New Starter Packs Bring A La Carte Purchases Back to D&D Beyond

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For years, one of the most popular features of D&D Beyond was the ability to purchase digital content “a la carte.” If you only wanted to play a Circle of Stars Druid, for example, you didn’t have to buy all of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. Instead, you could simply drop $1.99 and unlock that specific subclass.

That changed in early 2024 when Wizards of the Coast removed piecemeal purchases, requiring users to buy full digital rulebooks to access a single class, subclass, spell or Feat. Now, however, it seems that WotC is going back to the a la carte option, with D&D Beyond officially introducing Class & Species Starter Packs. It’s a return to smaller, more affordable content chunks for players who don’t want to shell out for a complete book.

Below, we take a closer look at what’s included in these new Starter Packs and what it means for the future of D&D.

What are the Class Starter Packs on D&D Beyond?

For the initial launch of these new a la cart options there are 12 Class Starter Packs (all taken from the core classes featured in the 2024 Player’s Handbook). Each pack contains the class rules for D&D 5.5E, three subclasses (featuring options that aren’t available in the free Basic rules), seven Feats and two Species taken from the 2022 sourcebook Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse. Each pack also includes a. pre-made Level 3 character and bonus digital dice associated with that particular class. Specific details are as follows:

• Bard Starter Pack: Includes the College of Dance, Glamour and Valor subclasses alongside the Charlatan and Entertainer backgrounds and seven Feats such as Actor and Musician. The two species are the Hobgoblin and Satyr, and the pack includes the Aurora Borealis Digital Dice Set.
• Barbarian Starter Pack: Includes the Path of the Wild Heart, World Tree and Zealot subclasses, the Entertainer and Farmer backgrounds, and seven Feats such as Sentinel and Mage Slayer. The two species are the Bugbear and Goblin, and the pack includes the Elder Flame Digital Dice Set.
• Cleric Starter Pack: Includes the Domain of Light, Trickery and War subclasses, the Guard and Hermit backgrounds, and seven specialized Feats, such as War Caster and Shield Master. The collection is rounded out by the Githzerai and Tortle species, along with the Mythic Digital Dice Set.

• Druid Starter Pack: Includes the Circle of the Moon, Sea and Stars subclasses, the Farmer and Guide backgrounds, and seven Feats such as Chef and Ritual Caster. The two species are the Eladrin and Triton, and the pack includes the Flourishing Digital Dice Set.
• Fighter Starter Pack: Includes the Battle Master, Eldritch Knight and Psi Warrior subclasses alongside the Guard and Sailor backgrounds, plus seven Feats such as Great Weapon Master and Tavern Brawler. The two species are the Duergar and Minotaur, and the pack includes the Red Dragon Digital Dice Set.
• Monk Starter Pack: Includes the Warrior of Mercy, Shadow and Elements subclasses alongside the Guide and Hermit backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Tavern Brawler and Mage Slayer. The two species are the Harengon and Lizardfolk, and the pack includes the Sanguine Digital Dice Set.

• Paladin Starter Pack: Includes the Oath of Glory, Ancients and Vengeance subclasses alongside the Artisan and Noble backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Mounted Combatant and Sentinel. The two species are the Aarakocra and Githyanki, and the pack includes the Scholar’s Dice Digital Dice Set.
• Ranger Starter Pack: Includes the Beast Master, Fey Wanderer and Gloom Stalker subclasses alongside the Sailor and Scribe backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Sharpshooter and Crossbow Expert. The two species are the Centaur and Sea Elf, and the pack includes the Space Guppy Digital Dice Set.
• Rogue Starter Pack: Includes the Arcane Trickster, Assassin and Soul Knife subclasses alongside the Artisan and Wayfarer backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Poisoner and Skulker. The two species are the Deep Gnome and Tabaxi, and the pack includes the Leather Armor Digital Dice Set.

• Sorcerer Starter Pack: Includes the Aberrant Sorcery, Clockwork Sorcery and Wild Magic Sorcery subclasses alongside the Charlatan and Merchant backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Elemental Adept and Spell Sniper. The two species are the Fairy and Kenku, and the pack includes the Researcher’s Dice Digital Dice Set.
• Warlock Starter Pack: Includes the Archfey Patron, Celestial Patron and Great Old One Patron subclasses alongside the Merchant and Wayfarer backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Shadow Touched and Spell Sniper. The two species are the Kobold and Yuan-ti, and the pack includes the Cauldron Digital Dice Set.
• Wizard Starter Pack: Includes the Abjurer, Diviner and Illusionist subclasses alongside the Noble and Scribe backgrounds and seven Feats, such as Keen Mind and Telekinetic. The two species are the Firbolg and Shadar-Kai, and the pack includes the Archmage’s Favor Digital Dice Set.

What Species Starter Packs are available on D&D Beyond?

Each of these packs will feature a unique species that isn’t included in the free D&D 5.5E basic rules and is not in the 2024 Player’s Handbook. As of this writing, there is only one of these products available on D&D Beyond, which is entitled the Eberron: Species Pack. It uses content from the 2025 sourcebook, Eberron: Forge of the Artificer.

This new pack includes complete D&D 5.5E rules for five species: the Changeling, Kalashtar, Khoravar, Shifter and Warforged. It also includes The Airships of Eberron Digital Dice Set.

How much are the Starter Packs?

Each of the Class and Species Starter Packs retails for $4.99 USD on D&D Beyond, which seems reasonable for new players who haven’t necessarily picked up the 2024 PHB and don’t want to shell out $50 for the hardcover of $30 for the digital version.

Final thoughts

While these new D&D Beyond Starter Packs aren’t a total return to the “buy-anything” model of the past, they feel like a smart move on the part of the Wizards of the Coast. Of course, it’s hard to tell just how large of a market this actually is, given that the D&D 5.5E rules are now over two years old, so this may be a case of too-little-too-late, even if it is a good idea.

It also remains to be see if WotC will introduce similar Starter Packs for existing products (such as the recent Heroes of Faerûn supplement) or for upcoming products. For example, it would be fantastic to be able to pick and choose specific subclasses or species from the upcoming Ravenloft: The Horrors Within supplement.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead. In the meantime, you can check out the initial run of 13 Starter Packs now on D&D Beyond.

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