Dragon and Dungeon
If you've ever wanted to run a dragon-centric adventure without the commitment of the Dragon of Dragon multi-year campaign, Dragon Delves might be your lifeline.
This upcoming adventure anthology from Wizards of the Coast brings to the table 10 dragon-themed adventures spanning characters from level 1 to level 12.
What's included in the adventure anthology
Each chapter combines unique scenarios and locations with dragon types, but it's not just a messy hierarchy and dragons. Based on the table of contents released on the Dragon Delves Marketplace page, both on the level and on the theme, there is a prominent sense of progression and diversity, and feels curated for a rewarding playthrough.
The book begins with the classic forest mystery of Death at Sunset (Level 1, Green Dragon). From there, we are ranked up in the adventures of gold and silver dragons. Each would involve helping a good metallic dragon rather than killing them.
By the time we reach middle class range, things start to get weird in the best possible way. “Who novid Calls” features bronze dragons and an ominous underground hideaway. “The Dragon of Nihil,” featuring the bronze dragons from the blind monastery, sounds like a setting lifted straight up from Dark Souls. Atmosphere, anxiety and promising big role-play payoffs.
At the start of Tier 3, the book will heat up. Literally, in the case of “The Forbidden Vault,” a red dragon is approaching the abandoned volcano. And “Before the Storm” with a pirate-themed twist of looting with the malice of the black dragon and a pirate-themed plunder.
Finally, the game's epic bosses fight: “Tremble and Death” (White Dragon) hits level 11 and leaning towards the horror of the Arctic, but “Bronze for Song” and “Dragons of the Sandstone City” both offer level 12 adventures (the former) and sandbox-style abandoned exploration (in Ratz).
The result is a structure that scales smoothly on both the DMS and the player. Each chapter escalates challenges and tones, but does not lose its central appeal: the dragons and the confusion they bring. A neat blend of theme parks and storybooks, there is enough tone swing to keep every session fresh.
A hideaway for all dragons
Each adventure takes place in a unique hideaway tailored to its Drakon residents, from melted lava chambers to Skytop ruins and underwater bases. The variety in the setting makes each adventure feel clear, and they span all classic dragon archetypes: red, blue, green, black, white (chromatics), plus gold, silver, bronze, brass, copper (metallic).
Some rares can be a deadly trap with a lot of combat. Meanwhile, others with low levels of pigmentation or metal are probably leaning towards exploration or negotiation. The individuality, alignment and favorable style of conflicts of each dragon are woven into the environment. Why not try diplomacy with the haughty red dragon? Or run away from a jungle full of fantastical green dragon fantasies? you can.
Living Color Adventure
Each of the 10 adventures is described in a completely different art style curated by 10 illustrators and seven cartographers. It's just as bold choice that adds to the Dragon's personality as it adds to the book's visual flavour.
Before each adventure, you will be treated to a slice of Dungeon & Dragons history through Legacy Dragon Art. Yes, the actual illustrations of the entire edition line up with behind the scenes commentary on the 2024 Dragon's redesign.
A new quick start for quick games
Please be honest. Sometimes life gets in the way of preparing D&D. Dragon Delves is designed to help you reduce DMING preparation chores, so you can focus on your fun.
One of the most DM-friendly innovations is the quick start guide that opens each chapter. These spreads act like mission briefings. They lay out stakes, locations and key players in a clean and digestible format. They are given bullet points lists of plot points, a roster of NPCs with role-playing notes and references to statistical blocks, and even suggestions on when and where each map element should be used. It's like having a showrunner cheat sheet for an adventure.
For example, Level 1 Green Dragon Adventure, “Death at Sunset,” begins with an orderly summary of Redwood Watch (The Village of Story), clear breakdowns of local tensions, and a table of NPCs with quick motivations. You don't need to remember the entire chapter to roll. With 15 minutes and a pencil, you're ready.
If you're already a veteran GM with your own shorthand system, this format may not seem innovative, but you've previously published adventures and swayed by the dumping and layout of lore, this is a breath of fresh air.
Interestingly, three of the 10 adventures can be performed on a solo player. This is perfect for duets and 1-on-1 side arcs.
Dragons dig into pricing
The standard digital version of Dragon Delves comes at D&D Beyond for $49.99. This is $10 cheaper than the latest quest from the Infinite Stairs and is consistent with other anthology like Golden Vault and the Keys of Candlekeep Mysteries.
It also appears that Dragon Delves is trying out a new name for the new bundle system, or at least the digital + physical bundle. The Dragon delves into the “Ultimate Bundle” and comes with digital and physical copies, with a watch for $59.99. Both versions only cost 10 more dollars than buying on its own, and include full integration with D&D Beyond, allowing you to run the game directly in a beautifully printed book, jump online, or link everything to get ready.
It also comes with five additional digital maps from the D&D Beyond Maps VTT, 10 stickers (the general environment that can be used with maps), and an ancient Gold Dragon Digital Dice set that can be used in D&D beyond the text sheet.
So, the ultimate bundle offers a lot of value for those immersed in D&D beyond the toolset, but if the group is already committed to other VTTs like Foundry or Roll20, it doesn't offer much.
Final Thoughts
We've seen anthology of adventures before. The sparkling fortress, the mystery of the candle keep, and the journey through the keys of the Golden Vault come to mind. What usually highlights these anthology is that the laser focuses on a particular theme. The keys to the Golden Vault were all about robbers. In Dragon Delves, dragons are not just chapters or villains, they are the highlights. And in a game literally named Dungeons & Dragons, I feel it's behind.
Is it for everyone? If the five kingdoms require long open world campaigns and political intrigues, this may not be the case. But if you want a modular Landragon adventure that doesn't require you to rewrite your entire campaign plan, this is it.
In short, Dragon Delves feels like it was made for dungeon masters who want to spend 20 sessions to celebrate the dragon.
