D&D 5E WotC: 5 D&D Settings In Development?

WotC's Ray Winninger spoke a little about some upcoming D&D settings -- two classic settings are coming in 2022 in formats we haven't seen before, and two brand new (not Magic: the Gathering) settings are also in development, as well as return to a setting they've already covered in 5E. He does note, however, that of the last three, there's a chance of one or more not making it to release, as they develop more than they use.

Two classic settings? What could they be?​

So that's:

• 2 classic settings in 2022 (in a brand new format)
• 2 brand new settings
• 1 returning setting

So the big questions -- what are the two classic settings, and what do they mean by a format we haven't seen before? Winninger has clarified on Twitter that "Each of these products is pursuing a different format you've never seen before. And neither is "digital only;" these are new print formats."

As I've mentioned on a couple of occasions, there are two more products that revive "classic" settings in production right now.

The manuscript for the first, overseen by [Chris Perkins], is nearly complete. Work on the second, led by [F. Wesley Schneider] with an assist from [Ari Levitch], is just ramping up in earnest. Both are targeting 2022 and formats you've never seen before.

In addition to these two titles, we have two brand new [D&D] settings in early development, as well as a return to a setting we've already covered. (No, these are not M:tG worlds.)

As I mentioned in the dev blog, we develop more material than we publish, so it's possible one or more of these last three won't reach production. But as of right now, they're all looking great.

Of course the phrase "two more products that revive 'classic' settings" could be interpreted in different ways. It might not be two individual setting books.

 

[jayoungr]

I'm gonna guess the returning setting is Eberron.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

I'm going to guess the "return to a setting" is Greyhawk, since Ghosts of Saltmarsh was set in Greyhawk. Now, whether that's another collection of Greyhawk adventures, or "real" campaign setting book, or a combination of both...I have no idea.

 

[THEMNGMNT]

Or...the "return to a setting" could be something from Matt Mercer.

 

[jasynjonz]

I'm going to guess the "return to a setting" is Greyhawk, since Ghosts of Saltmarsh was set in Greyhawk. Now, whether that's another collection of Greyhawk adventures, or "real" campaign setting book, or a combination of both...I have no idea.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[Steampunkette]

Classic Settings:
Desperately want it to be Dark Sun (With a full Psionic Class) and Planesjammer. I know Planescape is its own beloved thing and so is Spelljammer but, really, with the way they're often used at the table, and even in videogames look at the Baldur's Gate 3 premise, it just feels -so- right to have them together.

The new format thing is interesting as well. I suspect that it could mean we'll see an Adventure-Path-Setting-Thing for Dark Sun, specifically. Due to the way the setting is written and the smaller quantity of places to visit you could really put most of what is Dark Sun in a handful of pages of the adventure and flesh out just specific bits as the story progresses.

Not sure how you'd get a new format for Planescape or Spelljammer. But slamming them into one setting would be "New"? >.>

New Settings:
I'm hoping for something new in a stylistic sense. Specifically Steamfantasy or Prehistoric or involving Aliens rather than normal Monsters. Something that isn't just another High Fantasy Realm type thing.

Returning Format:
Gonna guess it is Exandria. With the new campaign starting soon there's going to be a lot of interest in Exandria Unlimited and the other design spaces in the world that Mercer has left open for the new DM. Seeing her ideas become a canonical expansion would be pretty flipping huge.

 

[Bacon Bits]

Returning 5E setting seems like it has to be the Forgotten Realms, given how few 5E settings there are to choose from.

We've had Greyhawk (Saltmarsh) and Ravenloft (Curse of Strahd) in adventures but not in a setting book. We've also had an Eberron book, but no adventure.

Also, didn't one adventure have a spelljamming ship make an appearance, or am I just thinking of Baldur's Gate 3?

 

[Superchunk77]

Classic settings?

Greyhawk and Dragonlance surely, with Mystara or Dark Sun a close second.

Unlikely.

Going by the feedback from previous WotC surveys:

The first tier was of course, Forgotten Realms. Already done, but it makes sense this would be the setting they use for the one book that revisits a classic setting.

Second tier was Eberron, Ravenloft, Dark Sun and Planescape. We've two of these already so it makes sense they'd do the other two as the classic settings for 2022.

Third tier was Dragonlance, Spelljammer and Greyhawk. Slim chance we see these IMO.

 

[grimslade]

Spelljammer confirmed.
Why do we always try and combine SJ and PS? Why not other classic settings with Spelljammer? Dragonjammer, Spellhawk, Birthjammer...

 

[darjr]

Could be returning to Nentir Vale. It’s not really a “classic” setting.

But yea I think he means returning to something they’ve done in 5e. Which to me means Critical Roles world or Forgotten Realms.

 

[OblivionDrive]

Oh gods! The floodgates are open! Let the Speculation Wars begin anew!

The whole “new format” thing definitely has me wondering if there’s some credence to the Planejammer idea after all. Or that if either of the two comes back independently, it’ll be in a drastically new form. Hmm.

A returning setting they’ve already covered is gonna lend some new fuel to the Greyhawk speculation I would assume (since technically they touched on it with Saltmarsh) unless they’re talking about Eberron because that’s kinda it for places they could return to, no? Unless he was just talking about the Realms again...

Honestly, most excited for the idea of two new non-Magic based settings. That’s very intriguing.