One thing that has not yet been commented on in any official videos is that it looks like "Race" has been renamed "Species," which is perhaps not a huge deal or is maybe a big deal.
Just to unpack this: "Species" is a much more specific word that denotes a sort of scientific classification. While "race" is a term that is fraught with (and really born out of) a history of bigotry, "species" is, I think, a pretty neutral term, used scientifically to describe various kinds of life. We humans are Homo Sapiens (or Homo Sapiens Sapiens, though I can't recall if that second "sapiens" is a subspecies... taxonomy is complicated).
While I don't know if it feels very "fantasy," I do think that this choice reflects the specific notion that they're trying to portray in playable options: the biological, physiological elements of your character's genetics, and not culture and history. We saw with some of the redesigns in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and especially the Character Origins UA a move to shift cultural elements out of what was then called race, but still keeping the sort of physiological distinctions that can be fun in fantasy, like a dragon-person naturally being able to breath fire (or other elements).
With that in mind, let's look at the specifics.
Dragonborn:
First, as the most established species, Dragonborn got tweaked a little. The Character Origins version had a breath weapon that was better than the 2014 version, but many (including myself) were surprised to see that it didn't simply work like the one found in Fizban's Treasury of Dragons. I'm honestly still not sure why they didn't just use those for this, but I'll say that this latest version is actually quite appealing.
Like in Fizban's, your Breath Weapon can now be swapped out for any single attack during your turn - if you have Extra Attack, you can do a breath and then attack with a weapon with the other attack (my tier 3 Fighter really likes this - or would if I'd been able to play him since Fizban's came out).
Indeed, the breath weapon is actually improved over the Fizban's version because you can now choose each time you use it whether you want to do a 15-foot cone or a 30-foot line - an excellent change, if you ask me.
Like in the Character Origins UA, Dragonborn now have Darkvision. They do not, however, inherently learn Draconic. Given the prevalence of Draconic in most D&D worlds, I think they might just consider making it a Standard Language, which can be shared by Dragonborn, Kobolds, Lizardfolk, etc.
The totally new thing, though, is that at level 5, Dragonborn get to sprout elemental wings (of the energy related to your draconic ancestry) as a bonus action and gain a fly speed for 10 minutes (or until you're incapacitated). You get to do this once a day.
This was said to be addressing what they felt was a big oversight - for a species based on dragons, it seems odd they can't do that very iconic dragon thing of, you know, flying.
Ardling:
The reaction to the Ardling was somewhat unenthusiastic. One question was why they would add this race to be the Upper Planar version of the Tiefling when the Aasimar already exists. So, what they're doing instead is leaning into the bestial element of the Ardling, connecting it specifically to the plane of the Beastlands.
You'll choose an Animal Ancestry, from among Climbers, Flyers, Racers, and Swimmers (with multiple examples given for each).
Climbers get a Climb Speed and get to deal extra damage with an unarmed strike once per turn by an amount equal to their proficiency bonus.
Flyers have vestigial wings, and can use a reaction to drift down and avoid fall damage. Additionally, when you jump, you get advantage on the Jump Action's ability check (which is a thing).
Racers, when they take the Dash action, get a bonus to their speed for that action equal to ten times their proficiency bonus (so at level 1, you can run 30 feet and then dash for 50. By level 17, you dash for 90 feet. Monk at that level could run 60 feet, dash 90, and step of the wind dash for another 90, for a total of 240 feet - not quite Tabaxi speeds, but close).
Swimmers get a Sim Speed, can hold their breath for an hour, and have resistance to cold damage.
Furthermore, all Ardlings get Thaumaturgy (and can replace that cantrip with a different Divine cantrip on a long rest). They also all get Keen Senses (proficiency in Perception).
So, I think this gives the species a clearer identity - the previous version was trying to do a lot, and I think really stepped on the toes of the Aasimar, who feels like it should really be the mirror to the Tiefling. I still think that maybe they should consider putting the Aasimar in the PHB, but this is looking more like a possibility.
That being said, I think this might be somewhat underpowered compared to other options.
One note is that in my homebrew world, I have creatures in the Shadowfell called Taheen, which is a reference to Stephen King's Dark Tower series. The Taheen are, like the Ardlings, basically human-like but with animal heads, though they're far from Upper Planar, and really more representative of banality.
Goliaths:
Goliaths were not in the Character Origins UA, but Jeremy Crawford was saying that one reason they might include them is that they can give an alternate option for players who want the "big burly character" in addition to the Orc.
Furthermore, the Goliath is being expanded (a bit like the Tiefling in Character Origins) to sort of retroactively make the current version just one subspecies of the whole species. Goliaths are now explicitly connected to Giants, being humanoid descendants of the giants, and your Giant Ancestry includes options from the major giant types.
But before we get to that: Goliaths get a 35 foot movement speed - which is sort of surprising, but welcome.
Additionally, all Goliaths get to, at 5th level, use a bonus action to grow to Large size (if there's room) for 10 minutes. During this, you get advantage on Strength checks and your speed increases by 10 feet. And you can do this once per long rest.
Goliaths have Powerful Build as well.
Now, let's talk ancestries.
Each ancestry gives you an ability which you can use PB times per long rest.
Cloud's Jaunt (Cloud Giant) lets you teleport as a bonus action up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see.
Fire's Burn (Fire Giant) lets you add 1d10 fire damage to a target when you hit it with an attack roll.
Frost's Chill (Frost Giant) lets you add 1d6 cold damage to a target when you hit it with an attack roll, and also reduce its speed by 10 feet until the start of your next turn.
Hill's Tumble (Hill Giant) lets you knock a Large or smaller creature prone when you hit it with an attack roll and deal damage to it.
Stone's Endurance (Stone Giant) is the familiar one - when you take damage, you can use a reaction to reduce the damage by an amount equal to 1d12 plus your Constitution modifier.
Storm's Thunder (Storm Giant) lets you use a reaction when you take damage from a creature within 60 feet of you to deal 1d8 Thunder damage to that creature.
So, I think this is very cool. The most recent version of the Goliath, from Monsters of the Multiverse, does lose a couple things - its Cold resistance (and adaptation to high altitudes - which is actually quite paradoxical given that Stone Giants prefer the Underdark) and the automatic proficiency in Athletics. But the Large Form and the versatility of these options is pretty great.
Fire, Frost, and Hill can all serve very well for any melee character, and having Misty Step for free is basically always good. Basically, none of these are bad options - I think maybe the Storm one could be slightly underpowered.
Pages in the PHB are precious, so I wonder what the ultimate roster is going to wind up being.
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