Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep Review: Is This the Right Campaign for Your Group?
Call of the Netherdeep gives the party something more interesting than a recurring villain: another adventuring group that might become friends, competitors, or enemies. The rivals pursue the same unfolding mystery and develop alongside the player characters. That relationship is the campaign's clearest reason to choose it.
The adventure runs from levels 3–13 in Exandria, beginning in Jigow, crossing Xhorhas through Bazzoxan, and reaching Ank'Harel and the depths beneath it. You do not need to reproduce a Critical Role performance to use it. You do need players interested in relationships and a DM willing to keep several recurring NPCs distinct.
Alyxian gives the journey an emotional center
The central mystery concerns Alyxian, a forgotten hero of the Calamity whose suffering reaches into the present. Strange visions and the dangerous substance ruidium connect the current adventure to that older tragedy.
That premise makes empathy as relevant as discovery. The players are investigating a person and a legacy rather than simply collecting the location of an evil artifact. I would choose this campaign for a group willing to consider what a wounded historical figure might need, while still enjoying dangerous locations and combat.
The review does not need to reveal the ending to explain the appeal. Ask whether your players enjoy reconsidering their first interpretation of someone. If they prefer a straightforward enemy whose defeat resolves the story, this campaign's emotional questions may feel like work.
The rival party is the main preparation commitment
Ayo Jabe leads a group that includes Dermot Wurder, Maggie Keeneyes, Galsariad Ardyth, and Irvan Wastewalker. Their individual personalities matter because a relationship with “the rivals” can otherwise become one repeated argument delivered by five interchangeable faces.
Keep a short relationship note for each: a recent interaction, what they currently believe about the party, and what they want next. Update it after major scenes. This is preparation advice, not an additional rule system supplied by the book.
Avoid treating them as the DM's preferred protagonists. They should respond to events, create pressure, and have their own interests. If they consistently arrive with the correct answer or win every comparison, rivalry becomes a reminder that the players are secondary.
The settings change the kind of adventure
Jigow's competitive festival offers a social introduction before the campaign expands. Bazzoxan brings the characters closer to dangerous ruins and a world scarred by earlier conflict. Ank'Harel opens possibilities around urban factions, expeditions, and competing institutions.
The submerged locations add another preparation layer. Review underwater movement, visibility, and the relevant abilities before running those scenes. Players need an understandable environment before they can make meaningful plans within it.
I like that progression as a campaign proposition: familiar contests and encounters develop into a much stranger investigation. Its challenge is continuity. Keep the rivals and central mystery present as the scenery changes, rather than allowing the journey to feel like several unrelated adventures.
Prepare characters who want to follow the question
Ask each player for a reason to investigate an old tragedy or respond to a plea for help. They do not all need the same motivation. Curiosity, responsibility, ambition, and loyalty can coexist, provided they give the group a reason to continue together.
For an existing party, connect the opening to something already important. A familiar contact attending the festival or an interest in historical relics can help. Check the level and rules expectations; this is a 2014-era fifth-edition adventure, so a revised-rules table should settle its reference choices consistently.
Is this the right campaign?
I would shortlist it for players who enjoy recurring NPCs, changing allegiances, and a mystery with personal stakes. Its rival party is a distinctive strength if the table wants that kind of interaction.
I would choose another adventure for a group mainly seeking an open wilderness sandbox or uncomplicated dungeon expeditions. Call of the Netherdeep asks the table to care about the people behind its dangers. That is an excellent foundation when everyone wants it, and the most useful thing to establish before buying.
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