7 January 2026

If You’re Disappointed With Stranger Things Season 5’s Final Confrontation, Dungeons and Dragons Has You Covered

By newsgame

The era of Stranger Things is now over, at least for the main series, with two spin-offs being in the works. If those go well, there are bound to be more Stranger Things stories in the future, even if they don’t have anything to do with Eleven and the rest of the party. Over the years, Stranger Things has had its highs and lows, with many seeing the final showdown with Vecna as another low. A lot of people have different reasons why they think the Stranger Things finale was disappointing, and if you’re in that camp, then there is at least one solid way to rewrite the ending: Dungeons and Dragons.

There are spoilers ahead for Stranger Things Season 5

It’s no secret that Stranger Things and Dungeon and Dragons go hand-in-hand. The former uses the latter as the cornerstone of its story, and Vecna has been an important Dungeons and Dragons figure since the 70s. As such, Stranger Things helped introduce an entirely new generation to Dungeons and Dragons. The game isn’t every fan’s cup of tea, but the D&D fans who are itching to take down Vecna themselves have the perfect adventure book to help craft a better showdown. Vecna: Eve of Ruin was released back in 2024, and with it comes the chance to face Vecna with a strong party willing to save the multiverse from destruction.

Dungeons and Dragons’ Vecna: Eve of Ruin Brings Players a Fight Worthy of the Lich God’s Name

In Vecna: Eve of Ruin, the difficulty is turned up, and the stakes are high. With this book, players have to take on the powerful dark god and defeat him, or else the multiverse is destroyed and falls to ruin. Players are on a mission to rebuild the Rod of Seven Parts with the help of three of the multiverse’s most capable archmages, which opens the door to plenty of adventure and danger along the way. The Vecna: Eve of Ruin storyline isn’t exactly for newcomers, though. However, the book may be a perfect fit for Stranger Things fans who have been longtime Dungeons and Dragons players and are up for the challenge.

A Brief Rundown of Vecna: Eve of Ruin

Only made for characters that are between Levels 10 – 20.
Features locations like the Forgotten Realms, Planescape, Spelljammer, Eberron, Ravenloft, Dragonlance, and Greyhawk.
Made for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons rules
256 pages
11 Chapters
Includes a Bestiary, Character Dossier, and Secrets Tracker
Over 30 new monsters

With this adventure book, players will have free rein to take on the fight against Vecna how they see fit. Depending on how one’s campaign goes, it could prove to be even more powerful than Stranger Things‘ ending, and it becomes a more personal one at the very least. After all, you could play it just for fun and not because you’re disappointed. Not every fan sees Stranger Things‘ final episode as a letdown, but there has been plenty of discourse on the internet since it aired, revolving around a lot of viewers feeling like the fight with Vecna didn’t live up to its full potential.

Why Some Fans Think the Stranger Things Finale is Bad

Will and Vecna in Stranger Things Season 5

First off, the main issue a lot of fans have with the big showdown is that it didn’t feel big at all. The main fight only lasted a few minutes. For Vecna to be built up as such a powerful and hard-to-beat villain, it simply didn’t end up feeling that way. Eleven seemingly walked through the fight without much struggle. There is also criticism claiming that characters like Will and Kali ended up being completely wasted. Of course, the two played an integral part in ensuring success against Vecna, but those unhappy with the finale think the Duffer Brothers missed an opportunity to lean even harder into their powers.

Whether Stranger Things‘ last episode was good or bad is completely up to one’s own interpretation. Taste is subjective. But it’s hard to ignore that it only took a few minutes, when the past few seasons have made it seem like taking on Vecna would be something on a completely different level. After all the harrowing situations Eleven and her friends have been through, Stranger Things may have played things a little too safe at the end.

Stranger Things May Be Over, But There’s More Waiting On the Horizon

Stranger Things: Tales from 85 is an animated spin-off slated to premiere sometime in 2026.
The Duffer Brothers are working on another spin-off connected to Vecna’s origins.

The absence of Stranger Things may have left a void in a lot of fans’ lives, but Stranger Things: Tales from 85 is set to bring more chapters to the story later this year. This upcoming animated series takes place between Season 2 and Season 3 and follows Eleven, Mike, Lucas, Will, Dustin, and Max. The secretive Vecna-focused series is aiming to offer answers regarding the mysterious rock that turned Henry Creel into the powerful being.

After several strong seasons and a three-year gap between Season 4 and 5, it ultimately proved difficult to nail the landing with Stranger Things‘ send-off. The Stranger Things franchise has been one of the most popular IPs of the past decade, and meeting such high expectations can be incredibly challenging. Despite the mixed feelings surrounding the finale, Stranger Things was popular for a good reason. Even if Vecna wasn’t defeated in the way some expected, Vecna: Eve of Ruin can fix that.