D&D's Dark Sun Is Back With a Brutal and Bloody 18+ Rating
Article Summary
- Wizards of the Coast confirmed that Dark Sun is officially returning, with new content for D&D 5.5E.
- It will be D&D's first mature-rated (18+) setting, as it contains violence, nudity and profanity.
- The release includes five products totalling 500 pages: a setting expansion (Edge of Oblivion), gameplay expansion (Blood and Power), map pack, DM Screen and a limited edition reprint of the 2024 Player's Handbook with new art.
- Dark Sun anchors the new Season of Survival, which kicks off in February 2027.
What is Dark Sun?
Dark Sun is a Dungeons & Dragons setting that takes place on the planet Athas, a once green and verdant paradise that has been reduced to a barren wasteland in the wake of a magical apocalypse. The survivors – composed of the traditional D&D races of elves, dwarves, halflings and humans, along with several other species such as Thri-Kreens and Muls – now struggle to survive the inhospitable environment and the tyrannical rule of a group of warring city states.
Why is the new Dark Sun material mature-rated for 18+?
Wizards of the Coast confirmed Dark Sun is being developed as D&D's first mature-rated (18+) setting, going so far as to say their legal department required a shrink-wrap and an on-package warning label. According to the team, the books will include "profanity and depictions of bloodshed, nudity and sexuality," a notable departure from the otherwise family-friendly tone D&D has been going for in recent years. The Wizards of the Coast team was also explicit that Dark Sun is leaning heavily into its brutal themes, rather than high fantasy. During the pre-Gen Con press conference, D&D Executive Producer Greg Bilsland noted that "This isn't the world that you save, it's a world you survive."