Though The Legend of Vox Machina was created with Critical Role fans in mind, it’s certainly easy for newcomers to pick up and love just the same.
Since it’s debut on Amazon Prime in 2022, many more fans have been able to enjoy the story of Vox Machina in glorious animated form. And yet, it’s fair to want more of the world, lore, and characters that Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer and the Critical Role cast have lovingly created.
It’s no secret, however, that Critical Role is a lengthy show to watch, let alone catch up on after its inception on Twitch in 2015. There are a lot of entry points into the show, but which one is the right one for you? Let’s take a look at the best ways to start watching Critical Role if you want to get your fix after The Legend of Vox Machina.
Campaign one
Length: 115 episodes
If you’re in for the long haul with Critical Role, there’s no better place to start than campaign one where it all began. There’s a certain charm to the rawness of the show’s early streamed games, but it’s definitely rough around the edges with it’s weird broadcast UI, streaming gimmicks, and sound issues.
Things get ironed out around episode 30 or so, when Critical Role changes out a cast member and a new set is introduced that ups the show’s production value. If you’re able to get past the early growing pains of a group transitioning out of its home game to the wild west of the streaming scene in 2015, the lore and world building of Critical Role‘s beginning episodes are well worth watching.
Campaign two
Length: 141 episodes
Campaign two of Critical Role does a great job of differentiating itself from the show’s first campaign right out of the gate. Whereas Vox Machina were a pretty tight group from the outset of campaign one, the Mighty Nein take a long time to warm up to one another as they all learn to leave the world better than they found it.
Different vibes between campaigns aside, campaign two also features very few references to the events of campaign one, making it a great starting point for new viewers who are mostly unfamiliar with the show’s timeline.
Campaign three
Length: 46 episodes (ongoing)
As the current campaign of Critical Role, campaign three is the easiest lift by far for viewers looking for the least path of resistance to jumping onboard the show. Campaign three adds some rotating guest actors to mix up the show’s formula, with Robbie Daymond and Erika Ishii getting extended guest spots.
Though the shorter length may be appealing, campaign three does reference many past events from the show’s timeline, making it possibly more confusing for new viewers. Still, if you want to get caught up on a campaign of Critical Role as fast as possible, starting campaign three is your best bet.
Exandria Unlimited
Length: 14 episodes
Though not one of the main campaigns, Exandria Unlimited takes the reins out of Mercer’s hands and gives it to other very capable DMs instead. Exandria Unlimited explores the wide world of Exandria and the other stories within it, from a band of misfits known as the Crown Keepers to exploring the beginnings of the Calamity that changed the world forever.
Aabria Iyengar DMed the first set of Exandria Unlimited episodes featuring the Crown Keepers, with the vibes trending more towards the comedic. On the other hand, Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, DMed by Brennan Lee Mulligan, is more dramatic in tone. Either way, both series are perfect launching off points for new viewers to Critical Role!
