Dungeons and Dragonshas taken players to a myriad of worlds over its long history. Settings like theForgotten Realms,Eberron, and more recentlyWildemountare just a few of the settings that have graced sourcebooks and players' tables over the years. WithDnDwell into its fifth edition, fans may get a chance to return to one of its classic and most-requested settings soon,Dragonlance. NewerUnearthed Arcanamaterials could point toward the return to one ofDnD’smost iconic settings.
After a tumultuous period including a lawsuit from its original creators, it seems likeDragonlanceis poised to return toDnD. Now that new novels are confirmed to be on their way, it would be a good time for a trip back to one of the settings that has truly definedDnD’saesthetic.Dragonlanceis one of theDnDsettings that best fits the traditional forms of fantasy games and literature. Epic heroes battle across ages against evil dragons and wizards in order to prevent cataclysmic outcomes, alongside a wide variety of characters like gnomes, dwarves, elves, and even minotaur. The latestUAmaterial could suggest thatDragonlancemight return sooner rather than later.
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Evidence for Dungeons and Dragons Returning to Dragonlance
Unearthed Arcanais the means by which new content makes its way into official sourcebooks, after being playtested by both the community and the game designers themselves. New material inUAis slowly adapted for better balance and then later released, like the newUndead Patron Warlock coming officially inVan Richten’s Guide to Everything. The last released material features some very specific allusions to theDragonlanceworld, other than obviously being focused on new Draconic Options.
The newestUAadds new spells and other features, like a variant version of the kobold, small lizard-like creatures that revere dragons as their long-lost ancestors. But the new variants for the Dragonborn race are what’s most telling about a possible return toDragonlance.
The three broader categories allow for players to claim ancestry from either a chromatic, metallic, or gem dragon. While the gem dragon variant references theDnDversions of Tiamatand Bahamut specifically, chromatic and metallic dragons are an almost impossible to conflate allusion to the world ofDragonlance. Bahamut and Tiamat (the good and evil dragon gods inDnD) have theirDragonlanceparallels in Paladine and Takhisis.
In the world ofDragonlance, chromatic dragons are powerful and vibrantly colored dragons that represent the evil forces of the world and the raw fury of nature. Meanwhile, the metallic dragons are generally associated as good and define the more noble aspects of civilization, like crafting and inspiration. These clues seem hard to ignore now that three more sourcebooks have apparently been confirmed for the year.
Wizards of the Coast has shown a tendency to release new adventures with near-opposite themes immediately after each other. It would seem apropos for it to release a more light-hearted, traditional fantasy setting after the more horror-themedVan Richten’s Guide, which features gothic elements likethe College of Spirits Bard. While it’s largely conjecture, there are some clues pointing toward a newDragonlancesourcebook that are hard to ignore.
Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloftis the next confirmed sourcebook forDungeons andDragons, releasing on June 20, 2025.
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