Summary

Vecna : Eve of Ruinis the likely the net campaign forDungeons & Dragons5e before with child change follow after in 2024 with a rebootedPlayer ’s HandbookandDM ’s Guide , keep abreast by a newMonster Manualnext year . This meansVecna : Eve of Ruinfeels like both a victory lap covering for 5th edition and a form of swan Sung before those change arrive . Whatever the case may be , the newVecnabook is a twisting , multiverse - hopping drive for high - level players - and it ’s one hell of a bully adventure .

On the control surface , Vecna : Eve of Ruinmight seem like a unsubdivided retreadthrough the tabletop RPG ’s more iconic mo , worlds , and reference . Parties embark on off in Neverwinter , perchance the most placeable urban center of anything inD&D , and the familiar sights ( and face ) keep get at a near - breakneck pace . Admittedly , I was afraidVecna : Eve of Ruinwas go to feel too much like buff service or that it was perhaps just cashing in on the popularity ofStranger Things , but thankfully , that ’s not the case . This is an imposingly written campaign that should have sports fan excited for the future ofD&D.

Vecna : Eve of Ruin has plentifulness of fearsome foes , but some fend out as the most terrifying Modern entries to the earth of fifth edition D&D.

A collage of new monsters in Vecna: Eve of Ruin.

Vecna: Eve Of Ruin Gameplay Overview

High-Level Characters Get To Have Fun In The Multiverse

If there ’s one complaint to be had withD&D5e as a whole , it ’s that so much prescribed content is aimed at low - stratum parties . Vecna : Eve of Ruinstarts at level 10 and goes up to 20 , without have the odd grade jumps ofPlanescapeor the vanity and repetitiveness that sometimes plaguedDungeon of the Mad Mage . In fact , Vecnahandleshigh - level adventuring better than any late 5e substance . The enemy are balanced but intriguing ( especially later on ) and traversal through the multiverse means there ’s almost always something fresh to see .

Vecna : Eve of Ruin handles high - stage adventuring unspoilt than any premature 5e content .

The additional character origination tidbits like 10th - tier backstories , secrets , and reasons for being in Neverwinter seem interesting enough , andthe Secrets Tracker in the back of the book is helpful for DMs who contain this shop mechanic however they see fit . The new monsters include in the Christian Bible launch the gamut of pretty much anything theDnDmultiverse has to provide , and , of course , get to see well - acknowledge baddie like Lord Soth and Lolth the Spider Queen within the adventure is a plus .

D&D Spellfire Art

Between the multiverse escapades and interacting with famed heroes and villains , Vecna : Eve of Ruinsometimes feels like aGreatest Hitsalbum . That stand for it has all the fringe benefit and pitfalls of aGreatest Hitsalbum , too . The cohesiveness sometimes take a backseat to just playing the hits everyone wants . last from Borovia to Krynn to Oerth to Avernus feels a bit like listening to a dance orchestra ’s singles back to back . That ’s fine , of track , but it can mean veteran players may be left wanting some B - sides or deep cuts .

Metaphors aside , Vecnamostly debar that issue with some interesting wrench and a plot of land that feels like the stakes are always break up . If successful , Vecna and his cultists will remake the entire multiverse in his own image , and he ’s nearly there already . task with tuck the Rod of Seven Parts , the company will meet characters like Alustriel Silverhand and Mordenkainen on their journey to ( hopefully ) saving the multiverse .

Vecna: Eve Of Ruin’s Story Is Full Of Surprises

New D&D Campaign Has Twists & Turns

In the involvement of avoiding raider , it ’s unmanageable to carry what really makesVecna : Eve of Ruin ’s account so telling . Ultimately , it number down to Lead Designer Amanda Hamon and her team not just sleep with about the subject matter , but caring about it , too . There ’s a lot of lovemaking that ’s gone into this campaign . The book begins with " This adventure celebratesfifty geezerhood of Dungeons & Dragons history,“and it for certain reach that destination .

The downside to this , of form , is that newcomers who want to see what all the uproar is about may be turned off moderately apace . ButVecna : Eve of Ruinisn’t really for newcomer - at least not in the sensation that most 5e content is . The high - story coming upon intend the difficulty is some of the highest 5e has ever seen , and while in - secret plan moments can still be appreciated by those without a massive intellect ofD&D(driving around in an infernal state of war machine , Mad Max - fashion , is going to be fun either way ) . Still , the campaign is really built upon the predilection that the players have previous noesis ofD&Dand its worlds .

Final Thoughts & Review Score

4.5/5

Vecna : Eve of Ruinisn’t a perfect drive , but it add up pretty close . There are times pacing can be an topic - a party may feel like they ’ve just arrive in one world before being trip off to the next- and this variety of narration structure can feel like getting railroad . It ’s not a pervasive problem , but it does feel like it ’s lack some of the freedom of adventure likeDescent into AvernusorRime of the Frostmaiden .

It ’s entirely possibleVecna : Eve of Ruinwill become afan - favoriteD&D5e campaignin the age to come , and it deserves to be . The raw al-Qur’an condenses 50 - years ' worth ofD&Dhistory into a 250 - Sir Frederick Handley Page risky venture that manages to show off the bestDungeons & Dragonscan proffer while still being vastly fun . It ’s a high - grade campaign that render .

Screen Rant was sent a copy ofVecna : Eve of Ruinfor the prupose of this inspection . Vecna : Eve of Ruinis available now digitally on D&D Beyond with a physical release on May 21 , 2024 .

A character holding a trunk in art from Eberron: Forge of the Artificer

Vecna with the Wizards Three from D&D and an enemy.

Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic.

Demilich Vecna and human wizard Alustriel Silverhand from the new Vecna Eve Of Ruin book

Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Dungeons and Dragons Game Poster

Dungeons and Dragons