Wizards
of
the
Coast
has
walked
back
some
of
its
planned
updates
to
D&D
Beyond.
All
your
current
Dungeons
&
Dragons
characters
sheets
are
once
again
safe
with
the
publisher
no
longer
forcing
updates
to
newer
versions
of
spells,
weapons,
and
magic
items.
Last
week,
as
a
part
of
the
updates
to
Dungeons
&
Dragons
Fifth
Edition
—
collectively
known
as
the
2024
revision
—
the
publisher
announced
that
it
would
update
D&D
Beyond,
the
tabletop
RPG’s
official
digital
toolkit
that
players
use
to
reference
content
and
create
characters
using
a
host
of
official
and
third-party
sources.
The
update
would
add
the
new
2024
rulebooks
to
the
toolkit,
mark
outdated
content
with
a
“legacy”
badge,
and
change
players’
character
sheets
to
reflect
all
the
new
rules
and
features.
That
last
part
is
critical
to
understanding
why
some
D&D
players
(including
my
own
dungeon
master)
spent
the
last
72
hours
in
a
state
of
panic.
Though
some
of
the
2024
revisions
are
essentially
cosmetic
in
nature
—
for
example,
“races”
will
be
updated
to
“species”
—
other
updates
like
the
ones
to
weapons,
spells,
and
magic
items
fundamentally
alter
the
game.
Wizards
of
the
Coast
would
have
essentially
overwritten
every
user’s
character
sheet
with
the
new
information
whether
they
wanted
it
or
not.
“All
entries
for
mundane
and
magical
items,
weapons,
armor,
and
spells
will
also
be
updated
to
their
2024
version,”
Wizards
said
in
its
initial
announcement.
The
publisher
did
say
that
players
would
have
the
option
to
continue
to
use
the
2014
version
of
spells
and
magic
items.
But
doing
so
requires
using
the
game’s
homebrew
rules.
which
aren’t
known
for
being
user-friendly.
To
put
this
in
perspective,
think
of
it
like
owning
a
car.
Imagine
that
after
10
years
with
one
car,
learning
its
ins
and
outs,
the
manufacturer
decides
that
when
it
rolls
out
the
latest
model
of
your
car,
it’s
going
to
magically
change
your
car
to
the
new
model,
too.
Now,
though
your
car
is
essentially
the
same,
it
doesn’t
work
like
you’re
used
to.
And
when
you
ask
the
manufacturer
if
you
can
go
back
to
your
old
car,
it
says
you
can
but
that
you’ll
have
to
manually
restore
it
yourself.
Thankfully,
Wizards
of
the
Coast
isn’t
in
the
car
business,
and
after
a
weekend
of
backlash
on
social
media,
the
company
will
no
longer
force
the
new
changes
on
players.
“We
misjudged
the
impact
of
this
change,
and
we
agree
that
you
should
be
free
to
choose
your
own
way
to
play,”
Wizard’s
said
in
its
latest
announcement.
Current
character
sheets
will
only
be
updated
with
new
terminology
while
the
older
versions
of
spells,
magic
items,
and
weapons
will
be
preserved.
Also,
players
who
have
access
to
both
the
2014
and
2024
digital
versions
will
have
the
option
to
use
both
when
creating
new
characters.
Essentially,
Wizards
of
the
Coast
is
doing
what
it
should
have
done
in
the
first
place:
simply
adding
the
new
content
and
giving
players
the
choice
to
opt
in.
Original author: Ash Parrish
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