D&D Campaign Settings

Dragonlance

First introduced: 1984

5e books: Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen

Hallmarks: A high fantasy setting, overwhelmed by war and cataclysms, including the threat of dragon armies.

Dragonlance takes place on the world of Krynn, a high fantasy setting in which the gods of good and evil continually struggle against one another. The gods are joined in their struggle by mortal beings as well as their true children, the dragons.

Eberron

First introduced: 2004

5e books: Eberron: Rising from the Last War

Hallmarks: Steampunk setting that has been scarred by war.

Eberron is a land that combines technology and magic to create incredible constructions and devices, including a race of sentient constructs known as warforged. The land itself has been devastated by the last war, and it’s upon these foundations that adventuress in Eberron are built.

The Feywilds

First introduced:

5e books: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight

Hallmarks: Whimsical mirror of the mortal plane where Fey creatures originate.

The Feywild exists in parallel to the material plane and is in fact its reflection. This means that geographically, the Feywild is very similar to the material plane with topographical features existing in similar locations such as seas and mountains. Of course, the effects of the inhabitants of each plane on the land has been very different. For instance, where a city might have been found on the material plane, may just be untamed forests in the Feywild.

Forgotten Realms

First introduced: 1987

5e books: Tyranny of Dragons, Princes of the Apocalypse, Out of the Abyss, Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide, Tomb of Annihilation, Waterdeep: Dragon heist, Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus, Candlekeep Mysteries

Hallmarks: Heroic fantasy setting and the primary setting for much of 5e.

Probably the most popular D&D setting created and originally the default setting of D&D 5e. The Forgotten Realms is primarily focused on the continent of Faerun, a place found on the planet of Abeir-Toril. It’s an Earth like planet set in a high fantasy world filled with elves, dragons, wizards and other creatures you’d expect in a fantasy world (and many you might not).

Greyhawk

First introduced: 1980

5e books: Dungeon Master’s Guide 2024

Hallmarks: A dark fantasy setting and home to Gary Gygax’s own adventures.

Gary Gygax’s original setting for his adventures, it eventually became an official setting of D&D. Greyhawk takes on a darker tone than the Forgotten Realms with evil empires, deadly dungeons and sinister schemes.

Ravenloft

First introduced: 1983

5e books: Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, Curse of Strahd

Hallmarks: Gothic horror setting formed from the demiplanes of the Shadowfell.

Ravenloft is formed from many demiplanes (known as Domains of Dread) which capture people within the mists of these lands. Each Domain of Dread is ruled over by an evil darklord, each with their own nefarious goals and schemes. These domains often take on the characteristics of their various darklords offering a different style of horror, whether it be ghostly hauntings, secret clans of werewolves, psychological horror or some other sinister terror.

Radiant Citadel

First introduced: 2022

5e books: Journeys through the Radiant Citadel

Hallmarks: City of the Ethereal plane that acts as a hub for travel to different worlds.

A city established in the Ethereal Plane by refugees from 27 different worlds. The Radiant Citadel is connected to many of those worlds and acts as a hub for adventures across many different worlds, much like Sigil is a hub for the outer planes.

Spelljammer

First introduced: 1989

5e books: Spelljammer: Adventures in Space

Hallmarks: Spacefaring setting, named after magical spaceships known as spelljammer ships.

A Spelljammer is also a vessel capable of interstellar travel allowing characters to travel to new planets to explore all kinds of worlds. This is the premise of the Spelljammer setting, giving characters the potential to travel to worlds unknown and encounter increasingly alien ecosystems.

The Multiverse

First introduced: Since the start

5e books: All of them

Hallmarks: The ability to play adventures anywhere in the multiverse.

This may be cheating, but this is technically the official setting of D&D 5e now. The multiverse itself encompasses all the planes and planets of D&D. Essentially, every setting is now a part of the official setting of D&D from the far off planet of Athas (of the Dark Sun setting) to the mirror planes of the Feywild and the Shadowfell to the terrible outer planes of the Abyss and the Nine Hells.

Birthright

First introduced: 1995

Hallmarks: Play as rulers of nations and engage in tactical gameplay.

Set on the world of Aebrynis on the continent of Cerilia, the Birthright setting is based on the idea that players play as rulers of empires, engaging in largescale gameplay. The heroes would own their own domain and be divinely invested with the power and rights to rule.

Blackmoor

First introduced: 1977

Hallmarks: The original D&D setting that’s all about dungeons.

The very first published campaign setting for D&D (yes, even before Greyhawk, which at this point, was still just Gygax’s personal campaign setting). Blackmoor was very much focused on gathering adventurers at an inn and setting off on an adventure into some dungeon or other. It’s in these dungeons that the real stories were told, with the rest of Blackmoor being very much a canvas for DMs to create their own world and stories.

Council of Wyrms

First introduced: 1994

Hallmarks: A dragon-focused setting where you can play as a dragon.

A unique campaign setting that allowed players to play as dragons, half dragons and the servants of dragons.

Dark Sun

First introduced: 1991

Hallmarks: Apocalyptic setting where psionics are rampant and food is scarce.

An apocalyptic land where food and water is more precious than gold or gems. Inhabitants fight for survival, ruled over by evil sorcerer-kings. It tackles many darker themes like slavery, poverty and dictatorships.

Dragon Fist

First introduced: 1999

Hallmarks: Land based heavily on Chinese legends and folklore.

Dragon Fist merged the rules of 2e and 3e in a China-inspired land known as Tianguo. It’s lore is steeped heavily in that of Chinese folklore and legends.

Ghostwalk

First introduced: 2003

Hallmarks: Ghost stories with dead souls haunting the lands of the living.

Ghostwalk was a setting in which the souls of the dead could pass through into the living realm, creating adventures based around ghosts. It’s set in the city of Manifest, a place where these souls could enter into the living realm.

Jakandor

First introduced: 1998

Hallmarks: Warring island nations and a setting without clear moral rights and wrongs.

Jakandor is an island focused around 2 warring nations. The Charonti use magical powers extensively while the Knorr are hardened warriors and barbarians that despise magic.

Mahasarpa

First introduced: 2000

Hallmarks: South Asian inspired setting occurring on the remnants of a ruined civilisation.

Post-apocalyptic setting that tackles the survivors of a great kingdom inspired by South Asian themes and mythology.

Mystara

First introduced: 1981

Hallmarks: High Fantasy setting building out the lore and world of the original setting of Blackmoor.

Mystara was built as a setting that encompasses the themes and options found in 1st edition through the Blackmoor setting, but in a fully realised, high fantasy world, filled with lore. It incorporates the original setting of Blackmoor and chooses to base its lore around this, removing creatures and races that were first introduced in AD&D. Most adventures occur in the Known World (kind of like what Faerun is to the Forgotten Realms) but other sub-settings have tackled other regions like the Hollow World and the Savage Coast (this sub-setting often being referred to as Red Steel).

Points of Light (Nentir Vale)

First introduced: 2007

Hallmarks: Sparse civilisation surrounded by dangerous and uncharted territory.

4th edition’s default setting that works more like a concept than a fully fleshed out setting. It focuses on the idea of small areas of safety and peace (points of light) surrounded by large areas of danger. Often, these lands were the locations of old civilisations that had incurred some kind of cataclysms, leaving behind ancient ruins, treasure and monsters to be discovered. An example setting was provided in Nentir Vale to show how such a setting could be built.

Exandria

First introduced: 2020

Hallmarks: High fantasy setting and the world of the adventures found in the critical Role web series.

The closest thing to an official, 3rd party setting you can get. Exandria is set in the worlds created by Matt Mercer as part of the Critical Role web series. It’s a high fantasy setting that has even been mentioned as part of first party publications (like Descent into Avernus).

Ravnica

First introduced: 2018

Hallmarks: Guild rivalries in a high magic, urban setting from Magic the Gathering.

Ravnica is a high magic world from Magic the Gathering in which a single city covers the entirety of the world. This city is controlled by 10 competing guilds that all compete with one another for greater power and control.

Strixhaven

First introduced: 2021

Hallmarks: Set in a university of magic from Magic the Gathering.

Set in the plane of Arcavios in a magical university dubbed as the most powerful magic academy in the multiverse of Magic the Gathering. Strixhaven is D&D’s answer to Hogwarts and allows players to become part of one of the colleges of magic at the university.

Theros

First introduced: 2020

Hallmarks: Inspired by Greek and Roman mythology and set in the planes of Magic the Gathering.

Based heavily on the legends and mythologies of ancient Greek and Roman empires, Theros is a magic the Gathering world where gods meddle in mortal affairs, monsters are rampant and aspiring heroes are plentiful.