Dungeons and Dragons will soon be seeing an overhaul for its fifth edition, receiving an update to its rules that maintains its core mechanics. However, as Dungeons and Dragons moves into the future, it could learn a lot by taking a look back to the past.

To that extent, it certainly seems as if Wizards of the Coasts' attention is to the past. Recently, covers for DnD 2024's core books have seen a gradual unveiling, with the February 2025 Monster Manual cover just now being shown off by IGN. These covers pay homage to the many characters from older D&D lore, literature, and other related media. Iconic names like Elkhorn, Strongheart, and Venger have been realized in bold, detailed art that does well to catch the eye and compete with the offerings found on 2014's core covers.

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DnD 2024 Should Take Inspiration From The Weirder Offerings Of Past Editions like 3.5e

What many fans have yet to think about is the future of DnD in 2025—beyond the core book revisions. Since WOTC has promised that everything released during 5e's decade-long reign will be backward-compatible with the revised rules it's releasing, it seems as if there's a slim likelihood that everything from 2014 to 2024 will get a do-over. When considering the dilemma of where the mainline franchise can go next, the lore of DnD's many settings is a boundless well. On the other hand, it's the forgotten corners of older editions that are most ripe for plundering.

In particular, DnD 3e/3.5e had libraries of books to its name, with much of what came under its belt being flung into obscurity. The edition went to some bizarre, experimental, and risque places that modern DnD has abandoned. Some of this material, dated and of poor taste in retrospect, has been rightfully left behind, but there are many monsters, character options, and custom rules that could do with a makeover for today's players and DMs.

3.5e Went Full Throttle With Lore

DnD 5e does a lot right, taking the best elements of prior editions and mashing them into an excellent collage. However, it has sometimes stumbled with lore, not only thanks to problematic attitudes expressed in the text (albeit, every edition has suffered this) but from a lack of detail. Books like Volo's Guide to Monsters and Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes did a lot to detail DnD 5e's lore in some interesting ways, but they still only scratched the surface.

On the other hand, 3.5e books like Tyrants of the Nine Hells and Deities and Demigods get right into the weeds. Not only do they host a menagerie of fun and fantastical monsters, but they also give a level of detail and mapping that the fifth edition could only dream of. Moreover, though lacking taste in many ways, the depraved contents of The Book of Vile Darkness should have a fifth-edition equivalent. Beasts like the Kython or the Eye of Fear and Flame could really help challenge overpowered players, though such a task could also be helped along by the Epic Level Handbook. It's the spirit of these hyper-detailed, hyper-focused books that third-party DnD content seeks to reignite.

DnD 2024 Needs Its Own Line Of Small Adventures

Though this applies less to the third edition specifically, it is true that smaller and stranger DnD adventures have fallen by the wayside. During 5e's tenure, WOTC moved away from the slim modules of old in favor of 300+ page hardcovers. While there's nothing wrong with this approach, it has made even small fifth-edition adventures less accessible to newcomers. Magazine-stuffer episodes should return to the forefront in DnD 2024, providing bite-size adventures that can be dropped into existing campaigns.

Dungeons and Dragons

Created by Gary Gygax, Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop game in which players craft their own worlds and band together to take on adventures through mysterious realms outlined in companion materials. One of the best role-playing games ever made, it has been adapted into a variety of video games and other media.

Franchise

Dungeons & Dragons

Original Release Date

1974-00-00

Publisher

Wizards of the Coast

Designer

E. Gary Gygax , Dave Arneson