Now that it's officially released, many D&D fans are getting to try out Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance for themselves. Taking place in Icewind Dale, one of the most iconic settings from the Forgotten Realms, Dark Alliance lets players encounter some of the big names associated with the tabletop RPG's history and lore.
With a story written by R.A. Salvatore, Dark Alliance has events and characters from the popular Legend of Drizzt novels, including Drizzt Do'Urden himself. Bruenor Battlehammer, Catti-Brie, and Wulfgar are also playable characters, and the story follows Salvatore's first Icewind Dale novel, The Crystal Shard. Because of this, some of the more recognizable names and villains from past D&D modules and books are found or referenced in-game. Here are some of the biggest bosses players can take on in Dark Alliance.
The Crystal Shard is huge plot device in Dark Alliance, serving as a MacGuffin that many characters are after at the same time. Because of this, many of the villains and bosses that players encounter are wanting the Crystal Shard for themselves. These bosses include long-dead kings, famous monsters, and even a powerful dragon.
Biggest Dark Alliance Boss - Hagedorn The Beholder
Beholders are iconic enemies in Dungeons & Dragons, so at least one had to appear in Dark Alliance. Hagedorn is after the Crystal Shard as he wants even more power. Players will have to stop him if they want to save Icewind Dale, but his Rays and powerful attacks can make him difficult to defeat without a little help from friends.
Biggest Dark Alliance Boss - Kelvin The Frost Giant King
Since he's featured on the cover for Dark Alliance, players probably were expecting to find Kelvin as an antagonist in-game. However, they may be surprised to see that Kelvin (as in, Kelvin's Cairn) is once again after the Crystal Shard. He was its holder in Dark Alliance before Akar Kessel, the main villain from the Crystal Shard novel.
However, Kelvin has been dead for a long time. The Crystal Shard's latest call is perhaps too great, however, as Kelvin - a onetime king of the frost giants - is revived and once again trying to acquire it. From a storytelling standpoint, Kelvin has arguably the biggest role as a villain in Dark Alliance, although one boss may prove to be even more memorable.
Biggest Dark Alliance Boss - Icewind The Dragon
Dark Alliance wouldn't be the same unless it featured a powerful dragon for players to take down. Icewind is the namesake for Icewind Dale and is known as the Queen of Storms. She's the dragon Icingdeath's mate, and she's even more fearsome. In Dark Alliance, she shows up to exact some revenge on Icingdeath's killers.
The bosses and monsters in Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance are one of the game's best parts, since it gives players the chance to defeat important lore and historical characters from D&D. It also sheds even more depth and new light on the history of Icewind Dale, creating even more backstory for one of the Forgotten Realm's most famous locations.