
New “Heroes of the Borderlands” DnD Starter Set (Deep Dive)
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Last August at Wizards of the Coast’s annual D&D Direct event, the company officially announced that a new DnD Starter Set entitled Heroes of the Borderlands was in development. Now, after almost a year of waiting, the box set is finally here and is available from your local game store, D&D Beyond and Amazon.
As with past DnD Starter Sets, Heroes of the Borderlands is designed to provide a solid introductory experience that teaches both new players and Dungeon Masters the basic of the game. Unlike previous sets, however, its approach is radically different, featuring a range of physical components and support materials that are perfect for new players to bridge the gap between board games and tabletop roleplaying games.
So is Heroes of the Borderlands worth picking up? Below, we break out all the details. (In the interest of transparency, we have received a physical review copy from Wizards of the Coast, but have otherwise not received any form of monetary compensation or input for this review).

Table of Contents

Whats included in the “Heroes of the Borderlands” DnD Starter Set?
The new Heroes of the Borderlands DnD starter contains a ton of materials, all of which are using the new DnD 2024 rules. The box set, however, specifically designates some items that can be used by all players and other items that are for Dungeon Masters only.
Components for Everyone
- Booklets: A Play Guide (containing the basic rules) and Quick-Start Guide (a short pamphlet on how to use the set)
- Cards: 8 Background Cards, 8 Species Cards, 55 Equipment Cards, 53 Spell Cards and 4 “On Your Turn” Cards
- Gameplay Components: 8 Class Boards, a set of 11 red resin dice and 4 Storage Baggies
- Tokens: 8 Player Character Tokens, 40 Power Tokens, 46 Hit Point Tokens, 75 Condition Tokens and 5 Gold Tokens

Components for Dungeon Masters
- Adventure Booklets: Caves of Chaos, Keep on the Borderlands and Wilderness (these can be used in any order)
- Cards: 42 Monster Cards, 20 Magic Item Cards and 20 NPC Cards
- Gameplay Components: A pad of Combat Tracker sheets and 5 Player Handouts (this includes a letter, menu and other items to be given to players during the course of an adventure)
- Tokens: 188 Monster Tokens and 80 Minion Tokens
- Maps: 5 Full-size Maps and 4 Half-size Maps

How does the new DnD Starter Set work?
Wizards of the Coast’s approach with Heroes of the Borderlands is really meant to bring a board game-style experience to Dungeons & Dragons (in fact, they use the term “board game” to describe the set in much of their marketing materials). This approach applies to both players and Dungeon Masters, with everything designed to be far more tactile and physical than previous sets. It’s a novel idea and something that really works well in terms of helping player’s wrap their heads around some of the game’s more abstract concepts.
How does “Heroes of the Borderlands” work for players?
The board game like approach of the new DnD Starter Set is clear as soon as you open the box, which includes a “Read Me First” Quick-Start Guide that literally tells you how to unpack the box and even includes a scannable QR code that takes you to an introductory video.
The core of the gameplay experience for players, however, is all about streamlining the process of how to make a DnD character. It does this by replacing the standard DnD character sheet (which, let’s face it, can look an awful lot like a complicated tax form) with large format paper “Class Boards” that are already filled out and ready to go. Players can then build on their Class Board by adding cards for species, backgrounds, equipment and spells. It’s an incredibly efficient way for new players to understand rules that otherwise require a lot of mental load to keep track of in you head or on your character sheet.
Notably, the Class Boards do cover only the Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and Cleric, with no support for the DnD 5e base classes of Bard, Monk, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer or Warlock. They also really only work up to Level 3 (with two sheets for each class that you can flip over for more info), so if you’re planning on going into further Tiers of play, you’re out luck. That being said, for news players, it’s a fantastic approach that makes a key part of the game far less overwhelming.

It’s also worth noting that while the Class Boards can be a little text heavy, the design and art on all of the materials is absolutely amazing. Each card for example, has a single image on the front and clearly visible title and more information on the back. That means it’s easy to adjust equipment, spells and magic items on the fly without having to write it all down. This is also the case with dozens of cardboard tokens that include Hit Points, Gems, Gold Pieces and “Power” (the latter of which is used to track things like spell slots and Heroic Inspiration). Like the cards, players can simply add or remove these tokens from their Class Boards as they play.
The set also includes four “On Your Turn” cards which list all the specific actions that players can take on their turn. It’s a handy reference that feels like something you’d find in a board game and really emphasizes the core elements of gameplay. Again, the approach is all about visualizing a lot of the mechanics that with previous DnD Starter Sets either live on a character sheet or in a player’s head.
Finally, there’s the Play Guide, which is similar to other DnD Starter Sets in that it offers a condensed set of basic rules (in this case for DnD 2024), offering a step-by-step explanation of the key rules and including a helpful glossary at the end of key concepts.

How does “Heroes of the Borderlands” work for Dungeon Masters?
If being a new Dungeons & Dragons players is challenging, being a first-time Dungeon Master can seem even more daunting. Here again, the 2025 DnD Starter Set does a fantastic job of working DM newbies through the process. The board game-first approach for DMs is perhaps most visible when it comes to the inclusion of large format Monster Cards, which include an image on the front and stats on the back.
The set also features cards for NPCs and Magic Items that DMs can hand out to players. Here again, the design is absolutely brilliant, with incredible art and succinct and easy to read gameplay components. Veteran DMs who cut their teeth having to constantly flip through the Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual will no doubt appreciate just how seamless the experience really is.

The board game like feel also applies to the maps. Here again, the artwork and design is a thing of pure beauty. There are nine maps in total, five of which are full sized poster maps and four of which are half that size. They cover everything from caverns to wilderness and a sprawling keep. All are incredibly well done and again, really do a great job of bringing the world of DnD to life in a tactical and visual way.
Theatre of the Mind might be an option for more experience DnD players, but for first timers trying to keep track of rules, their character and everything else in the game, having an actual visual guide to combat and exploration is a fantastic approach and is something we haven’t really seen at with past DnD Starter Sets, where maps were few and far between.

Heroes of the Borderlands includes a ton of cardboard tokens that can be used to track players, monsters, traps, terrain and magic items during a battle. Again, it’s a very tactile and board game like experience and there’s a ton of utility to be had from these simple yet effective tokens. And while it might have be nice to have a little variation between some of the monsters, the art is absolutely top notch and you can easily repurpose these tokens for future adventures.
The set also comes with a variety of NPC cards. These too really bring the game to life, allowing you to show what major characters look like at the table. It’s a minor touch, but one that goes a long way in establishing immersion for players.
Speaking of which, the set also includes five player handouts (which feature everything from a hand written letter to a tavern menu) all of which are beautifully designed and help make the world feel real to players.

In terms of the adventure itself, the three booklets are based loosely on the classic 1979 DnD adventure module B2: Keep on the Borderlands. Each of the booklets can be played in any order, and they feature in-depth commentary and callouts that are designed to walk DMs through the basics of running a game. In addition, each booklet explores one of the three pillars of DnD. Keep on the Borderlands, for example, is all about roleplaying and social encounters. Caves of Chaos is focused largely on combat. And finally, Wilderness is driven primarily by exploration. It’s a smart way to guide players through the basics of what makes a great adventure.
One thing to note is that there isn’t really much of a story when it comes to the adventures. The books are really more about showcasing how the rules and game world interact. And while you could theoretically string them together to make a kind of mini campaigns, that’s not really the objective of the booklets. Instead, they’re really a practical guide to get DMs up and running and mastering the basics.
That being said, while there isn’t the kind of narrative connective tissue you’d find in an existing DnD campaign book, the sheer amount of content is impressive. The Wilderness book for example (which the set recommends DMs start with) includes 4 adventures, while Caves of Chaos features 11 dungeons and Keep on the Borderlands offers up 13 different questions. Collectively, you could easily spend at least 40 to 50 hours running everything, which is a massive amount of bang for your buck.

When was the “Heroes of the Borderlands” DnD Starter Set released?
The new DnD Starter is scheduled for release on September 16th, 2025. Players who pre-ordered on D&D Beyond or from local game stores participating in the early access program however, were able to get their hands on the box set on September 10th, 2025.
The set is expected to have a fairly wide release, so in addition to the usual locations, expect to see it at book stores and other major retailers.

How much is the new “Heroes of the Borderlands” DnD Starter Set?
The new DnD starter set retails for $49.99 USD (notably, 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). On D&D Beyond you can also purchase the “Ultimate Bundle” for $54.99 USD, which contains both the physical and digital version of the product, including 19 quick play digital maps and a set of new “Keep on the Borderlands” digital dice. The digital only version is also available on D&D Beyond for $14.99 USD.
This price point might throw off some people looking to pick this up as a gift for new players, but the extra value you’re getting in terms of components and content is well worth it.

What other tie-in products will be available?
There aren’t a ton of tie-in products to the new Starter Set, which is a bit surprisng. The usual suspects like WizKids, for example, have not released any tie-in figures and there isn’t any alternate covers or high end versions of the set like we sometimes see from Beadle & Grimm’s (as an aside, this entire product kind of feels like a B&G set).
That being said, there is a digital VTT version of the set featured on Roll20 which allows you to run all of the standard adventure materials found in the three booklets.

How does “Heroes of the Borderlands” compare to previous DnD Starter Sets?
Over the past decade, Wizards of the Coast has released several starter sets for the fifth edition of Dungeons & Dragons that are meant to provide players with a basic rules framework, introductory adventures and dice. This includes the following three products:
- Starter Set (2014): This DnD box set was released several months before the official DnD 5e Player’s Handbook was published. It included a 32-page rulebook, along with a set of dice and five pre-generated characters. It also included a 64-page adventure module known as The Lost Mine of Phandelver, which is set in the Forgotten Realms and takes players from Levels 1 to 5. Notably, the popular adventure would later be updated and expanded in the Phandelver & Below: The Shattered Obelisk campaign in late 2023.
- Essentials Kit (2019): This is basically an enhanced version of the 2014 DnD 5e Starter Set and contains a 64-page rulebook, dice, character sheets, 81 game cards and the adventure Dragon of Icespire Peak, which is designed to take players from Levels 1 to 6. The box set also included a code that unlocked additional digital-only adventures on D&D Beyond which continued the campaign narrative. These included the adventure Storm Lord’s Wrath (for Levels 7–9), Sleeping Dragon’s Wake (for Levels 9–11), and Divine Contention (for Levels 11–13).
- Starter Set (2022): This box set includes five pre-generated character sheets, a rulebook, dice and the introductory adventure Dragons of Stormwreck Isle, which is designed to take characters from Levels 1 to 3, and takes place on a remote island off the Sword Coast in the Forgotten Realms.
While all of these are fantastic options (although sadly most are out of print), none of them have the amount of content that Heroes of the Borderlands has in terms of adventure content, game components and new player onboarding materials.

What is the original “Keep on the Borderlands” adventure?
B2: The Keep on the Borderlands is a classic Dungeons & Dragons adventure module first published in 1979 by TSR. It was written by DnD co-creator Gary Gygax and designed to be an introductory adventure for both new players and Dungeon Masters. Over the years the module has become incredibly poplar in large part due to its straightforward, beginner-friendly design and flexibility. Notably, The Keep on the Borderlands has also seen multiple reprints and adaptations since it was first published, including an updated DnD 5e version from Goodman Games known as Into the Borderlands and Raging Swan’s Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands.
The original 1979 adventure is set in a remote wilderness area known as the Borderlands. The players begin their journey at the Keep, a small fortress that serves as a bastion of safety and a base of operations for their exploration. The primary objective is to investigate and neutralize the various threats emanating from the Caves of Chaos, a network of caverns that itself has become a classic setting itself over the years. The caves are inhabited by a variety of monstrous creatures, including goblins, orcs and other classic DnD monsters. The module emphasizes exploration, combat and problem-solving, offering a variety of challenges that can be approached by players in multiple ways.

Is the new DnD Starter Set worth picking up?
If you’re thinking of picking up Heroes of the Borderlands there are a few things you might want to consider.
Pros
- Board Game–Like Accessibility: While experienced DnD players might turn their nose up at the approach the new set takes, the use of Class Boards, cards, tokens and maps makes the game feel tactile and approachable, helping new players and DMs understand the mechanics without being overwhelmed by complicated character sheets or rulebooks.
- High-Quality Components and Art: From the monster and NPC cards to the beautifully designed maps, the visuals and layout are a thing of beauty and make gameplay smoother while also adding a ton of immersion for players.
- Massive Replay Value and Content: With 40–50 hours of adventuring material, including three adventure booklets covering combat, roleplay and exploration, the set provides far more content than we’ve seen previous sets, including impressive campaign options Lost Mine of Phandelver and Stormwreck Isle.
- Smooth Onboarding for New DMs: Tools like the combat tracker, pre-written NPC cards and “On Your Turn” player aids significantly reduce the prep burden and intimidation factor for first-time Dungeon Masters who might be worried about remembering rules or running the game.

Cons
- Limited Class Options: The Class Boards only cover the Fighter, Rogue, Wizard and Cleric, leaving out six other core classes from the DnD 2024 rules (the Bard, Paladin, Ranger, Sorcerer, Warlock and Monk). As a result, it feels like in many ways a big part of the game is missing.
- Low-Level Ceiling: The system only supports characters up to Level 3, which means new players who enjoy the experience will need to buy additional books (like the 2024 Player’s Handbook) if they want to continue their campaign. The Class Cards and component also would be difficult (if not impossible) to repurpose for higher Tiers of Play.
- High Price Point Compared to Older Sets: At $49.99 USD, it’s more than double the price of earlier starter sets, which could deter casual buyers, parents or existing fans looking for an entry-level product.
- Less Appeal for Experienced Players: While there’s plenty to love here for new players, if you’re an experienced DnD player you’re probably not going to get as much value or use out of the set (unless of course, you’re planning on using it to introduce new players to the game). There also isn’t the kind of narrative meat that you’ll find in previous DnD Starter Sets, with the content focusing more on instruction than story.

Final Thoughts & Review Score
The Starter Set has been a mainstay of DnD for years and an important way to bring new players into the game, so there’s a lot of riding on the success of Heroes of the Borderlands. With that in mind, Wizards of the Coast has absolutely scored a critical hit with this one and it’s not hyperbole to say that it’s easily the best DnD Starter Set ever made.
With it’s novel board-game like approach, incredible art and design, and intuitive user experience that embraces the new DnD 2024 rules, it’s a major milestone for the game and a perfect introductory experience that’s ideal for new players, younger players or older fans who might have played the game in a few years. In short: Heroes of the Borderlands is the ultimate gateway into modern DnD.
Final Review Score: 19 out of 20

You can pick up your copy of the Heroes of the Borderlands starter set now from your local game store, D&D Beyond and Amazon.
Below is also a teaser trailer from the official Dungeons & Dragons YouTube channel offering more info on what’s included.
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