What is Unearthed Arcana: A Guide for D&D 5e
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If you’ve been following Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast on social media, chances are you’ve heard them refer to Unearthed Arcana (also known as “UA”) when discussing new game rules and content. But exactly what is Unearthed Arcana in the context of D&D 5th edition?
Simply put Unearthed Arcana is an online publication on the official D&D website where new rules, classes, races and other game elements are available for download and beta playtesting. The name is a throwback to several classic hardcover rulebooks that were released for D&D 1st and 3rd editions, both of which were collections of previously published magazine materials.
Is Unearthed Arcana Official?
Currently, content featured in Unearthed Arcana is purely in the beta testing phase and as such can’t be used in official organized tournaments or events, like Wizards of the Coast’s Adventurers League. That being said, Unearthed Arcana materials have eventually made their way from the playtesting phase to official licensed game materials. For example, the game book Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, features a number of subclasses, spells and other materials that were first released as Unearthed Arcana playtest materials. The primary goal with UA, however, is to allow players to test materials and provide feedback long before they are officially published.
What Races are in Unearthed Arcana?
Over the years, the Wizards of the Coast game design team has released a number of races for playtesting via UA, including:
Wonders of the Multiverse: Glitchling
Travelers of the Multiverse: Astral elf, Autognome, Giff, Hadozee, Plasmoid, and Thri-kreen.
Draconic Options: Dragonborn and Kobold
Folk of the Feywild: Fairy, Hobgoblin, Owlfolk and Rabbitfolk.
Gothic Lineages: Dhampir, Hexblood & Reborn
What Classes are in Unearthed Arcana?
A variety of subclasses have also appeared in UA over the years, including:
Wonders of the Multiverse: Fate Domain (Cleric Subclass)
Giant Subclasses: The Path of the Giant (Barbarian), the Circle of the Primeval (Druid) and the Runecrafter (Wizard)
Subclasses: Part 1: Path of the Beast (Barbarian), the Way of Mercy (Monk), the Oath of the Watchers (Paladin), and the Noble Genie Patron (Warlock)
Subclasses: Part 2: the College of Creation (Bard), the Unity Domain (Cleric), and the Clockwork Soul (Sorcerer).
Subclasses: Part 3: Armorer (Artificer), the Circle of the Stars (Druid), and Fey Wanderer (Ranger).
Subclasses: Part 4: the College of Spirits (Bard) and the Undead Patron (Warlock)
Subclasses: Part 5: The Way of the Ascendant Dragon (Monks) and the Drakewarden (Rangers)
Fighter, Range, Rogue Subclasses: Rune Knight (Fighter), Swarmkeeper (Ranger), Revived (Rogue)
Strixhaven Mage Subclasses: Associated with the five colleges of Strixhaven.
Where Can You Find Unearthed Arcana?
Currently, Unearthed Arcana exists on the official Wizards of the Coast Dungeons & Dragons blog. Materials, however, can also be found on D&D Beyond as part of their One D&D playtesting process (see below).
How does Unearthed Arcana Fit Into One D&D?
One D&D is an update to the existing D&D fifth edition and is set to be released via a collection of core rulebooks sometime in 2024.
As part of the development of One D&D, Wizards of the Coast has been releasing playtesting materials using the Unearthed Arcana name. In a somewhat confusing move, however, you won’t find the materials on the Unearthed Arcana section of the official D&D website. Instead, all One D&D Unearthed Arcana materials are available solely via D&D Beyond online platform.
As of December 2022, Wizards of the Coast has released three batches of One D&D Unearthed Arcana playtest materials:
More batches of playtesting materials, however, are planned for 2023.
Can You Use Unearthed Arcana on D&D Beyond?
It is currently possible to use some Unearthed Arcana materials on D&D Beyond (although not everything that’s been released via UA is accessible). To do this, you’ll have to ensure that you have Playtest Content enabled in your Character Creation preferences (you can find this on the home tab of the character builder, which is essentially the digital version of official DnD character sheets).
Final Thoughts
So there you have it, the answer to the question: what is Unearthed Arcana? As a throwback to a classic D&D publication, today Unearthed Arcana is both an online publication and a playtesting platform for the upcoming One D&D rulessset. It’s likely that we’ll see UA continue to evolve in the days ahead. Keep checking back on this page which we’ll update as we know more.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massechustes, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
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