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Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus starts in the city of Baldur's Gate, before your adventure takes you to the layer of Avernus within the Nine Hells.

Where does Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus take place?

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus is set in the year 1492 DR in the Forgotten realms.

When does Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus take place?

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus is designed to take players from levels 1-13 over the course of their adventure.

What level is Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus?

The events of Baldur's Gate 3 take place shortly after the story of Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, and there are several characters and places that can be found in both!

Is Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus connected to the video game Baldur's Gate 3?

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus is an expansive adventure that can take 30-40 sessions on average, depending on the players and the choices they make!

How long does it take to finish Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus?

Mad max on the highway to hell is what i expected.
what i got was a one-track story with uninspired maps and players just wanting to get out of hell without caring why they were there.
If you plan to run this module, use The Alexandrians notes on how to restructure this campaign into a hexcrawl instead of one long fetch quest.

Pros:
- initial adventures in baldurs gate and the small dungeon.
- cool theme
- infernal machines
- devils

Cons:
- the adventure is structured as a railroad and players have very little freedom to diverge from the path.
- the adventure is very slow burn until you get to decidedly the best part, which path to choose which decides the rest of the adventure but then back on the railroad you go.
- fetch quest
- maps are bland
- requires VERY strong hook or players just want to get out of hell
- contracts - players arent dumb enough to make a deal with a devil
- mad max portion of the game is a long way in before the cool stuff

DM 'Ironheart' Melo

Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus is a bold and ambitious adventure that takes players from the dark alleys of Baldur’s Gate to the war-torn wastelands of Avernus, the first layer of Hell. Designed for characters starting at level 1 and progressing to level 13, this campaign offers a unique mix of intrigue, moral dilemmas, and full-throttle action.

The adventure begins in Baldur’s Gate, a city teetering on the brink of chaos, before plunging players into the fiery depths of Avernus. The story revolves around the fallen city of Elturel, which has been dragged into Hell, and the players must navigate the infernal battleground of the Blood War to find a way to save it—or make a devil’s bargain and claim power for themselves.

One of the most distinctive features of this campaign is its Mad Max-style vehicle combat, with players able to acquire and modify war machines that roar across the blasted hellscape. This adds a level of chaotic fun rarely seen in D&D adventures, though it requires a DM willing to embrace a looser, more cinematic style of play.

The adventure is rich in thematic storytelling, particularly for groups who enjoy moral choices and consequences. From dealing with infernal contracts to deciding how much corruption they’re willing to accept, players will find themselves grappling with some weighty decisions. The setting itself—Hell—feels genuinely oppressive, with its ever-changing landscapes, dangerous fiends, and looming sense of hopelessness.

That said, Descent into Avernus is not without its flaws. The Baldur’s Gate section feels somewhat disconnected from the rest of the adventure, and while it’s meant to set the tone, it can feel rushed or unnecessary. Additionally, the campaign can be overwhelming for both DMs and players due to the sheer amount of lore and moving parts, especially in Avernus, where navigation and pacing can become tricky.

For groups that thrive on high-stakes adventure, morally complex decisions, and a touch of heavy metal energy, this campaign is a fantastic experience. However, it requires a Dungeon Master who’s comfortable running sandbox-style adventures and willing to tweak certain aspects to keep the pacing tight.

Pros:
✅ Unique setting in Hell, offering a fresh take on D&D adventuring
✅ Vehicle combat with customizable war machines adds a fun, chaotic element
✅ Strong moral themes and player-driven choices
✅ Epic storyline with high stakes and cinematic moments

Cons:
❌ Baldur’s Gate section feels disconnected from the rest of the adventure
❌ The open-ended nature of Avernus can be difficult to manage without strong DM planning
❌ Heavy reliance on lore dumps that might overwhelm some players

Final Verdict:
Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus is a high-octane ride through a unique and thematically rich setting. While it has some structural issues, the adventure’s strengths—moral complexity, wild war machine combat, and a compelling villain in Zariel—make it a memorable campaign. For the right group, it’s one Hell of a ride.

Darren

I have been running this module for the last ten months in my home game. It's incredibly evocative in tone, but the details are quite the mess, and extremely hostile to unwary GMs.

That said, I've been running it successfully, largely by doing several things:

1. Replaced key NPCs with player characters. I gave several archetypes to the players and encouraged but did not require they be selected. As a result we have a firbolg Hellrider PC who replaces Reya Mantlemorn, and we have a Hollyphant PC who replaces Lulu.

2a. Worked with the players to create motivations: multiple times in the book the GM is encouraged to coerce, sometimes forcibly, sometimes at threat of PC death, to get PCs to "follow the story". I'm sorry, but that's bulls---. Simply having a conversation about *why* a character might care about the fate of X does wonders for smoothing out how to move things along.

2b. Related to above, but this is just a more general GM tip: you don't need the entire party to share identical goals! Just non-contradictory ones, or ones that aren't contradictory quite yet (if you're encouraging PvP).

3. Take your time in Baldur's Gate: I know GMs who literally skip everything in the early chapters and start in Avernus, and that's fine, but we took our time in Baldur's Gate and it really paid off.

4. Supplement and fix: I can't recommend Justin Alexander's "Remixing Avernus" blog series highly enough; it's essentially an entire book fixing the campaign as it was published. You don't need to take everything (or anything) that Alexander provides, but you almost certainly need to respond to the concerns he's addressing. He also links to multiple other third party sources to flesh out different parts of the campaign if you want to focus more or less on them.

5. This is probably the most idiosyncratic to me, but I've been running this using the new Daggerheart system instead of D&D, and while that has added a little work to me in the way of stat block conversions and the like, overall it's been a great decision and I have no regrets on that.

Jordan Peacock

I love this module! The beginning of the adventure contains some of 5e's most exciting and challenging dungeons. The middle section - including Elturel and Avernus - has a number of fun and interesting encounters, although I typically mix and match these to structure the adventure more like a sandbox than the linear paths presented in the module. The conclusion is very satisfying and gives players a chance to see the alliances they forged and the decisions that they made pay off. The connections to BG3 are lots of fun, and I like to throw in a few extra ones, as a special treat. 10/10, would recommend.

Neal Z

Welcome to Baldur’s Gate, a city of ambition and corruption situated at the crossroads of the Sword Coast. You’ve just started your adventuring career, but already find yourself embroiled in a plot that sprawls from the shadows of Baldur’s Gate to the front lines of the planes-spanning Blood War! Do you have what it takes to turn infernal war machines and nefarious contracts against the archdevil Zariel and her diabolical hordes? And can you ever hope to find your way home safely when pitted against the infinite evils of the Nine Hells?

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

Dungeons & Dragons 5e

Why wait for magic items when you can build your own? The Artificer makes use of tools and science to make magic. This gives you a grab bag of abilities from healing to damage dealing to quickly making a necessary tool. Artificers can enchant normal items to take on magical properties, outfitting their team with powered-up gear or giving themselves a fantasy Iron Man suit. 

Artificer

This one’s for those who love to play the undying tank in video games. Barbarians use their rage to perform great feats of strength and halve incoming damage. You can also channel the protection of the world tree, bond with animals, or just kick butt like Grog from Vox Machina. It’s a simple but rewarding playstyle, one that’s perfect for new players who don’t want to get into the complexities of magic. 

Barbarian

Your inner theatre kid probably brought you to the Bard. This class uses a variety of performance styles to cast spells and inspire other characters. Let your imagination run wild as you unleash your power through dance, song, spirit calling, or sword dancing, to name a few. You’ll be charming enough to talk your way out of a fight, but tricky enough to hinder opponents once the fists start flying. 

Bard

MMO players might see Cleric and think dedicated healer, but that’s not the case. While a Cleric can harness powerful healing magic, their full suite of abilities depend on their god. As such, they can wield damaging radiance, craft illusions bestowed by trickster gods, or become the hammer of a war deity. Clerics end up with a nice balance of damage, utility, and sturdiness. 

Cleric

When you gotta have an animal companion (or twenty) in every game, Druid is for you. Druids draw upon nature’s fury to heal allies, bind enemies, and transform into animals themselves. You can also summon a pet or many deadly pets at higher levels. Become a feral freedom fighter by playing a Druid. 

Druid

If your power fantasy is being the big guy with a big sword, look no further than Fighter. This classic DnD class gives you all the weapons and straightforward rules for using them. Just hit the bad guys a lot. If you want to get tactical, some Fighters can use fancy maneuvers or magic. Whether you want to be swift like Legolas, strong like Guts from Berserk, or versatile like Link from Legend of Zelda, Fighter’s got you covered. 

Fighter

The martial arts fantasy is alive and well in the Monk. While Fighters often rely on heavy armor and lots of weapons, the Monk is meant to move swiftly and strike with many blows. DnD Monks wield an inner power that’s not quite magic but still lets you perform all sorts of gravity-defying maneuvers. As more abilities unlock, you can become a shadowy assassin, heal with your hands, or wield all four elements like the Avatar. 

Monk

The image of a knight in shining armor is iconic to medieval fantasy, and the Paladin delivers with magical flair. They wear armor like the Fighter and can heal like the Cleric, but pack an extra punch with their signature smite. This attack lights your weapon up with divine power and lets you roll extra dice which always feels nice. You can design your Paladin as a holy warrior of justice, guardian of nature, or tortured warrior of vengeance. 

Paladin

Become a lone warrior of the wilds, a wandering blade that protects the fringes of society from evil. The Ranger commands nature magic with pure survival skill to guide the party on long journeys. In battle, they wield weapons with precision to hunt down targets. With level ups, you can boost your Ranger’s abilities with fey powers, shadow magic, or give them a beast companion. 

Ranger

A good stealth character can tear enemies apart from the shadows or discover secrets that stop the battle before it even begins. The Rogue is where you go to get that fantasy. You can choose from a variety of skills to customize your Rogue, such as poisoning your blades to become an assassin, learning magic for illusions, or just being a crafty thief. 

Rogue

The Sorcerer class leans into the glass cannon build popular in video games. Their health is on the lower side and they don’t wear armor, but they cast some of the most powerful spells in the game. Sorcerers also have magical mutations that let you empower your spells beyond those of other spellcasters. You also get to choose the source of your magic, be it eldritch mystery, pure chaos, or the blood of dragons. 

Sorcerer

If you like your magic creepy and mysterious, check out the Warlock. These characters get magic from a patron, which can range from a demonic pact to an unknowable elder god. This unique approach to magic grants warlocks a few spells that they specialize greatly in. When a Warlock takes their turn in combat, everyone notices. Warlocks are also fantastic for roleplay as they have a built-in storyline with their patron. 

Warlock

The original spellcaster, and the one who gets all the spells. Wizards don’t get divine help or a mysterious patron, so they have to learn magic the old-fashioned way: by reading. This allows Wizards to gain more spells than any other class as long as they can find books. Wizards can come to the rescue in almost any situation, as their magic can save allies, fool enemies, boost physical abilities, learn secrets, and blow things up. 

Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

Frequently asked questions about Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus

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