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.

 

[Zaukrie]

I mean, I have no idea how boardgamey it is or is not.....but if they can find a way to compete for the gloomhaven crowd (which may have too much overlap to matter, actually), more power to them. Frankly, I have players that I think would benefit from cards, even with DnD Beyond at their fingertips....

 

[Parmandur]

Re: Dungeon!, Heroquest, Descent, Gloomhaven and others.

Yup. Exactly, not a new approach.

 

[FitzTheRuke]

The '99 (Basic) D&D starter set did this, also the 2E AD&D starter set, the 3.5E starter sets and I think the 4E "Red Box" did as well - battlemats/tiles for the included adventures as well as minis - even actual plastic minis for all but the '99 and 4E set (the 2E one had minis for just the PCs, plastic resculpts from the Dungeon boardgame the others were standees).

So, that's not exactly something new, more par for the course. Actually, looking back it's a bit surprising the 2014 5E starter didn't have pogs and a battlemat or two.

I mean, I sold all of those, so I remember, but I don't think they ever had EVERYTHING - just some set-pieces. Like, not all the maps for all the locations, or all the monsters. You're right that there were some with PC minis, etc.

I would hardly call it "par for the course", though! And it's certainly been a long time since they contained any of that stuff, far or less all of it.

 

[Parmandur]

I mean, I sold all of those, so I remember, but I don't think they ever had EVERYTHING - just some set-pieces. Like, not all the maps for all the locations, or all the monsters. You're right that there were some with PC minis, etc.

I would hardly call it "par for the course", though! And it's certainly been a long time since they contained any of that stuff, far or less all of it.

Yeah, not par for the course...but neither unprecedented.

 

[JusticeArman]

Hey folks! Long time listener, occasional caller. I'm thrilled to see so much discussion on the upcoming starter set! The whole team worked very hard on it; I'm eager to share it with you.

It is, in fact, a starter set powered by the D&D rules. Tabletop RPGs are a difficult concept for wholly new players to grasp, but "board game" is a familiar term they can wrap their heads around, especially in a format where many of the rules are expressed through game components like cards, tokens, and poster maps. In addition to years of feedback on past starter sets, we playtested Heroes of the Borderlands extensively with groups of all experience levels, including longtime fans and board gamers who had never rolled a D20 before! It was a hoot. Those insights directly informed how we approached this set.

Keep on the Borderlands is a favorite of mine. Back when we were selecting modules for an update in Quests from the Infinite Staircase, we kept B2 behind our screen for an introductory experience like this one. Seeing as that module debuted in a boxed set not unlike this one, it was the perfect candidate for the new starter set, uniting fans across generations. We also got to support it with plenty of boxed-set goodies.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Re: Dungeon!, Heroquest, Descent, Gloomhaven and others.

Talisman if you go back to the 80s. I remember playing that at school with friends who would never go full D&D.