Netheril’s Fall D&D Expansion (Deep Dive & Review)

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The ancient empire of Netheril has long been an important part of the lore of the Forgotten Realms. Existing thousands of years before the current timeline of the popular Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting, Netheril was known for its flying cities, powerful magic-wielding rulers and legendary world-shattering artifacts.

Now, players will be getting a chance to explore this bygone era thanks to a brand new D&D expasion entitled Netheril’s Fall. As the name suggests, the focus is largely on the Netherese Empire during the height of its power, shortly before its disastrous collapse. It’s a digital-only expansion that’s just been released alongside two new Forgotten Realms D&D sourcebooks: the player-focused Heroes of Faerûn and the DM-centric Adventures in Faerûn. It’s also one of three new digital supplements, along with Astarion’s Book of Hungers and Lorwyn: First Light, representing a new experimental format for Wizards of the Coast. You can pick it up Netheril’s Fall now on D&D Beyond.

So just what can players expect in this blast from the D&D past? Below, we unearth all the details. (NOTE: In the interest of full transparency, we were provided a review copy by Wizards of the Coast, but have otherwise not been compensated in any way).

Table of Contents

• What’s included in Netheril’s Fall?
• What is the setting material like?
• What are the adventures like?
• What are the monsters like?
• What are the magic items like?
• What is the art and design like?
• How much is Netheril’s Fall?
• When was Netheril’s Fall released?
• What is Netheril?
• Is Netheril’s Fall worth picking up?
• Final thoughts & review score

What’s included in the Netheril’s Fall supplement?

Netheril’s Fall is a 32-page digital supplement that’s available only on D&D Beyond. Designed primarily for Dungeon Masters, it’s a combination of gazeteer-style guide that covers the ancient empire of Netheril and also contains five adventures and a variety of new magic items, maps and monsters. The book itself is broken out into the following chapters:

• Chapter 1 provides information about adventuring in ancient Netheril, including details about the flying city of Eileanar and the ground-dwelling city of Conch.
• Chapter 2 explains environmental effects and hazards common in ancient Netheril due to magic’s overuse and exploitation.
• Chapter 3 includes two adventures (both for Level 3 characters) in which players journey from the present-day Forgotten Realms to ancient Netheril via a series of time gates.
• Chapter 4 provides three adventures set in ancient Netheril (designed for Levels 3, 5 and 8, respectively), with players being hurled backwards in time via magical accidents.
• Appendix A includes 8 Netherese magic items characters might acquire during their adventures.
• Appendix B provides 8 monster stat blocks for creatures found in and around ancient Netheril.

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What’s the setting material like in Netheril’s Fall?

Much of Netheril’s Fall contains campaign-setting material built around one of the Forgotten Realms’ most iconic eras. The book gives a brief historical rundown on the rise and fall of Netheril before offering deep dives into two major locations: Eileanar (a flying city ruled by powerful mages) and Conch (a ground-level mining hub). Both cities are covered in a surprising amount of detail for such a short supplement, and include maps, factions, political tensions and details on everyday life in High and Low Netheril. It’s enough for a Dungeon Masters to theoretically run a Netherese campaign (although there are quite few blank spaces you’ll likely need to fill in).

That being said, most of the content has been documented before in past D&D editions. If you’re a Forgotten Realms lore junkie looking for new information on specific historical moments, you probably won’t find much new material to draw on. That being said, as a primer for new players or DMs looking for a first taste of Netheril, the supplement gets the job done. Just don’t expect it to offer the kind of rich background detail you’d find in a larger campaign book like Eberron: Rising from the Last War (which is arguably the gold standard for D&D 5e setting books).

What are the adventures like in Netheril’s Fall?

*** MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD ***

The five adventures in Netheril’s Fall are all built around the concept of transporting modern-day characters from the Forgotten REalms into ancient Netheril through specific portals known as time gates or through magical temporal mishaps. If time travel isn’t your bag or you were hoping for characters to play Netherese themselves, then sadly, you’re out of luck.

That being said, each adventure is tightly structured and relatively easy to run in about a session or two. The opening pair (A Point of Pride and The Missing Gnome) are both designed for Level 3 parties and provide straightforward hooks to get going, requiring players to find and access time gates that lead to ancient Netheril. They also effectively showcase the two major settings, Eileanar and Conch, without overwhelming players with lore.

The remaining three adventures are all about temporal accidents that result in players being sent back to the ancient Netheril. Attack of the Phaerimm is for Level 3 characters and, as the title suggests, is all about characters facing a threat from the dreaded phaerimm (powerful spell casting worms that have long been a staple of Forgotten Realms lore). Chaos in the Streets is designed for level 5 Characters and takes place several weeks after Eileanar and several other flying cities have dropped from the skies, with players facing down a gang of criminals taking advantage of the chaos. And finally, The Doomed Apotheosis pits Level 8 character against Karsus, the powerful archmage who ushered in the fall of the Netherese Empire.

In general, the adventures are well done, but do feel a little linear and forced at times, with many of the encounters structured around fixed combat sequences rather than branching paths or complex social choices. Some DMs may also find that the emphasis on time-travel limits opportunities for long-term impact or player-driven exploration (characters are often reacting to sudden temporal displacement rather than pursuing personal goals). Because several adventures also place PCs in the middle of major disasters, the pacing can skew toward frantic action, potentially leaving less room for investigation or roleplay. It’s also a little disappointing that you can’t easily string the adventures together into a mini campaign. Still, the five adventures, while short and sweet, do offer a solid sampler of key moments and aspects of Netheril’s tragic history.

*** END OF SPOILERS ***

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What are the monsters like in Netheril’s Fall?

The book includes eight new monsters: the Eldritch Eddy, Caldron Magen, Terran Magen, Virvos Magen, Phaerimm Hatchling, Phaerimm Scout, Phaerimm Agent and Phaerimm Elder. Of these the Eldritch Eddy stands out as a whirlpool of chaotic magical energy that really fits well in the materials (and could potentially be repurposed elsewhere). This is also the case with the three variants of Magen, which are constructs made out of pure magic. The four phaerimm stat blocks also make compelling high-level threats thanks to their spell-like abilities, magic resistance and, while we have seen them before in other materials, it makes sense to see them in the book given the phaerimm’s ties to Netheril.

That being said, while the monsters work well for the most part, it would have been nice to see a bit more variety when it comes to the stat blocks, particularly given that, with the exception of the Eldritch Eddy, all of the creatures are just variants of Phaerimm or Magen. It’s a little lazy and there’s a ton of other creatures from Netherese lore that would have fit in nicely and feel like a missed opportunity.

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What are the magic items like in Netheril’s Fall?

The supplement includes eight new magic items: the Arcane Battery, Brooch of the Elements, Fork of Eddy Summoning, Hat of Vortexes, Magen Handbell, Mask of Changed Appearance, Mythallar Bracelet and Mythallar Cloak. Of these, the Mythallar Cloak is easily the most impressive, offering flight and radiant damage boosts in a balanced, time-limited package. The Brooch of the Elements is another highlight, providing tactical flexibility by letting players shift damage types on the fly. Summoning items like the Fork of Eddy and Magen Handbell are also solid additions, offering temporary allies that also reinforce the magical experimentation theme of Netheril.

A few items, however, feel more niche or less impactful. The Mask of Changed Appearance offers only minor cosmetic alterations, which limits its usefulness compared to standard disguise magic. The Mythallar Bracelet is similarly a little weak, granting only brief athletic advantages, and the Hat of Vortexes can be situational unless a party regularly engages in battlefield control. Even so, the item list as a whole is thematic and well-balanced, blending utility, flavor and mechanical identity in ways that suit the setting’s emphasis on unstable and excessive magic.

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What is the art and design like in Netheril’s Fall?

For a relatively short supplement, Netheril’s Fall contains a surprising amount of artwork, and the overall quality is far higher than expected for a digital-only release. Nearly every major location, creature type and historical moment receives at least one dedicated illustration, giving the book a visual richness usually reserved for full-length hardcovers. Character pieces, environmental scenes and action-oriented illustrations all feel purposeful rather than decorative, helping readers really get a good sense of what Netheril looks and feels like.

The cartography is also impressive, with the book featuging 29 detailed maps, ranging from full overviews of Eileanar and Conch to tight, encounter-ready layouts like Fool’s Needle, Tyvern’s Workshop and the Forgotten Chamber. Cartographer Mike Schley has really defined the look of modern D&D maps and his work here is once again simply outstanding. It’s also worth noting that you can use the maps in the D&D Beyond Maps VTT, which was recently made free to all subscribers. It’s a bit of much appreciated utility that works given the digital nature of the book.

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How much is the “Netheril’s Fall” adventure?

Netheril’s Fall is curently $14.99 USD exclusively on D&D Beyond. (Notably it was included for free if you purchased the Forgotten Realms Ultimate Bundle on D&D Beyond). This feels a little steep for a 32-page book and the type of content you’re getting, but it’s also not going to break the bank, particularly compared to hardcover titles.

When was Netheril’s Fall released?

Netheril’s Fall will be available on November 11th, 2025 for users who purchased the Forgotten Realms Ultimate Bundle on D&D Beyond. Notably, this is the same time that the Heroes of Faerûn and Adventures in Faerûn books were officially released.

What is Netheril?

Netheril is a legendary empire in the lore of the Forgotten Realms D&D campaign setting that’s famed for its flying cities and powerful magic users. It was founded roughly 5,000 years before the current Forgotten Realms date of 1501 DR and was destroyed roughly 500 years ago when the archwizard Karsus sought to take the place of Mystryl, the goddess of magic. This act unraveled the Weave (the source of all magic in the Forgotten Realms) causing Nethril’s floating cities to crash to the ground and turning the once-fertile lands below into what today is known as the Anauroch Desert.

In terms of D&D game materials, Netheril has appeared in numerous products over the years. Its first major appearance was in the boxed set Netheril: Empire of Magic, which was published in 1996 for AD&D 2nd Edition. The empire’s remnants and descendants were later explored in the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting in 2001 for D&D 3.5.

In the D&D fifth edition era, it was revealed that one of the Netherese cities had escaped the destruction and teleported to the elemental plane of shadows known as the Shadowfell, where its descendants became a new twisted human offshot species known as Shadovar. These powerful magic users later returned in their flying city Thultanthar to modern day Faerûn with the goal of establishing a new Netherese Empire. They were, however, later thwarted by the archmage Elminster who crashed their floating city over the ancient elven ruins of Myth Drannor, scattering their forces to the winds.

Is Netheril’s Fall worth picking up?

Pros

• Impressively high production quality for a short digital supplement, including new original artwork and 29 detailed maps.
• Clear, easy-to-run adventures that provide accessible entry points into one of the Forgotten Realms’ most iconic historical eras.
• Thematically cohesive monsters and magic items that reinforce the setting’s focus on unstable, extravagant magical experimentation
• Strong setting material that gives Dungeon Masters enough detail to portray ancient Netheril without overwhelming new players

Cons

• Many adventures feel linear, with limited opportunities for deep roleplay or open-ended exploration.
• Monster variety is somewhat narrow, relying heavily on variants of phaerimm and magen.
• Magic items can feel situational or underwhelming outside of Netheril-themed campaigns.
• The lore is mostly introductory, offering little new information for longtime Forgotten Realms fans.

Final Thoughts & Review Score

Netheril’s Fall largely succeeds as a compact, visually rich introduction to a legendary era of Forgotten Realms history. Its adventures offer engaging set pieces and memorable moments, the monsters and items fit the themes well, and the overall presentation far exceeds what you’d expect from a 32-page digital release. While it lacks the breadth and depth of a full campaign book, and some design elements feel limited or repetitive, the supplement delivers a strong mix of lore, gameplay and production value.

Final review score: 17 out of 20

You can pick up your copy of Fall of Netheril now on D&D Beyond.

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