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.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

My feel is this is aimed at being sold through mainstream retailers (which would be Waterstones in the UK) rather than specialist stores. After all, people only seek out specialist dealers once they are already hooked.

This isn't true. I have people ALL THE TIME who ask, "How do I get into D&D?"

"Buy THIS and find some friends" would be really, really nice to be able to answer.

 

[Scribe]

Man. Hearing all the dissatisfied folks about the $50 price point has me getting a bit worried about my own boxed set. (skip to the 2 min mark). I'm listing it for $100. Granted, it's not a starter set but the full game, and it has more stuff. And since it's a limited run, I don't get to enjoy large scale cheap print runs so I have to have a higher mark up (but customers really don't care about that). I'm starting to get worried that when I launch in a few weeks, no one will be interested, and that will be...disappointing.

There are many different demographics and thoughts on this.

$100 for a full game and boxed set?

GW has a message for you.

 

[CellarHeroes]

If I was of an age where I see kids starting out now, and only had a little bit of knowledge about D&D from what I had seen on YouTube and pop culture, I doubt I would be interested in this. Pen, paper, dice, book(s)...and this seems to have way too many unnecessary bits. Fifteen-year old me would be holding out for $20 copy without all the doo-daddery, or pick up a board game instead.

Even when I was heavily into D&D as a teen, the boxed sets were a treat I would only be able to one every couple of years.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

This isn't true. I have people ALL THE TIME who ask, "How do I get into D&D?"

"Buy THIS and find some friends" would be really, really nice to be able to answer.

Where is your store located though? Pretty much all the ones I know are in spots you wouldn’t pass unless you went out of your way to look for them. Even Orc’s Nest is easily overlooked unless you know it’s there.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

Where is your store located though? Pretty much all the ones I know are in spots you wouldn’t pass unless you went out of your way to look for them. Even Orc’s Nest is easily overlooked unless you know it’s there.

Actually, mine is pretty hidden, though the area is massively gentrifying. I do have good signage that can be seen while riding our mass transit system, and it's not much of a walk from the nearest station, though. But my impression is that people seek us out as a place to find "that sort of weird stuff", after having heard of it and wonder where to get it. Not everyone looks online, and not everyone would think to look at Walmart, or whatever - heck, most people I know wouldn't be caught dead in a Walmart (though they do seem to be busy when I go near one...)

 

[kayakingpoodle]

If I was of an age where I see kids starting out now, and only had a little bit of knowledge about D&D from what I had seen on YouTube and pop culture, I doubt I would be interested in this. Pen, paper, dice, book(s)...and this seems to have way too many unnecessary bits. Fifteen-year old me would be holding out for $20 copy without all the doo-daddery, or pick up a board game instead.

Even when I was heavily into D&D as a teen, the boxed sets were a treat I would only be able to one every couple of years.

Considering $20 is what the demographic you're referencing spends on a light snack, the price point isn't the issue, the quality of the product will be.

 

[CellarHeroes]

Considering $20 is what the demographic you're referencing spends on a light snack, the price point isn't the issue, the quality of the product will be.

Then this must be a regional thing. Where I'm at $50 still isn't "walkin' around" money for most.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

"Buy THIS and find some friends" would be really, really nice to be able to answer.

WotC really needs a partnership with StartPlaying and to sponsor games there regularly as part of their marketing budget. Their past attempts to go at it on their own meant a laughably small amount of games were available, which were snatched up before all the emails announcing them went out.

Do it for every major release, plus a week after Free RPG Day (which you can use to advertise the event), do it on DMs Day, etc.

Getting people actually playing D&D for the first time is vastly more valuable marketing than anything else they can do, IMO. Creating new customers is hard, but also the most cost-effective use of marketing dollars.

 

[kayakingpoodle]

Then this must be a regional thing. Where I'm at $50 still isn't "walkin' around" money for most.

What does 5 gallons of gas a canned drink and a candy bar/bag of chips cost where your at? Here in Central Texas you're gonna need more than a $20 bill, same for a couple of combo meals at any fast-food chain. Getting out of a coffee shop for a single person will more than kill a $10 bill. Pepperidge Farm may remember when $20 was enough for a few weeks of "walkin' around money" , but inflation says that just isn't how it is now.

This new set is not something that interests me, I would spend the money on a PHB and dice, but I can see how it would get people into the game that may not want to reach out to strangers to learn to play. It is a way for a few friends with no experience to jump in with a pretty flat learning curve, and considering modern videogames that you will never actually own are about $80 now $50 is well within the budget.

Let's not forget the basic rules and a dice rolling app are still free along with many an adventure on the DM's Guild. This kit is a convenient way to fast track a group new to the game, not a super cheap bare bones option.

 

[Scribe]

Pepperidge Farm may remember when $20 was enough for a few weeks of "walkin' around money" , but inflation says that just isn't how it is now.

100%

Oh a full game for $50?

Try a single character model for a GW game.

The price point is more than fine imo.