The new collectible Dungeons & Dragons Player’s Handbook cover, revealed

When the revised 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons becomes available on Sept. 17, the world will finally get a taste of the seminal role-playing game’s upgraded mechanics. But D&D’s most dedicated fans will likely have a head start. The Player’s Handbook (2024), including a version with a special alternate art cover, hits brick-and-mortar shelves first on Sept. 3.

Polygon can now reveal the collectible’s cover art for the very first time.

Image: Wylie Beckert/Wizards of the Coast

Illustrated by Wylie Beckert, the alt art cover of the Player’s Handbook (2024) features a party comprised of D&D’s four iconic classes — the fighter, the wizard, the cleric, and the rogue — all gathered around a friendly gold dragon, sharing tea. This gentle scene stands in stark contrast to the mainline Player’s Handbook (2024), which will have a bright, bold cover by Tyler Jacobsen with similar characters posed in the moments before striking a blow.

Image: Wylie Beckert/Wizards of the Coast

Image: Wylie Beckert/Wizards of the Coast

“We liked the idea of making the alt cover something that has a sweeter, calmer version of that,” said Wizards’ head of art, Josh Herman, in a video interview with Polygon. “Something that’s not so aggressive, [with] combat [and] fighting right away. That’s certainly a [...] huge pillar of D&D, but sometimes a lot of what D&D is, is just storytelling.”

Image: Wylie Beckert/Wizards of the Coast

Image: Wylie Beckert/Wizards of the Coast

“I kind of wanted a coffee table book,” Herman continued, “but a book where I would sit and relax in that sort of hygge way, where you can relax and just cozy up and read something.”

Image: Wylie Beckert/Wizards of the Coast

Fans will likely recognize Beckert’s style from the alternate art cover of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, which was released in 2020. The artist, who works in ink and watercolors as well as with oils and powdered graphite, was Herman’s first choice for the project. He praised both the softness of her textures as well as the motion in her composition. You can see it first in the momentum of the smoke over Tasha’s cauldron, and in the movement of her arms.

On the Player’s Handbook (2024), Beckert’s prowess and style are expressed through the sinewy curves of the dragon that surrounds the party, almost protectively, before terminating in a cheeky ampersand symbol with the end of its tail. A light source, centered on the dragon’s magical breath, also calls back subtly to the very first Player’s Handbook, with art by David Trampier that featured a fire-lit golden idol with giant red gems for eyes.

“I think what that old cover does so well,” Herman said, “is it shows people on an adventure. It shows people doing a thing in the middle of an adventure. This is the contrast of that. This is almost your downtime [between adventures]. This is relaxing. We’re at camp, and I’m recovering my spell slots. I’m just relaxing and chilling.”

Image: Wylie Beckert and Simen Meyer/Wizards of the Coast

Beckert’s art is only one piece of the final cover treatment. The alternate art on each of the three core rulebooks, including the Player’s Handbook (2024), Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024), and Monster Manual (2025), will also include a special gold filigree border designed by Simen Meyer, a sign painter who created the alternate art covers for Candlekeep Mysteries and Keys from the Golden Vault. That, along with the 50th-anniversary logo on the back, should make these books stand out in any collection.

“I genuinely love the idea that a local game store is the first place you can get your hands on something,” Herman said. “And I especially love it that you can do it with the alt cover, too.”

The Player’s Handbook (2024) will be available for pre-order beginning June 18 before arriving at local game shops on Sept. 3. Fans should expect Dungeon Master’s Guide (2024) a bit later on in November, with Monster Manual (2025) arriving in February next year.