D&D’s 2024 Player’s Handbook Has New Rules That Make Multiclassing Much Harder

Min-maxers will soon lose some of their favorite build options for characters in due to the upcoming rule changes in the. Specifically, the strategy of «dipping» into a class with a strong and front-loaded set of abilities will be less powerful. This is because of a change made across every class to the progression of class features. From now on, all subclass specializations are granted at level three.

In the case of some classes, like the fighter, rogue, or ranger, this changes nothing. For others, getting their subclass at first level has been a core part of their identity for years, and this will shift the way they level up and gain power entirely. It's a bold change that has many players upset, both over the ramifications when it comes to multiclass builds and the thematic nature of how certain classes relate to their subclasses, particularly the cleric and warlock.

Multiclassing, or taking levels in another class to switch up one's feats, is a staple of minmaxer builds and experimental players alike. But often, dividing one's levels too much between two or more classes can make a character feel cluttered and less powerful, so the typical strategy is to take only a few levels in another class. Among the most popular classes to «dip» intolike this are thecleric, warlock, and sorcerer, which all used to have their subclass features at level one.

Dipping into a class for a level or two and getting many new abilities was a fun way of offering horizontal progression, giving players new options without making them more powerful than their party members.

Because of this, there was a lot to gain from just one level in these classes. Some may argue that these front-loaded options are too powerful in comparison to others, but in the case of most of them, the power levels even out by around level two or three, and any imbalance that remains is more attributable to spellcasting. These characters do get some small new abilities to fill in at early levels, but making