Dungeons & Dragons publisher Wizards of the Coast announced during its Gen Con keynote that the classic Dark Sun setting is returning for the game's current 5th edition. Dark Sun, first introduced in the 1990s, depicts a world turned into a hostile desert wasteland by exploitative sorcerer-kings, populated by psychic warriors who fight to survive.
The setting was briefly revived during D&D's 4th edition, but fans have been asking for a 5th edition version for some time. Anticipation grew after Wizards ran public playtests of the psion class, a character class originally created for Dark Sun.
The revival will include two main books: a player-focused rulebook called Blood and Power, which contains the psion class, and a Dungeon Master-focused setting guide called Edge of Oblivion. A special printing of the Player's Handbook featuring Dark Sun's distinctive, gore-heavy artwork is also planned. All three releases are scheduled for next year.
According to PC Gamer, the books will be shrinkwrapped at the insistence of Wizards of the Coast's legal team because they contain mature content, officially rated 18+ for profanity and depiction of bloodshed, nudity, and sexuality.
The announcement was accompanied by an animated reveal trailer described as brutal, suggesting the revived setting retains the same intense tone it had in earlier editions.