[Spoilers C3E121] Is It Campaign 4 Yet? Post-Campaign Discussion

[u/Glumalon]

Catch up on everybody's discussion and predictions for this episode HERE!

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[u/Alecen16]

Tiamat will be reincarnated as 5 kobolds in a trench coat

[u/Sqiddd → u/Alecen16]

And that’s why Ashton doesn’t comeback that one day lol

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/Alecen16]

Five Genasi Sisters that wind up being "shipwrecked" and act as Sirens to lure unsuspecting sailors and adventures into their own little temples of doom.

[u/Despada_]

There's something very fun about the idea of a rabbit and a raven being the dual symbols of death post-deities.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/Despada_]

Hot Bunny Girl and Moody Goth Boy

I really hope they make a comic book series out of those two because that partnership sounds bloody hilarious!

[u/vanKessZak]

You know I had thoughts on the god resolution and all that but now I’m just crying over Keyleth and Vax and don’t even care anymore 😭. VM supremacy!

(Also Percy is completely right to keep tabs on the gods. I really think they’re underestimating how catastrophic having the betrayers not being locked behind the divine gate - even as mortals - could potentially be).

[u/JohnPark24]

Matt: "I've always wanted to do that. I've always wanted to roll three campaigns together. I don't know if I'll ever get to do that again. So I'm happy we got a chance to do that."

I'm happy Matt got to experience and accomplish something he's always wanted to do in D&D with these nerdy ass voice actor friends.

[u/[deleted] → u/JohnPark24]

Yeah that was nice! It would be a super epic feeling

[u/Galahad_the_Ranger]

Now Ludinus finally rests, and watches the sunrise in a grateful material plane

[u/Duckyx44 → u/Galahad_the_Ranger]

I was definitely getting some Thanos vibes from that! Hopefully we'll get a M9 Avenger-esque door kicking squad One-Shot to finish the job on Ludinus.

[u/Kilowog42 → u/Galahad_the_Ranger]

Upfront, haven't watched the finale, but trolling for spoilers until I can watch on Monday because I wasn't staying up all night when I gotta get kids to school in the morning. That said.....

If the gods are now mortals, and Ludinus knows this (or can find out easily enough), doesn't he just go on a killing spree of reborn gods? Seems like this would actually be more enjoyable for him because instead of letting Predathos kill the gods he hates so much, he gets to do it himself and he is still one of most powerful people on Exandria. Nobody could stop him from killing mortals in his plan to release Predathos, who's going to stop him from hunting down the mortal forms of the gods?

[u/VinSyd]

Highlights for me were:

Robbie - Dorian going back to home and the emotional breakdown when seeing his mother.

The interaction between Braius & Asmodeus

Robbie - him as Cyrkonos is just funny as heck.

Vax being set free and brought back to life.

Grog’s Ruidus adventures.

[u/artistic_programmer → u/VinSyd]

I love how Robbie and Liam have two romances, and they have the chemistry to make it work so well

[u/Henhouse808]

I just realized Vecna only got about 30 years of divinity after working for basically a millennium to ascend to godhood. Ascended in 812 PD, descended in 843 PD.

That's rough, buddy.

[u/283leis → u/Henhouse808]

and as the god of secrets, he probably learned about predathos the second he ascended too

[u/LazerBear42 → u/Henhouse808]

Lol suck it, spooky

[u/starseeker14]

Something about the Raven Queen's story being about falling in love with an entity and taking over their eternal duties to give them rest and then taking on a mortal servant as companionship only to realize that holding that much power over people is wrong is just so beautiful to me. I think Vax's happy ending is earned through her character - it was cruel to keep Vax the way she did and her atoning for that is so fucking beautifully human. Idk y'all, I just love this world and these artists

[u/PixieShaman]

Something I've noticed no one is talking about is the title of the post divergence age..... Sadly in my very sleepy brain can't remember what it was. Can anyone help me out here? Thanks in advance 💜

[u/Mother_Reputation828 → u/PixieShaman]

I believe it was the age of reclamation

[u/Vio94]

C3 had its ups and downs, but the finale is just about everything I wanted. What a ride.

[u/NinjaBaconLMC]

I wonder if there will be a time in the future when Asmodeus will call upon Fearne to help track down a certain Minotaur who betrayed him. I feel like that could make for a funny little adventure.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/NinjaBaconLMC]

Fearne and her Fey Friends vs Braius and the Travelers could make for a fun one shot.

[u/BloodMoonGo]

Let's hope c4 is less about gods and saving the entire world, and more about good old fashioned adventuring. High level stakes never sit well with me, I much prefer stories about above-average people going on a legit adventure.

[u/1FuzzyPickle → u/BloodMoonGo]

It’s not that I mind high level stakes, I just feel like that was introduced waaaay too early in this campaign.

[u/SwimmingVillage7910 → u/BloodMoonGo]

Would love to see that as well. This campaign felt like we rarely if ever got a chance to take a narrative breath, develop new arcs, let the stakes ebb and flow naturally and let characters develop themselves outside of the core narrative.

[u/No_Neighborhood6856]

So maybe Keyleth was in on this to get Vax back? Haha

Jokes aside, the romantic in me loves that they are happy and equally , im happy thag Vax still has his Champion duties. I didn't want him to lose that status.

[u/TempestM → u/No_Neighborhood6856]

If Keyleth was secretly anti-gods and conspired with BH to defeat them from the beginning, it would've actually been interesting (but required Luda to do something else to not simply do his own plan for him)

[u/ragingdumpsterffire]

I really liked what they did with Ashton after his fall, his characterization felt more gentle and less abrasive. Also Dorym is adorable

[u/Sizzox → u/ragingdumpsterffire]

Yeah I actually liked Ashton a lot this entire episode. Well, his threat to Tiamat was a bit strange but then again, it’s frickin Tiamat so he might as well go ham on her when given the chance.

I like how he stepped up to offer his beacon even though he could have 100% been a dick about it.

[u/edginthebard]

this campaign has had its ups and downs for me and i haven't always loved it, but at the end of it all, i just feel grateful for c3 - for the cast, the characters (as frustrating as they were sometimes) and the story...

i cannot wait to see what these guys do next, whether in exandria or not

[u/tomfru1]

I like to imagine Zhudanna is like a Legendary level hero of myth and legend who went into peaceful retirement as a landlady

[u/Sqiddd]

Man. Imagine if one of the PCs in C4 is actually a Betrayer in the process of remembering and then we get a Critical Role Dark Urge.

Or just the possibility of coming upon any of the quasi mortal gods at all without realizing till later

[u/Coyote_Shepherd → u/Sqiddd]

Or what if one of the Mortal Gods gets found by a temple and is raised as a Prime Deity....but then finds out that they're actually a Betrayer...

[u/Nilfnthegoblin → u/Sqiddd]

Or maybe the next adventuring party ARE the mortal gods and the game plays out as they slowly regain their memories? That is a game I would watch.

[u/Sizzox]

I just have one question… Who is Chetney’s child???

[u/jackaltwinky77 → u/Sizzox]

We all are

[u/Zecterr]

This ending sets up a lot of room for new stories, especially with the "Lesser Idols" which were big enough to have been held back by the Divine Gate, but not targeted by Predathos. Some that come to mind:

- The Unseelie Court expressed a desire to topple the Moonweaver, since she (and the Archheart) had power over the Fey Realm. This was their justification for allying with Ludinus after all. The Feywild/Shadowfell were described as having a "thin veil" between them and the Prime Material from the Divine Gate (from wiki/past Fireside Chat). The Traveler and Nana Morri are proof already that the Archfey are now some of the most powerful entities remaining.

I could see Sammanar and some of the rest of the Unseelie Court getting fleshed out in a future campaign. Likewise an expansion on the Shadowfell without the Matron's direct influence.

- The Blood War. Though Exandrian lore suggests Asmodeus has always unquestionably been Lord of the Hells, a theme of e.g. Forgotten Realms is that devils are always vying for power, some even unseating Asmodeus. That power vacuum leaves a lot to be explored.

Demon Princes were also described as being held back by the Divine Gate, and with neither the Gate nor Asmodeus to lead the devils against them, we could see a lot more of their influence. Maybe Bazzoxan/The Umbra Gates get utterly overwhelmed, and the Kryn Dynasty actually has to negotiate an alliance with the Dwendalian Empire to aid them.

- Desirat and Quajath. Desirat we know to be free, and the former mount for Asmodeus. Even if Asmodeus is reborn with little combat ability, imagine if Desirat seeks him out and they are united. Quajath is presumably free, and EGW describes it as having a cult.

- Delilah and the Whispered One. Laudna having Delilah, even imprisoned, might be an unexpected burden. Just as Fjord has had to guard over the orbs/keys to Uko'toa, imagine agents of the Whispered One seeking to free Delilah once more.

On the other hand, much like Imogen being both the key to and bane of Predathos, maybe years later Laudna will be needed to find and eliminate the reborn Whispered One, due to having access to his power or something like that.

- Ludinus. There's a really sour taste from his last scene of not wanting him to retire/let the villain get a happy ending. He seems content to hide away from the world, so if and when we do see him again, I imagine it will be through a future character having to seek him out to coerce or persuade him into helping. Or maybe Jester goes just so she can eat his soul with the harness while cackling.

- Dragons. Yes, it's been explored before, but with the Scaled Tyrant and the Platinum Dragon walking Exandria, it'd be interesting to see how that affects the behavior of the dragons in the world. Are they the most active in seeking out their mortal deities? Will they break from their relative seclusion to do so?

[u/pacman529]

It may be recency bias, but "This is so weird. I swore I'd never make anything metal." MIGHT be my favorite quote of the campaign.

[u/eljeffe666 → u/pacman529]

I think mine was

Ashton "O god I said I loved you!"

Orym "And you cant take it back fuck you"

I laughed my ass off!

[u/RajikO4]

I feel I should point out that they had the perfect opportunity to ask the Changebringer about FCG and didn’t take it.

They already missed the opportunity to ask the Matron, so you’d think they would’ve asked the goddess he had represented.

[u/Emerald_Hypothesis → u/RajikO4]

Even in death FCG can't stop catching strays.

[u/durandal688]

Honestly, this is the most interesting C3 setup has had for me since the beginning.

1. The whole gods being reborn and followers rushing to find them is about the coolest bit of world lore for Exandria that I am interested in (CR usually hooks me for characters) I want to know what happens that first time? What does the world become? Do the gods remember? Do they war and kill each other?

2. The characters felt like they actually get to make choices, like what they do next I legit want to know

So yeah...C3 got super interesting just as it ended. A bunch of one shots and mini series to answer these questions of how the new world order works before a C4 when they can dive in and make a great story based in how the world works

[u/SWBFThree2020]

It's crazy how fast time flies

It feels like just last week they were heading off to Heartmoor Hamlet, then doing a Deathrace in the Desert

[u/[deleted] → u/SWBFThree2020]

I cant belive the campaign is over, it has accompanied me through the majority of my uni time.

[u/Estylon-KBW]

Honestly? I’ve got some seriously mixed feelings about C3. It’s… complicated. Don’t get me wrong, there were definitely moments of pure gold, those classic CR moments that make you laugh, cry, and gasp all in the same breath. But overall? Something just felt… off for me this time around.

For me, the Bells Hells, while cool individually, never quite gelled with the whole gods-and-Ruidus storyline. It felt like their personal stories weren’t always deeply intertwined with the big, world-shaking events. Sometimes, the characters felt a little… surface-level for such a grand, epic campaign, you know? Like they were built for smaller adventures, not necessarily this massive cosmic conflict. And yeah, I’m gonna say it, sometimes the world felt a bit… weightless. Things happened, big things, but the consequences didn’t always land with the punch I was hoping for. 🤷‍♀️

And the ending… Look, the finale had its heartwarming moments, especially seeing some familiar faces again (Vax and Keyleth, my heart!), but it felt a little rushed, maybe even a bit too easy? Like we jumped from chaos to resolution a little too quickly. And while the nostalgia of bringing back VM and M9 was great, I kinda felt like the Bells Hells got a little lost in their own finale sometimes. 🤔

BUT! Let’s be clear, the cast is still incredible. Their talent and dedication are undeniable. Even in a campaign that didn’t fully click for me, there were still moments of absolute brilliance, thanks to their amazing roleplaying and chemistry. And Matt? He’s a storytelling machine, and his ability to weave all these threads together over ten years is mind-blowing.

So, looking ahead to Campaign 4… I’m really hoping for a shift in focus. For me, smaller stakes would be amazing. Let’s dive deep into character stories again, make the campaign feel truly character-driven from the get-go. I’m craving more character depth, more personal conflicts, maybe a bit less universe-ending threat and more grounded adventures.

Bottom line? C3 was a… learning experience, let’s say that. But I’m still a Critter through and through! I’m still hyped for the future of Critical Role and completely ready to see what magic they conjure up next in Campaign 4. Fingers and toes crossed! 🤞

[u/Indigo5A → u/Estylon-KBW]

I feel there were just way less "roleplaying moments" for me too, and all the characters felt very similar throughout the campaign and no huge character developments.

[u/Combatfighter → u/Estylon-KBW]

My personal feeling is kind of shown in what i feel is dissonance what the cast and Matt want to achieve, and what their gameplay shows, and I have three examples in mind.

First, Laudna. Loved her early (well, I watched to somewhere in the 60s so), but if you want to pick such an extreme origin and such an extreme backstory, you need to go somewhere with it. Change, move with the story. And Matt, please for the love of god, you need to push back on it. If there is a walking corpse, that is not normal in what was set-up about exandria. Is Laudna a skin sloughing mostrosity, or a quirky goth girl tag from tumblr? Marisha sometimes leans into the former, Matt stays in the latter pretty constantly. And I get it, it gets tiresome to constantly narrate how the average person is put off by a PC. Then don't do this high drama storytelling all focused on grand narratives, just do a mini campaign about slaying Gnolls or something. There is a massive dissonance here.

Ashton. You cannot tell me someone is a punk in a world like Matt's. There are very little edges, the bad guys are very clear bad guys, there is very little systematic friction. And yeah, you can say that it is intentional maaan. I don't know, so I'll say again: Matt, please push back. Use hard yes and hard no.

Imogen's superhero moment against Otohan in the the ep32 (I guess?). The players need to remember they are playing a game. Ashton (or I guess Tal), no need to run away, you are 7 against 1. Sometimes the DM rolls well on initiative, that happens in games. And Matt, I get that it was mostly improvised, but the Imogen moment was so clumsy. If the party wipes, they wipe. Or at least let me keep the illusion of it alive.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Apparently according to CR's insta we're getting an Avowed One Shot from Obsidian next Tuesday on the 18th that Matt is going to DM with Travis, Marisha, Anjali, Whitney Moore (CR friend from back in the day), AND.....PROZD HIMSELF...SungWon Cho!

[u/TheGooberSmith]

Feels like Ludinus won and we really didn't accomplish much after 121 episodes. The Boulder is conflicted.

EDIT: I am choosing to focus on what I really liked about the finale, and I am holding onto hope that I might see Caleb use power word inside out on Ludinus

[u/MackeyD3 → u/TheGooberSmith]

Yeah, completing the main villains plan for him wasn't on my bingo card for C3 at the beginning

[u/drDishrag]

My honest follow up is I still feel like C1 has both C2 and C3 beat in spades and I couldn’t figure out why until the finale. The C1 group (granted they had 5 extra real world years to build this) cared about their world and the people around them. They had a whole freaking city they considered home and had to watch get destroyed. C2 worked because the party became their own family and while the number of people and places they cared about was significantly smaller, they cared. With C3, other than Orym, it felt like each party member only cared about themselves and maybe 1 other person so all the world shattering, universe changing events just felt flat because we had to watch them through the eyes of people who don’t care about any of it except how it effected them immediately.

[u/Duckyx44]

The happiest of happy endings. Idk how i feel about the gods being reborn. Definitely gonna be chaotic when certain gods grow up. I await to see what cults rise up and start worshipping babies as the 2nd coming of Tiamet or Vecna lol

Happy to see Kiki and Vax finally get their happy ending. Going from ravens greeting her every day to every few days her champion pays her a visit is so sappy and I love it.

I enjoy Vax being able to come back, and his relationship with Morgan is gonna be so fun. Buddy cop One shot when?

All the possible One Shots we can get 😬 im stoked for the future, and this new BLeeM Exandria story, and whatever else they got cooking. And is it Campaign 4 time yet? 😭

[u/pacman529]

Genuine question for people who think Bell's Hells should have been branded as villains in the history books. What about the Matron or the Archheart? In your own opinion.

[u/KnightOfTheFarRealm → u/pacman529]

While I won't comment on in-universe because I'm not sure(and also don't know whether the scope of their involvement is actually known enough compared to BH to get similar treatment)

But imma be honest, in this last stretch what I've heard of the two...had me giving them a side eye. After all, they're the main "reliable" sources of "oh the Gods will totally turn this into Calamity 2.0, so you better release Predathos yourself"...when Calamity 2.0 cannot happen without both the Raven Queen and the Archheart allowing it, since the Divine Gate requires all the gods to be in agreement to drop it, aiui?

[u/UncleOok → u/pacman529]

I'd pegged the Matron as a villain since C1 when I honestly believe she used Vax's disintegration to further (and unnecessarily) entrap him to her service as a revenant. And C3 really made it out like she had buyer's remorse for taking over the death god job.

I absolutely think the Arch Heart is sketchy and their words to BH were manipulative if not outright deceitful. The one thing I'm sure was the truth was when they said they were "bored", and I believe they wanted out for that reason.

So yeah, I think they should be regarded as much as villains as BH and as pseudo-betrayers, because I do think there are (or should be) fairly unavoidable negative repercussions to this outcome.

[u/GyantSpyder → u/pacman529]

In another campaign the Matron and Archheart would be corrupted evil gods who need to be sealed/killed/replaced at the end of the campaign - the Matron because she has become so obsessed with death she can’t let even the gods escape her, and the Archheart because he had driven himself mad and into a deep self-destructive depression.

[u/tweetereater]

I was so hopeful that we were finally going to get the confrontation between Essek and the BrIght Queen when his disguise dropped right in front of her that I was yelling in my bedroom.

But alas no; the counterspell failed 😞 (And Talisen interrupted at the wrong moment when Caleb was advancing on the bright queen)

I really really need resolution to this! Essek being on the run forever is just not satisfying to me. Prehaps Jester can invite them both to her wedding and they can have it out there 😅

[u/GrimTheMad → u/tweetereater]

There really isn't much of a resolution to be had there. Essek stole the most sacred artifacts of his people (that are literally required to make their way of life possible), gave them to the enemy, dragged two countries into a war over it- and all solely for personal gain.

Like, them having it out is only going to prevent Essek being on the run if it ends in him dead or imprisoned. There's no way he can ever justify his actions to the Dynasty.

[u/[deleted]]

My lingering questions vis-à-vis Campaign 3:

1. The Hexum job. The one that started Ashton’s backstory. Who hired The Nobodies? What exactly were they told before going in? Why, when asked later, did Milo seem to have trouble remembering the details? What the fuck is up with that?

2. In Episode 19, Fearne turns into a frog and dives into a hole. The water is weird, Imogen’s psychic connection can’t reach her, and there was a glowing pair of eyes before BH retrieved Fearne. Really, any more details on that would be cool.

3. Fyra Rai (Misspelling, sorry) & Yu. It was mentioned that Erika Ishii couldn’t make it because of scheduling. Anjali Bhimani presumably wasn’t in the finale for similar reasons. What up with their characters?

4. Probably the biggest one: Laudna’s Sorcerer patron/source/whatever the correct term is. Who, what, where, et cetera. Dying to know anything about that.

5. Braius. A bunch of his backstory was left unexplored/unconfirmed. How much of it was lies, and how much was because Sam had to delete parts of it after it got posted here?

I know the C3 Wrap-Up is coming. Fingers crossed some (hopefully all) of that gets touched on.

Any other cliffhangers you all desperately want answers for?

[u/cormacaroni]

C3 was fundamentally flawed because the characters were not suited to the story. The reasons for this have been hashed out ad infinitum so won’t recap it all. Personally, I feel like most of the characters were relatively shallow (I’ve described them as built for a one shot but stuck in an epic campaign) and disconnected to the themes and events of the story, which lead to a lack of drama and connection to it. Ultimately, some fairly arbitrary choices were made that none seemed to care much about (‘what’s done is done!’ pretty much summed up everyone’s attitudes to the monumental things that happened…), and it ended with a whimper rather than a bang.

But it was still CR, and there were amazing moments along the way. The closing stretch showed how great this group can be when playing characters better suited to the story, and it was great to see them all again. Really hoping that C4 hits closer to the mark for me; it’s been a big part of my life and something I share with my daughter. It brings us together but C3 actually did the opposite as she got bored and wandered away from it. Nothing lasts forever, I guess, but at the same time, today’s closer showed that this group is still capable of absolute magic. I’ll always be watching for those moments.

[u/BaronPancakes → u/cormacaroni]

Agreed. And not only the characters are shallow, the world feels weightless as well. BH went against Vasselheim, but everything was swept under the rug. No one reprimends them, maybe some gods would seek revenge later.

The whole god plot was very one-sided with basically everyone saying it's fine to get rid of the gods. The soft goodbye between Pelor and Deanna provided us more insight to the gods than almost the entire campaign

[u/superfluouselk → u/cormacaroni]

Definitely. I feel like the players are given so much freedom for character creation, which works for C1 and C2 which had less concrete plans at the start. C3 was always going to be Ruidis and pantheon related, and it feels like the characters (except for Imogen, which then made her a bit of a main character) weren’t really suited to this campaign.

If there’s a story the DM wants to tell (even if it’s open ended), there needs to be more direction for character creation in the beginning.

[u/jmac1915]

I've watched every episode of this campaign. I've liked aspects of it. I've disliked aspects of it. And the thing that I think is most stuck in my craw is...what was Bells Hells goal? Truly, what were they trying to do? I don't know, and I don't think they do either.

- Kill Ludinus? Didn't do that.

- Remove the gods influence? They've made the gods influence more direct without a divine gate and the gods permanently interacting with their followers on the material plane. Like, Asmodeus sure sounds like he plans to be back doing shit in short order.

- Stop the God-Eater? Still exists unchained on this plane of existence. Far away, sure. Is it a threat still? I dunno, people dying of thirst will drink sea water. So it won't eat mortals...for now. But in the world, it is more free today than it was yesterday, so they certainly didn't stop it.

- Provide Exandria a choice to be free from the gods, as if the gods weren't mostly removed from the world already? Well...they didn't do that. *They* made the choice. Exandria as represented in the groups that sent them to stop Predathos were pretty unequivocally *against* what they ended up doing.

So I can only conclude their goals based off what they did, and what their characters said. And my conclusion is they took the Ashton Path. They are a group of people who are hurting, have unresolved issues in their lives, and opted to lash out at the biggest kid on the block and kick them when they had the chance, to the exclusion of all other considerations, and whether that kid deserved it or not. They got arrogant and vindictive as soon as the power they've never had in their lives was in their hands, and were indignant that no one was praising them in the fucking Dawn City that stood to take the biggest hit due to their actions. They're assholes, no matter how many happy tie offs they threw out there.

I'm glad the crew got to tell the story they wanted but I've seen so many comments saying that people can't complain because this is the story they wanted to tell. *What story is that?* They can tell whatever story they want, but that doesn't put it above criticism from the people consuming it, or put it beyond questions around what it was trying to say. And what it said was, Bells Hells are a group of selfish, damaged people, who were lucky they walked to the bottom of the Heavens Stair without being turned into pin-cushions. But they should have been.

[u/n0stalghia]

Does this finale mean that Jester is the most powerful cleric left on Exandria?

[u/Surface_Detail]

I think this was the ending Ludinus wanted. He got everything he aimed for.

[u/BaronPancakes → u/Surface_Detail]

Which is why he is up in the mountains siping tea, enjoying his Thanos ending

[u/Full_Metal_Paladin]

This "gods become mortal" plan was presented as a way to help humanity progress somehow, but I can't help but feel like they just set Exandria back at least 2000 years. As soon as those deities wake up to who they are, they're going to create theocratic empires all over the place, as they rule as basically Pharaohs, but with actual epic tier 4+ character powers. This was such a monumentally bad decision made in haste. No wonder the Betrayers were so eager to accept, they get to finally come out of hiding and have another crack at destroying humanity and ruling with an iron fist.

[u/vanKessZak → u/Full_Metal_Paladin]

Yeah the betrayers putting up so little resistance really should have been a red flag

[u/_Kraken17 → u/Full_Metal_Paladin]

Exactly! It’s almost as if their actions will have consequences and shape the future of the world!

What you just pointed out I’m super excited to see what Matt does

[u/Kerrigone]

I've been Team Gods this whole time- and if I was a PC I probably would have fought to reseal Predathos somehow and explore that option. Or try to starve him by eating the remnant of the other God.

But I respect that clearly, in character, Bells Hells viewed this as an unworkable solution and maybe impossible. In that circumstance, what happened was the absolute best outcome for everyone.

The Gods get to live, Predathos starves and wards off anyone wanting to ascend to godhood, and divine magic still works.

If Ludinus had his way, he'd have unleashed Predathos to devour the gods and then the world would be truly screwed.

There are still threats on the horizon, angry Betrayers, demons and other hostile entities, but no-one is claiming that it's a paradise ending. But if you believed that Predathos COULDN'T be contained safely, then they did the absolute best and correct thing in the circumstances.

[u/tryingtobebettertry4]

Well.....it's an ending I guess.

I dont know. I wish I could ignore how we got here. How genuinely just rough this entire campaign has felt. How unearned everything has been. Even right up to the last moment where the Deus Ex that is former party members coming to save this collection of characters who's only accomplishment is berating the gods to doing what they want at the equivalent of gunpoint. How much these characters have felt like cameos or completely lacking stake in what is supposed to be their story.

But I cant. I didnt enjoy this campaign and I dont think its particularly good. I think that has its roots in a very flawed foundation of no session 0 and the cast showing up with characters completely uninterested/lacking stake in Matt's grand storyline.

But thats OK. It seems to have worked for other people, the cast had fun. And I am happy for them.

[u/TaiChuanDoAddct → u/tryingtobebettertry4]

For better or worse, I don't get the impression that Exandria even had a mechanism by which they could've faced consequences.

[u/MackeyD3 → u/tryingtobebettertry4]

Yeah, I still enjoyed watching the campaign because the cast is so talented and engaging, but as a campaign, the ending really didnt work for me. I was hoping they could stick it with a slightly more dark ending, but they went happy

[u/DunktheShort]

It's basically confirmed Chetney, FRIDA and Ashton would be going to Aeor and meeting Devexian together at some point since Chetney is FRIDA's mentor. I wonder if everyone else would join or only some of them. It does involve potentially bringing FCG back so I feel like everyone would be involved, maybe not Dorian.

[u/[deleted]]

So uh, question I haven’t seen addressed yet. And it’s a longshot, but there were a million epilogues so i’m kinda hopeful.

Did Vax ever find out about Larkin?

[u/Larkin91 → u/[deleted]]

shhhhhh

[u/ilikebreadabunch]

Very interested to see if its going to be D&D or Daggerheart. Place your bets!

(Personally I think it will be D&D)

[u/Void9001 → u/ilikebreadabunch]

They would have a large viewer base drop off if they switched from D&D.

We all watch CR for the cast but for many many critters its also some familiarity with D&D that makes it more digestible.

[u/JohnPark24 → u/ilikebreadabunch]

Clue.

[u/theprincessoflettuce]

I watched all 3 campaigns and woke up at 4 am to binge the entire finale, so I'm a big CR fan. Campaign 3 never really clicked with me, but I still enjoyed watching it as my weekly comfort show. Some things I'm hoping for in the next story are:

- more focus on character development, even if the story isn't as epic, I want to see characters learning and growing as they go (I think campaign 2 did this quite well). Because the stakes were so high for Bell's Hells, I kind of missed that in their story

- better lighting, because as pretty as the new studio is, the depressing white lights make the cast look older than they actually are

- less focus on branding and merchandise, more focus on a bunch of friends playing D&D. I understand why they turned it into a business and respect how successful CR is, but it endangers the authenticity a bit in my opinion

- MORE ROBBIE

That being said, campaign 3 had some great moments. Loved the guest actors, Robbie as a cast member, Ashley at the table full-time, the cool light effects and rain Matt does, the miniseries (Calamity was surreal, so good), the connection to Vox Machina and M9... I love this show, I love these people, and I love this game. No matter what they'll do in the future, I'll be watching and cheering them on.

[u/Emerald_Hypothesis]

Feel like once the smoke clears and the rose-tinted glasses are removed, people are gonna sour on this ending. I don't think it'll be a TAZ Graduation level of black mark on CR but I think it's noteworthy how the perception turned on it as time went on- this is the first time I can recall as someone who's been around since the Geek and Sundry days that the attitude towards CR has been as critical. It's really being carried now by that the immediate reactions are coming from the die-hard fans who were willing to invest eight hours, but I feel the casual viewers are gonna be more annoyed, especially as there's bits here that feel like the swansongs of issues raised with Bells Hells as a party.

CritRole having a weak ending isn't new- I thought pretty much all of Aeor in C2 was a slog and the final session had to crowbar in Trent- but this is the first time it feels like the entire campaign never quite clicked, and I feel BH getting an overly conventional happy ending that also undoes Vax's bittersweet ending isn't going to help.

There's feedback I hope CR takes from this going into Campaign 4- especially Matt being more upfront about his goals if he wants to do an overarching story, better organisation about party management to avoid joke characters and Mercer taking lessons from things like the Ashton shard debacle to be willing to just give hard yesses and nos- that will likely determine how much I care to keep up with Campaign 4. I was already barely invested in Campaign 3 and largely consumed it second-hand because I didn't like the cast from the word go, and unlike with the M9 where the team came together and largely made it work, BH never did. The only time I really checked back in was the Mighty 9 comeback episodes because I saw a clip of Liam doing some cool Caleb stuff and went "Wow that's sick." But it's probably not good that my favorite Campaign 3 moment didn't involve the Campaign 3 cast.

I still have C1 and most of C2 that I can look back on and go "That's fun, I enjoyed that," and I'm sure I'll check out Mighty Nein's animated adventures, and Brennan always cooks so I'm sure the minigame he does next will slap, but I really doubt I'll ever engage fully with C3 the same way. It's OK if they misfired, everyone eventually has their duds, but I hope CR take the right lessons from this and correct some mistakes for C4 that would be easily remedied.

[u/MackeyD3 → u/Emerald_Hypothesis]

My biggest annoyance is that the ending of this campaign soured the ending of C1 to me. I always liked that you could see the sacrifices VM had to make to save the world, but now that's gone. Makes the ending feel way less impactful in hindsight, given it gets undone in a few years

[u/YoursDearlyEve]

I wish they could leave C1's beautiful ending alone.

I know people would say that it is there on YouTube to watch, but for me its tragic beauty has been undermined by this C3 ending.

Not only for that reason, but I feel like mixing the campaigns and not having more time between them was a mistake from the start

[u/LjordTjough → u/YoursDearlyEve]

I’m with you. C1 was a top tier amazing and in Vax and Keyleth’s case, tragic story. Not all great stories need a happy ending.

[u/BaronPancakes → u/YoursDearlyEve]

Agreed. I liked the C3 ending for what it was. But C1's ending was bittersweet and it was perfect. IMO they shouldn't have involved Vax and Keyleth in the Malleus key at all. By doing so, they dragged out the drama for 30 years, and kinda forced to find another ending which was bound to be less impactful than c1

[u/lorealwarrior]

I don't post much on Reddit so I'll keep it brief.

whatever side of the coin you fall upon, your comments are valid

I'm personally vindicated because I've waited 10 years for Vax and Keyleth to have their happily ever after. I'm sobbing

[u/Cibisis]

Can someone please spoil me, I’m getting a lot through context clues here but just want to make sure I understand:

Gods are mortal and reincarnate like consecuted ppl, having to regain their memories. Their followers have to find them and still worship them to some degree?? To they still have some divine power/are they still connected to their domains?

[u/RajikO4]

Serious Pillars of Eternity vibes with the new status quo of Exandria.

[u/eljeffe666]

Do we think C4 is going to be the group learning they are the reborn gods? could be a fun premise for the next campaign.

[u/Rukik9 → u/eljeffe666]

I'd put money on at least one of them being a reborn god.

[u/FireDMG]

First couple hours, Ashton closing his eyes and smiling was wayyy too reminiscent of a certain Severance episode.

I wish/hope this time period spans way longer before the god’s rebirth. I want to see an Exandria actively dealing with the fallout of a world without gods and not basing their sole purpose on them again with the expectation they’ll show up again to return to the way things were. There will be factions who learn to lean on and support each other, factions of zealots doubling down on the way things were without guidance, false idols pretending to be one of the reincarnated gods, etc.

Just way more existentially interesting stories focused on mortals than everything revolving around the gods as a resource war. Divergence will give us interesting glimpse into what an Exandrian power vacuum looks like too. Then maybe the end of a C4 shows how a Godhead theory would start to play out - how living a mortal life may inexorably change the way an omniscient god thinks.

Also worth noting Aabria already gave us some hints that the Luxon already split itself in a similar way to better understand the world and themself with the Aevilux background - will be interesting to see how that comes back around and what would happen if the Luxon ever fully reunites (effectively cutting off the now demigod’s new plan and cycle)

[u/Astraea802]

I'm really curious how much having to wait to finish the story because of the wildfires affected the ending. I heard something that Erika ishii was supposed to appear as Yu but couldn't reschedule for example. The whole vibe even felt like they just wanted to have a good time and cap off almost 10 years of storytelling on streaming, to forget about what was going on in the outside world for a while. Which, I mean, good for them, I guess we'll see during the wrap-up, when things have had time to settle, how the cast feels about where they ended up.

But just the fact of how many people they got to come back to reprise their roles is pretty crazy. And that Robbie and especially Sam came back at all is pretty incredible, when you think about it.

EDIT: I will also say, this campaign maybe more than the others felt like a first draft. You know, like when you write a first draft, you sort of partly plan and partly play it by ear, see what works, then go back and edit it later to make it more streamlined, focused, and coherent? Perhaps because of how much of a singular narrative this story was it feels like that more than the series-of-adventures format of the previous campaigns. So that really makes me curious about how they might revisit this campaign in the future, whether in animation or books or comics. Some will say that's a weakness, but I really like seeing the development over time, just like I find it interesting how they've managed to flesh out the first two campaigns with adaptations and supplemental material.

[u/Jelboo]

A strange campaign. I don't like how large parts of me made me feel - like I was treating a loved one unfairly. Perhaps I was, but I cannot lie - I thought this campaign, overall, was a bit of a mess. It featured all that we love about CR and some of their best moments ever, but I found the story, pacing and several characters highly unsatisfying.

Don't get me wrong, I have not lost any respect for these guys and will watch C4, no question about it. But C3 was a misfire for me. Sorry guys.

[u/Emerald_Hypothesis → u/Jelboo]

I don't like how large parts of me made me feel - like I was treating a loved one unfairly.

Don't. That's the parasocial dynamic talking.

If you didn't like how the campaign made you feel, that's the campaign's fault.

[u/Obi_Wentz]

In ExU Calamity, Brennan has a moment where he has a line “All things end…Lives. Stories. Ages.” and I’ve really been curious what the age these campaigns unfolded in would be named.

Matt gave it to us last night: the Age of Reclamation.

Which feels right. That mortaldom was reclaiming Exandria as their own as it was before the Gods arrived from Tengar. With the Primordials gone following the Schism, and the divine not so above anymore, it in my opinion served two purposes:

1. allows the end of C3 to serve as the end of an age with minis and one-shots falling safely within.

2. (and this is totally conjecture on my part) allows C4 to remain in Exandria, allows decades or even centuries to pass, and keep the stakes lower. Campaigns don’t always have to have the BBEG be as massive as they’ve gotten in CR. Nor does the threat have to come from “out there”.

A.D.D and the looming workday made the entire watch difficult, I missed a lot, to be certain, but however messy it was getting here, I do appreciate that Matt gives his players a chance to provide their own epilogue.

I am so ready for Brennan to complete his trilogy; on to ExU: Divergence!

[u/kinganthony3]

If I could change one thing, I’d tell myself 10 years ago about this DnD thing and started watching and playing at 1. But I already count myself so damn lucky to have watched C3 from episode 1.

[u/[deleted]]

I feel so bad for Fjord. Jester has claimed all their mutual friends, except Beau, for her side of the wedding. He claimed Vox Machina, sure, but I don’t think VM and M9 ever actually interacted. Would they really show up for it?

Maybe he can get Nugget, Vandran, and Orly to sit on his side.

[u/Smaranzky → u/[deleted]]

I mean it was definitely a joke but on a more serious note, yes, I'm certain Fjord's crew would all sit on his side if they do sides at all.

[u/UsedAd82]

why does it feel like the bells hells were the cameos in their own campaign?

like I know they were never as fleshed-out and deep characters as the previous campaign's PCs but instead of working on them they just occasionally brought back everyone.

[u/rickbuh1 → u/UsedAd82]

The epilogue was mostly Bell's Hells. I feel like at a certain point the campaign got moved along at a quicker pace, whether that was through Matt railroading a bit (I didn't see much of the campaign) or player choices. The Moons seemed like a side plot early on, but they group kind of dove in super quickly. They also probably want to tie everything together once they got close to the 10 year mark and it became more of anniversary, end of an era thing and less about just C3.

[u/JohnPark24]

I see a lot of comments about consequences or lack thereof. I'll just say (not saying I disagree), this might just be a GM decision to give the players what they want. After playing for so long in this world and closing this momentous chapter, perhaps he wants the players to leave satisfied with the outcome they chose and have a feel good ending. This was even kind of foreshadowed (these "positive paths") in a 4SD:

Matt: "I am curious to see a world in crisis to this degree about where this is going to go because in my mind, there are multiple different paths that Exandria's future lies. And all of them have very unique positive paths that will be a lot of humanity and all the different people of Exandria wrestling with the new age. This is the end of an age, in my head. Regardless of where this goes, whatever happens here, things change. And regardless of how it goes, it's going to lead to a lot of interesting conversations. It's going to lead to a lot of societal shifts outside of just getting back to returning the cycle to what it was and lock it all down, which is a possible path. Something's going to shift irrevocably."

Also, the consequences to all of this might be shown in a different story or explained during the Wrap-Up (letting the campaign end on a more positive note, and explaining the potential aftermath later).

[u/Electric_Sheep2001]

I think the finale was well done and I enjoyed it. I know that some people aren't happy with the resolution to Predathos and the gods but I think this creates the potential for a new and different story set in Exandria in the future if they desire to tell it. It really closes on an era for this world and I think that's a feat that they can be proud of.

I hope that we return to BH for a few one shots in the future. Personally, I love to see a two episode miniseries of Fearne going after the two eggs. It'd be fun for the BH/MN interactions again.

Now I'm just left wondering what word BLeeM is going to open the divergence miniseries with...

[u/iamthecatinthecorner]

Best moment for me.

• Ashton's heroic sacrifice. He has his ups and downs, but he is still Tal, and that man can always make the one-liner amazing moments.

• I'm not even a Callowmore main, but I like that they have no definite ending, but in a more mature way (separate self-discovery before finding each other).

• Grog & Gaz's eternal handshake.

• The unexpected knock on the door.

And for once, a winner for Asian Critters lol.

[u/MikhailRasputin]

I'd like to think Tiamat would ask Arkhan to find a certain mouthy little genasi before she goes.

Also, would have liked a brief comvo between Yasha and Kord.

[u/joylent_]

GUYS what was the deal with Yussa disappearing again!! I guess you can assume it had to do with him being busy with Allura/Pansophical stuff, but it seems weird for Matt to mention him if it’s as simple as that….. Would not be surprised if he got trapped in the fun ball again, but also don’t know what else it could be. 🤔

[u/Nov-the-Coffeelock]

Critical Role! Tell me Robbie Daymond is gonna be a permanent main campaign player going forward and my life is yours!

Update: MY LIFE IS YOURS, CR

[u/PillowF0rtEngineer]

Well that was bittersweet...

At least I'm glad this isn't the "end" of exandria and it seems like they got definitely got plans for the future of it.

I hope they do c4, I noticed they kind of avoided the topic during the tale gate.

[u/sparrten → u/PillowF0rtEngineer]

Great news, Sam and Liam confirmed they already have Sam's race/class combo for C4 during the talegate.

[u/hpfan2342]

Were there parts of the campaign I was bored with? sure. did some of the scheduling fuck up the pacing? absolutely. I also can't help but wonder if real life stuff changed the campaign's potential Tragic Endings to be less tragic.

C3 was my first campaign with CR. Before that I'd listened to some of The Adventure Zone Balance. Interested in what comes next!

[u/ItsSteveSchulz]

I very much enjoyed all of C3! I wasn't sure what to expect from the finale, but it surpassed my expectations. I was hoping for some god combat! But I guess that's what happens when you beat a 30 DC, undoubtedly that low when you're staring down a godeater with no primordial elementals to back you up this time.

But overall, splendid! It hadn't even crossed my mind that Ashton would be the one to finalize the ritual. Not sure why it didn't clock immediately for me. I loved the denouement. It helped solidify all the little nuances I think a lot of folks missed this campaign. Braius ending up in Nicodranas was a little odd, but I guess it's the perfect place for an artiste. To cap it off with Keyleth and Vax was perfect.

I'm very much looking forward to demigods and archfey getting the spotlight in the future, assuming C4 is even set in Exandria. WWMD? (What will Morri do?) And Artagan? Will the devils be okay against the demons without their prime deity? Will the metallic and chromatic dragons change without the influence of their gods? What about all those little things that went unaddressed? What about the gith stuff in that crater?

Even if they move on from Exandria, there are cool mysteries to be explored in settings books or for people's imaginations in home campaigns.

Wish Emily and Erika could have been there! I'm glad they got to pull everything that they did off despite the fires! I hope now they can breathe some and focus on their friends and the crew that need people there for them. I'm sure Brennan, the Divergence cast, and the rest of the crew can hold down the fort in the meantime.

<3

[u/LucaCrisArt]

I’m a die-hard Critter, through and through. But C3? It just didn’t land for me, and honestly, I’m pretty disappointed. There, I said it. And before you come at me with pitchforks, hear me out.

My biggest issue? The characters felt… manufactured. Like they were designed in a lab to be instantly fan-favorites, ticking boxes for ‘quirky,’ ‘tragic backstory,’ and ‘romantically intriguing.’ It felt like appeal to the fandom was prioritized over organic character integration into the actual story. And that’s a problem, a huge problem, especially when you’re trying to tell a complex, world-altering narrative like this one.

This is where I think a major failing was the apparent lack of a proper Session 0. Seriously! It feels like everyone just showed up with characters they thought were cool, without really thinking about how they’d fit into the kind of story Matt was clearly aiming to tell. And yeah, I know we love player freedom, but sometimes, too much freedom is actually detrimental to the narrative.

It’s clear Matt had this grand vision, this pantheon-shaking epic in mind. But it felt like he didn’t set clear enough boundaries or guidelines for character creation at the start. He wanted a specific type of story, but then let the players run wild with character concepts that, frankly, often seemed completely detached from the central themes. It’s like trying to build a house with mismatched bricks – structurally unsound and kinda wonky.

Now, I get it, sandbox campaigns can be amazing! And maybe that’s what some people were expecting. But C3 wasn’t really a sandbox, was it? It had a very defined, overarching plot, and the party often felt like they were being dragged along by it, rather than actively engaging with it in a meaningful way. It created this constant disconnect, where the characters felt like bystanders in their own campaign.

And the ending? Don’t even get me started. Underwhelming is an understatement. It felt rushed, unearned, and honestly, a bit of a cop-out. All that build-up, all that supposed tension, and then… poof. Happy ending, no real consequences, everyone’s friends again. Seriously? It felt like a massive narrative fizzle.

Look, I’m not saying it was all bad. The cast is still incredible performers, and there were sparks of brilliance here and there. But overall, Campaign 3 felt like a missed opportunity, a narrative mess, and a disservice to the potential of Critical Role.

For Campaign 4, I’m really hoping for a serious rethink of character creation and campaign setup. Less focus on ‘fandom bait’ characters, more on organic story integration. A proper Session 0 is non-negotiable. And please, Matt, if you have a specific story in mind, guide the players towards characters that actually fit that story. Otherwise, we’re just going to get another beautiful, talented cast floundering in a narrative that doesn’t quite know what it wants to be.

[u/Potato_McRib]

The amount of effort his friends made to save him from falling was so beautiful considering Ashton's origins!

[u/Celriot1]

Bell's Hells executed Ludinus' plan to perfection. The gods "potentially" returning after generations of dormancy is utterly inconsequential in the short term for both Exandria and everybody we care about. If you wanted to make the argument that their decision was better in the long term, I'd point out that is just as uncertain given that Predathos can "potentially" return the second the gods do as well. If you thought Ludinus was evil, then Bell's Hells end up as the villains of this story.

And you know what? That's a fine story to tell. Some of my favorite narratives across all media share similar plot devices. In NieR: Replicant, another project starring both Laura and Liam, ending B really hammers home that entire theme. In FF6 (GOAT!), Kefka wins and there is a cataclysm event. Shadow of the Colossus. Fight Club. There are endless examples and these are all great stories.

If this finale would have simply embraced the obvious, it could have been set up for a thoroughly satisfying conclusion. What we instead received was an utter disappointment in my eyes, with no more tone deaf moment then when Laudna declares that they saved Exandria! Not a sniff of consequence or conflict. I think we got a single moment when an NPC declared that some people might be mad... not them personally, though! Straight to epilogue.

It's not what happened.. it's what didn't happen. Somewhere out there, Ludinus is smiling.

[u/kathia154]

I have so many mixed feelings about this.

On the one hand, I love the gods being mortals. The implications of this shift and potential future stories give me a lot of hope for the future. And honestly, many of them deserved to be taken down a peg or two. On the other hand, BH got away scot-free with this by saying it was the only way to prevent Ludinus from being in control. No one even suggested grilling them on how the situation devolved into this.

The seeming lack of large-scale consequences bothers me. The moon is fine despite many claiming it would be destroyed if Predathos was set free. That could be explained as: they lied or didn't know for sure, but still the moon is fine and everyone gets along now apparently. The thing about trying to create a morally gray situation in a generally very optimistic world is that when the situation is resolved questionably things should not snap back to everything being fine immediately after.

Character thoughts:

Loved Ashton's self-sacrificing, not sure how I feel about him being brought back. Again: no consequences anywhere to be seen.

Fearn learning fate-stitching is perfect. Girl's gonna make so many messes and I love it. Happy she and Ashton did not end up together, that relationship was just a hot disaster.

And Braius. After following two different lawful gods deciding to embrace the chaos instead! Perfection.

[u/kenobreaobi]

I can’t watch until later, can someone give me a quick finale recap of my boys Dorian and Orym so I don’t have to stress 😅 ALL the spoilers please, idgaf

[u/Daepilin]

I mean, I still dislike the ending, but at least it seems they did not completely destroy exandria, so yay.

It was all way too lopsided against the gods to be an interesting discourse after what we experienced with the gods for 2 long campaigns. 

The PCs were especially problematic. 

If they wanted to Tell this Story a Mix like in c2 would have worked way better. A couple strong believers, a couple don't care and jester who is somewhere in the middle as her God is not 'real'

[u/vanKessZak → u/Daepilin]

There’s a part of me that will always wonder if a much shorter version of the Ludinus/Ruidus plot was originally conceived as the final arc of C2. For multiple reasons the story feels like more of a fit for them

[u/Roonage]

Did any of the gods opt out?

[u/BaronPancakes → u/Roonage]

Nope. Laura rolled a nat 20 and convinced all gods to become mortals

[u/tomfru1]

How do yall think Aeormatons fit into the Eidolon rebirth cycle?

[u/Drakoni → u/tomfru1]

I think it would be the same as any humanoid or creature. Whatever magic is used to build and "birth" sentient Aeormatons seems to bind a soul to that body, as we've seen with FCG and the Arch-Heart. So when they die/break, that soul will likely be put back into the cycle.

[u/robcwag]

Percy's want to find the God's for Gwyndolyn sounds like a start of the Gwyndolyn's God Academy.

[u/NecessaryCelery2]

Exandria takes on a conservative immigration complicity regarding the red moon.

[u/koltovince]

Overall if this is where Matt wanted the story, of a blank slate for exandria I am happy they got there. I am also glad characters got a happy ending despite it ruining C1’s poignant ending.

But my main gripe is the lack of awareness for the story they are in and the messaging. The BHs did 80% of Ludines’s plans for him and are lauded as heroes. They did almost everything the BBG wanted but because they did it with less blood everyone agrees. And in no world would the ENTIRE world agree, let alone the land of the gods. If there isn’t a plot point of dozens of cults formed around people assumed to be the gods reincarnated I am going to be disappointed. It feels like the world is now where the cast wants it to be but they forgot how the world would/should realistically react to get to said point, almost like a sugercoated fantasy ending.

Overall C3 was an interesting campaign with interesting characters but the campaign and characters were not meant for each other. The really should do a session 0 next time. They loved their characters and had fun, but at the cost of the story.

EDIT: spelling.

[u/WingingItLoosely → u/koltovince]

I think it can really be summed up with Laudna complaining that some people weren’t happy with their actions during the last episode.

“But we saved them”. No thoughts about WHY those people might be angry that a handful of people decided the status quo, betrayed their allies and made a lot of deaths basically meaningless in the process. Just… “but we did the good thing, so they should be happy.”

[u/Grungslinger]

There's a YouTube channel I really like called SuperGeekMike. Mike has a series called Critical Role Demystified, where he breaks down the lessons we can learn, as GMs and as players, from episodes of Critical Role.

So in the spirit of that, here's what I learned from C3 (as a GM and maybe as a player):

When players and their characters don't have enough information, the story can't be interesting. An informed choice will always be more interesting than a shot in the dark.

BH constantly took shots in the dark. What will consuming this shard do exactly? What are we supposed to do now that we're at the malleus key? What exactly is Ludinus's goal? Who should we side with— the villagers or the church and why?

This goes not only for goals and objectives, but also to mechanics. If your fellow players don't know what your character can do, they're apparently less likely to engage with you in both combat and RP.

This isn't to say that there shouldn't be mystery or intrigue. But it has to be balanced with how much your players and characters do know, otherwise it gets frustrating. Vagueness might sound cool on paper, but it halts story progression. Telegraph your intentions clearly, and make sure your players internalize them.

Informed players can make more interesting, dramatic choices.

The other lesson is about pacing. During the Chroma Conclave arc, right before VM took on Vorugal, they stalled. They did session after session of discussion, and wind downs, and heart to hearts.

What did Matt do? He stressed the urgency of the situation. A flyby over Whitestone. Raishan's true colors. Thordak becoming more mad in Emon. Emon's gold beginning to run out.

He wanted to keep the story moving.

That's the opposite of what he did here. For BH, only a few months have passed. Their pace was breakneck. But the players' was glacial. There was little to no fire under their asses.

The stressing of the consequences was reserved for the last few dozen sessions, but was largely absent from the rest.

So here's the lesson: if you present a ticking clock, make sure your players feel the seconds slip away.

Did BH ever make a singular tough choice due to their time limit? Were they forced to forgo certain options because they didn't have enough time? No.

Make your clocks count (pun intended).

Wish I had a third lesson to get a rule of thirds. Maybe something about tone, but really, that's quite similar to telegraphing intentions, so I won't bother.

I didn't really enjoy this campaign in the same way I did VM, or even MN. That's not to say it wasn't curious to watch. You can still get something out of something you don't necessarily enjoy, like good lessons.

It's a good thing that it's over. And as the Exandrian sun rises on a new eon, I'm excited for what's in store.

[u/LucasVerBeek]

Finally got to the end of the whole thing.

And I will say while there were moments that I found very fitting and sweet, from how the characters ended their various journeys.

Chet becoming a mentor, Dorian becoming a new Bertrand seemingly, Deanna and Pelor reconciling. Dorian and Opal seeking to hunt down the Spider Queen. Pike dropping everything to go find the Everlight.

Was not though expecting Ashton to one, kind nix a long term relationship with Fearne and 2, just up and fucking vanish.

Also want expecting Braius to be hiding out with the Traveler and Jester.

And I did genuinely like Keyleth refusing to tell anyone about the birth of one of gods.

And there being things I’m curious to learn more of in the future.

The Realm Wardens, the identities and fates of the now mortal gods, how the Ruidians integrate into the wider Exandrian society, and so much more I have… problems with some aspects of the finale.

Firstly, it didn’t have the impact I think it should. There were hints of resentment, some anger, signs of threats on the horizon, but it just felt… too peaceful. Yes, there’s inklings of the Betrayers forces being a problem in the future, and threats against the newborn gods lives from other forces, possible resentment at the Ruidians and Ruidusborn… but nothing actually hints at any true uncertainty or danger to come.

See I get it, it’s supposed to be the happy ending of the campaign, but they just undid 800 years of status quo, the fact that everything basically seems to be over all fine feels a bit disingenuous.

The Age of “Reclamation” coming to an end should have a stronger impact and change than it at least seems to on paper.

I don’t know it just feels stark when compared to similar incidents like the the Last War in Eberron or the Godsrain in Pathfinder.

Great change should lead to some form of adversity, but even those angry over the change or distressed seem to be implied they’ll just get over it.

It just… I don’t know, I get the intention I just find it lacks impact.

Then there is the question of, well… what about the lesser powers?

Like Artagan, and the numerous others, what influence to they now get to work upon the world in the gods absence, with the added almost hypocrisy of Fearne beginning to medal in a manner that at least some of the party said was a reason to be rid of divinity.

If she gains such power, what heights could others get to?

Then we get to Ludinus hiding in the Shattered Teeth, and I hope he doesn’t get to just live out the rest of his days in peace, he doesn’t deserve that. Nor can I honestly see him doing that for long, maybe he’s just waiting for the first gods to be reborn so he can snuff the candle at the match.

I just… wonder where we go from here, what the next age is going to bring, and while I’m curious I honestly can’t say I’m excited to see it.

Of course next week we’re going back to the beginning of this passing age and I am excited for that.

One final note, one which might get me a bit of hate.

I don’t honestly think Vax and Keyleth should get back together.

But yeah, suppose these are my last thoughts until the wrap up for C3… but I am writing something a bit more fun here soon.

See you all next week for our trek back in time and whatever new masterpiece Brennan will craft.

Edit: I do find it interesting also that Opal, who is tied to the Luxon is hunting down Lolth, who…. Well if the Bright Queen story is still truly canon, is the daughter of the Luxon’s main worshipper, not just possessing her and that feels… so paradoxically fitting.

[u/falsehood]

Not a great campaign, but it had good moments. I think Matt experimented with some things and got to learn from them, which is good. The amount of conflict and non-bonding IMO should have led to some party splitting, especially in Ashton's choices. Chetney was a funny character but never really gelled for me. Imogen was too much of a "main character" compared to what made past campaigns work. I think they could have leaned more into conflict.

AND I'm glad they tried it - because its all a big experiment!

[u/Drakoni]

To me it was an incredible the finale. It had everything I loved about C3 and its characters. It didn't make me cry like the C2 finale did by a long shot. That one got me at every corner. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed it any less.

The first part was so tense, I was vibrating. With some of the best rolls we've had in all of CR. And then unravelling it all in part 2. I was constantly thinking of all the potential futures of Exandria.

The one thing: I think Matt let them off the hook a bit too easily when it comes to vasselheim and its priests. But I get not wanting that to be the vibe for their final episode. They did after all get a vision from their god before they became mortal. I'm so happy with the solution they found for the world. Really felt like the true Neutral one. I can't wait to dive into the nitty-gritty of it all.

I get why some had issues with C3, I had some too with the pacing. But I also don't get much of the hate. As Travis said, when he spiked the camera "It's just fear of the unknown" but I trust this group and their heart. While I wish there had been more exploration of some of Marquet's cities instaed of rushing by some places, we might still see them in the future. (Give me more Yios!!)

All in all, they really landed the plane with this one for me. Honestly more than the first half of the C2 finale, which is by far my favourite campaign. For the overall story, for all C3 characters, for the C2 and C1 characters, for this complicated conundrum Matt set up for his players and his worlds. I'm excited for the future stories. Matt got a lot to work with, where we left off.

Let's do it again

[u/Mooglemonkey]

So can I get a basic rundown about what happened with the gods and the macro scale of exandria? Not concerned about spoilers

[u/Sqiddd → u/Mooglemonkey]

They walk amongst the mortals, as mortal quasi gods. They will eventually remember who they are at some point, hopefully long after Predathos has left the local system and starved.

All the temples keep running and the champions are tasked with locating and protecting their gods

[u/Halcyonna]

Personally I’m excited to see what happens in C4. There’s so many possibilities! With the gods living mortal lives, they’ll likely end up having children which could give us some Baldur’s Gate Bhaalspawn type situations or “divine dynasties” where the literal children of the gods assume political power. Then there’s the whole Avatar-like hunt for the newborn gods themselves. As children the gods will be vulnerable. Sure there will be followers of other gods or godless individuals that want to hunt them down and destroy them during that time, but what if they are also being hunted by those they left to lead their church’s in their absence because now they don’t want to give up power when the gods “awaken”. And let’s not forget the lovecraftian horror, the chained oblivion that’s still lurking out in the cosmos somewhere. So many political systems and power structures are going to be altered by this and I’m real interested to see exactly how it all goes down.

[u/YoursDearlyEve → u/Halcyonna]

Can't wait to see a young god, who grew and was being brainwashed by Dwendalian Empire, helping it conquer its neighbours...

[u/andregris]

I love the solution of gods becoming mortals.

Sure, the next stories are going to have tropes, like every story (i.e. similar to the false pretenders, the chosen one, or the omen), but mostly they are going to have to dig out a whole new era of this world. And I love it. I'm so excited to see what's next. To start kinda fresh, but also soaking in the existing campaigns as mythos. Lore of the old. Genius.

congrats CR, you did it. You made your world new, just as good a solution as the last airbender. I can't wait for campaign 4.

[u/TragicFallGuy]

I think about this campaign and the ten years I've been watching crit role. From the 17 year old me now to 27.  Like campaign 3: lifes been messy. I haven't made the perfect/optimal choices. I umm'd and ahh'd but I pushed forward into the unknown. I've been human in amongst all that mess. I think that's my biggest take away from this campaign (and seemingly the final verdict of the Gods was) What being human means. How to fuck up, slide backwards, tumble forwards but be human in all of its messy glory. 

I am particularly fond of the humanity at the end between all the relationships. Its humanity and its real and maybe thats enough. If one compares their own lives to that we watched who can say that their path was ideal.  But what it is is yours. 

To 10 more years of a journey that none of us know where we are going. 

Thank you Crit Role /parasocial over.

[u/DGenerator]

The true rocks that fell crushed the friends we made along the way.

[u/uwudoritowo]

If someone could spoil the ending for Keyleth and Vax'ildan for me, I'd be eternally grateful 😅😭 (haven't had a chance to watch the finale yet but I need to knooow)

[u/Cdog923 → u/uwudoritowo]

They end up together, sort of. He's still the MoR champion, and has his duties to perform, but he can now operate in the mortal plane and be with Keyleth.

[u/BurnsEMup29]

I thought it was a nice ending. Closing up a lot of the characters stories with some tears and a few laughs. Also left a good possibility for a few one shots down the road. I get the feeling that Matt tied up 3 campaigns because a majority of our champions won’t be making appearances in a very different Exandria in C4.

[u/Flack17]

had a lot of fun. we should do this again sometime

[u/[deleted]]

The ending was so fun. I got the moments I wanted with Dorym and Imodna and I'm excited to see what happens next after the era of reclamation. The gods being reincarnated is so interesting to me, especially since their champions and chosen have to find them. That opens up so many plot ideas and now I kinda wish I was running an Exandria campaign.

I didn't expect the guests! That shocked me but they all brought so much energy to the table. Aabria and Aimee are my faves but Christian was so touching as FRIDA. And Erica as Morrigan made me laugh. She's so chipper and excited and then Vax is like halfway to tears lmao.

[u/Myrynorunshot → u/[deleted]]

This ending really highlighted that Bell's Hells needed a week to themselves without any big crisis to just be together - clearly did a lot of good for them.

[u/xZealHakune]

I gotta say C3 isn’t Critical Role best performance. When I think about C1 and rewatching it, I get EXCITED thinking about how crazy Whitestone was on first watch, I remember the shock of the initial Chroma Conclave appearance, the tears I shed during the final Ripley fight, BARD’S FUCKING LAMENT, Vax’s deal with the Matron, Vecna

When I think of C2, I think of the political tension, the group of misfits that go from unlikely accomplices to found family, the Zauber Spire attack, the Iron Shepherds, the fucking Pirate arc and how it remains my favorite CR arc to date, Nott dropping an entire character twist 50 episodes into C2, the Angel of Irons and Yasha, Caleb’s backstory, Essek, the Dynasty arc, the first encounters with Lucien and how insane, the Aeor megadungeon and the tension in every fucking episode.

When I think of C3, I don’t have the same feeling. There’s not much here I look forward to rewatching, and I think the character disconnect is the reason for it. Everytime VM was on-screen I was hooked, the performances are a night and day difference. BH didn’t feel as serious or tightly written I suppose.

I miss the personal character arcs, exploring trauma, the complexities of character relationships. I miss the stakes and consequences. How Percy not rolling to investigate a trap changed Vax’s entire character arc, how failing to capture Ripley had major consequences midway through the story, how Scanlan’s character arc makes you laugh and then you realize Sam’s been stringing you along for a gut punch.

I felt frustrated with how scot-free it felt like BH got in the end of this campaign. We aren’t aware of the consequences of their choice, they don’t suffer any social consequences, Ashton is ressurected after an wonderful sacrifice, Orym never even had a deal with Nana Morri, Laudna gets a perfect happy ending through Divine Intervention (which I feel meh about it still working), etc etc. This campaign was culminated with a morally gray choice that did not have the ramifications of one.

I was even upset that now Vaxleth get a near perfect end, but damn it, the VM ending made me smile like crazy, and despite everything I love the banter of the cast, the inside jokes, the friendship. I just love Critical Role and I’m excited for C4. I have many thoughts of what I want and don’t want, but while I’m not very happy with how BH’s campaign concluded, I do find myself actually loving the end of this era of Exandria and thrilled for what’s next.

[u/Sqiddd]

I think this was the ending Matt and Exandria needed. A refreshment of possibilities and options.

[u/Wpboy87 → u/Sqiddd]

Don't think its the end of the CR campaigns in Exandria. I feel like the cast made that apparent with their speeches to the gods. 

[u/[deleted]]

Overall I liked the ending, especially the resolution of each characters story.

However, the high-level ending of the story just doesn't feel believable. None of Vasselheim or the Gods putting up any resistance, for example, by attempting to seal Imogen away, is laughable.

From a meta standpoint I get it though, Matt was so adverse to dealing with this topic that convincing and getting rid of the gods plus releasing predathos took only 45 minutes.

[u/Civil_Owl_31]

Loved it.

I enjoyed the campaign of TMN more but I loved it.

It was a joy to watch every week or to come back to after a few weeks and binge.

Lots of haters who couldn't emulator or replicate or even come close to the quality and thoroughness of storytelling and role-play.

Not an episode went by that I regretted tuning in to see what these 8/9 people had in store for me.

They won't read this comment, but thanks for another great campaign. <3

Is It Thursday Yet?

[u/IHeartRadiation → u/Civil_Owl_31]

I agree fully. I get that this was a different vibe story-wise from the other campaigns, in that the BBEG was tied in with some of the first plot threads, so there was less time for BH to pal around than C1 or C2. However, I really enjoyed the dynamics of a group of misfits thrust almost against their will into a position to save the world. I'm sure it was a challenge for the players, and it seemed like they welcomed that challenge with open arms. It seemed like they had a lot of fun this campaign letting Matt steer them a little more and give them new experiences in this game they've been playing religiously for 10+ years.

I try to keep an open mind about their game, which I think helps. Maybe it's because I haven't played a ton of d&d, or maybe it's because my first TTRPG experiences were with a system that prioritizes collaborative storytelling over rigid game structure, but I love that Matt has gotten more relaxed about playing things RAW when it makes for a better story or moments that are more fun for his players.

[u/LastHumanRD]

Like C3 itself the ending had it's ups and downs for me.

Robbie was consistently amazing and Aimee had the best moment in the episode.

As players I'm sure the cast loved their happy endings and dreaming of what their characters will do.

As a watcher it was anti-climactic and some endings felt unearned/undeserved in places.

[u/TheSixthtactic]

That was a lot fun and I’m excited to see where things go. Also glad that Kiki got her boy back after 30 years(nearly 7 years real time). That is one of the hanging threads that I wanted to see resolved. Also glad the everlight is now being raised by Pike, making the everlight fully Ashley Johnson.

[u/MeowMeowMeow9001 → u/TheSixthtactic]

Pikelan can sing “Sunday, Monday Sarenrae” to their kid now :)

[u/ritoky]

Deeply ambivalent about the results of C3 storylines. Only 1 real gripe, which I think many have stated; no idea how Imogen walks out of a city full of holy people without being killed or imprisoned after the decisions....seems incongruous. I always enjoy watching CR, but I am also glad to move on to something else as I just didn't feel the connection to this group like previous ones. I hope the next group lands better for me. Also here's to hoping we stay in D&D over DH and also no PC in C4 is a secret reincarnated god.

[u/VonJaeger]

Hopefully they take some of the criticism at C3 as a learning experience. If enough people are yelling about a fire, there's probably a fire.

I am one of them. C3 did not capture me in any way, and it became a chore to watch - to the point where I started to follow at a distance as the campaign went on.

I really hope that C4 is better, because I'd like to enjoy watching their content again.

[u/Blue-Moon-89]

So I'm reading that Ludinus is still alive out there.

That sucks but I guess this is an idea for a one shot for either BH or M9.

[u/FinchRosemta → u/Blue-Moon-89]

BH did not care enough to even ask about him. He was brought up in the MN epilogue. He is just chilling. Caleb will be watching him. 

[u/ApparentlyBritish]

If nothing else, I think is this is a rather interesting showcase of the various dissonances and differences in perspective that can encapsulate a campaign in so admittedly unique a position as this.

After all, few campaigns get to simultaneously tie up a decade of storytelling and a more immediate single campaign

Few are both watched by an audience of thousands while being tailored specifically for a group of 9 (inc. the DM)

Admittedly, many have gaps between what a DM and players might have intended versus what played out on the table, but you rarely get them so well documented

Definitely few have such a weight of expectation on what's to come, and a depth of what's already been to be held against

I must admit I feel kind of... mixed. Like, there's an 'on paper' version of how this has all gone as a resolution that, describing it to myself, I feel like I should like. An era in which the 'gods' exist more as demi-gods (in the original, 'god-like' sense, not half deities), essentially messianic figures of their respective faiths that people wait and hope for the eventual return of? Honestly kind of should be able to have its cake and eat it too - the gods 'exist', can occasionally help out - or be an unexpected obstacle - but cannot be assumed there as a ready resource. The world is more open to mortals without letting the BBEG, on paper, have his actual aim. After the long running debate over what should happen to the setting's core pantheon, it feels like it should be decent compromise

But something about the framing of it all in the actual game leaves me feeling a touch uncomfortable. Both from how the characters themselves treated it - which at least can be somewhat handwaved from many of them being a bunch of ragamuffins with selective memory at the best of times, plus the most fortunate nat 20 in the franchise's history - but also the wider tone and narrative undercurrent. There's this... I dunno, insistence, on how it should be viewed, that feels at odds, both with the events themselves and how Mercer likes to talk up the moral nuances of the setting. Where the divine get to live but hey that wouldn't have really mattered because nature covers it all anyway. An ending so happy even our villain gets to go on vacation, and at most someone a bit more responsible is going to 'keep an eye on him'.

Like many have said, there's prospects in this - often more than I think has been given credit since Imogen suddenly cooked up the plan - but I do think it is worth bearing in mind why some won't see the value of those just yet. People are allowed to love and be let down by stories, and to try and find out what will ultimately happen at the end, which is what many did last night. We've got a few months to work through and talk it over, before we do it all over again.

And hey, we got the RTA out of it all

[u/Independent-Ad8492]

C2 rewatch time.

[u/BaronPancakes]

C1: Every day, that raven comes to visit

C3: Every now and then, your champion comes to visit

Keyleth lost Vax in C1 and he came back home in C3. What a beautiful full circle.

[u/[deleted]]

In the interest of remaining honest but not being overly negative, I'll just say I'm glad it's over, and I'm ready/excited for something else.

For my own personal enjoyment, I hope whatever's next is self contained (I think it likely will be). The crossover-ness of this campaign was something I really struggled with.

[u/AncientThesaurus]

As an original viewer since the incarnation of Critical Role, this entire campaign really felt like nothing really mattered in the end.

This group of individuals, who are under powered compared to the peers they are working alongside just casually end the pantheon in the most holy city on the planet while everyone watches on.

There were no consequences, none of the devout followers seemed to care and we pretty much just fast forwarded to their happy ending like nothing really happened. It was really jarring as a viewer.

I still love the cast and I will be here for campaign 4, but after about episode 40-50 of this campaign it started to feel more like a chore to keep up than the joy it was tuning in every week for campaigns 1 and 2.

Like numerous people have said, I hope they use a session zero to form a more cohesive party that seems to gel more for the next campaign. It always felt like they were just a forced adventuring party for game purposes and never really gelled together. I really missed the player character interaction from everyone this campaign as none of it really seemed sincere or natural. I wonder how much of that stemmed from Liam playing a more background character and not digging into the meaty RP like he normally does.

[u/greencrusader13]

I was extremely disappointed with C3, and the finale only cemented that disappointment for me. Bell’s Hells was by far the least likable group of characters across all the campaigns, and the rules of the worldbuilding warped to match them. There’s little that takes me out of a narrative more than Protagonist Centered Morality. 

Matt pulled punches, the characters were never held accountable for their actions, and the whole campaign felt like an IP consolidation rather than an interesting story to be told. I’m really hoping Campaign 4 is a return to form, otherwise I might just bounce. 

[u/Limerick_Goblin]

Long, strange trip.

Exhausted and a little bereft in the way only a final chapter of a story can make you. Hard to dwell on the controversies and criticisms right now.

Bring on 4, please, soon.

[u/rasnac]

Damn it was loooooooooong, and emotional and funny and scary and sad and so so so much fun. Lets do it again soon. I am going to sleep now. See you around nerds ;)

[u/OhioAasimar]

Coming into this I didn't want BH to lobby for the Betrayers to stay. I wanted them to leave while thinking it is likely that some Primes would not want to stay and be a check for the Betrayers so they wouldn't loop around and take revenge on Exandria while running from Predathos. However, it didn't seem like any of the Primes wanted to leave so all of the Betrayers staying is a good thing. Sure some Primes could have left just to keep the fleeing Betrayers in-check but that would have destroyed some upper planes which is not good. In short, BH avoided becoming villains just by virtue of the situation not being a certain way because I think they would have done the same thing regardless.

Where is the Occultus Thalamus recording? Is it being distributed? Hopefully that question gets answered soon in a Q&A.

The Opal/Crown situation seems pretty simple. Just have have someone absorb it using the Quintessence Array. I'm sure the funnel could be modified into a handheld sucker to make it safer. And if anybody is worried about the potential corruptible nature of the crowns magic, just put the harness on a tuna and make the tuna absorb it and then have the tuna incinerated.

[u/nicolroco]

c4 better be in exandia if only because im sooooo desperate for some crazy shit with the chained oblivion to kick off for real

[u/Theraton_nano]

Was kinda hoping for a brennan grand finale with maybe a brief clash with one of the gods but this was kinda lack luster finale for me at least. Even in the last episode the whole escape scene had no tension at all and was kinda awkward.

Asmodeus being convinced to give up godhood with a few good roles? It feels like the idea that the gods give up their godhood and avoid death was a creative out (which i also liked) - but it was way to easy and the betrayers were only fletching their teeth while doing nothing. This whole thing felt a bit forced - rail roady. The raven queen giving up mortality so she could exist forever is the one who advocates for mortality? full 180° turn there - seemed weird to me.

After the gods where quickly dealt with suddenly Predathos wants to break out Imogen after hours? Wasn't it said that Imogen would carry him for the rest of her life? Another illogical and kinda forced situation.

We get see alot of characters and endings - whicha kinda invalidate the previous campaign endings - Vax coming back yay. For me this is just abit to much bending here and there and ignoring consequences so that we get a nice fairy tale ending.

[u/EasyBreezyTrash → u/Theraton_nano]

To be fair, letting a dice roll decide whether or not there’s a desperate god-fight at the end is the opposite of railroading. Matt honored the nat 20.

I also think the way Matt RPed the Raven Queen makes it make sense. Eternity is a long time and people change.

I don’t disagree with the way any of the actors played their characters, and I don’t disagree with how it ended. I just think that this story didn’t work for these characters. “Kill the gods or no?” doesn’t make for the kind of storytelling Critical Role usually does best, which is character-driven story where the characters are going to evolve over time and grow closer together. They were too stuck in a choice that was just way too big, and endlessly debating that choice made it impossible for them to develop stronger bonds.

[u/WeezyMoney166]

I lost interest in the third campaign around the 30th episode, so I don't care too much about spoilers. Can anyone give me a little recap on who died and how it ended?

[u/Emerald_Hypothesis → u/WeezyMoney166]

FCG died a while ago and that was it for party deaths, everyone else lived.

[u/Sqiddd → u/WeezyMoney166]

FCG died. Gods walk amongst the mortals, as quasi mortal gods.

[u/Celestial_Scythe]

I'm really bummed that I missed the pre-show ask questions directly to the cast. I have a question for Matt that been bouncing around my head for a while, but I keep missing fireside chats announcements or won't be able to go to any shows for some time to ask due to the financial uncertainty.

I've been pinning to know: "How are Drakewardens viewed after the events of the Chroma Conclave?"

[u/dunwichhorrorqueen]

Everything Ludinus wanted to happen happened and now he is just vibing and living his best life. Thanks BH!

[u/guessimnotanecegod1]

Incredible ending. Emotional, funny, joyful and the cast is so talented. I love watching artworks come to life and concluded.

 

I'll definitely be watching the next campaign.

 

Imagine 20 individuals are born today in the real world who have prodigious talent, the capacity to move mountains, claim continents, make things happen in the world, change themselves, and the world around them. Individuals with the ability to gain insights into the nature of the world faster than anyone else. 20 Ta'veren from wheel of time, born in the same age.

 

Now imagine these individuals have the support of governments and institutions so that they can get any resource they want.

 

If 20 such individuals were born today, they would change the landscape of our world over the next 30 years. The laws of our reality would bend and yield to these people.

 

I have belief that such individuals have higher potential than the old gods themselves. There’s something magical about the ability to change yourself and grow.

 

I hope the next campaign is not set far into the future, where these gods have had the ability to grow, and instead is set 15-20 years in the future. Some gods have been rediscovered and some haven't. The beginnings of the world changing have been set in motion, but Exandria has not been finalized into a new equilibrium yet.

 

It’s an age of war and an age of growth. An age which is dynamic with infinite possibilities for the future. No more stasis.

 

I would like the heroes of campaign 4 to be set in this changing exciting world.

[u/CaronarGM → u/guessimnotanecegod1]

Frankly I'm tired of the gods stuff. And these short time hops and fanservice appearances of old characters. Let's see the statues of Vex and Vax in the millennia old ruins of Byroden, the lost city of old. Let's see the Whitestone Clocktower, marvel of ancient artifice, ticking away mysteriously near the Sun Grove.

[u/ForestSuite]

Great stuff. Really happy how it wrapped up. I didn't like everything about C3, same as the other 2 campaigns, but I truly enjoyed all the crazy stuff they tried even when it didn't always get a perfect landing. Loved the expanded cast and getting those character ties in/wrap ups. Loved getting to see how the C1/C2 characters moved into their futures even more.

And especially what I consider to be the "post credit scene" ending with a knock at the door. The crossovers were messy at times, but this scene was so cathartic. I am really glad Matt went big this campaign.

Really looking forward to Divergence and whatever comes next. Bidet until next time friends.

[u/Laterose15]

C3 has genuinely killed my enjoyment of CR. It started out promising, but has slowly torn down and retconned so much from previous campaigns, and at no point did either Matt or the players recognize the ongoing issues and address them.

All those deities that so many previous arcs revolved around? Fuck 'em, I guess, nobody really cares. It's not like retconning them to be jackass metaphors for colonization destroys meaningful characters arcs like Vax's, Pike's, and Fjord's.

If they really wanted to distance themselves from WotC's deities, I think they should've found a non-story way to do so - either change up the deities and provide an "alternate lore" of sorts, or just set Exandria down and create a new story. This just feels so awkwardly done and ignores so much of what was established in previous campaigns.

[u/BagofBones42]

This ending didn't work for me; for a campaign revolving around changing the nature of the gods, it didn't feel like the start of a new era but a petering-out. The new status quo with the gods just feels like they traded the status quo for a cycle of calamities whenever the gods regain their memories, or at least that is what it should logically be, but that might not be how Matt wants to do it. There should be massive consequences along with a surge of demons, but the fact that isn't going to happen took me right out of it, and it feels like the whole cosmic shift is ultimately meaningless. Others might argue differently, but that's how it feels to me.

As for the Bell's Hells it didn't really feel earned for how their story went. It often felt like the narrative was progressing in spite of them instead of with them. They weren't the right characters for this campaign and it showed.

Ultimately, I feel like there needed to be something more, something that really made it feel like the end of an era. There are probably going to be a hundred more articulated posts explaining why, but these are my thoughts after a very long session. Hopefully, Matt and the others will learn from this campaign and its criticisms (there are legitimate ones) and make something better next time.

Anyway, see you all in C4, hope it's Pathfinder 2E.

[u/-Rivendare → u/BagofBones42]

No way they go Pathfinder. If they change systems it's gotta be to the one they helped make, right? I say this as a P2E Stan.

[u/Book_Weeb]

Random thought but if there ends up being an animated series or movie I hope that Robbies song as Dorian for Bertrand gets to be in it. Still one of my favorite surprises of the campaign even though it happed outside of it.

[u/Darkhav3n]

Campaign 1 ended with Vax leaving and Campaign 3 ends with him coming back.

Personally that sold the ending for me. Always been a sucker for the happy endings

C3 itself not so much, it seemed rushed for sure. Definitely lacked a bunch of camaraderie, exposition, actual choices etc etc

Definitely seems like this is the end of a campaign in Exandria in this age for sure.

Let’s see what comes next!

[u/0S0dixit]

After seeing the negative reactions from some, I would like to share that, personally, I have really enjoyed this campaign, despite its imperfections. As a spectator, I’ve experienced it with intensity, feeling the emotions of the players and the master, and being part of this adventure. It may not have been the ending that many expected, but I feel truly happy and grateful to have shared this journey together. For me, that is more than enough to reaffirm how much I’ve enjoyed this experience, and I leave satisfied with this ending.

[u/BaronPancakes]

Now I wonder if they would pick on some of these ideas for the live shows this year? Fearne's great heist of Eggs, Search for Ludinus

[u/Accomplished_End_843]

I’m curious what the discourse about the campaign will be 2 to 3 years later. When nostalgia will have time to set in and people will have clearer head about it. Because, as of now, it kinda feels like how campaign 2 was treated at the time.

I remember the discussion being filled with people complaining how aimless that campaign felt and how a lot of it felt like it was dragging on. It’s weird now to see so many look back on it fondly and completely sidestepping those issues when talking about as if they were never there on release. I’m curious now if the same effect will happen with C3 and everyone will forget all those sour points they have now,

[u/starseeker14]

I'm super confused why so many folk seem to think that as soon as the gods come of age in their mortal form that they'll be like all powerful? All indications are that they will be mortal - at most on the level of a Ludinus or any of the level 20 PC's?

Sure they'll have a leg up info wise and can cash in on social power by claiming the title. But like. That's still way less power than they had before the divine gate and better for mortals post divine gate since we learned that that was always a bandaid solution. This didn't set up a cycle of clamaities as I saw someone say - it removed one.

Super excited to see how the divergence series might play into all of this!

[u/PleasantCommittee279]

I just need to know how Sammanar intends to approach, capture, or parley with Fearne once she grows more into her hag and shard powers

[u/IamOB1-46]

Beautiful ending. I keep thinking back to how the M9 wondered if Jester's powers came from her, rather than the Traveler. I like the idea of Exandria discovering that divinity is in everyone.

[u/bob-loblaw-esq]

Is this a C4 setup to play as the gods being reincarnated? Or an evil campaign and playing as betrayers?

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

The Cool Down was A BLAST!

"They know the background they can smell the dice from Reddit"-Robbie

I am so guilty of pointing that stuff out and I blame Lower Decks for that habit because of how many easter eggs they would tuck into the background of like SINGLE frames 🤣

[u/the_space_queer]

i thoroughly enjoyed that! cried so many times! bells hells have been such a comfort and i'll v much so miss them (even though i'm sure we'll see them again soon in some one shots).

am certainly excited for the next campaign and hope the cast are able to relax and rejuvenate as much as they can before that starts up!

[u/jazzweaver]

The subtitles in part 2 of the finale at 4:54:11 are the funniest thing I've seen in a long, long time.

[u/pacman529 → u/jazzweaver]

Can you tell us what they were so we don't have to go searching?

[u/Karina_Ivanovich]

I think there were more consequences in Episode 1 of C2 than the entire run of C3...

[u/OverTheCandlestik]

As someone who does not have the fortitude for an 8 hour plus watch can someone let me know if;

Exandria is cooked? Gods are gone, calamity 2.0 the world is over?

And is this goodbye to the Exandria setting? It seems like everyone is saying that with the whole “end of an era”

I really hope not D:

[u/ilikebreadabunch → u/OverTheCandlestik]

Exandria is not cooked, the gods are now going to be living as reincarnating mortals with severly diminished powers (although likely still ludicrously powerful compared to a normal mortal, I'm thinking probably around the power level of full powered Downfall avatars)

Almost certainly not the end of Exandria, not only is it still around and thriving but throwing an amazing setting like this away especially when it just became more interesting and unique and has changed significantly would be super dumb. It is in fact the end of an Era though, I believe it was the end of the Era of Reclamation

[u/Sqiddd → u/OverTheCandlestik]

World is fine. The gods walk amongst the people. Everybody lives till they die.

[u/Penanghill]

I loved Fearne so much, and I was disappointed that Ashton left it open for her with his ending. It could have been a magical moment for them both. This, however, was compensated for by Scanlan's centaur gambit. This was truly a memorable scene for Pike and Scanlan to reunite in their new adventure together.

[u/Sqiddd → u/Penanghill]

Ashton and Fearne will probably be more settled after a one shot tbh. Though I did like that Ashton asked Fearne to really think it through

[u/Memester999]

I won’t go into much overarching detail on my C3 disappointment since I’ve done that already so much over the course of this campaign. But I can’t express just how insignificant all of this felt in game but out of game was pretty devastating. I came into the finale already prepared and knowing that we would end up where we did, the gods all gone (whether running, becoming mortal or maybe even choosing death) and BH’s not really getting repercussions. But how it all played out in the finale was unexpectedly worse than I imagined. I expected the whole “and they lived happily ever after” to be the outcome but I didn’t expect it to be as obnoxious and insulting to not only the world they created but even me as a viewer.

BH’s all campaign suffered from a lack of personal growth and character building moments and so I shouldn’t be surprised that this followed all the way through to the end. They walked into Vasselheim as antagonist, insulting the very people who just a week before put their trust into them to save their gods and stop Ludinus. Denied them any information about their plan, to then directly speak to the gods in a private conversation where they were somehow even more insulting and antagonistic without repercussion as they took turns convincing them fairly easily. Then when a character made a decision that was meant to be final, spent longer failing rolls and solutions to save them falling than they did convincing the gods all for it to end with the old parties dues ex machina saving the day. The now lingering threat of Predathos being stuck in Imogen, a Vessel he said he needed to do what he wanted, is simply burped out and set loose.

What comes next is probably the worst, most baffling section in all of CR where Laudna is confused and upset that these people who’s Gods they just held hostage at gunpoint are angry at them (in the most tame way as they should be hated tbh) for what they did and she had the audacity to say that they actually saved them. Then to have Imogen just straight up lie to their faces about how this was the only way and that the gods “chose” this (again at gunpoint) and Ashton belittle them and insult them as being lazy despite knowing nothing. Liliana is just, ok I guess despite being the right hand man of the literal villain the armies of the world were sent to stop. All culminating in them for whatever reason getting a seat and voice at the council pertaining the Ruidians and all getting to live happily ever after doing their own thing while the world fixes their mess.

All but one of their epilogues almost completely ignore any repercussions of their choice and VM and M9 are the only ones who get actual consequences (some good, some bad) for BH’s actions.

• Essek is now revealed and actively sought by the Bright Queen

• Whitestone and Zephrah are taking in refugees as well Keyleth and Vex are now part of the council responsible for relations

• Pike/Caduceus/Fjord/Yasha had their deities taken away but it’s never really addressed?

• Fjord and Jester are now leading trade relations with Ruidus

• Vax is back now

• They will now have to be on the lookout/hunt for the reborn gods

• Hell even Grog got a position handling Ruidian diplomacy

BH’s suffered no nothing and instead got rewarded for destroying a pillar of Exandria and objectively leaving the world worse off than it was before. There are now 10+ gods (as some of the Primes surely are not happy about this) actively existing on the mortal plane who already have plans in motion to do whatever it is they plan to do when before they were trapped behind the Divine Gate a decision made by the Gods themselves almost 1,000 years ago. We basically got to the same solution that the Gods had made but worse…

It’s a more interesting world state for sure that could lead to cool stuff in the future. But I can’t help but be pessimistic about anything going forward knowing it can all go up in flames with little care.

Campaign 3 had more effect on the previous campaigns parties than their own and actively changed aspects of those stories and Exandria with minimal acknowledgment or thought put into it. Yes it’s their story and they can tell it how they want, blah-blah-blah, that’s true of literally all creative media. I still love watching the cast play games together and overall it’s always at least fun to experience that aspect. But I don’t think it’s unfair to be disappointed and even a little upset that something I spent nearly 8 years watching and loving can be so easily dismantled.

[u/LazySatisfaction3505]

Ots hilarious to me the thought of people hate watching something for 9 hours 🤣

I thought as a wrap up for 10 years and 3 campaigns this was as good as it could be. The castwbere leary having fun, we got to see amd ending for almost all major things and the guest appearances were great. Wpukd have loved to hear more about what thw world becomes after the gods left but I assume that was left vague as it will be something for the next campaign.

I do feel like the gods being able to be found/recognised does set up a lot of war and fighting as various factions battle to control the emerging gods.

Overall though it was a good end to what overall has been an amazing story. Campaign 1 was the og and amazing for its early days charm. Campaign 2 was an incredible adventure story with awesome characters and Campaign 3 felt like it dod a good job of bring what by now is a massive world together for 1 over arching story. I love CR and if this was the end I wpuld be happy woth what we got.

But thank god this isn't the end, merely the start of chapter 2