Summary
Campaign books are a big part of the soul ofDungeons & Dragons5e, providinga structured way for parties to adventure through its exciting fantasy worlds.The best campaigns deliver great fights, memorable stories, and interesting dungeons and environments to explore.5e adventures can vary in quality, however, and the weaker offerings can be a struggle to turn into something fun at the game table.
Not every 5e adventure that’s been published is a properDungeons & Dragonscampaign, and shorter modules can’t really be compared with the full-length tomes. Some anthologies of smaller adventures also don’t offer enough connective tissue to necessarily qualify as campaigns, although a few do link things in a cohesive enough way.
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18Tyranny Of Dragons Was A Rough Start
Published In 2023
Tyranny of Dragonscombines the first two full-length adventures for 5e,Hoard of the Dragon QueenandThe Rise of Tiamat.It’s arguably better than the sum of its parts, and it’s certainly possible to have a good time playing it. The problem is just how rough those parts are, and even some fixes don’t turnTyranny of Dragonsinto a particularly great adventure.
Tyranny of Dragonswas written before therules forDnD5ewere finalized, and it’s loose and fundamentally incomplete in a way that very much betrays that. The early material inHoard of the Dragon Queenis arguably the worst offender, but evenThe Rise of Tiamatstruggles significantly with issues like encounter balance. Parties that love dragons might still want to look into this one, but the DM should be aware that runningTyranny of Dragonsexactly as written doesn’t tend to go well.
17Princes Of The Apocalypse Is Structurally Weak
Published In 2015
Princes of the Apocalypseis in better shape thanTyranny of Dragons, but it’s another early campaign book that released before 5e had quite found its footing. Although this one takes a potentially interesting sandbox-oriented approach to a story involving dangerous elemental cults,a weak execution of the concept comes back to bite it.
The first few campaign books for 5e were all outsourced to various third party companies, withCurse of Strahdbeing the first properly in-house release.
MakingPrinces of the Apocalypsework well generally requires a DM to put their own work into stringing dungeons togetherin a meaningful way. A surplus of bland encounters and a lack of structure pushing the party to tackle things in the right order can easily become significant problems, so it’s not a campaign for any beginner DM to tackle.
Published In 2018
Unlike some of the weakestDnD5e campaign books,Waterdeep:Dungeon of the Mad Magehas reasonable potential to be a favorite for the right party. It’s essentially just one big mega-dungeon, and anyone who thinks a sprawling, complex crawl sounds perfect might love it.
As a follow-up to the roleplay-orientedWaterdeep: Dragon Heist, however,Dungeon of the Mad Mageis unlikely to land for those who loved its predecessor. It’s also not a perfect execution of the mega-dungeon concept, withsome inconsistency in the quality of the crawl and a few design choices that make it difficultfor a DM to actually handle play seamlessly.
15Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus Is Disjointed
Published In 2019
TheBaldur’s Gatevideo gamesare all excellent experiences, but it’s harder to give the same praise to the tie-inDnDcampaign bookBaldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus. The whole Baldur’s Gateconcept feels disjointed, with the city’s appearance coming across as an almost tacked-on beginning segment that doesn’t connect well to the infernal adventures that come later.
Even in Avernus,a lot of the content feels disconnected and unmotivated, and the whole thing is filled out by too many fetch quests. These can be too linear, while the overall structure is capable of leaving players confused. The concept is cool, but making it fun can take some work.
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14Phandelver And Below: The Shattered Obelisk Is Messy
Lost Mine of Phandelverwas one early standout forDnD5e, a short adventure packaged into a Starter Set that did agreat job introducing playersto the core elements of theDnDexperience.It didn’t reinvent the wheel, but in getting the basics right, it’s doubtless made plenty of converts.Phandelver and Below: The Shattered ObeliskrevisitedLost Mine of Phandelverto expand it into a full-length campaign, a task completed to ultimately mixed results.
LikeDescent into Avernus, this is another disjointed campaign, with a rough transition fromThe Lost Mine’s material toThe Shattered Obelisk.It still offers some good skeletal material to build a great campaign out of, but without doing any of that work, the complete adventure won’t be fully realized.
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13Out Of The Abyss Can Be Tough To Run
As the last of the early outsourcedDnD5e campaigns,Out of the Abyssprovides the most uniquely compelling experience of the bunch. Set in the Underdark, the campaign dives into a rich, weird, and potentially terrifying corner of the Forgotten Realms.Increased difficulty and a survival-oriented experiencemake it a good choice for a party that wants an extra dose of intensity.
Tuning a campaign in that direction can be difficult, however, andOut of the Abyssstruggles to do so consistently.A difficulty curve that’s all over the place can require some DM adjustment, as easy stretches and TPKs that feel random are both frustrating. In this case, there are enough strong points that putting in the work can be worth it.
12Storm King’s Thunder Has Sandbox Potential
Published In 2016
The big problem withStorm King’s Thunderis that it can be an absolute mess. Inconsistent pacing, plot holes, and some narrative elements that never quite connect all add up to limit the default experience of playing the adventure. A lot of what’s in it is good, however, andpatching it up in the right ways can makeStorm King’s Thundera blast to play.
It’s ultimately a good skeleton for a great adventure, and it can be one of the more beginner-friendly options when handled correctly.
A party interested in somewhat freeform exploration of a cool setting (the giant-heavy Savage Frontier) could particularly enjoyStorm King’s Thunder, provided the DM is good at filling in the gaps. It’s ultimately a good skeleton for a great adventure, and it can beone of the more beginner-friendly options when handled correctly.
11Dragonlance: Shadow Of The Dragon Queen Is Solid
Published In 2022
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queenhas a tough legacy to live up to as 5e’s defining venture into the time-honored Dragonlance setting, and it can struggle to bear all of that weight on its shoulders. In that regard, the results can be mixed, with both plenty of beautiful details and some decisions that will likely frustrate long-time fans.
Taken in its own right,Shadow of the Dragon Queenis a solid adventure, and it’s generally easier to run than the weakerDnD5e campaigns. A strong story in a war-torn world makes a generally railroad-y approach easy enough to stomach, and some tough combat encounters can be fun for a party that loves the thrill of the fight.
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10Quests From The Infinite Staircase Has Great Adventures
Published In 2024
Quests from the Infinite Staircaseisn’t the first 5e book to revisit classicDnDmodules, and some might argue thatTales from the Yawning Portalis still the best anthology in 5e.The newer book does provide more thorough guidance on stringing them into a campaign, however, qualifying it as a campaign book in a way thatTales from the Yawning Portaljust doesn’t quite manage.
The adventures here are classics for a reason, and the sci-fiExpedition from the Barrier Peaksis a memorable grand finale.There’s also a good bit ofvariety in the adventures, with some sections catering more to classic dungeon crawls and others offering great roleplay opportunities. Structuring it as a campaign will still feel disjointed compared to a traditional campaign book, but it could be a great time for a party that doesn’t mind that.
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9Critical Role: Call Of The Netherdeep Is Good For Fans
Critical Rolehas been a huge part of bringing people intoDnD5e’s fold, so a campaign book in Matthew Mercer’s Exandria setting makes a lot of sense.Call of the Netherdeepdoesn’t let down Critical Role’s strong brand image,bringing some interesting ideas like a party of rivals to the table.If the party stays on track, it also works straight out of the box in a way that a lot of 5e campaigns don’t, although straying from the core path could push more work on the DM.
Like Critical Role,lore and descriptive settings are a big part ofCall of the Netherdeep,which will appeal more to some players than others. There are still some structural issues that keep it from being among the best 5e modules, but it’s a good choice for fans of the show.
