Image via Wizards of the Coast
When it was unveiled at Gen Con this year, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons and World of Warcraft tie-in was “the worst-kept secret” at the TTRPG convention. But even if few fans were surprised by the news, which leaked ahead of its official reveal, it still got a pretty big reaction. Both D&D fans and WoW enthusiasts have some strong feelings about the games that they love. Seeing them come together in a new sourcebook? That could be a dream or a nightmare, depending on how things work out. But after attending a press briefing where the team behind the upcoming Universes Beyond-style sourcebook, I’ve got a pretty good feeling about this one.
Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft is still over a month away, with a planned release date of November 17th. This will kick off the Season of Champions with the first-ever Universes Beyond crossover for D&D. It will officially bring WoW‘s world of Azeroth to the TTRPG, with 13 WoW-inspired classes, 16 species, and plenty of Azeroth-inspired dungeons. And no matter how you feel about Wizards leaning into brand collabs, it’s really clear that the team making this book loves both D&D and WoW.
What To Expect from D&D‘s World of Warcraft Expansion
During the briefing I attended, lead designer James Wyatt and several other key contributors walked us through what to expect from D&D: World of Warcraft. From the moment they first started talking about it, you could tell this expansion is in the right hands. Several core members of the team, including Wyatt himself, are longtime WoW players and fans. As someone who has always followed WoW from the sidelines, they got so into the IP that I occasionally had almost no idea what they were talking about. In my book, that’s a good thing: it means that there’s real knowledge and enthusiasm behind this project, not just an empty brand collab between two massive fantasy worlds.
But what, exactly, are we actually getting with this one? Like many sourcebooks in the 5.5e era, it’s a combination of information for crafting player characters and running adventures in Azeroth. That means we’ll have 13 WoW classes, translated for the TTRPG. There are also specializations and species with the flavor of WoW, but suited to the mechanics of D&D. This lets players create heroes reminiscent of the champions of Azeroth.
As for DMs, they’ll find 7 familiar WoW dungeons, redesigned to suit tabletop play. Read: less grind for loot, more NPC interactions to build story. This comes with plenty of monster and dungeon boss stat blocks to flesh out your climactic encounters. And of course, it’s hardly a dungeon without loot, so the book packs in WoW-coded magic items for players to uncover.
Essentially, the book will be D&D wearing a WoW skin. Wyatt spoke to the challenges of bringing the magic of WoW to a tabletop format, as not everything about MMORPG play translates naturally to a TTRPG like D&D. He called it “paraphrasing, not translating,” striving to capture the lore and flavor of the WoW setting, but keeping the essence of D&D gameplay. With any luck, that means both longtime WoW fans and those less familiar with Azeroth will be able to enjoy the latest D&D sourcebook in equal measure.
There’s So Much WoW Love On The Team, One Expansion Might Not Be Enough
If there’s one thing that’s sold me on the upcoming WoW sourcebook more than anything else, it’s hearing its creators talk about it. During the Q&A, it was clear Wyatt was more than happy to stay on the call, answering questions about his team’s vision for bringing Azeroth to D&D for as long as it took. In fact, he hinted that there was so much they wanted to bring to life in the book, he’d happily do a second one if the opportunity arose. Along with several longtime WoW players on the team from the Wizards of the Coast side, Blizzard also provided plenty of concept art and collaboration to ensure that everything in the D&D book is lore-appropriate. In fact, the book includes both original art from Wizards and some WoW art from Blizzard, so it should be quite enjoyable to flip through for the art alone.
I’m always excited to see what’s next from the D&D team, particularly when they do something new and different. But I’ll admit, as someone who’s always been a bit intimidated by the storied history of World of Warcraft, I wasn’t sure if this sourcebook was going to land for me. But after seeing just how much genuine passion for WoW went into its creation, I’m looking forward to seeing how Azeroth looks through the lens of a TTRPG I know and love.
Dungeons & Dragons: World of Warcraft releases on November 17th. It is available for pre-order now via D&D Beyond, with several bundle options. The physical book is priced at $59.99.
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