D&D 2024 Starter Set: Heroes of the Borderlands

• Adventure: Heroes of the Borderlands (inspired by Keep on the Borderlands)
• Levels: 1–3
• Total Playtime: 9–12 hours per module (3 modules total)
• Sessions: 3–4 per module, 9–12 total

Highlights:

• 💠 Ideal for short sessions or new players. Each adventure is designed for 60–75 minute play.
• 💠 Includes simplified rulebooks and guides for DMs and players.
• 💠 Three flexible adventure settings, playable standalone or linked:
  • - The Keep on the Borderlands: A fortified outpost and social hub for exploration and interaction.
  • - The Wilderness: Teaches survival mechanics through random encounters and exploration.
  • - The Caves of Chaos: Classic dungeon crawl with monsters, treasure, and tactical challenges.
• 💠 Fully supports the newest D&D ruleset.

D&D Starter Set – Lost Mine of Phandelver

• Adventure: Lost Mine of Phandelver
• Levels: 1–5
• Total Playtime: 20–30 hours
• Sessions: 5–8

Highlights:

• 💠 Classic fantasy setting with a town hub and dungeon crawls.
• 💠 Well-regarded introduction to 5E; Phandalin becomes a fan-favorite location.
• 💠 Includes pre-generated characters and basic rules to help DMs and players learn the game.
• 💠 Simple, linear story with room for exploration.

D&D Essentials Kit – Dragon of Icespire Peak

• Audience: New players and DMs; supports 1-on-1 play
• Adventure: Dragon of Icespire Peak
• Levels: 1–6
• Total Playtime: 25–35 hours
• Sessions: 6–10

Highlights:

• 💠 Modular quest structure using a job board system.
• 💠 Phandalin returns as the central quest hub.
• 💠 Includes character creation guide and simplified rules.
• 💠 Supports solo play with sidekicks:
  • - Warrior: Handles front-line combat.
  • - Expert: Provides skill-based support.
  • - Spellcaster: Offers healing or ranged magic.
• 💠 Can continue with Storm Lord’s Wrath, Sleeping Dragon’s Wake, and Divine Contention.

D&D Starter Set: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle 

• Adventure: Dragons of Stormwreck Isle
• Levels: 1–3
• Total Playtime: 8–12 hours
• Sessions: 3–5

Highlights:

• 💠 Reflects D&D 5E’s core mechanics and tone.
• 💠 Structured onboarding designed for new players.
• 💠 Focus on roleplay and pre-generated characters with integrated backstories.
• 💠 Includes basic rulebook and pre-generated characters.

D&D Stranger Things Starter Set 

• Adventure: Hunt for the Thessalhydra (based on the show’s version)
• Levels: 3+
• Total Playtime: 3–5 hours
• Sessions: 1–2 sessions

Highlights:

• 💠 Themed adventure written in the voice of Mike Wheeler.
• 💠 Includes Stranger Things-themed pre-gen characters.
• 💠 Limited narrative depth makes it a quick and fun one-shot.
• 💠 Best as a collector’s item or intro for fans of the show.
• 💠 Primarily designed for fans of the hit show on Netflix.

What Are Some Other Adventures Set in Phandalin?

The Lost Mine of Phandelver and Essentials Kit tie into popular community-created content for the region on DMsGuild.

The Lost Tales of Phandalin: Glasstaff's Revenge

• 💠 Designed as a side adventure for groups currently playing or having completed the starter box.
• 💠 If Glasstaff (Iarno Albrek) survived, he returns seeking revenge against the party.
• 💠 Includes defense-building mechanics to help prepare Phandalin for a large-scale invasion.

After Lost Mine Bundle

• 💠 Orcs from the Sword Mountains seek refuge in Phandalin after being displaced by a dark force.
• 💠 Players must warn the town and prepare for an orc attack.
• 💠 Designed for levels 5–9, this series of adventures includes new monsters, NPCs, feats, items, and maps.

Return to Phandalin

• 💠 Revisits the town of Phandalin several months after Lost Mine of Phandelver.
• 💠 Includes new businesses, NPCs, and three mini-adventures for levels 5–10:
• 💠 A mysterious tower with eerie screams.
• 💠 The Place of the Unicorn, an ancient portal site.
• 💠 A rescue mission to free merchants from ogres in an old mine.

Wave Echo Sea

• 💠 Follows Return to Phandalin, taking characters to levels 9–10.
• 💠 Features a new threat to Wave Echo Cave: kuo-toa invaders from an underground lake.
• 💠 Includes sailing encounters, a demon prison, and an underwater kuo-toa city.
• 💠 New magic items and kuo-toa monsters like the Hive Mother and Warleader.

Elections in Phandalin

• 💠 Follows the exposure of the former mayor’s corruption and ties to the Redbrand Brigade.
• 💠 Players engage in town politics and help choose new leadership for Phandalin.
• 💠 Great for roleplay-heavy groups with strong community ties.

A Tale of Two Dragons: Phandalin Adventures Tier 2 Conversions

• 💠 Converts both Lost Mine of Phandelver and Dragon of Icespire Peak to Tier 2 (levels 5–10).
• 💠 Allows both Starter Set adventures to be played back to back with the same characters.

What Are Some Other Adventures Connected to Heroes of the Borderlands?

This Starter Set takes inspiration from the original adventure Keep on the Borderlands, a classic introductory Greyhawk adventure. It serves as a great on-ramp to the world of Greyhawk for fifth edition players. While most official 5E content is set in the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk has been a fan-favorite setting from earlier editions.

The D&D 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide includes an introductory chapter for Greyhawk, and the adventure anthology Ghosts of Saltmarsh lets you continue your Greyhawk campaign. In addition, there are great community-created titles and classic conversions available on DMsGuild. Here are some suggestions:

Tales from Greyhawk

• 💠 Twenty-one adventures spanning levels 1 through 14, loosely inspired by classic Greyhawk adventures.
• 💠 Includes stories involving factions, political intrigue, and major events following Veluna’s invasion by the Queen of Chaos.
• 💠 Can be played standalone or as a campaign across Flanaess, the Elemental Planes, and the Abyss.

Quite the Pickle – A Saltmarsh Adventure

• 💠 Four linked encounters set around a pier-side tavern in Saltmarsh for levels 5–10.
• 💠 Features tavern games, a bar fight, a gambling night, and encounters with pirates.
• 💠 Includes a dramatic rescue during a pier-side accident and the arrival of hungry predators.
• 💠 Short, flavorful adventures suited for drop-in sessions or as side quests.

The Cursed Peaks of Corask

• 💠 An adventure for level 3 characters set in the icy Corask Mountains.
• 💠 Includes puzzles, lore, intense combat, and exploration of ancient secrets.
• 💠 Designed for quick onboarding and easy DM prep with ready-to-use content.

Beneath the Abyssal Veil

• 💠 An underwater mystery adventure for characters level 5–7.
• 💠 Set beneath the Coral’dyn Reefs where ancient horrors awaken.
• 💠 Explore a drowned temple, confront abyssal threats, and solve ancient puzzles.
• 💠 Multiple paths to resolution with included maps, monsters, and atmospheric details.

Which Starter Set Adventure Would Be Best to Set in My Homebrew World?

While Heroes of the Borderlands is inspired by the Greyhawk adventure Keep on the Borderlands, it is set in a generic fantasy region, making it easy to place in any homebrew world. It is the least tied to Forgotten Realms or Sword Coast lore, offering maximum flexibility for custom settings.

Can I Run the Starter Set Adventures with Both 2014 and 2024 Rules?

All Starter Sets except Heroes of the Borderlands were created with the 2014 version of D&D 5E. If you want your players to use the 2024 rules for character creation in older sets, you may find some encounters less challenging.

• 💠 To balance encounters, consider swapping in monster stat blocks from the 2024 Monster Manual.
• 💠 Tools like Roll20 make this easy with drag-and-drop functionality for updated creatures.
• 💠 Heroes of the Borderlands is built for the 2024 ruleset and should be run with it for best results.

Wizards of the Coast has confirmed that both versions are compatible. You can run a game using:

• 💠 Players using subclasses and spells from either 2014 or 2024 rules.
• 💠 Monsters from both editions in the same campaign.
• 💠 Just make sure everyone is on the same page about which version is used for conditions, spells, and mechanics during gameplay.

If I Have a Starter Set, Do I Need Anything Else to Run the Game?

If you have a Starter Set, you have everything you need to run your first game. It includes basic rules, an adventure, dice, and pre-generated characters.

• 💠 Starter Sets are self-contained and perfect for beginners.
• 💠 As your experience grows, you may want to pick up the Core Rulebook Bundle and additional published adventures.
• 💠 Building your D&D collection over time is part of the fun.

There is also a wide range of community-created content available on DMsGuild—including maps, adventures, and utility tools—to help expand your campaigns and personalize your games even more.