2025's Must-Read Dungeons & Dragons Books: Prepare for Epic Adventures

Dungeons & Dragons is experiencing a remarkable resurgence in popularity, fueled by factors like the success of Stranger Things, the Honor Among Thieves movie, and the immense popularity of Baldur's Gate 3. This makes it an ideal time to delve into the world of tabletop roleplaying. However, navigating the vast landscape of Fifth Edition (5E) D&D, particularly the wealth of third-party content, can be daunting for newcomers. This guide focuses primarily on official Wizards of the Coast publications, excluding the essential Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual (updated in 2024), assuming you've already acquired these core rulebooks. If not, acquire them first!

How often do you play D&D?

Once a weekOnce every two weeksOnce a monthOnly when everyone can get togetherAnswerSee Results

First-Party Content Recommendations:

• Player’s Handbook Core Rulebook: $49.99 at Amazon

• Dungeon Master’s Guide Core Rulebook: $49.99 at Amazon

• Monster Manual Core Rulebook: $49.99 at Amazon

• Xanathar’s Guide to Everything (Sourcebook): See it at Amazon. A crucial sourcebook (2017) offering expanded player options, including subclasses, feats, spells, and DM tools. Highly recommended for increased player choices.

• Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything (Sourcebook): See it at Amazon. Similar to Xanathar's, this expands player options and core rules, adding class features, spells, and DM tools for sidekicks and environments.

• Waterdeep: Dragon Heist (Adventure): See it at Amazon. A compelling intrigue-driven adventure focusing on social encounters and political conflict, offering multiple antagonists for replayability. A sequel, Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage, provides an extended campaign option.

• Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse (Sourcebook/Adventure Bundle): See it at Amazon. An excellent exploration of the Planescape setting, including a setting guide, monster manual, and adventure.

• Phandelver and Below: The Shattered Obelisk (Adventure): See it at Amazon. A significant expansion to The Lost Mine of Phandelver, incorporating cosmic horror elements and a compelling conspiracy.

• Eberron: Rising from the Last War (Sourcebook/Adventure): See it at Amazon. A unique setting with floating castles and airships, offering new species (Dragonmarks) and opportunities for roleplaying and swashbuckling.

• Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen (Adventure): See it at Amazon. Introduces the Dragonlance setting, focusing on large-scale combat and dragon-centric encounters.

• Curse of Strahd (Adventure): See it at Amazon. A gothic horror classic featuring vampires and creepy elements. A supplement, Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, is available.

• The Wild Beyond the Witchlight (Adventure): See it at Amazon. A Feywild adventure with strong roleplaying elements and multiple solutions to challenges. Includes new playable races and backgrounds.

Notable Third-Party Content (Brief Mentions):

• Strongholds and Followers (MCDM Productions): Adds rules for player bases and NPCs.
• Flee, Mortals!/Where Evil Lives (MCDM Productions): Redesigned and new monsters, plus a dungeon.
• Tome of Beasts/Creature Codex (Kobold Press): Monster manuals for higher-level play.
• Grim Hollow (Ghostfire Gaming): A dark fantasy setting.

This list provides a starting point for expanding your D&D experience beyond the core rulebooks. Let us know your favorites in the comments!