes a little more in-depth as to the reasoning behind the images. What’s interesting, though, right away is a look at D&D’s embrace of famous characters from “across the history of the game.” Some might say that D&D is looking to start IP-ifying up their stuff because you can’t sell merch of Regdar the Fighter when there’s not a long history of novels or a cartoon or whatever. But, it might also just be an embrace of the 50 years of history. Either way, they all have names:
“We see the likes of Yolande the Elven queen, Strongheart the knight, Elkhorn the Dwarven warrior, the divine Mercion, and the rogueish Molliver, all charging together into an adventure. These are figures hearkening back to the earliest era of the game. Wrapped around them is a benevolent gold dragon – a nod to the “golden” 50th anniversary of the game and an enticing reminder that the dragons in the game’s title can be allies as frequently as enemies.”
Meanwhile, on the back, a party of “unknown adventurers” flying into battle on the back of a Bronze Dragon, which certainly feels pretty cool.
A big part of the art direction in the new core books is trying to show off the mechanics of the game. Spells are illustrated mid-cast. Character background art is there to show off where you might come from. Even the upcoming Monster Manual reflects this, as art director Emi Tanji told Game Informer:
“There’s a lot of mindfulness about the mixture; to pick the monster design accurately to the stat block. If it’s a creature that does slashing damage or something like you want to make sure we see claws. And you want to make sure if the art has shows something that’s like a stinger, but there’s nothing in the stat block – that would be weird, right?”
Perhaps the best details, though, are on the dragons’ new look. Take a look at the concept art for the Red Dragon, which, as former WotC designer Dan Dillon points out on Twitter, is designed to blend in with a smokey, burning sky.
And this is just a taste of what Game Informer is showing off. Of course, there’s more in their physical magazine, which you can still subscribe to. Just goes to show that some things never change.
Seriously though, this is going to be a gorgeous book.
