During 2021's D&D Celebration online event, Wizards of the Coast announced their plans to revisit two campaign settings featured in previous editions of Dungeons & Dragons in 2022. Late last month, Wizards of the Coast fulfilled the first half of that promise by announcing Spelljammer: Adventures in Space. This is a Fifth Edition-compatible reimagining of the beloved sci-fi fantasy setting of the same name that was first introduced in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition.

While Wizards of the Coast has not yet announced the second of the two classic settings that they plan to incorporate into 5e this year, eager D&D fans have already begun speculating. One of the most popular candidates is Dark Sun, another unorthodox setting introduced in 2e. Combining sword-and-sorcery fantasy with post-apocalyptic dystopia, Dark Sun would make an excellent addition to the ever-expanding roster of officially-licensed D&D 5e settings.

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Like Spelljammer, Dark Sun is a radical departure from the traditional Tolkien-inspired high fantasy settings to which most D&D fans are accustomed. Set on the planet Athas, a once-peaceful world devastated by the discovery and reckless weaponization of magic, Dark Sun swaps out fields and forests for desolate deserts littered with dystopian city-states and long-deserted ruins. Life is a day-to-day struggle for survival on Athas, and those who dare raise their arms to fight for a better future are usually killed or enslaved by the draconic Sorcerer-Kings who rule over what little remains of civilization.

Although Dark Sun is easily one of the darkest settings in the history of D&D, it's also one of the most creative and unique. While Athas is inhabited by many of D&D's established playable races like elves, dwarves and halflings, its harsh ecosystem has caused many of them to undergo drastic changes, giving Wizards of the Coast the opportunity to create new sub-races or alter pre-existing racial abilities. Athas is also home to several native races found nowhere else in the D&D multiverse, and the inclusion of the Far Realms-dwelling Maenads or the Pteranodon-like Pterrans could allow players to experiment with exciting new playable races.

Athas is home to many unique creatures and beings against which Dungeon Masters could pit their players. The desolate sea of sand that cakes Athas' surface is home to terrifying monsters that the DM could throw at the party at any point during their travels, and its few cities are inhabited by desperate survivors who are as likely to ally with the party as they are to betray them. With their tyrannical dispositions and immense magical power, the Sorcerer-Kings could serve as excellent overarching campaign villains, and the secretive order of mystically-gifted demigods known as the Pyreen could act as an interesting ally, or obstacle, for players looking to unravel the many mysteries of Athas' past.

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Dark Sun D&D

The element that truly separates Dark Sun from other D&D settings is the prevalence of psionics. Due to the absence of any true gods or goddesses, Divine Magic is hard to come by on Athas. While Arcane Magic is a bit more common, its practitioners are universally reviled due to its role in the devastation of the world. In contrast, psionic abilities are both common and widely accepted, with almost every living being on Athas possessing at least some degree of inborn talent with psionics.

While the ability to use psionics has been a prominent feature in every edition of D&D that followed 2e, 5e initially didn't offer any official way to play a psychic character. However, psionics eventually made their way into 5e through Unearthed Arcana, which introduced several psionics-themed subclasses that were made official in 2020 through their inclusion in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Since their inception, the Psi-Warrior Fighter, Soulknife Rogue, and Aberrant Mind Sorcerer have become some of the most commonly-played builds of their respective classes, and incorporating Dark Suns into 5e could give Wizards of the Coast a chance to fine-tune psionics by introducing psionic-themed subclasses for other classes.

With a uniquely oppressive setting that could serve as the backdrop of an inspiring tale of revolution sure to satisfy new and veteran players alike, Dark Sun has the unique ability to appeal to the core experience of D&D while introducing new elements that expand its established gameplay mechanics in bold ways. With Spelljammers: Adventures in Space generating immense excitement among D&D fans, now is the perfect time to introduce the world of Athas to a new generation of players.