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Deciding which is the best Vox Machina arc is ultimately a matter of personal preference. At the same time, some Critical Role Campaign One story arcs are clearly better than others. There was definitely a learning curve for Campaign One to reach such a beautifully bittersweet ending, but it landed, and since then the Crticial Role team has gone from strength to strength across many more campaigns and one-shots.
Throughout the first campaign, the adventuring party of Vox Machina go from being a barely coherent mess of disasters to a group of true heroes who save the world. While The Legend Of Vox Machina season 3 is on the way, viewers who have only seen the animated adaptation may not be familiar with the fact that there are actually five major story arcs in Campaign One. Here’s every Vox Machina story arc, ranked from worst to best.
5 Kraghammer And Vasselheim Arc
The very first arc of Critical Role, it’s unsurprising that the Kraghammer and Vasselheim stories are the weakest in the Vox Machina campaign. This is mainly due to this period being one defined by adjustment. The cast had to get used to their game taking place on camera and all the story developments that came with that. Matt Mercer needed to craft satisfying narrative stories for viewers and players. So, naturally, the Kraghammer half where Vox Machina journeys into the Underdark to find Lady Kima has some growing pains, and is far from being the best Vox Machina arc.
The second half — where the group journeys to the city of Vasselheim — is where the arc actually hits its stride. With some great guest players and a really fun storyline about joining the Slayer’s Take guild, the Vasselheim half of the arc really starts to solidify some of the sillier and light-hearted aspects of the series. Coincidentally, there is also some interesting foreshadowing in this arc that makes sense upon a rewatch, particularly with Vax and his eventual connection to the Raven Queen.
4 Taryon Darrington Arc
After the extremely long and emotionally exhausting Chroma Conclave arc, the Taryon Darrington Arc, where Scanlan leaves the group and the eponymous character takes his place, is definitely the Vox Machina Victory Lap. This arc is about wrapping up lingering plot threads: the Rakshasa in the Nine Hells, finishing Keyleth’s Aramente, and traveling through Marquet. After all the tension of Chroma Conclave, this arc feels like a needed breath of fresh air for players and viewers alike.
Due to this more meandering nature, parts of the Darrington Arc do feel like they run a bit longer than they have to, which is ultimately why it’s rarely considered the best Vox Machina arc. However, Taryon Darrington was a great addition to the group, allowing audiences to see how much the members of Vox Machina have grown in comparison to a relatively green adventurer. More importantly, there is definitely a thread of reaffirming their friendships and found family during this time as well, especially after Scanlan’s sudden yet heartbreaking departure from the group.
3 Chroma Conclave Arc
Considered by many to be the best Vox Machina arc, the Chroma Conclave Arc is the longest one in the first campaign, taking up 46 of the 115 episodes. In it, a lot of the biggest moments for character growth and development happen. Some of these events are Vax becoming a paladin of the Raven Queen, Keyleth squaring off against the green dragon Raishan, and Grog’s intense fight against Kevdak. Not to mention the fights with the four members of the Chroma Conclave, which are still incredibly tense and well-executed fights against extremely powerful opponents.
However, the length does work against the Arc with the preparations leading up to the dragon fights feeling a bit more repetitive. The real star here comes from the evolving character dynamics between the group, especially in the burgeoning romances between Percy and Vex along with Keyleth and Vax. For people who love D&D for the chance to see their character evolve with the story, this is the arc that really showcases how campaign character growth can really flourish and flesh out a character.
2 Briarwood Arc
The Briarwood Arc is when Critical Role finally and properly locks into what it wants to be as a show. With extremely memorable villains, a personal stake for a member of the group, and consequences for Vox Machina as a whole should they fail, the arc truly hits the ground running after the series found its feet in the Kraghammer and Vasselheim Arc. Matt Mercer really shines as a DM here playing the Briarwoods with beautiful menace and creating some of the most viscerally horrifying series descriptions with the group in Whitestone proper. This is definitely the best Vox Machina arc for viewers who like their DnD mixed with horror and mystery.
While the talent of the players was never in question, the Briarwood Arc really shows the range that they brought to the table. Talisein Jaffe deserves a special mention as his performance of Percival de Rolo is something straight out of a Gothic horror novel and so excellent that it feels scripted. The rest of the cast of talented voice actors proceeds to match him and bring their own compelling performances, especially Laura Bailey setting up her character’s future romance with Percy. It’s definitely the arc where Critical Role truly became the beloved and long-running series that it is today — definitely a contender for the best Vox Machina story.
1 Vecna Arc
Endings are some of the hardest things to do in any storytelling medium, especially for Dungeons & Dragons. When it came time to wrap up the first campaign for Critical Role, the challenge was met and exceeded in the Vecna Arc. Vox Machina is gathered one more time in order to stop Vecna, The Whispered One from fully ascending into godhood and save the world of Exandria in the process. The Vecna Arc is full of callbacks to previous parts of the campaign, which connect to the larger story overall. The Whispered One was mentioned as early as the Briarwood Arc, which shows just how long Matt Mercer was toying with this storyline.
However, the tragedy of it comes down to the knowledge that Vax, having been disintegrated and brought back only to see Vecna defeated, will have to permanently die after Vecna’s defeat. It makes the ending all the more bittersweet and Liam O’Brien truly knocks it out of the part in this arc with some lovely exploration of living with a ticking clock over your head. The arc only serves to show how much both the characters and the players have grown for a finale that still has fans emotional to this day. Not surprisingly, Campaign One’s Vecna Arc is largely regarded as the best Vox Machina arc in Critical Role.
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