Two upcoming DnD books will allow players and DMs alike to explore the Forgotten Realms, but, in contrast to their predecessors, these supplements look poised to move beyond the setting's more tried and tested locales.
Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn and Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn are slated for release in late 2025. The former acts as an expansion for the DnD Player's Handbook, while the latter serves as an expanded Dungeon Master's Guide. Both are slated to provide buckets of additional Forgotten Realms material.
Forgotten Realms: Heroes of Faerûn promises to add eight new DnD subclasses, 18 new DnD backgrounds and 34 new DnD feats, in addition to new spells, items and other goodies. Forgotten Realms: Adventures in Faerûn is similarly generous, containing over 50 adventures, 12 magic items, 37 monsters, and a starter adventure for characters between levels one and three.
Perhaps best of all, Adventures in Faerûn's focus on a range of locations which move beyond more traditional and familiar DnD settings in the Forgotten Realms, such as the cities of Baldur's Gate or Waterdeep. The book covers five settings in total: Baldur's Gate, Calimshan, the Dalelands, the Moonshae Isles, and Icewind Dale. As fans of the Forgotten Realms will tell you, these five locales offer wildly different adventures and adversaries. The urban intrigue of Baldur's Gate is a far cry from the harrowing survival-centric tundra of Icewind Dale, offering some much-needed variety to DnD players and DMs alike.
In light of the competition posed by narrative-driven fantasy TTRPG Daggerheart, DnD is wise to push the boat out in this way. The Forgotten Realms is a massive, sprawling setting full of dark secrets and compelling setpieces. By opting to meaningfully build on an already-expansive setting with these books, DnD is playing to its strengths while also innovating. This fresh approach has certainly piqued my interest - plus the cover has Karlach on it, which is definitely a promising start.
If you're looking for some adventures of your own, feel free to quest on over to the Wargamer community Discord.