The Wild Beyond the Witchlight was announced yesterday as the next book coming to the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. With it comes the first full exploration of the mysterious Feywild for 5e. The book's announcement is coming fresh off the heels of the release of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. This new adventure is still light on details, but it's a fairly safe assumption that it will be a big tonal shift from Ravenloft.
Released mid-May, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft was a horror-themed sourcebook centered around the Domains of Dread. The sourcebook provided tools for creating incredibly dark and atmospheric adventures wrought with fright and terror. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight is likely heading much in the other direction. The book has advertised "the wicked whimsy of the Feywild," although Wizards of the Coast states the game is appropriate for all ages and experience levels.
Entering the Feywild in Dungeons and Dragons
While the Feywild is already present in DnD 5e as far back as the release of the Dungeon Master's Guide, it hasn't had a full-fledged adventure just yet. Witchlight looks to change that by introducing players more directly to the plane of faeries. Much like Ravenloft's Domains of Dread, the Feywild is an alternate dimension. Unlike the realms of Ravenloft though, the Feywild exists alongside the material plane in a sort of mirror universe. But that's about where the similarities end.
There is some crossover between Ravenloft and Witchlight with the mysterious carnival that is run by an Eladrin. Eladrin are a subset of elves native to the Feywild that embody the tempestuous of nature. They can change between seasonal forms based on heights of emotion. Overall, the Feywild is a much different place and full of characters much less morose than the Darklords of Ravenloft. The Feywild is a primal and more nature-controlled mirror of the material plane where creatures like faeries and magnificent stags exist. While there are certainly threats in the Feywild, it doesn't approach the Lovecraftian levels of horror that Ravenloft is full of.
Wizards directly stating that the new sourcebook would be appropriate for all ages is the most compelling evidence for a lighter tone. As a book steeped in horror history Ravenloft warns players of dangerous tropes and encourages constant dialogue between the DM and players to ensure that the terror doesn't become too real. Its stories and new monsters are full of grotesque body transformations and hyper-violent killers. Nothing to be considered appropriate for all ages takes place in Ravenloft. Advertising The Wild Beyond the Witchlight differently implies it will have a different tone altogether.
This fits the overall themes of the Feywild. Trickery and (nearly) harmless pranks replace murderous intent and horrifying eldritch revelations from Ravenloft. A refreshing injection of light-hearted adventure could be good for the game after the morose Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft. With just how popular DnD has become, WotC is likely aware that branching out to both older and newer players will be key to maintaining its success. The Wild Beyond the Witchlight will likely be filling that role for many players when it releases later this year.
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight releases September 21 in physical and digital formats.