Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set Price Point Revealed

The new Heroes of the Borderlands D&D boxed set will be significantly more expensive than past Starter Sets. Pre-order pages up on D&D Beyond and Amazon confirm that the new Starter Set, made to introduce the new version of 5th Edition rules to newcomers, will cost $49.99. Previous starter sets, such as the Essentials Kit or the Dragons at Stormwreck Isle, had much lower price points ranging from $19.99 to $24.99.

One reason for the price increase is that the new Starter Set will contain many more components than previous Starter Sets. A trailer (seen below) shows off many of the cards, tokens, and handouts that are included in the boxed set in addition to the standard quickstart guide and character sheets. Per Amazon, the new Starter Set will contain 3 adventure booklets, 8 character class boards featuring iconic D&D classes, 1 quick-start guide, a reference booklet, 5 in-world immersive handouts (including a tavern menu and shop catalogs), 9 double-sided poster maps, a combat tracker, 11 dice, 210 game cards (including spells, magic items, and equipment), and 273 tokens (including monsters, terrain, and resources).

One twist for this new boxed set is that it will include tiles that will add a modularity to character creation. Players will choose their background and class and then build a character sheet using corresponding tiles.

Hasbro also previously stated that the Starter Set was produced in China, so the increased price could be impacted by the current tariffs imposed by the US on foreign-made goods.


The new Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set will be released on September 16th, 2025.

 

[aiouh]

As of time of writing (15.7.2025) this equals to about 17,29 dozen wholesale Shell Eggs in the US (Source: TradingEconomics)

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Although I definitely see the value on the super low cost Starter Sets of the past, I'm very excited to see how this one goes.

 

[aiouh]

Although I definitely see the value on the super low cost Starter Sets of the past, I'm very excited to see how this one goes.

I think it's going to do reasonably well if the adventure is not castastrophically bad. People buy more expensive board games than this to let rot on the shelf all the time. The brand is powerful and this might draw back some people who have been out of the loop for a while.

But just like all of the Magic: The Gathering starter kits with similar mid to low value proposition I don't see many enfranchised players buying this.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Although I definitely see the value on the super low cost Starter Sets of the past, I'm very excited to see how this one goes.

Agreed. I'm a big, BIG fan of low-cost intros, but this seems fine.

It looks like they've added enough value to it, too - as many of those elements will be useful going forward, even after you've finished the Keep. Those maps look great, too!

 

[Bravesteel25]

While I completely understand the external reasons why the price may be so high, I can't see $50 being in the range of a "Well, let's go ahead and try it," purchase for many people. I'm sure the contents are worth it, but that's to us, the hardcore TTRPG fans.

 

[EthanSental]

I’m interested in getting this to help new players that are wanting to play, although they might be playing before the august time frame.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

While I completely understand the external reasons why the price may be so high, I can't see $50 being in the range of a "Well, let's go ahead and try it," purchase for many people. I'm sure the contents are worth it, but that's to us, the hardcore TTRPG fans.

I disagree. It actually lines up closer to what someone who wants to "give D&D a try" expects to pay. Sure, they were all VERY happy with the price on the 2014 Starter Set, and we sold a TON of those because of the price point (and were often able to get them to add more sets of dice to their purchase).

Again I love a loss-leader. It's IMO smart business. But this set has a LOT of stuff in it that will not only make it seem worthwhile on its own, but also might make the experience of giving D&D a try, both more exciting, and easier to understand how to do.

I think it's the opposite of what you are saying - it suits a mainstream buyer better than it does a "hardcore D&D fan".

 

[Bravesteel25]

I disagree. It actually lines up closer to what someone who wants to "give D&D a try" expects to pay. Sure, they were all VERY happy with the price on the 2014 Starter Set, and we sold a TON of those because of the price point (and were often able to get them to add more sets of dice to their purchase).

Again I love a loss-leader. It's IMO smart business. But this set has a LOT of stuff in it that will not only make it seem worthwhile on its own, but also might make the experience of giving D&D a try, both more exciting, and easier to understand how to do.

I think it's the opposite of what you are saying - it suits a mainstream buyer better than it does a "hardcore D&D fan".

Fair enough. I just don't think $50 is quite in the impulse buy category, especially as peoples' purchasing power has been eroding.

The set itself looks awesome, I'm not disputing that, the content looks to exactly as you say. I'm just unsure as to whether the price point will turn people away that would otherwise give it a try and enter intot he D&D funnel and then the larger TTRPG ecosystem.

 

[bedir than]

The digital+physical bundle only being an extra $5 is surprisingly nice