Critical Role campaign four

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Critical Role campaign four
Starring
No. of episodes2
Release
Original network
Original releaseOctober 2, 2025 (2025-10-02) –
present
Season chronology
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Campaign three
List of episodes

The fourth campaign of the Dungeons & Dragons web series Critical Role premiered on October 2, 2025. Brennan Lee Mulligan is taking over Dungeon Master duties from Matthew Mercer, [1] while Mercer switches to a player-role. [2] [3] With the cast expanding to thirteen players, Mulligan will run the campaign in a West Marches format across three initial player groups – the Soldiers, the Seekers, and the Schemers – after a four episode overture with the full cast. [4] [5] [6] Rather than the Exandria setting used in the previous three campaigns, the campaign is set in the new world of Aramán where the characters' intertwined stories explore a fractured world shaped by the death of gods and the aftermath of rebellion. [1] [7]

Contents

Cast

Main

Production and format

Casting

Brennan Lee Mulligan (on Zoom 2021) 02.jpg
Brennan Lee Mulligan, the series' new Dungeon Master
Matthew Mercer at Wembley.jpg
Matthew Mercer, Dungeon Master of campaigns 1‒3

The casting of Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Game Master for campaign four was announced during the August 2, 2025 live show in Indiana and a press release from the studio, Critical Role Productions. Matthew Mercer was the Dungeon Master for the first three campaigns; [10] [11] [12] however, for the fourth campaign, Mercer will appear in a player-role. [2] [3] [13] Rolling Stone stated that "the inclusion of Mulligan is huge, but not entirely surprising" given Mulligan's background as "a well-established Game Master" who created the "titanic success" Dimension 20 along with previous comments made by Mercer on eventually shifting "into a 'Professor X' role as a mentor to the next generation of storytellers rather than remaining the face of the brand in perpetuity". [10]

Game system

Critical Role is an actual play which uses a tabletop role-playing game system. [14] [15] Cheryl Teh of Business Insider noted that the initial announcement of the fourth campaign did not reveal which game system the campaign will use and further highlighted that Critical Role's tabletop game imprint Darrington Press had just released their own tabletop role-playing game, Daggerheart . [14] Then in a August 21, 2025 press release, Critical Role released the cast and campaign structure for the fourth campaign which included the announcement that the campaign would be using the 2024 revision to the 5th Edition ruleset of Dungeons & Dragons . [6] The campaign will also feature homebrew design contributions by Jeremy Crawford and Chris Perkins. [4]

After the opening four sessions of the campaign, Mulligan will split the players into three initial groups: the Soldiers, the Seekers, and the Schemers. [6] [4] [16] The campaign will then continue in a West Marches-style structure, where the actions of one group of players can impact on the shared narrative—potentially having implications for the other groups. [4] [5]

Broadcast

The fourth campaign premiered on October 2, 2025. [1] It will then air weekly each Thursday at 7 p.m. PT. It will be broadcast on Critical Role's Twitch and YouTube channels as well as on the studio's streaming service Beacon. [17] [18] The public VOD will be available the Monday after each episode "and podcast episodes will drop in two parts: the first one the week after the premiere, and the second on the following Tuesday". [1] Additionally, an immediate aftershow with the table cast – Critical Role Cooldown – airs exclusively on Beacon after the release of each episode. [19] [20]

Setting

The fourth campaign steps away from Mercer's Exandria – the world setting used in the first three campaigns and the Exandria Unlimited anthology web series. [1] In August 2025, the name of the new world was teased through an augmented reality game (ARG). [21] Aramán was then confirmed as the name of the new setting on August 21. [4] Mulligan, the new setting's creator, described it as a "love letter to Exandria". [22] Following the release of the campaign's first episode, Mulligan explained that rather than doing a monologue establishing the lore of Aramán, he took inspiration from the start of The Wire (2002), one of his favorite television shows. Mulligan commented that on "the first watch-through of [The Wire], you're watching the first four episodes and you're like, 'Huh?! What?! What?!' And then you're like, 'This is fucking awesome". [20]

Seventy years before the start of the campaign, the people of Aramán killed the world's gods. [23] Mulligan noted that this revolution occurred due to the orcs rising "up against their oppressor", the god of war and suffering, which led to a wider war between the gods and mortals. [22] He explained that the gods of Aramán decide to aid their fellow god against the orcs, prompting dwarves, elves, and humans to question why they should "save the god of war and suffering". [22] Mulligan framed the conflict as "a story of class solidarity", in which the gods "would rather protect one of their own than save their followers". [22] While the war ended with the gods defeated, Mulligan highlighted that while this leaves mortals "at the helm of their own destiny", they are still faced with challenges even without the divine. [22] At the campaign's outset, the land of Aramán is still dealing with the long-term consequences of the war with the gods and the Falconer's Rebellion, a secondary conflict between the noble houses and the wider population that happened twelve years previously. [23] [7] [24] It begins in the city of Dol-Makjar and initially focuses on the execution of Thjazi Fang, a hero of the Falconer's Rebellion, whose death brings together the player characters in a quest to unravel the conspiracy behind his execution. [7] [24] [25]

Episodes

2025

List of episodes in 2025
EpisodeTitleRun timeOriginal release date  [26] Notes
1"The Fall of Thjazi Fang"04:27:48October 2, 2025 (2025-10-02)Overture episode with full cast [6]
The former companions of rebel leader and war hero Thjazi Fang gather in the city of Dol-Makjar to mourn his death when he is executed for sedition. They try to understand why their plans to free him failed at the last minute. Those returning to the city are disturbed to find that politics between the noble houses have reshaped the city into something unrecognizable. When they discover that Thjazi's closest companion, the pixie Thimble, was attacked and the Stone of Nightsong – a relic that enables elvenkind to bypass the realms of the dead and enter their afterlife directly – was stolen from Thjazi's safe house, they realize that Thjazi's execution was part of a wider conspiracy. They suspect the involvement of the Crow Keepers thieves guild. The funeral is interrupted by Vaelus, a follower of one of the dead gods of Aramán. She accuses Thjazi of being a thief and demands that the Stone of Nightsong is returned to her.
2"Broken Wing"TBAOctober 9, 2025 (2025-10-09)Overture episode with full cast [6]
Hal and Vaelus come to a truce as the investigation into Thjazi's death begins. Bolarie and Murray study a box acquired for Thjazi by Thaisha and learn that it is the coffin of a psychopomp of celestial origin. In the wake of the gods' deaths, all celestials went feral and had to be killed for the safety of mortals. Teor approaches House Halovar searching for information under the guise of seeking employment, but its matriarch Yanessa discerns his ulterior motives. Azune learns that the Sundered Houses have taken control over the Revolutionary Guard and the Penteveral, the arcane college. Julien is warned that House Tachonis is searching for Occtis because of his role in Thjazi's failed rescue and is instructed to bring him to House Royce before Tachonis find him. Thimble, Kattigan, and Occtis go to a tavern operated by the Crow Keepers to search for Casimir, a former Torn Banner mercenary, current member of the Crow Keepers, and missing participant in the rescue plan. Wick learns that House Halovar has been harvesting the blood of a celestial they have imprisoned to empower the Candescent Creed.
3TBATBAOctober 16, 2025 (2025-10-16)Overture episode with full cast [6]
4TBATBAOctober 23, 2025 (2025-10-23)Overture episode with full cast [6]

Reception

Pre-release

On the announcement of the new campaign with a new game master, Kenneth Shepard of Kotaku highlighted that "Mulligan was broadly welcomed with open arms, but many Critical Role fans noted they were sad to see Mercer step down from the GM role, even if he will be a part of the campaign as a player". [27] Dais Johnston of Inverse noted that after a decade and with additional "projects in development", it was understandable that the Critical Role cast might "want to shake things up" or reduce their involvement, though doing so altered a "formula" that had repeatedly proven successful. [28] Aimee Hart of Polygon highlighted Mercer's previous "passing the torch" comments and noted that "stepping back to let new people into the limelight always comes with its fair share of risks, particularly for a company like Critical Role, whose fame, while it cannot be pinpointed to a single thing, was certainly helped by the electric chemistry these friends have with one another". [29] She noted that the original cast has "remained a focal selling point for viewers", even when the show has included guests, due to their non-manufactured "relatability". [29] However, Hart also felt it was "becoming clear" that Critical Role was more of a business than a "web series between friends" at this point and that "Critical Role has long outgrown its indie-like roots, especially with its fingers in pies like Amazon and AdHoc Studios. The only difference is that as time goes on, it's become impossible to ignore that Critical Role will, one day, outgrow its creators too". [29]

Shepard also highlighted the additional surprise of a new setting for the campaign – "while diehards are mourning a fantasy setting they've been invested in for a decade along with Mercer's shift out of the GM's chair, this likely will make Campaign IV a better entry point for newcomers, as they won't have to catch up on years of lore to jump in and watch". [27] Johnston similarly remarked that the campaign four changes "could be the shot in the arm the franchise needs to attract new fans daunted by the sheer quantity of episodes to catch up with, or it could mean failing to recapture the magic that happened on Twitch in 2015". [28] Following the cast announcement, Jack Filsinger of TheGamer noted that Critical Role's Campaign 3 "already loosely dipped its toe into the idea of running concurrent tables after the Apogee Solstice arc was introduced, to much success". [30] Filsinger praised the choice of a West Marches-style structure, commenting that it "not only meets the utilitarian needs of a franchise this big" but also "matches styles of fantasy storytelling that audiences are most used to". [30] Francesco Cacciatore of Polygon highlighted how players typically discover a setting in a West Marches-style game, commenting that both the Critical Role players and their audience should uncover the setting of Aramàn together as the world itself will "grow and take shape" due to player "discoveries and their choices will create that kind of magical storytelling that Critical Role fans crave". [5] He noted that with a West Marches-style, the "actions and discoveries" of the three groups "should have an impact on the other tables, creating the feeling of a world that is changing in real time". [5]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maas, Jennifer (August 2, 2025). "Critical Role Sets Brennan Lee Mulligan as Game Master for Next Core Campaign as He Signs New Three-Year Deal With Dropout (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on August 2, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Critical Role Direct: Campaign 4 Announcement (YouTube). Critical Role. August 2, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Reboe, Dana (August 7, 2025). "Critical Role's Campaign 4 Is Coming. Will It Change the Show Forever?". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 8, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Russell, Mollie (August 21, 2025). "Critical Role campaign 4 chooses DnD over Daggerheart and stars 13 players". Wargamer. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Cacciatore, Francesco (August 22, 2025). "A 'West Marches-style' game could make for Critical Role's most interesting campaign yet". Polygon . Archived from the original on August 22, 2025. Retrieved August 22, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Maas, Jennifer (August 21, 2025). "Critical Role's D&D Campaign 4 Revealed: Brennan Lee Mulligan's New World 'Aramán' and 'West Marches' Twist". Variety. Archived from the original on August 21, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Maas, Jennifer (September 18, 2025). "Critical Role Drops Campaign 4 Trailer: Welcome to Brennan Lee Mulligan's Aramán (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on September 18, 2025. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rusak, Rotem (October 3, 2025). "CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 4: Every New Character & Their Actor". Nerdist . Archived from the original on October 3, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  9. ↑ Rusak, Rotem (October 3, 2025). "Matt Mercer's CRITICAL ROLE CAMPAIGN 4 Character, Julien Davinos, Is a Hater (And We Love It)". Nerdist . Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  10. 1 2 Cruz, Christopher (August 2, 2025). "Critical Role Announces Their Next Campaign With New Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  11. ↑ Russell, Mollie (August 3, 2025). "Critical Role campaign 4 announced, with Brennan Lee Mulligan as DM". Wargamer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ Rusak, Rotem (August 2, 2025). "CRITICAL ROLE Announces Campaign 4 & NEW GM Brennan Lee Mulligan (Matt Mercer 'Takes Breather')". Nerdist . Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  13. ↑ Garrido, Alberto (August 4, 2025). "Critical Role enters a new era with announcement of Campaign 4". Gamereactor UK. Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  14. 1 2 Teh, Cheryl (August 3, 2025). "Critical Role's Matt Mercer is giving up control of a core pillar of the crew's booming business". Business Insider. Archived from the original on August 3, 2025. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
  15. ↑ Friedman, Em (February 18, 2025). "'A New Age Begins' for Critical Role. Let's hope it's one for actual play and TTRPGs, too". Polygon . Archived from the original on September 14, 2025. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  16. ↑ DeArmitt, Grant (August 21, 2025). "Critical Role smashes the mold for Campaign 4, with 3 tables, 13 cast members, and a whole new (non-Exandrian!) setting". Popverse . Archived from the original on August 24, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Campaign 4". Critical Role . September 4, 2025. Archived from the original on September 19, 2025. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  18. ↑ Manchester, Austin (October 2, 2025). "How to watch Critical Role Campaign 4". Polygon . Archived from the original on October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  19. ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (August 21, 2025). "Critical Role Reveals Full Cast & Content Details For Campaign Four". Bleeding Cool . Archived from the original on August 24, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  20. 1 2 Hart, Aimee (October 8, 2025). "Critical Role Campaign 4's puzzling lore was inspired by an iconic TV show". Polygon. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  21. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (August 19, 2025). "Critical Role Teases Campaign 4 World Via ARG". EN World . Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Garber-Paul, Elisabeth (October 2, 2025). "Brennan Lee Mulligan Is Saving the World, One Dungeons and Dragons Game at a Time". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  23. 1 2 Russell, Mollie (September 18, 2025). "New Critical Role campaign 4 trailer sets up an epic DnD storyline". Wargamer . Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  24. 1 2 Randall, Harvey (September 19, 2025). "Critical Role's new D&D campaign trailer has given me unshakable faith that whatever Brennan Lee Mulligan does with his galaxy brain and 13 players is going to be great". PC Gamer . Archived from the original on September 20, 2025. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
  25. ↑ Hart, Aimee (October 3, 2025). "Critical Role campaign 4's lore is a lot to take in: Here's a guide". Polygon. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  26. ↑ "Schedule". Critical Role . Archived from the original on October 2, 2025. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  27. 1 2 Shepard, Kenneth (August 4, 2025). "The Internet Reacts To Critical Role's Big Shakeup". Kotaku . Archived from the original on August 4, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  28. 1 2 Johnston, Dais (August 5, 2025). "The World's Biggest D&D Campaign Is Changing Forever". Inverse . Archived from the original on August 9, 2025. Retrieved August 12, 2025.
  29. 1 2 3 Hart, Aimee (August 4, 2025). "Is Critical Role still Critical Role without Matt Mercer as DM?". Polygon . Archived from the original on August 5, 2025. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
  30. 1 2 Filsinger, Jack (August 21, 2025). "Critical Role Campaign 4 Is Combining A New Cast With An Old School Way To Play DND". TheGamer . Archived from the original on August 23, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
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