On the primary night of GenCon 2026, in a venerable theater that Wizards of the Coast took over for a weekend’s value of Dungeons & Dragons actions, the workforce behind the most important tabletop roleplaying sport on the earth revealed its subsequent yr of upcoming adventures.
There was loads of information to look ahead to, together with the triumphant return of D&D legends to contribute to traditional D&D settings like R.A. Salvatore (The Legend of Drizzt), Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis (Dragonlance) and Luke Gygax (Greyhawk, one of many earliest D&D settings created by his father, Gary Gygax). Among the many banquet of desk choices was outreach to different corners of nerd tradition — together with new units for World of Warcraft and Star Wars deliberate for this yr and subsequent.
The brand new collection, Universes Past, works very like the same-named subset of Magic: The Gathering releases: adapting fan-favorite franchises to the sport’s system. In D&D’s case, this implies adapting the long-lasting signature, villains, boss fights and areas for D20 guidelines. Sure, which means you possibly can battle the Lich King in D&D — that’s the target of the Warcraft set’s first journey, plotted out so gamers can soar in proper out of the field.
However the huge advantage of Universes Past is kicking off customized adventures to discover the corners of those franchises with characters that gamers can develop at their very own tempo. With all the data Wizards of the Coast has revealed, CNET’s mind belief of dice-rollers has come collectively to theorycraft precisely what we wish to play first in these thrilling new collaborations.
The one drawback? The D&D workforce shared lots concerning the World of Warcraft set, which is able to come out within the fourth quarter of 2026, however shared virtually nothing about Star Wars. Nonetheless, we let our imaginations run wild for a way we’d play to see what occurs in Azeroth and a galaxy far, far-off.
How CNET would discover the World of Warcraft, one cube roll at a time
The D&D workforce rolled out a small household of merchandise that may debut with the World of Warcraft set towards the tip of the yr, together with a 265-page sourcebook (together with particular and passion store-exclusive editions), the aforementioned journey known as Icecrown Citadel for character ranges 16-20, a map pack for mentioned journey, miniature packs and a dungeon grasp’s display adorned with well-known characters from the MMORPG. All of these can be found for preorder proper now with a full launch later this yr on Nov. 17.
On stage through the D&D keynote, presenters laid out what the set provides to the broader tabletop RPG. You’ll be capable to play nearly any species you possibly can within the on-line sport, together with 11 which might be wholly new to D&D, similar to Dracthyr, Earthen and Pandaren. There are 9 subclasses within the sourcebook, six of that are new, like the long-lasting Dying Knight, Demon Hunter and Shadow Priest. There are additionally stat blocks for the MMORPG’s most well-known characters, like Arthas Menethil, Jaina Proudmoore, Anduin Lothar, Thrall and Sylvanas.
Right here’s what CNET’s editors would play first:
It’s been over 20 years since I final performed World of Warcraft – I reluctantly canceled my subscription once I began school. However as quickly as I learn D&D’s information, my thoughts instantly solid again to my time roaming the Barrens of Kalimdor as a troll shaman, braving the frontier for the Horde. Earlier than smartphones and doomscrolling and Twitter and all the trendy escapes in your pocket, coming into the Darkish Portal on World of Warcraft’s login display was how I left my mundane actuality behind.
I by no means obtained to a excessive sufficient stage to take part in a raid, the large-group efforts that bundled 10, 25 and even 40 gamers collectively to tackle the most important bosses within the sport. From Ragnaros to the Lich King himself, the sourcebook has stat blocks for 30 of those traditional World of Warcraft baddies, although they’ve been scaled down so {that a} D&D-friendly three-to-five-person celebration can take them on. I’d like to deal with the worst of the worst, discover the seven dungeons within the new sourcebook, and extra — enterprise the challenges I missed out on to stop me bungling my school profession.
- David Lumb, Managing Editor
I’ve been WoW-curious for about so long as the sport has been round, however I’ve at all times been a bit too intimidated by the prospect of investing lots of, if not 1000’s, of hours right into a sport once I already really feel like I can’t sustain with new releases and my current library. So World of Warcraft coming to Dungeons & Dragons is thrilling as a result of it’s a chance for me to work together with the world with out tumbling right into a seemingly bottomless pit.
I take pleasure in casting spells and controlling battlefields, so my thoughts instantly goes to a few completely different builds. If my group desires to go the Alliance route, a Frost Mage Void Elf appears like a enjoyable time, and pretty simple to construct with current D&D Wizard guidelines. If we’re feeling extra Horde, I’d most likely take a look at the brand new Shadow Priest subclass, possibly as a shifty Vulpera. I’m excited concerning the high-level Lich King journey, however I’m hoping the e-book additionally provides us choices for issues like a political intrigue marketing campaign set within the maritime island nation of Kul Tiras, which is the type of marketing campaign I would brew up if I had been within the DM seat.
- Adam Benjamin, Managing Editor
Forecasting fights and the Power in Star Wars D&D
Whereas the D&D workforce at Wizards of the Coast had rather a lot to share concerning the upcoming World of Warcraft set due out later this yr, they had been tight-lipped about what’s coming with Star Wars. Regardless of prodding, the workforce deigned to not reveal something simply but — not even whether or not there can be starship flight and fight programs within the sport. And no, they didn’t verify what problem score the Dying Star can be (we’re betting it’s within the triple digits).
With out even a touch at what’s to come back, we speculated on what we wish most from exploring the expansive Star Wars universe, one cube roll at a time.
I’ve been taking part in Star Wars TTRPGs for a complete decade at this level, and having the franchise formally come to D&D is an thrilling proposition. It’s going to be fascinating to see how they take care of the extra technical features of area fight, and I’m trying ahead to seeing what period of Star Wars they begin in.
I just like the idea of a Power Consumer droid. Doubtlessly like Basic Grievous (a organic/droid combine), however as a Wizard-style class. His acquainted could possibly be a mouse droid from the Dying Star. I’m undecided if “Droid” can be a race within the new marketing campaign, however D&D already has a Warforged race from Eberron, so it doesn’t really feel like an enormous stretch so as to add them right here. Droids are such a big a part of the Star Wars Universe and I might benefit from the roleplay challenges they might carry to the desk.
- James Bricknell, Managing Editor
We don’t know what we don’t know but in relation to Star Wars performed by means of a D&D lens, however the Star Wars universe is greater than sufficiently big to invest on what could be cool to have. My real hope is that the principles being constructed for this little growth make it comparatively straightforward to play in any period of Star Wars. As a lot enjoyable as it might be to roleplay by means of an enormous battle with Darth Vader or an area dogfight towards a Star Destroyer, I’d like to see among the flexibility from the Excessive Republic period as effectively. From restore and hacker centered roles like Mekneks to the larger variety of Power powers of the period, it’s an even bigger sandbox to play in.
This doesn’t imply there must be a core e-book for every period of Star Wars, only a algorithm that encourage adaptation. That is one thing Wizards of the Coast has demonstrated as a core power for the reason that launch of the 2024 guidelines. The instruments for supporting the creativity of gamers have been effectively established, however adapting the huge and decidedly not high-fantasy vibes of Star Wars presents some enjoyable challenges. I genuinely can’t wait to play.
- Russell Holly, Content material Director
What’s the very first thing D&D’s builders will play?
Forward of the GenCon keynote, I chatted with a number of sport builders from Wizards of the Coast to get the total scope of the World of Warcraft set. From improvement to new mechanics to how the Universes Past units would play with broader D&D, I plied them with many questions — together with what they might do first of their new worlds. Whereas they couldn’t touch upon Star Wars, they did have solutions for World of Warcraft.
“For me, it’s the Icecrown Citadel journey,” mentioned Laura Hohman, product architect for D&D. Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft’s second growth, was what actually obtained her hooked, regardless that she spent more often than not amassing owls, she admitted with fun. However the climactic raid on the finish, the place gamers tackle the Lich King, holds a particular place in reminiscence and nostalgia for her.
“I can’t wait, as soon as that is on the market, to play this with my mates [and] recreate these moments once more in a brand new approach on tabletop,” Hohman mentioned.
Jeff Turiff, director of product administration for D&D Past, the web character creator and portal for assets, talked about updates coming to the service in addition to to its cell app model. Fittingly, the self-avowed Horde participant goes to “most likely begin by rolling up some characters.”
“I like character builds. Hop on D&D Past, in fact, and make some characters to check drive in a setting — possibly in a typical D&D setting could be type of cool,” Turiff mentioned.
D&D Recreation Design Director Justice Arman is most excited concerning the mounts, an iconic ingredient from the MMORPG that permits gamers to speedily journey (and showcase with extra unique beasts of burden).
“I’m from Tennessee initially, so possibly it’s the cowboy in me, however the concept of getting a direwolf or gryphon mount is fairly cool,” mentioned Arman.
However as with Hohman, Arman turned to his recollections of taking part in the MMORPG again within the day. It’s much less about what race or class he performs, however who he performs tabletop video games with, he mentioned.
“Again in undergrad, I had two roommates who had been wrestlers and so they liked World of Warcraft, and we had been taking part in it so typically,” Arman mentioned. “I might love to take a seat down with them and reconnect.”
