Dungeons and Dragons has been a tabletop staple since the 70s, which has given Wizards of the Coast plenty of time to create exciting new tales, intricate, layered characters and immersive locations for the DMs to take their party on an epic adventure.
While D&D is often heralded as high fantasy, the truth is a lot more complex. There are many other facets than the Forgotten Realm, such as the mystical and whimsical Feywild, the burned wasteland Avernus, and the chilling, cursed Ravenloft. These diverse locations open the doors for more storytelling variety, and while all setting boast their own strengths, there are a few that stand out among the rest.
8 Forgotten Realms
The Forgotten Realms are the bread and butter of D&D. It's the setting that is the most well-known, and where many campaigns have taken place. It's perhaps the largest D&D setting, containing many important locations such as Baldur's Gate, Waterdeep and Luskan.
The Forgotten Realms has all the high fantasy element D&D players would expect, such as elves, dragons, magic and all manner of beasts that would endanger the lives of intrepid adventuring parties. For first time-players, it might just be the setting to go for with plenty of established cities and NPCs that hang their hat in these places, though more experienced players, or players looking for an adventure with a slightly different edge, may find little of interest here.
7 Ebberon
Ebberon is one of the more creative D&D settings, swapping forests for deserts, magic for machines, and owlbears for dinosaurs. It's the ideal setting for those who can appreciate Steampunk settings and want a more low-magic adventure. The continent suffers scars from its last war that has bred dangerous creatures and left its irrevocable mark on the land.
Initially introduced back in 2004, Ebberon has solidified itself as one of the essential settings, with the official sourcebook released in 2019 for 5E, Rising from the Last War. This corebook introduced the artificer class and the dragonmark lineage so that players can create characters with Ebberon flair, as well as giving the DM the tools they would need to create a steampunk adventure. However, this setting isn't as mainstream as others, as the style doesn't appeal to all players.
6 Ravnica
Guildmasters Guide to Ravnica married together the roleplaying adventure of D&D, and the lore and setting from Magic: the Gathering's Ravnica. It allowed those who enjoyed the competitive card game to enjoy aspects of it in a completely different way, and allowed the uninitiated to have a taste of the world and stories behind those beautiful cards.
With this book, DMs could craft a story of intrigue utilizing the ten guilds of Ravnica as well as the new races and classes that were introduced, including loxodon, Minotaurs, and the Circle of Spores Druid. With a dark Steampunk aesthetic that could rival Bloodborne, and a place of every-shifting politic powers, Ravnica could indeed be the perfect setting for a dark, gothic adventure.
5 Strixhaven
Calling all Potterheads--another Magic: the Gathering and D&D crossover brings all the wonders of a wizarding school to TTRPG form. Strixhaven introduces the university as it's known in the M:tG lore, with a host of secrets lurking in those spires, dangerous conspiracies to uncover, and the fun of magic classes.
Players can choose from five different colleges to craft their unique student, each college placing their focus into different magic aspects, and DMs can craft a multi-year campaign to guide their players through their years at the university all the way to graduation, so they can live out their Harry Potter fantasies.
4 Avernus
Once a place of lush and verdant greenery, Avernus now stands as a hellish landscape of red, oranges and rivers of blood. It is thanks to the Blood War Avernus lost all its luster, and became a ruined and ravaged landscape that many grotesque and dangerous devils call home, as well as equally grotesque but somewhat more ambivalent devils players can deal with.
With its history soaked in blood, Avernus is not a place for the faint of the heart, or those unprepared for the possibility of character death. The exhausting heat that drains the energy of any mortals who dare to venture in, and the dangerous denizens will pose ever-present threats to the party, and give the DMs plenty of powerful creatures to pit against them, such as bone devils and pit fiends.
3 The Underdark
The creatively named Underdark is an underground network of connecting caves and caverns all locked beneath darkness thanks to the lack of sunlight. But what the name lacks in imagination, the setting itself more than makes up for.
Fields of glowing mushrooms, hidden tombs hiding treasure and traps, and of course, the infamous drow elves with their matriarchal society. The Underdark has birthed fantastic NPCs such as Drizzt Do'Urden and Jarlaxle Baenre, and an amazing campaign that brings the terrifying Demon Prince's into the fold, Out of the Abyss. But even if DMs forgo running this adventure in favour of a homebrew campaign, there is a plethora of lore, creatures and locations to breath into their original story.
2 The Feywild
The home of all things whimsical and fairy-tale like, the Feywild is a place of wonder, magic and mischief. Fey-touched, eladrin and goblins are just a few of the fantasy creatures that call this place home, but one should not be fooled by its beauty and by the denizens: the Feywild can be a dangerous dimension to stumble into. In the Feywild, arcane magic runs freely, infusing many of the inhabitants and the land itself with magic, and time flows different. Spending just a few hours in its plane, and days may pass on the Material Plane.
As such, the Feywild provides all the tools DMs would need to craft a fun, whimsical campaign, or even just an interesting arc to give the players a reprieve from another chosen setting.
1 Ravenloft
Raveloft is often championed as the greatest setting in D&D, it's of little wonder why. A land cursed to ensnare its inhabitants and any unfortunates who cross its boundaries, the skies locked by clouds to never allow the sun to shine, and a ground always obscured by thick mist, Ravenloft is the quintessential gothic horror setting.
Werewolves, hags, zombies and a tyrannical vampire are just a few of the horrific creatures prowling this haunted place. Every nook and cranny hides something sinister, so players must have spines of steel to withstand the terrors, as well as the skill to survive the dangers of the land. Ravenloft is undoubtedly a dangerous place, but those who dare to take the risk will find themselves immersed in a thrilling tale of gothic horror.