We’re getting ready to round out 2025’s release calendar for new Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks. After finishing up the trio of new core rulebooks for the 2024 rules revision, Wizards has delivered a wide range of sourcebooks and box sets. On November 11th, players can finally pick up the latest entry, a duo of source books that bring us back to the Forgotten Realms setting. Heroes of Faerun is a player-focused expansion, while Adventures in Faerun is a DM-facing guide to the region. Together, they offer a wealth of knowledge to help you truly delve into the Forgotten Realms.
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The two new Forgotten Realms books are sold separately or as a bundle, but they most certainly work best together. The DM source book offers an in-depth look at 5 different regions within the Forgotten Realms, with 50+ “pick up and play” adventures. Meanwhile, the player guidebook packs in 8 new subclasses, a new Circle Magic mechanic, and everything you need to know to flesh out your character’s back story. Although there are a few drawbacks here, this set is a truly expansive set of lore books that will serve as the foundation to creating great characters and adventures set in D&D‘s Forgotten Realms.
Rating: 4 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A ton of detail compared with prior sourcebooks | Books work best as a pair, but getting both costs over $100 |
| New classes and mechanics specific to the setting | Offers only mini-adventures, not a full new Forgotten Realms campaign |
| Well-organized and easy to browse for the right details |
Heroes of Faerun and Adventures in Faerun Detail the Forgotten Realms Like Never Before
Over the years, we’ve gotten our fair share of sourcebooks aimed at players and DMs alike. But this set really sets a new standard, packing in an impressive amount of detail compared to prior, similar texts. The player-focused Heroes of Faerun is a wealth of information to truly steep your next character creation in your chosen region of the Forgotten Realms. The book breaks down regional holidays and deities, alongside backgrounds and subclasses suited specifically to the region. You could really lose yourself in reading the lore here and come away with a character that feels authentic to Faerun.
For the DM, Adventures in Faerun is equally impressive in its scope. The book comprises 5 chapters, each detailing a different area of the Forgotten Realms. We have the Dalelands, Icewind Dale, Calimshan, The Moonshae Isles, and of course, Baldur’s Gate. Each chapter offers a solid overview of that area, along with a few mini-adventures set within it. Each chapter breaks down the people, magic, and ongoing conflicts with the region, alongside details to help you navigate it. And of course, we’ve got a list of new magic items and bestiary entries specific to the region, as well.
Although both books are packed with information, they aren’t difficult to navigate. If there’s one thing I really like about the direction of more recent D&D sourcebooks, it’s the organizational structure. These texts have become a lot easier to quickly glance through to find what you’re looking for, and the way that both new Forgotten Realms books are laid out makes them truly solid reference guides. But as for what’s actually inside those well-organized pages, how does the new content stack up?
New Classes & Adventures Offer Variety for Every Kind of Play Session
To sum up the Forgotten Realms duo in a word, I’d say “variety.” The new subclasses offer up a fun array of options for players to bring to character creation, further fleshed out by the factions and backgrounds contained within. The Druid, Cleric, Fighter, Paladin, Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard each get a new, Forgotten Realms-flavored subclass in Heroes of Faerun. Players can also choose to join up with iconic factinos from the Emerland Enclave of Baldur’s Gate 3 fame to the Harpers showcased in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Variety isn’t just for the players here, either. Adventures in Faerun is both a sourcebook for the Forgotten Realms and an adventure anthology packed with mini-adventures. There are, in fact, over 50 mini-adventures for DMs to choose from for their next foray into the Forgotten Realms. Set in the various regions within the Forgotten Realms, these adventures offer a wide variety of flavors from classic high fantasy to gritty urban fantasy and beyond.
Together, these source books give both players and DMs a ton of options for adventuring in the Forgotten Realms. They add new options for character creation and spellwork, while giving DMs a wealth of ideas for running shorter one-shot sessions or stringing together a longer adventure. If there’s one thing that Adventures in Faerun won’t do for you, though, it’s deliver a ready-made campaign for the taking.
The Forgotten Realms Books Continue a New D&D Trend, And Your Mileage May Vary
Like Dragon Delves before it, Adventures in Faerun is an adventure anthology. While many prior sourcebooks set in a specific region offered a lengthier campaign-style tale within that area, this DM text instead provides bare bones details for shorter adventures. This seems to be an ongoing trend for D&D, offering more materials for DMs to craft their own campaigns compared with ready-made, written ones. And that means your mileage with this Forgotten Realms duology may vary.
If you’ve got a creative D&D crew eager to really delve into the lore while creating characters, then Heroes of Faerun is going to be a treat. I can see myself spending many hours flipping through these pages and fleshing out full character backstories with the details offered here. The new subclasses and circle mechanics are interesting, but not necessarily earth-shattering for seasoned players. The excitement here is in the breadth and depth of lore, not necessarily in the mechanics.
And for the DM? If your table is looking for a classic campaign that spans the months and tells an epic story, there’s going to be some creativity required. Stringing these shorter adventures together into an epic tale will be possible, given that they’re set in the same region. But it will require some creative lift from the DM to string together an epic tale. Those who enjoy more homebrew and creative license will no doubt be happy to have more materials to work with. But those who’d rather read prepared text from an existing, pre-written campaign may find Adventures in Faerun lacking.
In all, I’m fairly impressed with the amount of detail that’s packed into this set. I do think it works best as a pair, since the books really do speak to one another. But even if your table only goes in for new character classes from Heroes of Faerun or new expanded details and mini-adventures in Adventures in Faerun, each book certainly has plenty to offer to your D&D library.
Forgotten Realms: Heroes in Faerun and Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerun are available now with physical and digital editions on sale via D&D Beyond. Heroes in Faerun costs $50 USD for a physical copy, while Adventures in Faerun is $60.
PDF copies of the Forgotten Realms sourcebooks were provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
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