D&D’s World of Warcraft Book Lands Twice: November 3 and November 17
Two weeks. That is the gap between the first Dungeons & Dragons players who get the World of Warcraft book and everyone else.
The book is the first official Universes Beyond product for D&D, a name borrowed from Magic: The Gathering‘s crossover line, according to PC Gamer. Early access starts November 3 for D&D Beyond Master Tier subscribers. The wide release follows on November 17, per God is a Geek and a preorder listing for the collector’s bundle. Some listings, such as ENWorld’s event page, show only the November 3 date, so check which date your own preorder carries.
What is in the box, or on the screen? The hardcover runs 256 pages. Reports put it at 11 new playable species, nine subclasses (six brand new and three updated from earlier versions), more than 60 spells, 30 dungeon-boss stat blocks, seven dungeons rebuilt for the table, and new rules for mounts, companion creatures and professions. The new species list includes Dracthyr, Draenei, Pandaren, Tauren, Troll, Vulpera and Worgen. The new subclasses include Oath of the Ebon Blade, Demon Hunter, and Shadow and Discipline Domains.
The design goal is the part that will decide whether this works. Designer James Wyatt told reporters the aim is to let players build “basically every WoW class and specialization of class,” as quoted by God is a Geek. That is a big promise for a 256-page book. A game with 13 classes and dozens of specializations does not fold neatly into D&D’s class-and-subclass structure, and the collector’s listing says the book covers all 13 classes with 40-plus specializations. We have not seen the pages, so we don’t know yet how well that squeeze holds up at the table.
Wizards is also selling the book in several pieces. There is a DM screen, an Icecrown Citadel Adventure Map Pack, and an Ultimate Bundle with a slipcased collector’s cover. Here the fine print matters. The Wizards store listing and the retailer pages we checked do not agree on the bundle price, and one preorder page says the limited-edition physical book is only available inside the Ultimate Bundle, with no standalone copy. That page also says preorders are final sale and that D&D Beyond does not guarantee refunds on orders containing digital content. If you are planning a table’s worth of preorders, read the checkout terms before you click.
There is a reason people at the table will care anyway. A group that has run the same fantasy world for years now has an official way to try Azeroth without leaving the rules they already know, and a Dungeon Master gets 30 ready-made boss fights to steal from. Whether that is worth a November preorder or a wait for reviews is a call each group can make. We would wait for the pages. The standard book is also listed on Amazon for anyone who would rather skip the bundles.
Featured image: “3/52 – Dice Tower” by Skakerman (Archive), licensed BY (via Openverse). Source.
