Vecna: Eve of Ruin Review

Summary Vecna: Eve of Ruin is the likely final campaign for D&D 5e before big changes in the later parts of 2024.

High-level gameplay in the multiverse with new creatures and iconic characters makes it a fun adventure.

A well-written, cohesive story full of surprises and nods to D&D history are highlights.

Vecna: Eve of Ruin is the likely the final campaign for Dungeons & Dragons 5e before big changes come later in 2024 with a rebooted Player's Handbook and DM's Guide, followed by a new Monster Manual next year. This means Vecna: Eve of Ruin feels like both a victory lap for fifth edition and a sort of swan song before those changes arrive. Whatever the case may be, the new Vecna book is a twisting, multiverse-hopping ride for high-level players - and it's one hell of a great adventure.

On the surface, Vecna: Eve of Ruin might seem like a simple retread through the tabletop RPG's more iconic moments, worlds, and characters. Parties start off in Neverwinter, possibly the most recognizable city of anything in D&D, and the familiar sights (and faces) keep coming at a near-breakneck pace. Admittedly, I was afraid Vecna: Eve of Ruin was going to feel too much like fan service or that it was possibly just cashing in on the popularity of Stranger Things, but thankfully, that's not the case. This is an impressively written campaign that should have fans excited for the future of D&D.

Related 10 Most Powerful New D&D Monsters In Vecna: Eve Of Ruin Vecna: Eve of Ruin has plenty of fearsome foes, but some stand out as the most terrifying new entries to the world of fifth edition D&D.

Vecna: Eve Of Ruin Gameplay Overview

High-Level Characters Get To Have Fun In The Multiverse

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If there's one complaint to be had with D&D 5e as a whole, it's that so much official content is aimed at lower-level parties. Vecna: Eve of Ruin starts at level 10 and goes up to 20, without having the odd level jumps of Planescape or the emptiness and repetitiveness that sometimes plagued Dungeon of the Mad Mage. In fact, Vecna handles high-level adventuring better than any previous 5e content. The enemies are balanced but challenging (especially later on) and traversal through the multiverse means there's almost always something fresh to see.

Vecna: Eve of Ruin handles high-level adventuring better than any previous 5e content.

The additional character creation tidbits like 10th-level backstories, secrets, and reasons for being in Neverwinter seem interesting enough, and the Secrets Tracker in the back of the book is helpful for DMs who incorporate this mechanic however they see fit. The new monsters included in the book run the gamut of pretty much anything the DnD multiverse has to offer, and, of course, getting to see well-known villains like Lord Soth and Lolth the Spider Queen within the adventure is a plus.

Between the multiverse escapades and interacting with famous heroes and villains, Vecna: Eve of Ruin sometimes feels like a Greatest Hits album. That means it has all the perks and pitfalls of a Greatest Hits album, too. The cohesiveness sometimes takes a backseat to just playing the hits everyone wants. Going from Borovia to Krynn to Oerth to Avernus feels a bit like listening to a band's singles back to back. That's fine, of course, but it can mean veteran players may be left wanting some B-sides or deep cuts.

Metaphors aside, Vecna mostly avoids that issue with some interesting twists and a plot that feels like the stakes are always going up. If successful, Vecna and his cultists will remake the entire multiverse in his own image, and he's nearly there already. Tasked with gathering the Rod of Seven Parts, the party will encounter characters like Alustriel Silverhand and Mordenkainen on their journey to (hopefully) saving the multiverse.

Vecna: Eve Of Ruin's Story Is Full Of Surprises

New D&D Campaign Has Twists & Turns

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In the interest of avoiding spoilers, it's difficult to convey what really makes Vecna: Eve of Ruin's story so impressive. Ultimately, it comes down to Lead Designer Amanda Hamon and her team not just knowing about the subject matter, but caring about it, too. There's a lot of love that's gone into this campaign. The book begins with "This adventure celebrates fifty years of Dungeons & Dragons history," and it certainly achieves that goal.

The downside to this, of course, is that newcomers who want to see what all the hubbub is about may be turned off pretty quickly. But Vecna: Eve of Ruin isn't really for newcomers - at least not in the sense that most 5e content is. The high-level encounters mean the difficulty is some of the highest 5e has ever seen, and while in-game moments can still be appreciated by those without a massive understanding of D&D (driving around in an infernal war machine, Mad Max-style, is going to be fun either way). Still, the campaign is really built upon the predilection that the players have previous knowledge of D&D and its worlds.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

4.5/5

Custom Image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

Vecna: Eve of Ruin isn't a perfect campaign, but it comes pretty close. There are times pacing can be an issue - a party may feel like they've just arrived in one world before being jaunted off to the next - and this kind of narrative structure can feel like getting railroaded. It's not a pervasive problem, but it does feel like it's lacking some of the freedom of adventures like Descent into Avernus or Rime of the Frostmaiden.

It's entirely possible Vecna: Eve of Ruin will become a fan-favorite D&D 5e campaign in the years to come, and it deserves to be. The newest book condenses 50-years' worth of D&D history into a 250-page adventure that manages to show off the best Dungeons & Dragons can offer while still being immensely fun. It's a high-level campaign that delivers.

Screen Rant was sent a copy of Vecna: Eve of Ruin for the prupose of this review. Vecna: Eve of Ruin is available now digitally on D&D Beyond with a physical release on May 21, 2024.