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.

 

[aco175]

I'll likely buy it. I would just want the adventure and do not need the rest, so maybe DMsGuild, but I do not think I can wait that long.

Time will tell, but yeah, intro products that have reduced appeal to already enfranchised consumers should be underpriced. It's basic drug dealer 101 people.

I seemed to have missed this class. but I do recall that the first one is free.

 

[Parmandur]

Time will tell, but yeah, intro products that have reduced appeal to already enfranchised consumers should be underpriced. It's basic drug dealer 101 people.

This go around, the free stuff on Beyond fills that role in the product line.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

This is pretty cheep. Gloomhaven costs three times as much.

 

[Nikosandros]

I really don't need this, but it will be hard not to buy it...

 

[Parmandur]

This is pretty cheep. Gloomhaven costs three times as much.

Just taking the WotC hours of play at face value (since any given group will surely be able to swing that pretty wildly), that's ~$1 per hour of entertainment for a group of people...if they just play through once without reusing stuff. Not shabby.

 

[Nikosandros]

Just taking the QotC hours of play at face value (since any given group will surely be able to swing that pretty wildly), that's ~$1 per hour of entertainment for a group of people...if they just play through once without reusing stuff. Not shabby.

Yeah, the price seems to be fine. I don't know how it will affect its market penetration with beginners, but - luckily - that's not my problem to worry about

 

[Parmandur]

Yeah, the price seems to be fine. I don't know how it will affect its market penetration with beginners, but - luckily - that's not my problem to worry about

D&D is in a very different place in terms of cultural penetration and hipness compared to a decade ago: not my job to worry about it, either, but I can see this doing pretty well in stores.

 

[Nikosandros]

D&D is in a very different place in terms of cultural penetration and hipness compared to a decade ago: not my job to worry about it, either, but I can see this doing pretty well in stores.

Yes, very true. Personally, I feel that I'm rather out of touch with the current younger players, but I can still get enjoyment out of several recent offerings.

As I mentioned previously, I don't really need a starter set for D&D at this point in time, but this product does look nice and also innovative, so I'm quite tempted to check it out.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

D&D is in a very different place in terms of cultural penetration and hipness compared to a decade ago: not my job to worry about it, either, but I can see this doing pretty well in stores.

I think the cheep and nasty components in some recent boxed sets are likely to put new players off. Making it look shiny is a good strategy, and will probably appeal to a broader age range than grungy teens.

 

[payn]

I think the cheep and nasty components in some recent boxed sets are likely to put new players off. Making it look shiny is a good strategy, and will probably appeal to a broader age range than grungy teens.

I've never heard anyone say the starter set was great, good, or even worth it to start. Its usually a junk set quickly forgotten. The Paizo beginners box on the other hand has stuff folks still use after years of playing.

I really don't need this, but it will be hard not to buy it...

If its anything like what Paizo puts out, id get it.