D&D General Does WotCs “Happy Holidays” post confirm a Ravenloft book in 2026?

[Charlaquin]

I mean, we're clearly concluding he's a Wizard because he's got a Gandalf hat and beard. It seems strange to further extrapolate that he's Mordenkainen whose iconography does not include those things.

Honestly, considering the blue orb in his hands, I think he's the Orb Ponderer meme, which was originally Saruman, but has taken on a life of its own.

Which doesn't mean he's not Mordenkainen, just that if he is, he's crazy feral Barovia Mordenkainen pondering his orb. And also standing in for Santa. Busy guy.

Well, yeah, I only assume he’s Mordenkainen because the piece appears to be a Curse of Strahd reference and Mordenkainen is in Curse of Strahd (for some reason) and is also a wizard.

 

[mamba]

That’s bizarre. Why downplay the very obvious Curse of Strahd references?

maybe because they are not important, which would suggest that this is just a holiday card without any deeper implications

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Was it supposed to be funny…?

One does not normally combine vampires with traditional Christmas iconography if one it attempting to be serious.

 

[aco175]

I think this looks like Gandalf as well. They might be trying for Elminster which is more likely, but a LotR expansion would be cool for Wizards to pull off.

 

[Not a Decepticon]

Can't wait to see my yt frontpage be flooded by videos about how twitter tough guys are declaring this picture the downfall of western civilization /s

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I also thought in Gandalf but the licence is owned by other publisher now. Elminster maybe?

Maybe we could see an adventure of how Azalin Rex "ascended" and the "fragmentation" of the Core into separate dark domains. Maybe it was caused by Vecna like a part to take revenge against the Dark Powers.

It would be funny if children played LEGO: Ravenloft like a softer version of "Dead by Daylight". (How would be a D&D-Vecna and a Stranger Things-Vecna together in Dead by Daylight?)

Other option is a future almost-generic sourcebook style "Heroes of Horror", not only with some pages about Ravenloft but also Duskmourn and Innistrand. Maybe Duskmourn becomes a "bridge" between Ravenloft and Innistrand. A trap for those who try to escape. With a right story, Valgavoth could become the WotC version of Pennywise.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

That’s bizarre. Why downplay the very obvious Curse of Strahd references?

Blizzard puts out holiday cards -- actually created for employees to send to work contacts -- that feature whatever the art team wanted to show off. Since they leaked online for years, now they just show them off publicly. Sometimes they reflect what's being worked on or what's coming up, sometimes they're just what would work best for a Christmas card (lots of orcs in snowball fights, etc.).

This image might not have been originally intended as a marketing image. In which case, trying to read the tea leaves about what it mean is a probably waste of time.

 

[Remathilis]

One does not normally combine vampires with traditional Christmas iconography if one it attempting to be serious.

Challenge accepted!

 

[Epic Meepo]

Wizards of the Coast posted a graphic on social media that may confirm what’s in store for D&D in 2026.

View attachment 425804

The picture was accompanied by the following text:

“Thank you for another incredible year of stories and shared adventures. Happy Holidays from the D&D team, we can’t wait to show you what 2026 has in store.”

The picture features some classic D&D creatures like Zombies and Owlbears, but most notably includes both Count Strahd as well as Esmeralda, a character from the Curse of Strahd adventure.

Could this be hinting at the first announcement for D&D in 2026? Could the Horror UA be for a “Forge of the Artificer” style Ravenloft book?

Seems like as good evidence as any we have received so far.

Otiluke's Snowglobe of Everything confirmed!

 

[Dragonhelm]

I think this looks like Gandalf as well. They might be trying for Elminster which is more likely, but a LotR expansion would be cool for Wizards to pull off.

View attachment 425823

Fizban.