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Official cover art for the D&D adventure "Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall," featuring the Red Wizard lich Szass Tam casting a spell that has surrounded him with glowing green energy.

New D&D Adventure “Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall” (First Look)

The Red Wizards of Thay have long been one of the most iconic villains in Dungeons & Dragons, having cropped up in countless supplements, novels and video games, even going so far as to make a major appearance in the Honor Among Thieves film. They’ll also be the main attraction in an upcoming D&D adventure entitled Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall.

Slated for release in September 2026, the adventure is a tie-in to the new Arcana Unleashed supplement and finds the players thrust into a brutal magical war involving the dreaded Red Wizards. The book will also include supplementary material covering the politics and society of Thay.

So will Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall be a fitting tribute to D&D’s most maniacal mages? Below, we take a look at everything we know so far.

The front cover to the new D&D adventure expansion "Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall."

What is the “Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall” about?

Details are still relatively sparse on what the adventure will consist of, with Wizards of the Coast officially describing it as “D&D’s ultimate Red Wizards adventure, outlining an all-new Wizard War as well as a deep dive into the powerful magical society of Thay.

Notably, a Red Wizards of Thay adventure was first announced way back in March 2023 at D&D Direct, but was never fully released. At that time they noted: “As other fan-favorite villains take center stage, more plots and connections will emerge over the next five years. The Red Wizards of Thay, who are featured as villains in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, will appear in an adventure in 2025.” It’s not clear if this is the same content or something completely different.

Official artwork from the D&D adventure "Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall" featuring a Red Wizard of Thay  facing down a giant board demon whose fists are glowing with magical green energy.

When is “Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall” coming out?

Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall will be released in September 2026 (although an exact date has not yet been confirmed by Wizards of the Coast). As a tie-in book to the Arcana Unleashed supplement it’s also not clear if it will be available as part of a bundle.

The book will, however, be part of the new D&D Seasons initiative, which connects new books and community events around a specific theme. In particular, Deadfall will be part of the“Season of Magic” which runs from July to September 2026 and will be supported by other products and organized play events.

How much is “Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall”?

The book will sell for $29.99 USD, although it’s not yet clear if this is for the physical version or D&D Beyond version. $29.99 USD is the price point that we’ve seen for recent digital products such as Forge of the Artificer.

Official artwork from the D&D adventure "Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall" featuring a group of Yuan-ti serpent men guarding an underground temple bathed in an unholy green light.

Is there an alternate cover of Arcana Unleashed?

There is alternate cover of Arcana Unleashed, which Wizards of the Coast has revealed. This suggests that the book will also be available in a physical format. The alternate cover is illustrated by Polish artist Couple of Kooks who has contribute art to numerous other D&D products, including interior work featured in the 2024 Player’s Handbook and 2024 Dungeon Master’s Guide. He also contributed the alternate cover to the 2024 Book of Many Things supplement.

Final Thoughts

It seems likely that Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall is indeed the Red Wizards of Thay adventure that was first teased back in 2023. If that’s true, then this is a case of better late than never. Regardless, we’ll have to see how the adventure actually plays at the table.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on this adventure expansion in the weeks ahead and will update this page with new information as it’s available.

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A photograph of D&D Fanatics owner and editor-in-chief Jason Volk.
Jason Volk is the Publisher of Dungeons & Dragons Fanatics and lives in the wilds of Western Canada. He has been playing D&D for over 25 years and is a huge fan of Dragonlance and the Forgotten Realms. His favorite character of all time was a Necromancer named Neek who spent most of his adventuring career resurrecting the corpses of slain monsters. When he’s not playing TTRPGs, Jason enjoys video games, Magic: The Gathering, Warhammer 40K, watching football and spending time with his wife and adorably nerdy children.
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