Many adventurers are drawn to the famous Sword Coast of Faerûn in Dungeons & Dragons. In addition, there are numerous settings for the tabletop role-playing game that are just as exciting.
What settings are available for Dungeons & Dragons? The Forgotten Realms are one of the most popular settings of Dungeons & Dragons and represent a sort of “standard setting”. This includes the continent Faerûn with the notorious Sword Coast, which is the setting for many adventures. Many games, such as Baldur’s Gate 3 or the MMORPG Neverwinter, also focus on the Sword Coast.
Famous locations along its coast include Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur’s Gate, or Luskan. The Icewind Dale in the north of Luskan is also one of the popular settings in Faerûn and the Forgotten Realms.
The stylistic focus is on a classic high fantasy world with ancient gods, powerful organizations, and political intrigue, making it a frequent first point of contact for players of Dungeons & Dragons.
However, there are also settings outside of Faerûn that are just as exciting but are often overlooked. Therefore, we present to you 7 underrated settings that often fly under the radar for many players and belong to the 5th edition of Dungeons & Dragons.
Eberron
Eberron is a planet with its own cosmology. This offers a setting that can be classified more as a steampunk or noir fantasy setting. At its center are political conspiracies and modern magic technologies.
Instead of classic castles and knight armors, players can expect a magically powered, industrially shaped world. Society uses everyday magic such as magic-powered trains, airships, and magical communication systems. Classes like the Artificer embody this interplay of magic and technology and fit perfectly into this setting.
The planet is in a fragile peace after a long war – a perfect stage for espionage, conspiracies, and power games. With unique races like the Warforged and psionically gifted Kalashtar, as well as significant places like the giant Sharn or mysterious ruins of the jungle continent Xen’drik, Eberron offers countless adventures.
Religion here is based solely on faith, not on provable divine existence – creating room for doubt and fanatical cults. Eberron thus offers a mix of steampunk and magitech flair, immersing players in a world with a suffocating apocalyptic atmosphere.
