D&D’s next campaign features surprise return of classic villain

Vecna: Eve of Ruin will take players across the D&D 5e multiverse, which involves the return of one of the most iconic villains in the franchise.

While Dungeons & Dragons 5e has powerful monsters, like the Tarrasque, they exist as blocks of stats that DMs shape into foes. In contrast, Dungeons & Dragons also has established villains who are part of the lore and who appear in the novels.

Some of these villains are restricted to one of D&D’s campaign settings, like Borys of Athas from Dark Sun, while others are strong enough to threaten the multiverse, like Vecna, the God of Secrets, who famously appeared in Stranger Things.

There’s one D&D villain that players have been facing throughout the history of the game, who appears as the antagonist in a beloved D&D 5e campaign. While Vecna is the main foe in Vecna: Eve of Ruin, he won’t be the only iconic foe making an appearance.

Vecna: Eve of Ruin features the return of Strahd von Zarovich

A new trailer for Vecna: Eve of Ruin on the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel has revealed that the adventure will take players to different established campaign settings, as they hunt for the Rod of Seven Parts.

This will include a trip to Ravenloft, where the players will encounter the vampire Strahd von Zarovich, the main antagonist of Curse of Strahd. This means that players might be having a second encounter with the Darklord of Barovia, as Curse of Strahd is a popular D&D 5e campaign book.

Strahd isn’t the only classic villain who is returning, as Lord Soth from the Dragonlance campaign setting will also appear. Lord Soth was a major foe in Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen, so many players may also have faced the infamous death knight.

As Vecna: Eve of Ruin is a campaign that runs from levels 10-20, players will be of an appropriate level to tackle these foes head-on, rather than relying on gimmicks or special magic items, as they may have done in previous campaigns.

Vecna: Eve of Ruin will act as a celebration of D&D on its 50th anniversary, with cameos from all kinds of famous heroes and villains from the lore. And what better way for the players who struggled against Strahd or Lord Soth in the past to celebrate than to have the rematch they’ve always dreamed of.