Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is due to release sometime in 2021, but obviously there's still some time in between now and whenever that date falls. During that time, excited fans don't have to just sit on their thumbs waiting; instead, why not start up a Dungeons and Dragons campaign as a sort of introduction to Dark Alliance?
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is set in the DnD world of Faerun, taking place specifically in the Icewind Dale region of that continent. Thus, there are a few adventure books for Dungeons and Dragons that would make great precursors to the new Dark Alliance video game.
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It's all in the name: for a perfect introduction to Icewind Dale, players can try out one of the more recently released Dungeons and Dragons adventure books, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden. Through the adventure, players can explore the Icewind Dale region, including Ten-Towns, the allied settlements that are established in the region.
Rime of the Frostmaiden itself is quite the adventure; it's interestingly horror-themed, as the Ten-Towns and Icewind Dale region is known to have many bone-chilling legends attached, and this particular story deals with the goddess Auril, the Frostmaiden, Queen of Air and Darkness. The adventure brings players from level 1 to level 12, and it'll see them mounting glaciers, exploring the Caves of Hunger, and possibly even facing a goddess herself.
Storm King's Thunder has less to do with Icewind Dale specifically, but there are still parts of the adventure that take place in that region - specifically, the town of Bryn Shander, which is close to Ten-Towns. The adventure itself involves giants of all kinds, as their sacred ordering is shattered and chaos begins to consume the realms; each giant kingdom vies for dominance over the others. It's up to players to unearth the source of the chaos, and put a stop to the destruction for good. It's a Dungeons and Dragons adventure for levels 1 through 10, through which players will race to gather ancient relics, parlay with giants, and strive to end the giants' war before it consumes the realm.
As many are already aware, one of the player characters for Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is none other than Drizzt Do'Urden himself, a famed drow adventurer with his own series of books written by R.A. Salvatore. And though Drizzt himself is not present in Out of the Abyss, players who try it out can get a taste of the culture into which Drizzt was born, and the culture that he spurned for a life of goodness and heroism on the surface.
Out of the Abyss takes the fight into the heart of the Underdark, the hostile land underneath the Forgotten Realms where most drow elves reside, alongside many other dark and horrendous creatures. Players can even pass through Menzoberranzan, one of the biggest drow cities and former home of Drizzt. Out of the Abyss itself is a sprawling adventure that takes players from level 1 to level 15, leading players through the labyrinthian caves of the Underdark.
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Speaking of Drizzt, his weapons are nearly as famous as he is: Icingdeath and Twinkle, his two scimitars. And funny enough Icingdeath and Twinkle are referenced in Divine Contention, another Dungeons and Dragons adventure. It's one of the follow-up adventures to Dragon of Icespire Peak. In that respect, players actually have quite a bit of content if they wish, since the whole series actually includes Dragon of Icespire Peak, Sleeping Dragon's Wake, Storm Lord's Wrath, and Divine Contention.
Divine Contention is for levels 11 to 13, set in the Sword Coast town of Leilon and beyond.
Then again, players don't have to pick up a pre-written adventure book at all. For those who like to go off-script, the Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide allows players to craft their own adventures across the Sword Coast of Faerun. Since the Sword Coast extends from below Baldur's Gate all the way up through Icewind Dale, players can have their own northern adventures in the land where Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance is set, or otherwise prepare to enjoy Dark Alliance when it does finally release.
Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance releases in 2021 for PC and consoles.
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