The vast bulk of official escapade free forDungeons & Dragons ’ 5th edition have been about finding ways tointroduce the legions of newcomersto the fabled TTRPG to its various man — account that onboard brand new adventurer on their paths through D&D ’s other onward motion . Some have throw off in ways toadvance those journeysto even higher levels . But its modish involves a threat so desperate that only the most seasoned of heroes are meant to venture forth .
That threat is , of course , the takings of the sinister Vecna — the ancient , albeit obscure , lich of early D&D variant first only name in artefact and token descriptions , that has now unknowingly become a global sentiency thanks to the approximation that has become themajor villain of Stranger Things . Now , inVecna : Eve of Ruin , Vecna ’s return key does n’t just threaten the Forgotten Realms , but all of the multiverse , and adventurers will require to tail down clue and tools to break him across some of the most famous airplane in D&D to put an last to him .
And be quick for it : Eve of Ruin is one of the rareofficial adventuresthat asks that instrumentalist bring characters that are level 10 and above , with the expectation that by the clock time they are quick to face down Vecna once and for all in Eve of Ruin ’s climax , they will have arrive at level 20 , the conclusion game power grade for characters worthy of facing such a monolithic terror .
Image: Chris Rahn/Wizards of the Coast
“ This is a high level adventure . It goes all the way up to 20th level ; the terminal face-off with Vecna is at twentieth level , ” aged D&D designer Amanda Hamon late severalise press at a league detailing Eve of Ruin . “ It ’s another detail that have in mind this escapade is meant to be just off the track — as high point , as we can get , and as epic as we can get , and hopefully as memorable as we can get . ”
Most official D&D dangerous undertaking leave players in either the high individual - finger levels , especially if they ’re intentionally contrive as onboarding campaigns , or , as Hamon excuse , the “ 10 to 13 bubble”—an ending point that reflects lineament who have become seasoned heroes by the destruction of that particular story . That sort of point is meant to indicate sinewy , perhaps even famous , character in D&D. Although of course nota distinctive D&D adventure , last year ’s smash slay play adaptationBaldur ’s Gate 3 , which culminate in the political party deliver the nominal city from an intrusion of Mindflayers engrossed on restarting their interstellar empire , cap out leveling at 12 — because the clothes designer believed the eight levels of D&D advance beyond that was for the realm of almost godlike heroes rather than relatively new ones . So starting Eve of Vecna out in the back one-half of D&D ’s razing organization means there ’s going to be a lot of experienced players who already have characters they want to bring into an adventure like this , of course — something the D&D design team was keenly aware of get into laying out Eve of Ruin ’s arc .
“ There was definitely a pile of discussion early on about give diabetes mellitus a lot of guidance about starting this adventure out , and characters being create at 10th level , or existing characters that are either between 10th or 13th grade , because we realise that a lot of our risky venture finish in that 10 to 13 house of cards , ” Hamon continued . “ So there are citizenry to be interested in represent those characters again [ in Eve of Ruin ] all the elbow room up to 20th , as a sort of sequel to late adventures . The script allow counseling for segue survive character into this , and how to adjust some of the other chapters to to make the tearing down even out , so that they can go on that journey and have it automatically work for them . There ’s also tale steering about integrating characters or creating characters from all across the multiverse to get them involved in this floor . ”
Image: Greg Staples/Wizards of the Coast
There will , however , be ways for players to onboard less - seasoned character into Eve of Ruin ’s storyline : preorders of the escapade will come with a supplementary single - session adventure called Nest of the Eldritch Eye , useable through D&D Beyond starting today , that will cross the opening semen of Eve of Ruin ’s chief story . “ This escapade takes place earlier , than the leger and takes place before the polar events . There are cults of Vecna who are participating in this plot of ground for a very retentive meter before the characters ever get involved — and this adventure show the early stages of that enceinte plot , ” Hamon excuse . “ [ Nest of the Eldritch Eye ] really introduce this larger secret plan , yield that same sense that the early chapter of [ Eve of Ruin ] do , and yield low level characters an opportunity to see the infrangible extensive and horrifying background of what is going on . Because as scary as the events of this adventure are , it ’s very clear that this is go on everywhere , and that there is going to be some sort of inevitable escalation , and that is back in Eve of Ruin . ”
Eve of Ruin opens with adventurers exploring a series of Vecna cultists across the Forgotten Realms , who have begun stealing mystery — literally extracting them from important masses ’s minds , or stealing vital document , and connect them to various cults across the whole D&D multiverse in a ritual . And , through them , Vecna will funnel that secretive energy into a rite of Remaking , earmark him to re - determine the entire D&D multiverse in his own dark icon . After catching wind of this — and finding out the true scope of the threat at hand thanks to the intervention of three of the most brawny mages around , Alustriel Silverhand , Mordenkainen , and even a adaptation ofthe almighty Tasha — the players are tasked with the rightful dangerous undertaking in Eve of Ruin : travel the multiverse , acquire pieces of the legendary Rod of Seven Parts , and use it to preclude Vecna ’s plans .
That , of course , is where the anniversarial aspect of Eve of Ruin come in — histrion are not just dealing with a famous foe , but travel across the multiverse to revisit beloved woodworking plane and settingsfrom D&D ’s chronicle , and returning to role ( and even foe ) they ’ve perhaps already faced in their own adventuring career . Eve of Ruin will whisk parties from the Forgotten Realms and to six key locales : Planescape , the astral seas of Spelljammer , Eberron , Ravenloft ( nursing home tothe almighty Strahd ) , Dragonlance , and Greyhawk . Each plane will give parties and keep master chances to not just have minor risky venture as they search for the Rod of Seven Parts , call forth different era of D&D , but also tissue their own personal story into these locus if their part have been part of the prior adventures that have been set in those planes — whether or not it went well for them and the people they encountered , because in the close , Vecna ’s plan means doom for everyone , licit or disorderly or otherwise .
Image: Martin Mottet/Wizards of the Coast
So players venture across the multiverse , find a fashion to quit Vecna , and then front off with him once and for all — but what ’s next ? After all , 2024 is n’t just Dungeons & Dragons ’ 50th day of remembrance , it ’s a major crossroad for the TTRPG at large , as it prepares to officially offer farewell to the current edition of the secret plan and lie out its future , with a series of new primary rulebooks roll out later this year and in early 2025 . But D&D ’s next chapter wants to pop the question as much compatibility with its present moment — no doubt in part to the huge upsurge in popularity 5th edition has convey between the plot ’s popularity spike during the covid-19 pandemic , therise of actual play , and pop culture minute like Stranger Things orBaldur ’s Gate — as potential , include having something like Eve of Ruin still playable with the new gist rules . Which means that even as the solar day is ( hopefully ) hold open , the dangerous undertaking will leave way open for players to retort to it and its celebration of the plot ’s recent yesteryear as D&D looks in the lead to the time to come .
“ There ’s a spot of bit of guidance at the very end about sort of what happens in the narration and , you make out , how to decompress a little fleck from this final scrap . There ’s not gon na be as much as sort of like , multiverse affecting information as we have see in former adventure , ” Hamon noted . “ But there ’s very much a mother wit that Vecna is done for now after the fight — and that he will come back . It will be a long clip , but again , the threat will rise . ”
“ What I trust , and what we all hope , is very indicatory of this escapade move on into the future , and being a gamey level escapade that people can playact for many class to come , ” Hamon conclude . “ With the remastered essence Bible coming out it was a really upright sentence to sort of show that ‘ hey , we can make an adventure that has the scope , and have it be respectable for the previous variation of the rules , but also for many years to come . ’ ”
Image: Wizards of the Coast
Vecna : Eve of Ruin will release Tuesday , May 21 , and isavailable to pre - order starting today — which includes straightaway digital access code to the one - snapshot Nest of the Eldritch Eye , former approach to Eve of Ruin on D&D Beyond from May 7 , and more . persist tuned to io9 later today for more insight into Vecna ’s counter !
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