Dark Sun Returns in New “Apocalyptic Subclasses” D&D Playtest
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The world of Dark Sun may soon be returning to Dungeons & Dragons. At least, if the latest “Apocalyptic Subclasses” Unearthed Arcana playtest is any indication. The new material includes four new subclasses that are steeped in the lore of the controversial D&D setting, even if they don’t directly mention Dark Sun by name.
It’s surprising news given that in the past Wizards of the Coast has distanced itself from Dark Sun, labelling it as “problematic” due to its inclusion of contentious topics such as slavery, cannibalism and forced breeding. It’s not clear what book the new subclasses will appear in as there don’t seem to be any likely candidates with the upcoming DnD books slated for 2025 and 2026. This has led some fans to speculate that a new Dark Sun book may indeed be on the horizon.
So do these new subclasses herald a return to the world of Athas? Below, we journey into the wastelands to find out.
What are the Apocalyptic Subclasses featured in the new Unearthed Arcana?
There are four completely new subclasses which have never before appeared in any other past or present Dungeons & Dragons editions. Although Dark Sun is not mentioned in the playtest package, the material uses terms that are almost exclusively associated with the setting of Athas. The four player options are as follows:
- Circle of Preservation (Druid): This subclass introduces a brand-new option for Druids dedicated to conserving and restoring the natural world. Circle of Preservation druids wield revitalizing magic that can consecrate ground, bolster allies, heal afflictions and even turn desert wastes into fertile land. In terms of Dark Sun lore, this subclass is clearly a nod to Preservers, which in the lore of Athas are magic users dedicated to using their arcane powers to safeguard nature.
- Gladiator (Fighter): Gladiators are fighters forged in the bloodstained pits and arenas where survival and spectacle go hand in hand. This subclass grants new combat techniques called “Brutalities,” which are similar to Weapon Mastery properties, adding extra damage and applying a variety of conditions. Gladiators also happen to be a major part of the lore of Dark Sun, even getting their own book for AD&D 2e entitled Dark Sun: The Complete Gladiator’s Handbook.
- Defiled Sorcery (Sorcerer): Defiled Sorcerers fuel their spells by siphoning the life essence from nearby creatures and plants. Their spell list leans heavily into necrosis and corruption, and features include a protective aura of defiling energy, resistance to necrotic and poison damage, and the ability to conjure a withering field that saps life and restores sorcery points. In Dark Sun lore, Defilers are responsible for turning the once lush planet of Athas into a desert wasteland.
- Sorcerer-King Patron (Warlock): Warlocks of the Sorcerer-King pledge themselves to a god-like tyrannical overlord. Their spell list is focused on control and command and they also gain the ability to use psionics for casting purposes (notably the Psion class was also introduced in a recent UA playtest). Psionics also happen to be a major part of the Dark Sun setting and subclass is also clearly giving a nod to the Sorcerer-Kings, the magically altered tyrants which rule over the city states of Athas.
What Is Dark Sun?
Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons setting that takes place on the planet Athas, a once green and verdant paradise that has been reduced to a barren wasteland in the wake of a magical apocalypse. The survivors – composed of the traditional D&D races of elves, dwarves, halfings and humans, along with several other species such as Thri-Kreens and Muls – now struggle to survive the inhospitable environment and the tyrannical rule of a group of warring city states.
The first official TSR product was the Dark Sun Boxed Set, which was released in 1991. It was accompanied by the Prism Pentad, a five-book fiction series written by longtime D&D author and designer Troy Denning. Additional game products and Dark Sun novels were released over the next few years before the line was abruptly ended in 1996 due to flagging sales.
In 2004, Dark Sun was briefly revived for the 3rd edition of D&D by publisher Paizo (creator of the Pathfinder system) who released an updated version of Dark Sun under the Open Game License. The website Athas.org was also created around this time as a gathering place for fans. Several years later in 2009, the setting was again revived by Wizards of the Coast for the fourth edition of D&D, with several new game books published at that time.
Since then the setting has largely been retired and has not appeared in any official D&D fifth edition materials. There have, however, been a number of fan-led projects, including Cities of the Trembling Plains and the Sand Marches campaign. In a 2023 interview with YouTuber Bob Worldbuilder, then D&D Executive Producer Kyle Brink stated that “I’ll be frank here, the Dark Sun setting is problematic in a lot of ways and that’s the main reason we haven’t come back to it.” For this reason many fans have long believes that the current leadership at Wizards of the Coast had no desire to ever bring Dark Sun back (an assumption that no longer seems true).
Final Thoughts
It’s not guaranteed if the subclasses will indeed be appearing in an upcoming Dark Sun sourcebook or if there’s something else Wizards of the Coast has in the works. That being said, what’s presented in the latest Unearthed Arcana playtest is undoubtedly tied to the world of Athas. Still a lot can change, and everything presented so far is entirely in the playtest phase, so it may be awhile before we see the sun rise again on Dark Sun.
We’ll be keeping a close eye on this story in the days ahead. In the meantime, you can check out the new Apocalytic Subclasses via the Unearthed Arcana page or download the PDF directly. Player feedback is open until August 28th, 2025.
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Cameron Nichols is a Senior Editor who lives in Boston, Massachusetts, and has been playing D&D since the early 90s, when he was introduced by his older brother and cut his teeth on AD&D 2nd Edition. Since then he’s played virtually every RPG he could get his nerdy little mitts on (including a weird Goth phase in the early 2000s when he rocked Vampire: The Masquerade pretty hard). His favorite D&D campaign setting is the Forgotten Realms and his favorite character to play was a Half-Orc Barbarian named Grug (who was unfortunately devoured by a gelatinous cube).
