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Descent into Avernus is one of the first campaign books for the fifth edition of Dungeons and Dragons. The adventure around a hellish setting and the tragic archangel Zariel was already published in 2019. In the opinion of many D&D fans, there are now more refined modules (e.g., Curse of Strahd). In this experience report, you’ll learn why that is.
Nevertheless, new player groups continue to descend into Avernus, the first layer of Hell, to save Elturel. Elturel is being dragged into the Styx due to a pact, as its inhabitants are meant to serve in the bloody Blood War between demons and devils.
The fallen angel Zariel is responsible for this. Zariel leads the armies of devils and needs fresh recruits.
The players must first find Zariel’s sword, gather allies, and fight monsters before they’re strong enough to confront the army commander of Hell herself and save Elturel from its terrible fate.
Their quest begins in the legendary city Baldur’s Gate. The players have the opportunity to explore the iconic city and only reach Avernus in the later part of the campaign.
During their journey, the players learn more and more about Zariel and her Hellriders, and the background behind the Blood War. All of this takes place in a hellish Mad Max-style setting.
I myself took two years with my group as a player to complete the campaign and want to share my experiences and opinion about the adventure. At this point, a warning: There may be some spoilers in the following section. Anyone who still plans to play the module as a player character should perhaps read one of our other articles.
Descent into Avernus’ Greatest Strength: The Setting
Avernus is, in my opinion, a dystopian campaign. At least it has a dark undertone. Player groups must embrace this, and the Dungeon Master should make extra effort to provide an immersive experience. Especially appropriate music can be a powerful tool for this.
I love the setting of Descent into Avernus! It’s the campaign’s greatest strength in my opinion. The adventure starts in the iconic Baldur’s Gate, which veterans know from countless adventures. I found that exciting, but the second part of the campaign appealed to me much more: Hell. After the party enters Avernus, the adventure really begins. Devils and demons are fighting everywhere, the soul river Styx divides a red dystopian world. The city of Elturel is being pulled into this river by magical chains. Everywhere on the map you can find exciting locations and NPCs who somehow have to survive in this wasteland. Additionally, the player characters can cruise around the area in mechanical war machines à la Mad Max.
All these aspects immediately captivated me and made the adventure lively and cool. I definitely plan to incorporate this setting into my future campaigns.
Fallen Angel Zariel – an exciting but distant BBEG
The star of the module is Zariel herself. She’s also featured on the cover of the book. And Zariel’s story is really great! She was once an angel, but was betrayed and, only to continue doing good, made a pact with Asmodeus to continue living as a devil and fight demons. Throughout the entire adventure, the players are following Zariel’s trail. Because: Zariel is willing to do evil to win her war for good. The end justifies the means for her. This makes her dangerous, especially for the innocent city of Elturel. The inhabitants of Avernus fear her wrath and you can see her fighting on the shores of the Styx. And yet Zariel remains a rather distant villain (BBEG). You see her memories and get insights into Zariel’s life before the fall through the hollyphant Lulu, but you only speak with her yourself at the last moment of the campaign. So in my opinion, a personal relationship is missing for some characters, unless they come from Elturel.
Zariel commands powerful spells, can fly and teleport. What I liked was that Zariel isn’t automatically the final boss of the book. There are multiple ways the players can resolve the conflict with her, and there are different final fights and endings.
Zariel is an angry berserker, but also has a sad and romantic side. Like the players, she’s trapped in Avernus and her appearance has been changed. Almost all of her allies have died or betrayed her. These facets make Zariel a monster with an understandable and exciting character. She remains a kind of monster nonetheless.
The Descent into Avernus Campaign
The adventure was well-liked by me and my role-playing group. It offers an exciting story, diverse locations, and interesting NPCs. Above all, it provides a good reason to go into battle against the BBEG. Because it drags a city full of innocents into the Styx.
What I liked about the book was that the players could drive around freely in Avernus. I also liked the consequences that player characters had from their stay in Hell and the horrors they experienced. Some player characters were frightened, others depressive or disfigured. This gave the campaign a dark undertone that worked very well. From the beginning, it was clear what the players’ goal was and how to achieve it. To save Elturel, the players must persuade Zariel, and for that they need allies and the sword. Therefore, the campaign’s premise is quite simple and we players always had an idea of what to do next.
However, Descent into Avernus has weaknesses with the quests. Often they’re just assignments to go to a location and speak with specific NPCs. The conflict resolutions are almost always combat. Here, the newer modules are usually stronger. Quests are more diverse, there are more puzzles and role-playing opportunities.
Final Tips for Descent into Avernus
- Do a Session Zero so that no one feels uncomfortable with any content.
- Include all the dark ideas you have. Hell is cruel and deadly and should feel that way too. Steal from your favorite movies! But be careful not to cross any boundaries. There are things that have no place in D&D despite all the horror.
- Don’t be afraid to make deals or stray from the morally correct path. Avernus changes the characters. No hero can go through such an experience unscathed.
- Atmosphere is important.
- For DMs: Feel free to give Zariel more screen time. Is the final boss present and do the players have a closer relationship with her and her fate.
- For DMs: Be open to things that aren’t in the book. If players have cool ideas, let them try them. Being a DM always means improvising too.
Descent into Avernus – My Conclusion
Descent into Avernus entertained and captivated our role-playing group for two years. The story about Zariel and the Blood War is exciting and tragic. The setting is really awesome. For player groups who want to dive into Hell, maybe even after a TPK, it’s a great campaign that the DM can still enhance considerably. For players looking for the technically best D&D module, there are several stronger candidates. Nevertheless, I can recommend the experience and would always dive into Hell again to change the Blood War forever. Special thanks go to my DM Marcel, who took the trouble for two years to prepare sessions and provide us with a great gaming experience. Thanks!
If you need more information, also read Marcel’s review of Descent into Avernus. He evaluates the adventure from the Dungeon Master’s perspective.
If you now want to get Descent into Avernus for your group, you can find an English and a German version.
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