In the latest Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition (D&D 5e) Unearthed Arcana (UA 8) release by Wizards of the Coast, notable updates to the Barbarian, Druid, and Monk classes are introduced, alongside new subclasses and spell revisions. For my previous thoughts on these updates, you can look here: Barbarian, Druid, Fighter.

Barbarian Class Updates

The latest Barbarian class update in D&D 5e's UA 8 maintains the class's core essence while enhancing gameplay mechanics and role-playing strategies. The developers have introduced only a few changes, suggesting satisfaction with the previous revision.

Rage and Brutal Combat

Starting off, we see a small change to Rage. Where previously Rage was only regained on a Long Rest, now all Barbarians can regain a single use by taking a Long Rest. This effectively adds a use of Rage for the adventuring day, assuming that the Barbarian can take an hour to rest.

Second, the new ability Brutal Strike (previously called Brutal Critical) gives Barbarians a tactical option for their Reckless Attack. At level 9, a Barbarian can choose to forgo the Advantage given by Reckless Attack, instead adding an extra 1d10 damage to their attack (the type the same as dealt by the weapon or Unarmed Strike). Barbarian characters can add one of two effects to their attack.

The first option, Forceful Blow, pushes a target up to 15 feet away from the Barbarian. The Barbarian can then move up to half their Speed towards the target, without provoking Opportunity Attacks.
The second option, Hamstring Blow, reduces the target’s Speed by 15 feet until the start of the Barbarian’s next turn.

At 13th, the Barbarian gains two new options for Brutal Strike through the Brutal Strike Improvement feature.

Staggering Blow, which gives the target Disadvantage on the next saving throw the target makes. The target also cannot make Opportunity Attacks until the start of the Barbarian’s next turn.
Sundering Blow gives the next creature attacking the target a bonus to attack equal to the Barbarian’s Rage Damage total.

Level 17’s Brutal Strike Improvement finishes the changes to this new ability, providing an additional 1d10 of damage and the option to use up to 2 the available Brutal Strike options instead of 1.

Rage Eternal

At level 15, Persistent Rage now enables Barbarians to regain all their uses of Rage once per Long Rest. The Barbarian’s Rage only ends early if they are Unconscious.

Barbarian Class Thoughts

This is a solid set of quality of life improvements here. Throughout the Play test, the developers have mentioned that they wanted to give each class something they could gain from a Short Rest besides Hit Points. Giving Barbarians an additional use of their core mechanic feels in line with what all classes should get when they take the time to catch their breath.

Brutal Strike feels similar to the Cunning Strike developed for the Rogue, and I mean that in the best way possible. This option, like Cunning Strike, allows for the option of forgoing the standard Bonus for a tactical, slightly more complicated advantage. These options also feel similar to the Baldur’s Gate 3 Weapon Actions, and I think that provides the options that a lot of the martial-focused characters need.

Persistent Rage giving a Barbarian all their uses of Rage back is a Tier 3 injection of power that I think this class could use. At level 15, a Barbarian has 5 Rages per Long Rest, increasing to a 6th after the Short Rest. Best-case scenario, this means that this level 15 Barbarian could rage 12 times in one adventuring day. This seems like more than enough to give them the fighting power they need to go toe to toe with the stronger enemies. Couple this with Primal Knowledge giving a boost to abilities while Raging, and the Barbarian now can act as a much more rounded character.

Path of the World Tree Updates

Source: Magic the Gathering by D. Alexander Gregory

When we first saw Path of the World Tree [https://www.bjarkethebard.com/blog/ua7-warrior-barbarian], I had my concerns. Most of the subclass was interesting, but its original capstone ability gave Barbarians a way to travel across the planes with very little ways for a DM to control that. That alone made me wary of this becoming official. Now, we have some adjustments.

First off, Vitality of the Tree now gives Temporary Hit Points to the Barbarian instead of healing them. The second part of the ability, which allows the character to give more temporary hit points, will increase from 10 feet to 20 feet at level 10.

Branches of the Tree, at level 6, now activate at the beginning of a creature’s turn instead of the end. The range of this ability has increased from 20 feet to 30 feet, and allows the Barbarian the choice of reducing the target’s speed to 0.

Level 10’s feature, Battering Roots, received a power reduction. Where the ability used to give a flat 10 foot reach increase to melee weapons, it now only gives this on the Barbarian’s turn. The weapon must have the Heavy or Versatile property. It still allows for the Push or Topple property to be used besides any other Mastery property the Barbarian character uses with the weapon.

Finally, the developers completely changed Travel Along the Tree. Instead of providing travel to different planes, the ability now allows the Barbarian to teleport up to 60 feet to an unoccupied space they can see. A Barbarian can also choose to bring up to six willing creatures within 10 feet along for the ride, which increases the range to 500 feet. While Barbarians can use this ability once per turn as a Bonus Action, they may only teleport other creatures with them once per long rest.

Path of the World Tree Thoughts

These changes to the World Tree subclass balance it out, preventing it from being too powerful. Vitality of the Tree providing Temporary Hit Points instead of pure healing feels in line with the way the class uses Rage, and the temporary HP range increase will encourage a character to help their allies.

We see a slight boost in Branches of the Tree which helps with allies and enemies alike. Now, characters can move their allies nearby and still can move about, while enemies face the risk of losing their turn entirely.

Coupling this with the new Brutal Strikes, a World Tree Barbarian could easily lock down a single enemy if they wanted, keeping their allies safe. They balanced this by the nerf to Battering Roots, which now only gives Reach during a Barbarian’s turn while using specific weapons.

Finally, Travel Along the Tree feels like a much more palatable ability for a character to have. Most of the other plane-hopping abilities have some way for the GM to control them, and Travel Along the Tree did not. These changes avoid that issue arising. This feels like an ability that will also increase a Barbarian’s mobility, something that can be very beneficial in the later levels in the game.

Druid Class Updates

Source: Magic the Gathering by Nicholas Elias

Ever since the developers released the first play test of the Druid class, there has been a lot of debate. Most of this disagreement comes down to the changes made to Wild Shape. The initial play test aimed to reduce the general power presented by this ability. As it currently stands, this is a powerful ability that allows a Druid to be competent in multiple roles depending on the animal chosen. The developers have been increasing the power back a bit, and this newest play test did that as well.

Wild Shape, Take 3

Starting off, Druids now get more Wild Shape options. In the previous play test, they had three forms known at level 2, gaining an additional form at 4th and 8th levels. Druids now get a number of known forms equal to 2 plus half their Druid level, rounded up. While Druids will start with the same three known forms at 2nd level, this means that by 4th they will have 4 instead of 3. The challenge rating increases remain the same for the core class.

Wild Shapes also grants Temporary Hit Points equal to the character’s Druid Level. This is an addition from the previous version, but still a noticeable dip from the current Druid Wild Shape, which would give an entire stat block worth of hit points.

Druid Class Thoughts

Balancing Wild Shape was something that many expressed their dissatisfaction with, but I liked the idea. While it took a lot of the power out of the Druid’s toolbox, I felt that this brought the class itself into better balance with the rest of the game. Currently, a Druid’s Wildshape can, depending on the form, sneakily scout out an area, tank heavy hits, or bring the hurt on some enemies without the Druid having to give up anything else. This might overlap with many other characters in the party while not presenting any sizeable holes. On top of full spell-casting, this makes Druid a powerful character. So I definitely think that Wild Shape needed to be adjusted.

This new version has brought a lot of the utility back to the class, and I think it’s doing a good job to strike a balance for players. Limiting the animal forms not only makes a Druid player have to decide their roles in the party, it keeps the game moving. A limited amount of forms means less looking for stat blocks but also giving flavor that a lot of players prefer. We see the core class gaining a bit of temporary hit points. While this does not match the current hit points, I think many players will find this agreeable.

Circle of the Moon Updates

Source: Magic the Gathering by Willian Murai

The iconic subclass for Druids, Circle of the Moon, has had some changes to it to match the changes to the core class. This makes sense, since this class has always been the Wild Shape focused option for Druids.

Circle Spells

At 3rd level, Moon Druids now gain a list of always-prepared spells similar to the other subclasses (such as Circle of the Land). Wild Shape Druids can cast all the listed spells while in their Wild Shape Form. The list includes current spells such as Cure Wounds, Moonbeam, Vampiric Touch, and Dawn, but also brings new spells, such as Starry Wisp and Fount of Moonlight.

Circle Forms

The developers have streamlined the entire setup for Circle Forms in this update.

Maximum Challenge Rating for a Chosen form is ⅓ a character’s Druidic level, rounded down.
Armor Class equals 13 plus Wisdom Modifier.
Temporary Hit Points increase to three times a character’s Druidic Level.

Circle forms improve at 6th level, gaining two additional abilities.

Lunar Radiance allows for a Druid to choose either normal or Radiant damage type when making an attack, chosen each time the character hits with an attack.

Increased Toughness allows for a Druid to add their Wisdom modifier to their Constitution Saving throws.

Moon Druids get one more addition to their Circle Forms at 14th level, through Lunar Form. This gives Improved Lunar Radiance besides Shared Moonlight. This feature adds 1d10 Radiant damage on hits.

Circle of the Moon Thoughts

This update brings a lot of combat focused changes to this subclass and helps Circle of the Moon maintain its spot as the Wild Shape focused subclass. We see a more powerful form both offensively and defensively, with improved damage and increased hit points.

I also agree that the change to spells that can be cast in Wild Shape form is a pleasant change. The previous UA allowed for all Abjuration Magic, which is the school where all the healing spells like Cure Wounds and Healing Word belong to now. This new option, a specific list of always-prepared spells, provides some interesting options without giving a Wild Shaped Druid too many options.

Overall, I think this gives back a lot of the features that players like, without making an overpowered class.

Conclusion

As I delve into D&D’s latest Unearthed Arcana, it’s clear that the developers have made commendable strides with the remaining classes. The Barbarian class, with its enhanced utility over short rests and the added complexity through Brutal Strikes, feels complete and well-rounded. The Path of the World Tree subclass, in particular, stands out for its more balanced approach in this revision.

The Druid class, however, appears to be in a transitional phase. Wizards of the Coast’s significant alterations are still seeking a harmonious balance with player expectations. While the recent changes re-introduce some familiar features, it seems there’s still room for refinement. The subclass updates, notably, show promising adjustments, aligning better with the core class changes.

I’m curious to see how these updates will play out in actual gameplay and the overall impact on class dynamics. What are your thoughts on these changes? Do you feel they enhance the gameplay experience, or is there more tweaking needed? Share your experiences and insights, and let’s discuss the evolving landscape of D&D’s class mechanics. We can also look forward with anticipation to future updates and how they might further shape our adventures.

What are your thoughts on these Druid and Barbarian class revisions in UA 8? Do you have thoughts on Brutal Strikes? Join the conversation below and share your gameplay experiences and expectations.

Unearthed Arcana 8 Review: In-Depth Analysis of Barbarian and Druid Class Changes