Dungeons & Dragons 2024 changes to the Druid class

As someone who has played a Druid for nearly 10 straight years in a campaign, I was interested to see what changes Dungeons & Dragons plans to bring about in their updated sourcebooks. The new Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide, and Monster Manual are all getting significant updates and re-released across the end of 2024 and start of 2025. The team at D&D has recently started giving updates on revised rules, and the changes have been extensive. Upon reviewing the alterations made to the standard Druid class as well as the Circle of the Moon subclass, I have mixed feelings on these changes.

The Druid class in D&D focuses on using nature spells and abilities. A hallmark of this class is Wild Shape. Wild Shape allows Druids to transform into animals or elementals, offering them unique versatility in and out of combat. The standard Druid class has some basic Wild Shape abilities, but the Circle of the Moon is Wild Shape-focused with much stronger skills. Here’s a look at key changes:

Bonus Action Wild Shape: All Druids, no matter the subclass, can now Wild Shape as a bonus action. This helps Druids not have to take an entire turn simply to transform in the middle of combat.

Increased Wild Shape Uses: No longer is the limit of Wild Shape two per short rest. Now it increases based on your level, and goes up to four uses.
Long Rest to Regain Wild Shape: A short rest used to regain all uses of Wild Shape. Now it only regains one use. Players must take a long rest to get all Wild Shape uses back, or expend one spell slot per Wild Shape to regain it.
Less Hit Points: No longer does a Druid adopt all their Wild Shape’s hit points, keeping them safer in combat. Now they only get temporary hit points equal to their Druid level. Circle of the Moon Druids get 3x the temporary hit points.

Limit on Known Forms: Druids can no longer pick from any beast shape they want to turn into. They are limited to a set number of chosen forms that cap out at eight at Level 8. This is likely meant to streamline the stat block process, but might make Druids less versatile during reconnaissance missions.
Increased Damage Output: At Level 7, Druids get Primal Strike that can be used in all attacks, not just during Wild Shape.
Casting Spells as a Beast: Previously, Circle of the Moon Druids had to wait until Level 18 to cast spells while in Beast form. That level has been reduced to Level 3, making them not have to choose between attacking and healing during combat.

No More Elemental Shape: A big shock is that Elemental Wild Shapes, a key cornerstone of Circle of the Moon Druids once they reach Level 10, is gone. It’s been replaced by a teleportation ability similar to the Misty Step spell.
No More Alter Self: Circle of the Moon Druids used to learn Alter Self that could be cast at will at Level 14. This turned them into effective shape changers, able to take on a different person’s looks (with certain limitations). That is gone. It’s been replaced by dealing extra radiant damage once per turn while in Wild Shape.