Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition is going strong, and it looks like it’ll be a long time before 6th Edition comes. So why not stay awhile and play one of the many campaign modules released for 5e? We happen to have a good number of them running at StartPlaying, from the classic battle against evil dragon Tiamat to the wacky roleplay-centric antics of Wild Beyond the Witchlight. 

Almost every kind of theme and gameplay type is represented in 5e’s official modules, to the point that any player might feel overwhelmed by choice. The design priorities of the D&D team have also changed over the years, leading to very strong fan opinions over the direction of one module versus another. It’s a lot to take in, so let us help you pick the book that’s right for you. Here is a list of every official D&D hardcover adventure module, as well as a guide to what type of experience they offer. 

Starter Sets 

Lost Mine Of Phandelver

If you get the D&D 5e Starter Set, you’ll find this adventure packed in with pre-generated character sheets, a scaled-down rulebook, dice, and other basics needed to start playing. As you’d probably guess, this adventure was created with beginners in mind. It takes characters from level 1-5 and starts them with a simple quest to escort a caravan. Soon they end up storming a goblin cave, taking on bandits, and racing a villain to find the actual lost mine. 

Even today, Lost Mine Of Phandelver is still considered one of the best 5e modules of all time. The opening goblin ambush can be a little too brutal for inexperienced players, but the sense of progression and incorporation of classic D&D elements nicely sets the tone for a campaign. The pregenerated characters also come with ties to the Phandelver story, showing players how to insert themselves in the story and drive its direction with their choices. 

Essentials Kit

This boxed set serves as an update to what Phandelver started, but is also more expansive. For one, it introduced rules for single-player campaigns aided by powered-up NPCs called sidekicks. It also takes the training wheels off a bit by presenting several adventures instead of one fairly linear one. Those who run through the entirety of the Essentials Kit offerings will find themselves go from level 1 to level 12. In that way, the kit provides amazing value and is a must-buy for newcomers that aren’t sure how committed they want to be to D&D. 

Stranger Things Starter Set

Dungeons & Dragons shows up in Stranger Things, so of course the companies behind both wanted to put out a crossover. The novelty here is the packaging, as well as the exclusive Demogorgon mini-figures. One thing to clear up for fans: you’re not playing as the Stranger Things characters or even investigating the creepy town of Hawkins. The short, level 3-4 adventure is a classic sword and sorcery game written as though it comes from Mike Wheeler. Essentially, you’re meant to learn D&D by playing the same campaign the kids play in the show. 

Dungeons & Dragons Vs Rick & Morty

The target audience here is clear, but you might be surprised to learn that this is actually a starter set. It comes with a set of dice, DM screen, pre-generated characters based on Morty’s family, the basic rules, and a dungeon crawl “written” by Rick himself. Players will go from levels 1-3 in this wacky trip, which of course takes D&D ideas like goblins, mimics, and magic and paints them with that signature brand of Rick & Morty weirdness. 

Dragons Of Stormwreck Isle 

The latest D&D Starter Set gets a lot of praise for being a true beginner-friendly adventure, both for players and Dungeon Masters. Players will be taken from levels 1-3 as they explore a shipwreck, a hidden kobold colony, and even get caught up in a feud between dragons. That’s right, this starter set actually gives newbies dungeons and dragons! 

On the DM side, the book is written with plenty of guidance for the practical aspects of running the adventure. New DMs are given explanations as to how to pull off certain monster behaviors, environmental hazards, and plot twists. It’s the kind of detailed writing that long-term DMs have been requesting for years. You can regularly find the Stormwreck Isle set on store shelves, and often on sale, making it a great value.

Hardcover Modules

Hoard Of The Dragon Queen

The very first 5e hardcover module is infamous for its questionable beginning. Players are thrust into a village under siege and soon find themselves facing a dragon. And that’s at level 1! Assuming they survive, the party is set on a crash course with a cult dedicated to reviving the evil five-headed dragon goddess Tiamat. It’s a classic, action-packed quest that has the party traveling the continent in hopes of stopping evil. The whole adventure will take characters from levels 1 to 7.

The Rise Of Tiamat

Starting at level 8 and continuing at level 15, this adventure picks up with Hoard of the Dragon Queen left off. The battle against the forces of Tiamat shifts to a political fight here as the party seeks to create an alliance that can keep the ever-growing cult in check. The shift to a more social game might leave some players bored after Hoard of the Dragon Queen’s action, so DMs might want to insert more exciting side quests that tie into the player characters’ backstories. The ending is suitably epic, however, and might end in a battle against Tiamat herself if you’re lucky (or unlucky)!

It’s worth noting that Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat come packaged together in a newer collection called Tyranny of Dragons. This special book makes slight changes to the modules that ease some aspects of DMing, and includes pages of concept art.

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Princes Of The Apocalypse

Cults are kind of a big deal in old school D&D, so they return as the villains again in Princes of the Apocalypse. The difference from the Tyranny of Dragons storyline is that this cult is fractured. There are four cults in this adventure that represent the four elements, each headed by a prophet wielding powerful magic items. The players enter a valley where each cult has a temple, and our heroes soon learn that they must topple all of these cults before they usher in the world’s end. 

This adventure can be tailored to more experienced players by starting at level 3 and going to 15. It also offers somewhat of a sandbox playstyle as the players can discover and deal with the various cults whenever they like. That said, Princes of the Apocalypse can also be made easier for newer players. Mini-quests at the end of the book allow a party to start at level 1 and work their way up before taking on the cults. And though the valley does offer some free reign, there is a set level for each cult that makes for one recommended path through adventure. 

Out Of The Abyss

With this adventure, the designers clearly wanted to offer something to experienced players. The opening chapter takes a much more dire turn than anything that came before by having the players start as captives of drow. The gameplay immediately turns into a prison escape and chase through the creepy tunnels of the Underdark. Players are not well-stocked heroes in this module, but instead must make use of the few items and allies they can muster. And when they finally escape, the real adventure begins…

Out of the Abyss does not attempt to be beginner-friendly like the previous modules. Players are in a desperate situation right from the start and the DM has a lot of recurring NPCs to keep track of. This adventure tests the skills of everyone at the table and goes from levels 1 to 15. 

Curse Of Strahd 

Here’s the crown jewel of 5e’s modules, the one every group should play. The vampire Strahd stars as one of the most compelling D&D villains of all time, and his gothic horror home of Barovia manages to act as both a chilling prison and thrilling sandbox. This is one of the few adventures that makes players feel like they really can lose it all if they don’t make smart choices. This feeling creeps up right away during the Death House minisode that takes players from levels 1 to 3, a trip that’s claimed many player characters’ lives. The spooks continue to haunt from levels 3 to 10, culminating in a tense final battle where Strahd himself is very likely to get a TPK. 

Curse of Strahd isn’t just a meat grinder, though. The story is full of tragedy, darkness, and mystery in equal measure. Players who love to roleplay will find emotions aplenty as they see what Strahd’s rule does to the trapped people of Barovia. Yet there is that thread of hope that’s always present in good horror. The party can save Barovia and destroy Strahd, but only if they play some damn good D&D. 

Storm King’s Thunder

Here’s another example of a great D&D sandbox, a module that lets players visit a vast variety of locations on their own time and advance the story according to their actions. The plot has rival tribes of giants clash in an attempt to dominate the Savage Frontier. It falls to the player party to put a stop to these battles and save the average-sized citizenry from the towering threat. Storm King’s Thunder can start at level 1 to be a beginner adventure, but it can also skip to 5th level if the players are more experienced or coming off of another campaign. Either way, the action will take them to level 11. 

Tales From The Yawning Portal

This module branches off into a unique category of D&D book. Instead of one continuous quest, the content of Tales from the Yawning Portal is seven remakes of old-edition D&D adventures. The common theme is the Yawning Portal tavern, where players hear rumors about the seven quests. Each adventure spans one or two levels. These can be strung together into a level 1-11 adventure ending in the Tomb of Horrors, but each quest can also stand alone. This allows DMs to take parts of Yawning Portal and insert them into their own games without needing to run the whole thing. 

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Tomb Of Annihilation

Tomb of Annihilation is the meat grinder to end all meat grinders. The module immediately sets the stakes by starting with the end of all resurrection magic. Even those who were revived through spells before start turning to dust like Thanos just snapped. The players must travel to a deadly jungle land full of trapped tombs, dinosaurs, and a cult-like group of snake people to discover the origin of this curse. What they find is the Death Curse, perhaps the deadliest mechanic in all of D&D. 

The Death Curse prevents player characters from coming back to life no matter what spell is cast on them, so those who play Tomb of Annihilation are encouraged to create more than one character. It’s the ultimate hard mode, and DMs are given lease to kill characters off with a vengeance. The story goes from level 1-11, and many party members are sure to be sacrificed to make it to the end. 

Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

I should get the disclaimer out right away: there is no actual heist in this module. Instead, this level 1-5 romp takes players on a treasure hunt through the big city of Waterdeep. A huuuge hoard of gold has been discovered, and those who uncover its whereabouts will be set for life. This does lead to more intrigue than other modules, as players must navigate the social circles of Waterdeep and outfox shady crime lords as they search for clues. So careful play and solid roleplay are rewarded, but rogues will not get the chance to crack a big safe or make a cool getaway. 

Waterdeep: Dungeon Of The Mad Mage

In a very odd turn, Mad Mage continues Dragon Heist’s treasure hunting plot with a deep dungeon crawl and a battle against an all-powerful archmage. Mad Mage sends adventurers into the Undermountain, a massive megadungeon that will keep players busy from levels 5-20. Yes, this is the first 5e hardcover module that allows player characters to hit max level. As one might imagine, battles are a constant in this campaign, and the final enemies are brutal.

Ghosts Of Saltmarsh

In the level 1-12 Ghosts of Saltmarsh, we get another book that takes old adventures and remasters them for 5e. This time around, however, the adventures are linked by something more resembling a plot. They can still be separate mini-arcs and fit into other campaigns, but the book also gives mechanics for making Saltmarsh a home. Characters can live in the fishing town, buy magic items, and take on normal jobs between quests. When they do decide to adventure, they’ll set out on the open sea to combat smugglers, sahaguin armies, and the supernatural. 

Even without the adventures, Ghosts of Saltmarsh is a nice DM guide for running a nautical campaign. The guidance for living in a seaside town is a great way to handle downtime and help players explore what their characters do when they’re not fighting lizardfolk. The book also gives ship stats and customization options for the players who want their own personal boat.  

Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus

Got any players in your group who like the video game DOOM? A trip into D&D’s first layer of Hell is in order then. Descent Into Avernus begins in the famous city of Baldur’s Gate, a true hive of scum and villainy. By the midpoint of this level 1-13 module, the party will dive down the Avernus, the first layer of Hell, and gather strength to take on its unholy ruler. 

The best part of Avernus’ interpretation of Hell is its Mad Max-esque travel method. Adventurers can acquire a hell car made of twisted metal and spikes to drive around Avernus, and even do battle with other drivers as they speed over the scorched wastes. Also the hell car may or may not be powered by souls. 

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Icewind Dale: Rime Of The Frostmaiden

D&D goes from fire to ice with this next adventure, Rime of the Frostmaiden. Icewind Dale is the frozen north of D&D’s main continent, the setting of the beloved novel series featuring fan-favorite elf Drizzt. Drizzt isn’t around to save the day this time, however, and the task of stopping eternal winter falls to the players. To put an end to the now two years of constant icy nights, the players must confront the goddess of winter herself. But not before easing the tensions of the paranoid townsfolk, fighting a mechanized dragon, and discovering a lost city of ancient magic. 

Rime of the Frostmaiden takes player characters from level 1-12. It offers a lot of freedom during the first half as players are given several quests to complete in any order they wish. But once the final quest reveals itself, it’s a rollercoaster ride to an epic final battle. 

Candlekeep Mysteries

Candlekeep is a wonderous library that collects rare books from all over the realm. Candlekeep Mysteries presents 17 of these tomes for adventurers to consider, each with its own mysteries to solve in quest form. Like Yawning Portal and Saltmarsh before it, Candlekeep can be both a full-length campaign and series of self-contained quests that fit within other stories. The level range goes longer than most recent hardcovers by ending at level 17. 

Candlekeep Mysteries earned a lot of praise upon release for being a true celebration of D&D diversity. This is both within the story itself, as the books pull from many different dimensions and themes, and the creators. Candlekeep featured a record amount of content from up-and-coming freelance designers from all sorts of backgrounds and life experiences. 

The Wild Beyond The Witchlight

Come one, come all, to the Witchlight Carnival! Perhaps the most creative module in recent years, Witchlight takes players from a whimsical traveling faire to the ever-surprising Feywild. The suggested character motivation creates instant roleplay opportunities and forces players to rethink how they approach D&D. This is supported by a direction that emphasizes peaceful solutions to conflict over combat. Adventurers can often bargain or trick their way out of a fight, and even the encounters that do feature combat suggest alternate strategies than just hacking away with a big sword. 

Wild Beyond the Witchlight runs from levels 1-8. It also introduces two exciting new playable races in the form of fairies and the rabbit-like harengon. It’s a great intro to D&D and a breath of fresh air for veteran players, although its light-combat approach might turn off some players. 
 

Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep

This full campaign is set in the world of the hit show Critical Role. Players are encouraged to begin at level 3 as an already-established party, mirroring the deep bonds that CR characters have. On the journey to level 12, the party will quest through the Wastes of Xhorhas, visit the continent of Marquet, and dive into the titular Netherdeep. 

Without spoiling too much, this module features one of the most creative final boss fights I’ve ever run. There are also mechanics for a party of rival adventurers who get caught up in the main quest. They can be romanceable or your worst enemies based on how the party interacts with them. As CR fans have come to expect, strong roleplay can be just as effective as smart battle tactics.

Journeys Through The Radiant Citadel

Where Candlekeep Mysteries opened the door for a diverse set of anthology adventures, Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel goes all in. The Radiant Citadel itself is a city built around a magic crystal that floats in the Ethereal Plane. Its people are refugees and travelers from various other lands, and they bring their histories, culture, and problems with them. 

Each of the 13 adventures in this book are inspired by a different culture and written by someone from that culture. The result is a colorful tapestry of stories dealing with themes of breaking tradition, confronting the supernatural, and delving into realities beyond what we see in front of us. This multiethnic inspiration carries over to the monsters and magic items as well, making for a memorable set of modules.

Dragonlance: Shadow Of The Dragon Queen

Fans requested older campaign settings be ported into 5E, and WotC started listening in the 2020s. Even better, this Dragonlance adaptation doesn’t split itself into three like Spelljammer. It dedicates itself to a level 1-13 campaign that puts players into the middle of a continent-spanning war. Tactical combat is the big draw here, and the deluxe version even comes complete with a companion board game that simulates large-scale combat. 

Opinion on Shadow of the Dragon Queen is mixed to positive. Dragonlance fans find that the story doesn’t capture everything they love about the classic novels. What the campaign does well is thrust the players into the story with an interactive prelude system. It also presents a good variety of combat with challenging conditions and high stakes.

Keys From The Golden Vault

The anthology hardcovers lend themselves to being picked apart and inserted into different worlds, especially if they're only connected by a loose theme. For Keys From the Golden Vault, that theme is heists. Each of the 13 adventures centers around taking a Macguffin from a highly secure area.

Your group's enjoyment of this book will depend on two things: how much you enjoy heist movies and how flexible you all are. Running a heist adventure takes a different mindset. Combat often isn't the desired solution even if you built a barbarian that hits really hard. Players will need to rethink how they engage with the game, like how initiative doesn't always mean hit all the things. The DM also needs to be very agile, as they need to be constantly upping the risk/reward factor in reaction to player choices.

Phandelver And Below: The Shattered Obelisk

As mentioned above, Lost Mine of Phandelver is considered one of the best D&D 5E adventures of all time. In an effort to preserve it in hardcover form and expand upon it, the creators re-released it and added a sequel of sorts. Now the campaign can go from level 1-12. The original Lost Mine content is the same, but now the party can stay in Phandalin and investigate strange psychic goblins.

Reception on this one is pretty good, as Lost Mine remains a solid way to bring in new players and entertain experienced ones. The additional adventures take a strange turn into cosmic horror. Mind Flayers get involved and there's even a corruption mechanic. This will feel familiar to fans of Baldur's Gate 3, which was probably done on purpose. Casual audiences like families suffer, as the darker elements might not be as fun for kids.

Vecna: Eve Of Ruin

The end all, be all of the 5E age of D&D is contained in the pages of Vecna: Eve of Ruin. While D&D lives on through the 2024 Core Rulebooks update, the particular period of popularity started by Stranger Things and Critical Role finds a sort of conclusion through Eve of Ruin. The God of Secrets Vecna weaves a powerful spell to remake the universe in his own twisted image. The players become linked to the big bad and are thus tasked with gathering pieces of a legendary staff to stop him. 

The result is a level 10-20 D&D version of Avengers: Endgame. You’ll visit iconic worlds from D&D history, fight alongside familiar faces, and end it all by battling one of the biggest bads in the game at the highest level of play. Vecna: Eve of Ruin reviews weren’t kind. Many TTRPG reporters and columnists praised the use of the multiverse in giving players a series of epic high-level encounters. Eve of Ruin Youtube reviews, however, found the classic settings misrepresented and Vecna as a villain lackluster. This is definitely not a campaign for beginner DMs, but could be worked into a conclusion to other hardcovers like Curse of Strahd or Tomb of Annihilation. 

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Sourcebooks With Adventures

Guildmaster’s Guide To Ravnica

Many sourcebooks are dedicated to setting the scene for a new campaign world. This book gave DMs and players a blueprint for Ravnica, a city built by magic and the cooperation of colorful guilds. While a large amount of the book covers Ravnica’s culture, politics, new player character options, and mechanics, there is a short intro adventure at the end. It’s called Krenko’s Way and only goes from level 1-2. The goal is to give everyone a taste of what Ravnica adventures could look like. 

Acquisitions Incorporated

This book takes on the humorous tone of the Penny Arcade show. Its pages lay out how to run a D&D party as a business, imitating the corporate satire of the Acquisitions Incorporated show. There’s also new spells and class options for players to create more modern-flavored adventurers. The included adventure, Orrery of the Wanderer, goes from level 1 to 6. 

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Eberron: Rising From The Last War

The sort-of steampunk setting of Eberron imagines a world where magic is technology and politics resemble the 20th-century world after WWI. The themes of its adventures sidestep medieval fantasy to feel more like Indiana Jones pulp or detective noir. Eberron debuts the 5e version of the artificer class and brings more tech-based character options like the warforged machine race. The included adventure Forgotten Relics only runs through level 1, so DMs will have to come up with a lot on their own. They could also check out the Oracle of War campaign, available as PDFs on DMs Guild. 

Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount

The first official D&D book for Critical Role fans guides DMs through Matt Mercer’s Wildemount. Players can journey through locations found in Campaign 2 of the show, as well as play with a powerful fighter subclass and the magics of time and luck. The intro adventurers are substantial here, taking players from level 1-3 and covering a variety of concepts from the setting. 

Mythic Odysseys of Theros

This Magic: The Gathering crossover sends players to the distinctly Greek myth-based Theros. There, players can take on their very destiny as they challenge what the gods have in store for them. Or they can serve the gods using a new Piety system that tracks their deeds and rewards faithful followers. The player character options get wild, with satyrs, warrior lion folk, and a paladin subclass dedicated to how awesome they think they are. The included adventure is No Silent Secret, a level 1-2 mystery that sets up a deeper quest about omens and godly machinations.

Van Richten's Guide To Ravenloft

For everyone who loved Curse of Strahd and wanted more, there's Ravenloft. This sourcebook introduces more Domains of Dread and their associated horror genres. There's a post-apocalyptic zombie world, a sinister masquerade, a cursed pyramid, and more. Each Domain gets a section with included guidance on how to develop adventures for it. Again, the introductory adventure takes characters from level 1-2 while introducing the themes of Ravenloft. The party will be drawn to a haunted manor where a séance gives them a chilling mission.

Fizban's Treasury Of Dragons

Dragons are a whole half of this game, so it makes sense to have a whole book dedicated to them. This tome details the lore of dragons as well as the role they could play in a campaign. It has dragon-themed subclasses and magic items for players, including rules for special weapons plucked from a dragon's hoard. While it doesn't have a fully written adventure, it does include a section with various prompts to craft a dragon-centric game. It even breaks down each type of dragon individually complete with behavior guidance and lair maps. If you're looking to create your very own adventure, this is a great resource.

Strixhaven: A Curriculum Of Chaos

Strixhaven is an odd mix between sourcebook and adventure. It brings the arcane college of Magic: The Gathering to D&D with new spells, feats based on one’s major, and mechanics for forming relationships with NPC students. Players can also play as a race of bird people called Owlin. The campaign itself is a level 1-10 story that spans four years of college life.

This book has a mixed reputation. Many criticize what they see as a lack of focus; one race and a handful of spells is too little for a magic school sourcebook, while the adventure lacks enough detail to make it truly compelling. If the DM is willing to put in the work to homebrew, however, players are all too eager to play out their magic school fantasies.

Bigby Presents: Glory Of The Giants

Similar to Fizban's Treasury of Dragons, this book is all about giant lore. You'll find coverage of their cultures, their gods, and ways player characters can wield their power. Also like Fizban's, you won't find a pre-written adventure here. You will find a whole chapter on the building blocks of giant-themed adventures. There are even rollable tables that give you premises for adventures involving giants. Another chapter has maps for key locations in giant culture that can be used in tandem with the prompts. The D&D Beyond adventure Giants of the Star Forge is a playable example of how to use these prompts to create a whole one-shot.

Spelljammer: Adventures In Space

The Spelljammer setting is one of the wackiest things to ever come out of D&D. The premise is essentially “D&D in spaaace” but not with sci-fi tech. Instead, magic chairs power boats to take off into the stars. There are space whales, husks of forgotten gods floating in a timeless void, giant hamsters, goo people, and an evil empire of space elves. It’s a wacky ride that’s definitely fun for those who love the chaotic side of D&D.

The only thing holding Spelljammer 5E back for a lot of fans is that it was split into three shorter books. The boxed set has one sourcebook about space-faring mechanics, one monster manual, and one short adventure. Like Strixhaven, critics say that this approach spreads the content too thin to actually be meaningful. The DM will definitely need to be comfortable making things up on the fly to run Spelljammer, as players are going to have many questions about the physics of it all. 

Planescape: Adventures In The Multiverse

This three-book set tackles the planes of D&D in the same way Spelljammer tackled space. One book has a bestiary, one is full of lore, and the the final has a full campaign. The campaign, Turn of Fortune's Wheel, has two unique gimmicks. First, players swap between three versions of their characters. This represents a "glitch" in reality where variants are popping up all over the place. The other gimmick is that characters go from level 3-10, only to jump to 17 for the finale.

Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse was better received than Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. Reviewers noted how the developers took the note of the Spelljammer books being too short and gave Planescape bigger page counts. The adventure itself gets very sandboxy and weird due to its multiversal nature. It's probably better suited for experienced tables that would appreciate the deviations from "normal" D&D.

That's a lot of D&D adventure, and there's plenty more to come! Keep an eye on this list every so often, as we plan to add each new module as it comes out!