D&D’s 2024 Player’s Handbook brings Baldur’s Gate 3 buffs to fan-favorite species

Dungeons & Dragons’ new Player’s Handbook is fixing one of the Dark Elf’s biggest issues with a Baldur’s Gate 3-inspired buff.

Dungeons & Dragons is about to get its first major overhaul since the release of D&D 5E. A new Player’s Handbook is just over the horizon and some lucky players will even have a chance to purchase it early.

We’ve been pouring over the new updates for classic classes like the Fighter, Paladin, and Barbarian coming in the update. But of course, the new D&D Players Handbook isn’t stopping at Classes.

A recent blog post from the team at Wizards of the Coast has revealed some changes to D&D’s many Species (formerly races). A long-awaited change to the Dark Elf Species takes its cues directly from Baldur’s Gate 3.

The Species changes revealed for the new D&D Player’s Handbook appear to be partly focused on removing unnecessary weaknesses. For the Dark Elf, that comes in the form of getting rid of their sunlight sensitivity.

Sunlight sensitivity causes Dar Elves to roll with a disadvantage on attacks or sight-based perception checks that target creatures in direct sunlight. This mechanic was notably absent in Baldur’s Gate 3 and it looks like Wizards of the Coast have taken a leaf out of Larian’s book to make the Dark Elf more playable.

This innate debuff has been commonly worked around by not applying it in homebrew settings but for official play in Adventurer’s League, it made Dark Elves almost obsolete. Now players who want to make an edgy Dark Elf with a tragic backstory won’t have to be unnecessarily penalized.

The new Player’s Handbook also adds species like the Aasimar and Goliaths to the core rulebook for the first time. It’s set to launch on September 17, 2024, along with a whole new era for D&D.