The 10 Best DnD Campaign Settings
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We break out our picks for the best Dungeons & Dragons worlds of all time
Dungeons & Dragons is a game of literally limitless possibilities, with players creating millions of their own unique homebrew worlds. Yet there are also dozens of official DnD campaign settings that have spawned thousands of game supplements and hundreds of DnD novels. From the sprawling worlds of the Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance, to more recent creations like Eberron and Exandria, each campaign setting offers the potential for untold adventures.
And while everyone has their favorite worlds, some are definitely better than others. With that in mind, we’ve ventured across the very Planes of Existence themselves to put together our picks for… the 10 best DnD campaign settings.
10. Ravnica
Ravnica is a unique DnD campaign setting in that it’s actually based on a world first featured in the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering (something which also happened with the popular Theros and Strixhaven settings). Ravnica itself is a sprawling cityscape that covers an entire planet and features ten distinct guilds which are often in conflict with one another. This includes guilds like the Selesnya Conclave (focused on harmony and nature), the Izzet League (centered around experimentation and magic), and the Golgari Swarm (concerned with death and rebirth). Ravnica also blends high sorcery with steampunk elements, and offers unique takes on traditional DnD species, tropes and classes, making it an epic DnD setting we had to include on this list.
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9. Tal’Dorei
Tal’Dorei (also known as Exandria) is the popular DnD campaign setting created by Matt Mercer for use in the Critical Role actual play series. The setting itself is a somewhat traditional high fantasy world with a touch of steampunk, and a rich history filled with unique countries, races and cultures. Notably, much of the lore first appeared in episodes of Critical Role, and while it is technically a homebrew world for DnD fifth edition, Tal’Dorei has since evolved over the years and been embraced by Wizards of the Coast, with countless other designers, writers and artists contributing to this unique and versatile DnD setting.
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8. Greyhawk
One of the oldest and most iconic DnD settings, Greyhawk was originally a homebrew world developed by DnD co-creator Gary Gygax during the early days of the game’s development. It’s a classic high fantasy world filled with ancient ruins, powerful magic, warring nations and a rich history. The setting has appeared in every edition of DnD and even spawned a series of early Greyhawk novels in the late 1980s. It also introduced a number of iconic locations and characters, including the legendary sorcerers Mordenkainen and Bigby, making it a foundational setting for the larger DnD universe.
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7. Dark Sun
Dark Sun is a unique departure from other DnD settings in that it’s actually a post-apocalyptic world filled with harsh desert landscapes, depleted resources, warring tribes, and powerful sorcery. The world of Dark Sun is known as Athas, a once lush green planet which was devastated by ancient, unchecked magic. The setting first appeared in AD&D 2nd edition before being ported over to 3rd and 4th edition. It also briefly spawned a series of short-lived Dark Sun novels in the early 1990s. Fans, however, will be disappointed to learn that Wizards of the Coast has no plans to reboot the DnD setting anytime soon due to problematic content such as slavery and cannibalism. That being said, there’s no denying that it’s also one of the most brilliant and bloodsoaked DnD settings ever made.
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6. Spelljammer
Spelljammer remains one one of the most popular DnD settings thanks to its imaginative blend of high fantasy, steampunk, nautical adventure and gonzo science fiction. The action takes place largely in space, with players able to control magical ships known as Spelljammers. Many of the familiar DnD species, such as elves and dwarves, have space-faring counterparts, in addition to their being setting-specific races such as the Giff. The world itself first appeared in DnD second edition along with a brief series of Spelljammer novels in the early 90s. Despite its popularity, however, it was largely ignored in the third and fourth editions of the game before being updated for DnD 5e with Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (although fan reaction was relatively poor to mixed). Wizards of the Coast has hinted that they may continue to support the setting in future products, but regardless, there’s no denying that it’s one of the most innovative campaign settings of all time.
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5. Ravenloft
Steeped in Gothic lore and bloodsoaked horror, Ravenloft isn’t a single DnD campaign setting, but rather a collection of different pocket dimensions known as the Domains of Dread, each of which is ruled by a Darklord cursed with a tragic past and possessing terrible powers. The setting first appeared as an adventure module for AD&D 1st edition entitled Ravenloft, which introduced the vampire darklord Strahd von Zarovich, ruler of the domain of Barovia. The setting grew significantly, however, in DnD 2nd edition, and has since appeared in every new edition of the game, in addition to spawning a series of of Ravenloft novels in the late 90s. More recently, Ravenloft has appeared in DnD fifth edition, with the Curse of Strahd for 5e considered one of the greatest DnD campaigns of all time.
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4. Planescape
Planescape stands out from other DnD settings in that it isn’t focused on a single world, but rather all of the Planes of Existence, encompassing the entirety of the DnD universe. The setting itself, however, is focused largely around the city of Sigil, a hub of interplanar travel filled with bizarre creatures and ruled over by the enigmatic Lady of Pain. First introduced in DnD 2e, the setting was largely neglected in the 3rd and 4th editions of the game, despite popularity among fans and spawning the best-selling video Planescape: Torment. Fortunately, Wizards of the Coast rectified that in 2023 with the introduction of the new DnD 5e setting Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse that features new races, magical abilities, locations and adventures aplenty.
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3. Eberron
Eberron remains one of the most popular DnD campaign settings, thanks to its unique blend of magic, steam punk, horror and pulp noir. It’s a world of lightning-powered trains, sentient constructs, and warring dragonmarked houses. What’s more, it also subverts many of the DnD cliches about good and evil (especially when it comes to races) and has an incredibly rich lore explored in hundreds of game books and dozens of Eberron novels. The world itself first appeared in DnD 3.5 and was created by Keith Baker as a submission in a Wizards of the Coast contest from 2002 to find the next campaign setting. The world later appeared in the fourth and fifth editions of DnD, with Baker playing an instrumental role in shaping Eberron. It’s an incredible fantasy world that truly brings modern sensibilities and style into the DnD universe.
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2. Dragonlance
Created by husband and wife game designers Laura and Tracy Hickman in 1984, Dragonlance remains one of the most iconic DnD settings of all time. Released as a series of game supplements and Dragonlance novels (which Tracy Hickman co-authored with Margaret Weis), the world has evolved under the guidance of countless other writers, designers, artists and editors. Set on the planet Krynn, the setting is filled with war, cataclysm and a complex religious system following the abandonment of the gods. As the name suggests, it’s also teeming with dragons (not to mention draconian warriors and evil dragon goddesses). Sadly, due to legal issues, most of the material was published for DnD 2e in the late 90s and early 2000s, with very little content produced for third and fourth editions of DnD. That is until 2022, when Wizards of the Coast officially brought the setting into fifth edition, in addition to publishing. It’s a classic world of rich lore, unique locations, incredible history and endless possibilities.
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1. The Forgotten Realms
When it comes to the worlds of DnD, there are few more iconic and popular than the Forgotten Realms. This unique setting has spawned thousands of game books across virtually every edition of DnD, not to mention appearing in comic books, board games, trading cards and hundreds of Forgotten Realms novels (including the best-selling Drizzt books). The setting has also appeared in dozens of video games, including Baldur’s Gate 3 and the D&D film Honor Among Thieves. And while some fans gripe that the setting is overused, the fact is it features an incredible mix of high fantasy, unique locations, sprawling history and rich lore. The world of Toril also includes settings unto themselves, including Al-Qadim, Kara-Tur and Maztica. The result is not only one of the best DnD campaign settings, but one of the most fully realized fantasy worlds of all time.
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Ollie Delano is a Staff Writer who lives in Chicago, Illinois where he majored in Journalism at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He’s been playing Dungeons & Dragons for over 10 years and currently plays in a weekly game group where he rolls way too many natural 1s and chugs way too much Mountain Dew. His favorite D&D campaign setting is Eberron and his favorite character to play was a Tiefling rogue named Draxiss who enjoys both literal and figurative backstabbing.
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