Thanks to LexieJeid and accoridng to Fantasy Ground screenshot there are 2 new Alternate class features:
– The Beast Master ranger can choose the Primal Companion feature instead of Ranger’s Companion. You command it as a bonus action, otherwise it takes the Dodge action, but you can also sacrifice one attack when you have Extra Attack. It also acts during your turn and will take actions of its own choice if you’re incapacitated. If it dies, you can bring it back to life, seemingly by spending a spell slot.
– Deft Explorer can replace Natural Explorer and has Canny as one of the potential benefits
I'm extremely proud of what the team put together for our ranger friends, and I hope people dig them. ☺️ pic.twitter.com/O6QROnZkEC
— HangDan's Joke (@Dan_Dillon_1) October 27, 2020
Not sure if this is a proper fix. At least not for two-weapon fighting beast masters. Let’s take a look at a sample 11+ level sequence (the results are similar across levels, however):
Archer: I attack twice and bonus action for my beast to attack twice. 4 attacks. And I’m at range. Sweet!
Sword and Board: I attack twice and bonus action for my beast to attack twice. 4 attacks. And I have my shield for the AC boost. Sweet!
Dual Wielder: I attack twice with my first weapon…. and bonus action for my beast to attack twice. 4 attacks. No, wait… I attack once with my first weapon, substitute my beast to attack twice and then I bonus action attack with my second weapon. Um, still 4 attacks? And I’m in melee with no shield bonus? Oh, this (still) sucks.
(Not covering every/all fighting style choice because they either have no offensive purpose or their purpose is similar to whatever is already described here.)
Actually the only benefit of the dual wielder comes before he actually becomes a beast master. He gets up to 2 attacks while everyone else gets one. And that’s the point. The archer is at range and the sword and board has the AC boost. When he becomes a beast master, everyone else effectively catches up with him, making his fighting style choice sort of pointless. Might as well fight with 1 weapon and no shield at all.
Of course, if the consensus is: don’t dual wield as a beast master, then fine (well, not really, but whatever), but this did not fix the glaring issue with the class. It did make everyone else better, but made the two-weapon fighting style pointless.