'Dungeons & Dragons' Will Released Revised Artificer Class for Playtesting in February

Dungeons & Dragons will release a revised version of its Artificer for playtesting next month.

Each month, Dungeons & Dragons releases a new set "Unearthed Arcana" rules for public playtesting. Sometimes, "Unearthed Arcana" contains new subclasses or races, while other months have new gameplay mechanics.

Unfortunately, Dungeons & Dragons is skipping over its January "Unearthed Arcana" release. In a late night tweet, the D&D team revealed that it won't have a new "Unearthed Arcana" until February - but that the February release would be a new version of the Artificer class.

The next Unearthed Arcana will be released in February and will be the Artificer! Thanks for your patience as we take this month to finish it.#DnD #UnearthedArcana #Artificer

— Dungeons & Dragons (@Wizards_DnD) January 12, 2019

So why is the Artificer class a big deal? Since Dungeons & Dragons introduced its Fifth Edition rule set back in 2014, the game has had 12 core classes. Supplements like Xanathar's Guide to Everything and Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica have only featured new subclasses and not entirely new classes, so many players are itching for new content.

The Artificer class, a magic user that specializes in creating certain magical items, was first introduced as part of the Eberron campaign setting back in 2004. The class did not transition into Fifth Edition rules, although Dungeons & Dragons did release an initial playtest for the class back in 2017.

When D&D re-introduced Eberron in its Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron digital publication, many players were disappointed that the Artificer class wasn't included in the document. However, the D&D team assured players that a revised version of the Artificer class was still in development and would be made public as soon as it was ready.

Of course, just because Dungeons & Dragons is releasing something for playtest doesn't necessarily mean it'll be added for "official" play soon. After all, the first version of the Artificer was released in 2017, and other playtest rules (such as the Revised Ranger) have never appeared in official publications afterwards. Still, fans should be excited about some new D&D content...especially as it could hint at more plans for the Eberron campaign setting soon.