Dungeons & Dragonshas big plans for 2025. The popular tabletop roleplaying game celebrated its 50th anniversary this year with the release of a revised Fifth Edition ruleset. While publisher Wizards of the Coast did not want to abandon Fifth Edition, its most popular ruleset of all time, the publisher opted to rebalance several facets ofDungeons & Dragonsbased on a decade’s worth of feedback. Many of these changes first appeared in the newPlayer’s Handbookand the newDungeon Master’s Guide, both of which were released this year.
The revised Fifth Edition rollout will continue next year with the release of a newMonster Manualand several other productsdesigned to lead players into the new ruleset. Wizards has already confirmed its slate of 2025D&Dproducts, with a new Starter Set, anthology, and a pair of books delving into the classic Forgotten Realms setting. Additionally, there are at least several other licensedD&Dproducts planned for next year, including new miniatures and board games to help grow the brand.
The New Monster Manual Arrives In 2025
New Monster Manual Updates Statblocks & Adds New Monsters
The biggest release of 2025 is thenewMonster Manual,which will update many ofDungeons & Dragons' most well-known monsters with new statblocks and abilities. Wizards has already revealed the visual redesigns ofDungeons & Dragons' iconic chromatic and metallic dragons, which were all changed to reflect their abilities and in-game lore.Other monsters are receiving rebalanced abilities and statsin order to add more variety to combat and make high CR monsters feel like true threats to players.
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Some of these changes were already previewed in some adventures released for convention and open play this year. For example, the incubus and succubus now have wholly separate abilities and attacks in combat, reflecting their differences withinD&D’s actual lore.Many statblocks are also receiving updates in line with the 2023Monsters of the Multiverserelease, with many monsters receiving magic attacks that can’t be counterspelled and high-level monsters receiving multiple reactions instead of lair actions and legendary actions.
The goal of these changes is to make combat feel more exciting and varied for both players and DMs. The newMonster Manualwill give DMs more options, withstronger and weaker versions of many monstersand monster types. For example, the newMonster Manualwill contain weaker vampire variants along with high level versions of oozes and hags. These were missing from the2014 Monster Manual, which limited some monster types' uses in campaigns. With the release of the2025 Monster Manual, monsters will feel more varied, more dynamic, and more dangerous.
What Other D&D Books Are Coming In 2025?
Forgotten Realm Books & Dragon Anthology Also Due Out in 2025
In addition to the2025 Monster Manual, Wizards of the Coast has announced three other sourcebook releases. The first is an untitled adventure anthology focused on dragons. The anthology will contain 10 adventures focused on dragons (one for each metallic or chromatic dragon) that cover all tiers of D&D play. This anthology will serve to highlight the newD&Ddragons, showcasing their new looks and statblocks. No other details have been announced for the new dragon anthology, other than it will come out sometime in 2025.
The other two rulebooks coming out in 2025 are focusedon the Forgotten Realms, the home ofBaldur’s Gate 3and countless otherD&Dstories and adventures. The first is theForgotten Realms Player’s Guide, which contains new subclasses, new feats, new spells, and information on how to join key Forgotten Realms factions like the Harpers or Zhentarim. The other istheForgotten Realms Campaign Guide, which contains resources on how to build a campaign in the Forgotten Realms. While the Sword Coast was previously covered in a 5E sourcebook, the new campaign guide will feature in-depth information on locations like Calimsham and The Dalelands.
Of the three books,theForgotten Realms Player’s Guidewill likely be the most exciting for mostD&Dplayers. There are dozens of 5E subclasses not updated in the2024 Player’s Handbook, including popular options like the Bladesinger and the Cavalier. It’s expected that the subclasses included in this new book will contain some of the “missing” subclasses not used in thePlayer’s Handbook, although we don’t have any details about specifics.
D&Drecently released a playtest for a new version of the artificer, with no details on where the class would appear.
Interestingly,Wizards has no plans to release a newD&Dcampaign book in 2025, marking the first time in over 10 years that an “official” campaign will not come out for the game. Of course,D&Dplayers can still use older campaigns with the new rulesets, and this should be easier with the new updated monster statblocks found in the2025 Monster Manual. Still, it’s odd to see Wizards skip over what has always been a core part of its annualD&Drelease plans.
What D&D Merch Should We Expect In 2025?
Baldur’s Gate Miniatures, Dragon Figures, & Starter Sets Are Also On The Way
Although technically not a rulebook,Wizards of the Coasthas one other importantD&Drelease planned for 2025.Wizards is releasing a new Starter Set featuring the new revisedD&Druleset. In addition to all the material needed to playDungeons & Dragons, the starter set will contain a new adventure called Heroes of the Borderlands. This adventure will update the classic moduleKeep on the Borderlands, which originally came out in 1979. The Starter Set adventure splits the original module into three self-contained booklets, each designed to teach players how to playDungeons & Dragons.
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In addition to all the officialD&Drulebooks and boxed sets,WizKids has also announced several new official licensed products. The biggest announcements are newred and black dragon figures, featuring the new designs from theMonster Manual. These are designed to be used on the tabletop for grid combat but also make for excellent display pieces. Also on the way are miniatures based on the characters fromBaldur’s Gate 3, with both named characters and monster designs planned for release in 2025.
WizKids has also announced two newDungeons & Dragonsboard games—the map-building gameEdge of the Realmsand the area control gameBuilders of Baldur’s Gate.Edge of the Realmscombines tile laying with clearing adventures and missions, whileBuilders of Baldur’s Gateis an area control game where players vie for influence over the city of Baldur’s Gate while also working together to protect the city from monster attacks. Both games will be released in 2025 as well and are available for pre-order on WizKids' website.
