Best Adventure Modules in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Ranked

Part of the appeal of Tabletop RPGS like Dungeons & Dragons is the personal creative touches that occur when a Dungeon Master is creating their own story and setting. For beginners though, having a pre-written campaign can be a great way to get started. Wizards of the Coast continue to release adventure modules with their own settings, characters, and narratives for any DM to pick up, read through and run for their group. Thankfully, many of these prewritten campaign books are phenomenal, aiding DMs in making memorable moments and powerful stories while still giving plenty of room for creativity.

For the players too, these fleshed out worlds are exciting to delve into head first. New fans can learn the lore of the setting, collect special loot, and talk with lovable casts of characters. Anyone who has played an adventure module can recommend them. But which is the best one?

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8 Ghosts Of Saltmarsh

Nautical Nonsense

Publish Date: May 21, 2019
Author: Mike Mearls, Kate Welch

Despite what the cover might imply, Ghosts of Saltmarsh is not a seafaring pirate adventure. Rather, it is a disparate collection of standalone adventures where the party will (mostly) be based out of the town of Saltmarsh.

While there is a great deal of diving and underwater dungeon crawling, the book is particularly valuable because of its breakdown of ship travel and combat mechanics. Sadly, the adventures in the book fail to really get these new rules off the ground and into play. There are some interesting enemies some hidden intrigue, but on the whole, this is an adventure module to try after some of the others on this list.

7 Baldur's Gate: Descent Into Avernus

Go To Hell

Descent into Avernus official Cover Art WotC

Publish Date: September 17, 2019
Author: Christopher Perkins

A campaign can only be as good as the elements it brings to the table. Interesting pieces will make players of all different experience levels perk up and join in for a compelling story. Descent into Avernus is an easy campaign to sell. The story offers a brief tour of Baldur's Gate, followed by an adventure into hell featuring charming Non-Player Characters, Mad Max-esque vehicular movement, and the possibility of redeeming a Celestial who has turned devil.

While the Baldur's Gate side of this adventure can be underwhelming, this is a perfect campaign for those wishing to explore more of the different planes that separate the Dungeons and Dragons setting. It's also great for those looking to explore what happened in Baldur's Gate before the events of Baldur's Gate 3.

6 Candlekeep Mysteries

A Novel Idea

Publish Date: March 16, 2021
Author: Christopher Perkins

Candlekeep Mysteries has an interesting premise. The party of players visits the famous library at Candlekeep and can discover any one of seventeen different adventures that all begin with a book. This is a captivating set-up, particularly when these ideas can be used as one-shot sessions or adventures in a larger campaign.

The quality of each individual adventure is varied though. Some are just the bare bones of an idea, while others are clever and genuinely fun concepts like 'Price of Beauty' or 'A Deep and Creeping Darkness.' This is an anthology of adventures, so players of Candlekeep Mysteries should be aware of what they are getting into. However, the fleshed-out setting of Candlekeep and the scope of the selection make this one to play, even if only to cherry-pick the best the book has to offer.

5 Dragon Of Icespire Peak

A Stellar Jumping Off Point

Publish Date: September 3, 2019

A part of the new 'Essentials Kit,' Dragon Of Icespire Peak is a perfect introduction to the world of Dungeons & Dragons. The hub features a kind of quest board that can help ease newbies into the open storytelling of TTRPGs. Meanwhile, complications to seemingly straightforward tasks make sure that even veterans are constantly left surprised.

Different factions across the beautifully illustrated map can be accommodated or hindered by the party. Finally, the inclusion of a dragon helps to make for iconic, memorable set pieces. The dragon forces other factions and creatures out of hiding and into the path of players. Despite some railroading in places, the adventure is a lighthearted romp.

4 Tomb Of Annihilation

Welcome To The Jungle

Publish Date: September 8, 2017
Author: Christopher Perkins, Steve Winter, Will Doyle, Adam Lee, Pendleton Ward

Sold as a tough-as-nails campaign, Tomb Of Annihilation delivers on that promise and then some. Thankfully, though, it offers DMs lots of helpful tips for scaling down the challenge.

Players will face off against zombies and dinosaurs in a jungle exploration that is equal parts Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park. The campaign revolves around a ticking clock: everyone who has been raised from the dead in any way is wasting away due to an artifact in a lost city. Finding the location makes up the majority of the adventure, and the whole thing climaxes with a brutal and tense dungeon crawl that is a throwback to the old meat-grinder Gygax dungeons. Newer players might be put off by the difficulty by the end, but for veterans, this stands in a league of its own.

3 Icewind Dale: Rime Of The Frostmaiden

Winter Is Coming

Icewind Dale: Rime Of The Frostmaiden Cover Art

Publish Date: September 15, 2020
Author: Christopher Perkins, Stacey Allan, Will Doyle, Bill Benham, H.H. Carlan, Dan Dillon, Anne Gregersen, Chad Quandt, Morrigan Robbins, Ashley Warren, Celeste Conowitch, Mikayla Ebel

A huge open sandbox, Icewind Dale: Rime Of The Frostmaiden lets characters loose in the dale, which has been plunged into a never-ending winter by a goddess. The setting sprawls across the Ten-Towns, ten villages that are charming and unique with their own casts of characters and tasks to complete. These can be approached in any order, and offer a perfect chance to explore everything the book has to offer.

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Some interesting mechanics, like a hut that makes all who die inside it become ghosts, can make for entertaining breaks from the main focus. Different offer harbor different tones, from mischievous to dark and brooding, but this works in a country battered by the fey's Winter. Although it becomes more linear towards the end, the book has such an abundance of content that it is hard not to recommend it to any adventuring party.

2 Waterdeep: Dragon Heist

Elementary My Dear Player

Publish Date: September 18, 2018
Author: Christopher Perkins, James Introcaso, Adam Lee, Matthew Sernett, James Haeck

A secret plot with huge mystery elements and goofy side characters, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist takes place in the established D&D setting of Waterdeep. It can take place in any season with differing approaches and villains to make for a replayable, varied campaign. There is a huge selection of enemies and allies so that DMs can choose the best encounters for their players.

The book also contains a write-up of the city of Waterdeep to allow players to explore the famous setting. It takes on a kind of detective narrative, with episodic moments that build to an explosive climax with real puzzles. Meanwhile, the adventure keeps players at a low level to make the whole story feel more grounded. It's perfect for new and old players in any format, and even features a Beholder.

1 Curse Of Strahd

Do The Monster Mash

Publish Date: March 15, 2016
Author: Jeremy Crawford, Tracy Hickman, Adam Lee, Christopher Perkins, Laura Hickman, Richard Whitters

Perhaps the most well-known of the pre-written adventure modules, Curse of Strahd earns its spot at the top of this list for its characters, scope, and tone. The players are dragged into an inescapable realm called Barovia, where they act as entertainment (or prey) for the Count of the region. Count Strahd von Zarovich is a character with lore written into every page of the campaign guide, but the spotlight is often stolen frequently by other monsters and mayhem.

The tone slips between being a dark and haunting story, and a cartoony Halloween mashup. Dark moments with hags serve as the perfect counters to silly sections with the people of a town forced to be happy, or the morbid creations of a genius toymaker. While it can be a difficult campaign and the sandbox lends itself well to total party kills, Curse of Strahd is unforgettable and alive in its daring escape from a mad vampire.