New DnD “Dragons Delves” Anthology (Deep Dive)

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First announced at the annual D&D Direct event in August of 2024, the Dragon Delves Adventure Anthology has finally arrived. The book is the first official supplement to feature the updated DnD 2024 rules that were rolled out in the new Player’s Handbook and, as the name suggests, focuses exclusively on dragons, offering 10 adventures for Levels 1 to 12 and pulling in some additional historical material from the DnD vault. It’s currently available now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.

So is this latest adventure anthology worth delving into? Below, we offer our take on what you can expect (in the interest of full transparency, we have received an early review copy from Wizards of the Coast, but have not been otherwise compensated).

Table of Contents

• What is the Dragon Delves Adventure Anthology?
• What are the Dragon Delves adventures about?
• Can you play the adventures with just one player?
• When was the Dragon Delves anthology released?
• How much is the Dragon Delves anthology?
• Is there an alternate cover to Dragon Delves?
• What other tie-in products are available?
• Is Dragon Delves worth picking up?
• Final thoughts and review score

What is the “Dragon Delves” adventure anthology about?

Dragon Delves consists of 10 short adventures designed for characters from Levels 1 to 12. Each adventure is centred around a specific type of chromatic or metallic dragon and, like other recent DnD 5e anthologies, can be run individually as one shots or linked together as part of a larger campaign. Three of the adventurers can also be run with just a single player and a DM.

Notably, at the end of each adventure Wizards of the Coast has also included a section which outlines the history of each dragon type in the context of the game, and includes a ton of original artwork from past editions of Dungeons & Dragons, as well as from tie-in games like Magic: The Gathering.

What are the adventures in Dragon Delves?

There are 10 adventures in total in the anthology which can be run as individual adventures or strung together to make a complete campaign that takes characters from Levels 1 to 12.

Chapter 1: Death at Sunset

Designed for Level 1 characters, this adventure takes place in a remote forest village founded in the aftermath of an evil green dragon’s defeat. The characters are asked to investigate the disappearance of villagers in a nearby redwood grove and learn more about a mysterious blight afflicting the trees.

Chapter 2: Baker’s Doesn’t

Designed for Level 3 characters, this adventurer finds the characters coming to the aid of a halfling confectioner whose shop is accidentally set ablaze by a gold dragon and find themselves also dealing with an evil male hag who lives in a gingerbread house in the nearby woods.

Chapter 3: The Will of Orcus

Designed for Level 4 characters, the story kicks off when an aasimar innkeeper asks the characters to investigate evil cultists who have taken up residence in a nearby temple to the demon prince Orcus and who have caught the eye of a local silver dragon.

Chapter 4: For Whom the Void Calls

Designed for Level 5 characters, the adventure starts when the characters receive a telepathic call for help from a sentient Bag of Holding recently stolen by an evil dragon. Notably, the focus of this adventure is on benevolent brass dragons.

Chapter 5: The Dragon of Najkir

Designed for Level 7 characters, the adventurers are hired to travel by ship to a monastery on the island of Najkir in search of three shipwreck survivors, one of whom is a priest they are loosely acquainted with. This particular adventure has a focus on brass dragons.

Chapter 6: The Forbidden Vale

Designed for Level 9 characters, the adventure are tasked with hunting down a red dragon who has been starting wildfires near a small town called Arborean Springs.

Chapter 7: Before the Storm

Designed for Level 10 characters, the story involves pirates who have captured a group of villagers. The characters must also deal with a nearby black dragon and recover a magical talisman that can protect the village from deadly storms.

Chapter 8: Shivering Death

Designed for Level 11 characters, the adventures must uncover the mystery behind the death of a giant and a magical heat wave, while facing down a powerful white dragon known as Shivering Death.

Chapter 9: A Copper for a Song

Designed for Level 12 characters, the adventurers undertake a quest to find the lost verses of a magical song that can rejuvenate the soil of a dying land. Notably, the focus of the adventure is on copper dragons.

Chapter 10: Dragons of the Sandstone City

Designed for Level 12 characters, the story takes place in a ruined subterranean city, with the players tasked with disrupting a dark ritual that is about to be performed by a powerful blue dragon.

Can you play any of the adventures with just one player?

In the lead up to the release of Dragon Delves, much was made from Wizards of the Coast about being able to play the adventures with just one player, something which should not be confused with solo play as a Dungeon Master is required. Dragon Delves describes as “Adventures for One Character” and three of the adventures (Chapter 2, Chapter 5 and Chapter 9) can be run in this way.

For this type of play, the book suggests granting players the “Blessing of the Lone Champion,” which provides Heroic Inspiration whenever the DM rolls initiative or whenever the player finishes a short or long rest. In addition, it also grants temporary hit points equal to 10 times the single player’s current level.

When was the “Dragon Delves” anthology released?

Dragon Delves will be officially released on July 8th, 2025. However, if you pre-ordered the physical-digital bundle from Wizards of the Coast you were able to get access to the digital version on D&D Beyond on June 24th, 2025.

Similarly, if you pre-ordered a physical copy from your local game store (and they have opted into Wizards of the Coast’s early access program) you were able to get the book on June 24th, 2025.

How much is the “Dragon Delves” anthology?

The print version of Dragon Delves retails for $49.95 USD (which is a comparable MSRP to to other recent DnD 5e books). The print and digital bundle currently retails for $95.96 (discounted to $59.95 USD as a pre-order) on D&D Beyond. It’s interesting to note that despite the recent tariffs there does not appear to an increase in cost for the book for either US or international buyers.

Notably, if you do purchase the digital version, it includes stickers and 22 pre-populated maps for use on D&D Beyond Maps, Wizards of the Coast 2D virtual tabletop platform, which is available to subscribers and still technically in Beta testing.

Is there an alternate cover for the “Dragon Delves” anthology?

Yes, there is an alternate DnD book cover for Dragon Delves from illustrator Justine Jones that features a 70s psychedelic art style that looks incredible. Notably, the standard cover is illustrated by award-winning British comic book artist Greg Staples and is also absolutely stunning. The alternate cover retails for the same price as the standard cover.

It’s also worth noting that Dragon Delves will be taking a much different approach to the artwork than we’ve seen with other products. In fact, each adventure will feature original new art by a different artist, covering a variety of different styles, many of which are a radical departure from what we’ve seen in recent books. Artists in Dragon Delves include Montreal-based designer Ed Kwong, German illustrator Dominik Mayer, an black and white artist Luke Eidensink.

Notably, some of the artwork is a radical departure from the typical Wizards of the Coast D&D illustrations. For example, a cartoonish style for the adventure featuring a gold dragon (see below).

What other tie-in products will be available?

Popular third-party TTRPG publisher Beadle & Grimm’s has also released a version of the book entitled the Dragon Delves DM Vault, which contains additional maps, items, accessories and additional content. It retails for $120 USD (not including shipping and handling).

Dragon Delves is also available on Roll20, which includes full compatibility with the popular VTT and allows you to run all 10 adventures. WizKids has also released a new ancient blue dragon figure of Anthradusk, who appears in Chapter 12 of the book.

Is “Dragon Delves” worth picking up?

Ultimately, the book has a fantastic range of adventures that both new and experienced players are likely going to enjoy. That being said, there are a few things to bear in mind if you are thinking of picking it up.

Pros

• Dragoncentric adventures: For a game with “dragons” in the title, there are actually aren’t very many modern adventures that feature these iconic monsters, so it’s great to see them getting a chance to really shine across multiple levels of play. There’s also a ton of variety in terms of both chromatic and metallic dragons.
• Diverse play options: The range of adventures here is great, covering all character tiers. The addition of new one player design is also solid and something that really should be included in more adventures.
• Artwork and design: The artwork in the book is stunning and includes a range of styles we haven’t really seen before. It’s great to see Wizards of the Coast stepping outside their comfort zone. The book also does a fantastic job of presenting information and making it relatively easy for DMs to prep the adventures.

Cons

• Hit or miss adventures: While most of the adventures are well written and designs, some are definitely stronger than others. “Death at Sunset” and “The Dragon of Najkir” for example, are solid, but also feel like something we’ve already seen before.
• Loose campaign thread: While in theory you can run all these adventures together in a single campaign, there isn’t really a solid way to do it given the disparate range of locations, objectives and NPCs (although the book does offer a few suggestions for how to do this).
• 2024 rules integration: While the book is the first to use the DnD 2024 rules, it also doesn’t go out of its way to pull in any of the newest features. For example, it might have been cool to see the inclusion of Bastions, new options for crafting, and even a few more new spells or magic items thrown into the mix.

Final thoughts & review score

Adventure anthologies are nothing new for DnD 5e, with books such as Journey Through the Radiant Citadel, Candlekeep Mysteries and Keys from the Golden Vault all featuring collections of original adventures designed for a variety of different character tiers. We’ve also seen anthologies like Tales from the Yawning Portal and the more recent Quests from the Infinite Staircase update old school adventures for fifth edition.

That being said, we’ve never really seen any DnD adventure anthologies that lean into dragons in such a focused and unique way. The adventures, however, are more than just hack and slash battles against scaled monsters. They’re smart, dramatic, funny, weird, action-packed and unique, with a mix of tones, genres, and styles of play. In short, they showcase the best of what the game has to offer and may just finally put the “dragon” in DnD.

You can pick up your copy of Dragon Delves now on D&D Beyond and Amazon.

Final Review Score: 18 out of 20

Below is a reveal video from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel which offers more information on the Dragon Delves adventure anthology.

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