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Critical Role Campaign 3 is nearly here and here’s what we know

Critical Role campaign 3 is starting at the end of October, here's a quick round-up to get you ready for episode 1!

Updated: Nov 30, 2021 12:36 pm
Critical Role Campaign 3 is nearly here and here’s what we know

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It’s been too long.

Well, it’s only been 5 months, really. But 5 months is too long to go without the absolutely chaotic 4-hours of Critical Role we’re blessed with every Thursday.

Campaign 2, the tales of the Mighty Nein came to an end on June 3rd 2021 after 141 episodes. It began all the way back in 2018 with the first episode “Curious Beginnings”. There, we were introduced to Fjord, Beauregard, Caleb, Nott, Jester Mollymauk and Yasha.

What was especially notable about campaign 2 was that it was the first introduction to the CR gang as a whole for many. The second campaign saw a distinct surge in new viewers. But since 2018, there’s been even more people who’ve been watching from the side-lines but perhaps they were a little intimidated. Afterall, it is 4 hours an episode, and 141 episodes to dedicate yourself to. Not many were able to catch up to the campaign nor did they have the time. As such, there’s a whole lot more people who’re excited for campaign 3. Both the regular critters, and the new ones who want to join the adventure from the start!

Critical Role campaign 3 was announced to be starting on October 21st 2021.

In terms of what we know about campaign 3, let’s check it out! There’s quite a lot to cover but all of it is promising!

A unique and new story

During Travis, Marisha and Matt’s announcement, they gave us all the juicy details. But one thing they seemed to emphasise was the allure to new critters. As Marisha said, the extensive lore can be a little frightening to new viewers.

But good news, Critical Role will be posting a ‘History of Exandria’ video. One that’ll explore the lore of the world, for both new critters and old alike.

Although the story will be set in the same world, it’ll feature a brand new adventure and new characters. Though it’s not impossible we might revisit some old NPCs or even have some PC cameos.

critical role group shot

We begin in Marquet…

Matt has told us that the campaign will begin in Marquet. One of the continents in Exandria, Marquet will be in the spotlight this campaign. Marquet is a continent of deserts and mountains, with the occasional cities and bastions of civilizations to be found. Marquet has seen some development via campaign one and two but now we’ll truly get to see what Matt has in mind for the continent.

Spin-off sessions?

Something briefly mentioned in the Campaign 3 announcement was a little sneaky hint by Marisha:

“We’re excited to explore new ways to tell our story along with some new storytellers.”

Now, the fans will know that over the summer – after campaign 2 – there was a mini-campaign hosted by Aabria Iyengar. Aabria ran a series of sessions in a mini-campaign set in Exandria. Perhaps after the wide success of this mini campaign, the gang could be looking to do similar things with other new storytellers. These mini-arcs could either feature the same characters or possibly others following the same story? Either way, it’ll be fascinating to see what the gang have in mind.

Pre-recorded games

During the last year, most of the games were pre-recorded. As opposed to the former live-twitch sessions. Travis gave us their reasoning for preferring pre-recorded sessions than live. He explained that it allows them to continue their safety measures against the ongoing pandemic, and that it allows for sound of mind.

They aren’t pressured to be there on time, they can take it a lot easier. After all, multiple members of the cast have families to look after outside of Dungeons & Dragons! And while the majority of the fandom are supportive and loving, there’s a small – yet loud- portion of the fandom who can cause a lot of stress for the cast.

Sometimes these people who spam the live chats after one of the players did something they disagreed with in-session while it was still live. For these various reasons, campaign 3 will be pre-recorded until further notice.

crit role mighty nein

A week off every month

Another point that was made; each month the cast won’t be airing an episode of the main campaign on the last Thursday of the month. As with the pre-recorded sessions, there were multiple reasons for this. Many Critical Role fans and Dungeon Masters will know the stress and work it takes to run sessions every week.

Matt often said it caused him a lot of unwanted stress and took up so much of his time. Thankfully, they’ve taken the decision to give the poor man some breathing space. So each last Thursday, there won’t be an episode of the main campaign.

This could allow people to catch-up if they missed an episode as well as allow more time for ideas to brew in both the players’ and DM’s mind.

Talks Machina will return

The after-show talks will be making a comeback too. Talks Machina was a weekly talk show hosted by Brian Wayne Foster, where the events of Critical Role are discussed. However, Brian has said he won’t be returning for seaason 3’s Talk Machina. Instead, we’ll have a new host! Each week there are several guests who answer questions sent in by fans. However, Marisha said that they won’t be back until early 2022. So don’t expect to see a Talks Machina for a few weeks when it starts airing.

A new set

The gang also mentioned how they’ve got a brand new set that the production team have been working hard on. We got a very short glimpse into it, but Marisha, Matt and Travis seem very excited for us to see the full thing!

CR Set

Upload schedule

The schedule will remain the same as previous campaigns.

Episodes will air on Thursday on Critical Role’s Twitch channel for subscribers only. The full episode will then also be released on YouTube for all viewers the following Monday.

Campaign 3 Episode 1:

Twitch: 21st October

YouTube: 25th October

Critical Role cast character predictions

Next thing we all want to know is: who will everyone be? We cannot wait to hear all about the cast’s player characters and what they are. Our curiosity has, of course, led to some speculations and theories floating around the fandom. Just for fun, I’ll share some of the fandom’s theories.

Sam: A few people are speculating that Sam might play a wild magic sorcerer. He’s a fan of chaos and loves randomness, so of course why not play as the most chaotic class the game can offer? Not to mention, it’ll be fun to see him play a full-mage again after Scanlan from campaign 1!

Liam: Liam really stood out whilst playing as Caleb, but it’s also obvious that Liam is a sucker for tragedy. But he also very much likes the versatility of mages. A few people could see him play a Warlock, or possibly a Bard?

Travis: A few people are speculating that Travis might play as a Paladin this time, or possibly even a War Cleric? Though Travis is a bit of an unexpected wildcard, so who knows!

Ashley: There’s quite a lot of people who want to see Ashleigh as a bard, and there’s no surprise about that.

Marisha: I personally hope Marisha will be a Rogue Inquisitive. She’s the best note-taker and investigator, she’s always got so many theories and takes on situations. I’d love to see her in the role of an actual investigator, not to mention… She seemed to love monk, and rogue is just as versatile as monks are.

Laura: Same as Sam, Laura might also try out wild magic sorcerer. She’s just as chaotic as Sam after all!

Taliesin: I could see Taliesin as an artificer or bard. Plus, Matt mentioned that Taliesin has ‘a lot of questions’. So no doubt the man is working on something big and special.

Well that’s all for our campaign 3 round-up! Hopefully you found it useful! See you in Marquet, critters!


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