D&D’s Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set Cuts the Math and Packs Gorgeous Props — $49.99 on Sept. 16
Wizards of the Coast is releasing the Heroes of the Borderlands starter set on Sept. 16. The box repackages Gary Gygax’s 1979 module The Keep on the Borderlands with updated D&D 2024 rules and a range of physical components designed to simplify play and character setup.
- What’s included in the set
- How the rules are simplified for new players
- Maps, tokens and NPC cards
- Contents of the adventure and DM notes
- Price, release date and buying options
What’s in the box
The starter set lets players choose class, species and background instead of providing only pregenerated sheets. Each of D&D’s four classic classes has a dedicated playmat that lists ability modifiers, saving throws, skills, attacks, hit points and initiative, plus explanations of key class features. Also, the set includes a deck of spell cards for spellcasters and a variety of tokens for tracking resources.
Physical components
Components listed for the set include:
- Seven double-sided maps (including the Keep and the Caves of Chaos)
- Monster, player, trap and treasure tokens
- Character cards for keep NPCs with art, roleplaying notes and rumors
- Hit point and gold-piece tokens
- Power tokens to represent limited resources (for example: spell slots, second wind)
How the rules are simplified
Heroes of the Borderlands adapts the D&D 2024 ruleset in several concrete ways to speed up setup and play. First, ability score bonuses that in the 2024 rules are tied to background are not enforced here; instead, the set provides suggested species/background combinations but does not require optimization. This lets players pick a combination without adjusting numbers.
Second, the set simplifies the weapon mastery rules. Rather than requiring fighters and rogues to pick specific weapon masteries and track progression and swaps, the starter set grants mastery with whatever the character is wielding at the time. This removes the need to track mastery choices and waiting periods for weapon effects to fully apply.
Third, limited resources are tracked with a unified system: *power tokens*. These tokens cover spell slots and class features that recharge on short or long rests. Meanwhile, spellcasters retain a deck of spell cards to show available spells.
Maps, NPCs and adventure structure
Maps include a detailed layout of the Keep on the Borderlands, the Caves of Chaos and several wilderness/dungeon maps that can be reused for other sessions. NPCs in the keep are given names, images and roleplaying prompts, and they can provide rumors about the keep and nearby areas.
Adventure content and DM guidance
The set contains a sandbox-style campaign with the keep as a hub and a series of encounters in the surrounding wilderness and the Caves of Chaos. Encounters range from simple combats to roleplay vignettes. The keep offers small quests such as retrieving lost animals and local chores, and it includes rumors and NPC tasks intended to introduce players to exploration and downtime.
However, the published material keeps many connections between locations minimal. For example, the Caves of Chaos can contain a captive dwarf and cult activity; the keep has NPCs and rumors, but the book provides limited guidance on linking those elements into longer plot threads. Also, the original 1979 module featured a priest who could join and then betray the party; the new set does not reproduce that exact plot beat.
Pricing, release and purchase options
Heroes of the Borderlands is priced at $49.99 for the physical starter set. A digital version is listed at $14.99, and a combined physical plus digital bundle is offered for $54.99. The set is available for preorder through D&D Beyond.
Preorder and purchasing details are available on the D&D Beyond marketplace at Heroes of the Borderlands on D&D Beyond. The set’s release date is Sept. 16.
