Critical Role Campaign 4 is finally back this week: here is a quick refresher

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After a long hiatus for Christmas break, Critical Role Campaign 4 is set to return eager viewers to the godless world of Aramán this week with another episode following the Soldiers table. If you haven’t yet started the new campaign but feel the itch to begin this new year with a new Critical Role adventure (or you just forgot everything that happened so far), don’t sweat it. We’ve got all the information you need about Campaign 4, including its cast, characters, table composition, plot, and lore.

Campaign 4 officially debuted on Oct. 2 2025, with Dimension 20’s Brennan Lee Mulligan taking on the role of Dungeon Master, giving Critical Role’s usual DM, Matthew Mercer, a much needed break. Instead, Mercer took on the role of a player, sitting alongside Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Liam O’Brien to play yet another thrilling adventure of Dungeons & Dragons. The cast of Campaign 4 is also joined by several newcomers to the main campaign (but familiar faces to Critical Role fans), such as Whitney Moore, Aabria Iyengar, Luis Carazo, Robbie Daymond, and Alexander Ward.

With a bigger cast comes a different way to do table composition and approach to storytelling. Instead of the main cast all seated at one table for the majority of the campaign, Critical Role is taking a West Marches approach, with players split off into three rotating tables that focus on different aspects of the D&D gaming experience: the Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers.

After a four-episode-long overture involving all the players, the Soldiers have taken the spotlight first. They include fairy rogue Thimble (Bailey), cat Paladin Teor Pridesire (Willingham), demon warlock Tyranny (Moore), gruff ranger Kattigan Vale (Robbie Daymond), and the priestly Wicander Halovar (Sam Riegel). This table’s main goal is to find the missing brother of Teor, Cyd Pridesire, and exact vengeance on Casimir, an old friend of Thjazi’s who betrayed him.

The Seekers table is made up of the religious-warrior paladin Vaelus (Johnson), asshole fighter-rogue Julien Davinos (Mercer), Hollowed One wizard Occtis Tachonis (Ward), and badass orc druid, Thaisha Lloy (Iyengar). They are accompanied by NPC Lady Aranessa Royce, who is leading them on a quest to discover what noble house Tachonis is up to in their ancestral lands, the Obridimian Empire.

Last but not least, the Schemers table. Made up of Thjazi’s brother, the theater director slash bard Halandil Fang (O’Brien), an ancient weapon turned warlock Bolaire Lathalia (Jaffe), the sorcerer-paladin Arcane Marshal Azune Nayar, and the custodian of the magic school, the Penteveral, the dwarf wizard Murray Mag’nesson (Ray). Unlike the rest of the adventuring parties in Campaign 4, this group is dealing with the seedy political machinations of the noble Sundered Houses in the city of Dol-Makjar.

Unlike previous campaigns, which were set in the world of Exandria, Campaign 4 explores the world of Aramán, its rich history, and how the many conflicts over the years, namely the Shapers' War that led to mortalkind slaying the gods, have shaped the people living there. For one thing, after the death of the gods, magic doesn’t work as it used to.

However, all of the above comes secondary to the thread that pulls our large group of adventurers together: Thjazi Fang. A hero to some, a villain to others, the execution of Fang brings various figures from across his life together to uncover the reason behind his death.

After discovering a lead about Thjazi’s death and with Teor, Tyranny, and Wicander earning themselves a place on the hit list of House Halovar, the Soldier table packed up their bags and headed out of Dol-Makjar to ensure the safety of Teor’s brother, Cyd, and get their own payback on Casimir, a former comrade-in-arms of Thjazi who sold him out in exchange for a barony in the land of Sloak.

With a destination in mind, the Soldiers encountered several allies along the way, such as Ulbid Morn, a gnomish gentleman who gave them supplies, the fae of Hawthorn’s Glade, and the King of Timmony’s hounds, knights who, wanting to serve their king after death, reincarnated as hounds to do so.

After dealing with Casimir for good in Sloak, the group focused on finding Cyd. Following a lead from one of the hounds, they reached Castle Delawney in the town of Tybry’s Lea, a place where some members of House Tachonis are doing shady business.

Last we left off in episode 10, the Soldiers table had successfully infiltrated Castle Delawney in Gormolay in search of Cyd. However, they quickly uncovered that there was something evil afoot inside the cellar, coming across House Tachonis soldiers, as well as a basilisk that could turn allies and enemies alike to stone.

Despite a long and arduous battle, which showed off several new mechanics and features cooked up for Campaign 4, the party managed to survive the onslaught and figured out that Cyd was turned to stone by the basilisk.

It’s unclear if the discovery of Cyd and the completion of the Soldier’s first task means we will move onto the Seekers or Schemers table next.

Campaign 4’s latest episode will be available to watch live on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon.tv on Jan. 15 at 10 p.m. PDT. Don’t worry if you can’t catch the episode live — Critical Role posts the episode to YouTube the following Monday at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.