Summary
With every new edition ofDungeons & Dragons, debates will spark about whether or not the new edition actually improves upon older content. In some cases it might, and in some cases, it doesn’t. However, Dungeons & Dragons has been around for a while and has garnered a much larger base of players than when it was first released.
Each new edition is a reflection of its time and its current player base’s expectations and desires. It’s quite amazing to see how the game has evolved over time and really come to suit the tastes of a more modern, expansive, and diverse audience.
Dungeons & Dragons Original Edition
The original Dungeons & Dragons came out in 1974, published under the Tactical Studies Rules. Both of which were founded by Ernest Gary Gygax (albeit with two different partners). Gygax created the rules and ideas behind Dungeons & Dragons with David Arneson.
After that, he made the Tactical Studies Rules publishing company with Don Kaye so that the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons could be officially published. Although this edition, like its successors, had expansions, it also heavily relied on magazine publications.
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition
Releasedbetween 1977 and 1979, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Editionmade some pretty substantial rule changes that persist even in modern editions. In the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition, the rules were broken up into the well-known three books: The Dungeon Master’s Guide, the Player’s Handbook, and the Monster Manual.
Across these three books, the rules were remade andmost of the notorious classes today made their appearance in this edition. This edition also saw the rise of the more complex alignment system that has continued to persist in modern Dungeons & Dragons rules and regulations.
The New Core Classes
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition
TheAdvanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition was published in 1989after being in the works for two years. As per usual, this new edition contained not only new and revised rules but some new character classes as well. This new edition kept the standard 3-set of rule books, though the Monster Manual was temporarily replaced with a “Monsterous Compendium.”
One of the biggest changes,however, was the total removal of demons and devils. Instead, those creatures wererenamed to tanar’ri and baatezu,likely as a reaction to the Dungeons & Dragons moral panic.
What Was The Monster Compendium?
The Monster Compendium was a loose-leaf version of the Monster Manual. The idea behind it was that you could customize which monsters you brought with you or were utilizing, rather than carrying around all of them all the time.
Of course, the loose-leaf pages and three-ring binder had their downfalls, like being exceptionally prone to wear and tear. This type of monster manual was later abandoned and replaced with the fully bound version in 1993.
The 2nd Edition Classes
The classes were reworked in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons second edition into four archetypes: Warrior, Wizard, Priest, and Rogue.
Fighter, Paladin, and Ranger
Mage and Illusionist
Thief and Bard
Cleric and Druid
Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition
In 1997, Wizards of the Coast, a Hasbro, Inc. purchased Tactical Studies Rules and the Dungeons & Dragons IP with it.In 2000, they released their very own brand-newedition of Dungeons & Dragons.
With this new release came quite a few changes.The “Race as your class” concept was abandonedand 11 total classes were implemented.
The modifier system was introduced to clean up the d20 system and skills and feats were introduced as a way to easily and quickly customize your player character. TheDungeon Master’s Guide also had a slight overhaulwith the intent to simply clean up the rules of the game, making it easier for both players and the Dungeon Master to play.
The 3rd Edition Classes
Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 Edition
Released only two years after the 3rd Edition,Dungeons & Dragons 3.5E dropped in 2003. Unlike many of the other editions, Dungeons & Dragons 3.5E didn’t aim to revise a lot of the core game.
The changes to the rules were small, but the expansion to the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual were notable and welcomed -enough so that 3.5E is still hailed as one of the better editionsof Dungeons & Dragons. New feats were added to make up for the removal of some spells and, all in all, it greatly improved upon Wizard of the Coast’s first published edition.
Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition
WhenDungeons & Dragons 4th Edition was released in 2007, not everyone was super happy about it, given their investments in 3.5E. However, it still sold well (even if it isn’t held in as fond memory as 3.5E) and the changes were taken well enough.
Unlike the previous editions,Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition released more than three core rulebooks, having one drop almost every single year. Each one added to the last and became a foundational part of Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition.
Aside from the increased number of rulebooks, 4th Edition also had a big overhaul in mechanics. Status effects and forced movement made miniatures and maps an almost fundamental part of gameplay (unless you were great at the theater of the mind play).
Spells were removed and changed and classes gained special abilities that could be used per encounter or per rest. Noting rests,Long Rests, and Short Rests were also introducedto the game as recovery and healing mechanics. Prestige classes were replaced by class specialties, making the actual class-building mechanic less complicated and friendlier to new players.
The New Classes
Unlike most of the previous editions,Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition didn’t mess around with the core classestoo much, only adding in two of note: The Warlock and the Warlord.
What they did change, however, wasthe archetype system, bringing it back so you hadDefenders, Strikers, Leaders, and Controllers. Defenders were meant to be tanks, Strikers were meant to be your high DPS classes, Leaders were meant to be your supports, and Controllers were meant to be your crowd control or Area of Effect classes.
Fighter and Paladin
Cleric and Warlord
Wizard and Druid
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition,its most popular version, was released in 2014. The 5th Edition was first released with a free PDF with all of the rules for the Player and Dungeon Master and, through 2014 the hardcover books were published and set for sale.
The free PDF likely helped to ease players into accepting the 5th Edition without thinking that money spent on 3.5E or 4E was a lost investment.
5th Edition pulls heavily from its predecessors, but it has its own unique mechanics that are meant to make the game easier and more appealing to new players. This has, understandably, worked to increase the popularity of Dungeons & Dragons. Anotable additionto Dungeons & Dragons 5e, however, isthe advantage and disadvantage system, which adds an aspect of roleplay to the d20 system.
The Classes
Dungeons & Dragons 5e let go of the character archetype systemand instead, has several core classes that utilize the class advancement system from 4e.
There is a revised “evolution” coming to the 5th Edition of Dungeons & Dragons called “One D&D.” The Players Handbook for One D&D should be released on July 25, 2025. The Dungeon Master’s Guide should be released on June 01, 2025.
Finally, the Monster Manual for One D&D should drop on July 19, 2025. This new release should be perfectly compatible with the current 5E System.
