Summary
Critical Roleis truly the Dungeons & Dragons liveplay show that keeps on giving. Ten years, three main campaigns, and a whole host of offshoots, spin-off series, and more, Critical Role has given us thousands of hours of entertainment over the past decade, and I, for one, still have it all burned into my brain in the best way possible.
But, in celebration of the past ten years of Critical Role, maybe it’s time for some retrospectives. That’s why we’ve created this list of some of the most iconic moments from Critical Role history. Here are our most memorable Critical Role moments from the past ten years.
This list contains spoilers for all three main Critical Role campaigns.
Episode
81
To start things off on a lighter note, I think we all remember where we were during the Whitestone Baths episode. While this episode is not necessarily the most dramatic in some respects, there are so many amazing roleplay moments in this episode that live completely rent-free in my head.
Most importantly, and hopefully most hardcore CR fans know where I’m going with this, but my personal favorite moment from this episode is Vex’s ‘I come up from the water’ surprise reveal. A little bit disgusting, a whole lot hilarious; this moment is one of those eternal Critical Role moments that proves how incredibly funny the cast can be when given the proper avenues.
115
Look, I know there’s some hot debate in the Critical Role community about which characters from each campaign are the most memorable. Personally, I think campaign one is, in many ways, Keyleth’s story. That’s not to suggest that the other characters aren’t important as well, but no moment solidified this theory more for me than Keyleth’s Vasselheim speech.
This speech, though simple, is just an impactful moment at the end of a long-running campaign. It concluded Keyleth’s arc as a character and put a definitive end to the battle with Vecna, the Whispered One. Sometimes, I’ll replay this speech if I just want to feel something.
93
I will never forget the way that the chat exploded the night that Jester cast Modify Memory on Isharnai, the hag who had cursed Nott and turned her into a goblin. Obviously, this was a masterful move by Laura Bailey, but the moment was made even more fantastic by the fact thatall of the Mighty Neinwas completely gobsmacked.
Matt’s reaction is a particular standout, but it’s clear that, as the moment went on and Laura’s plan slowly began to work, nobody in the cast had talked to her about this plan prior. The sheer surprise and shock on everyone’s faces really served as audience proxy.
28
When Critical Role announced their animated series ‘The Legend of Vox Machina,’ this moment from Campaign One was the moment I couldn’t wait to see animated and brought to life. This is such a definitive moment in the history of the first Critical Role campaign. Yes, the campaign was always going to have a silly atmosphere to it, but this moment really proved that the cast was out to tell a meaningful story, too.
This moment, in which the players discovered corpses hanging from the Sun Tree dressed as their characters, as an ominous warning for all who entered Whitestone, was so bone-chilling I can still feel the reverberations of it ten years later. Plus, this is one of those moments that’s improved by watching the cast figure it out in real time.
33
First of all, honorable mention for the second Otohan Thull battle, which was pretty much just as memorable as the first. However, for this list, we’re going to focuson Bell’s Hells’first major encounter with Otohan Thull from Campaign Three. This battle was so tense to watch live, I could barely breathe.
Throughout a lot of Critical Role history, there have been some close calls in terms of TPKs. The fight with Raishan comes to mind. However, the battle with Otohan Thull is perhaps most memorable for the emotional stakes at play, given Imogen’s relationship with Otohan and Laudna at the time. The subsequent resurrection rituals were also highly memorable, making this battle one of the most iconic in the entire franchise.
The Ruby of the Sea from Campaign Two had one of the most memorable lead-ups in Critical Role history. The Ruby’s reputation had truly preceded her by the time we actually met her. However, beyond just her introduction, what’s most memorable about this encounter is the truth it revealed about Jester’s parentage.
Can you tell at this point that I most enjoy Critical Role moments in which the cast is just as surprised as I am? The slow and steady reveal that The Gentleman was Jester’s father was so iconic, so hilarious, and so unexpected, I couldn’t stop laughing for days. And, once again, Laura/Jester’s reaction was so priceless.
121
The end of Campaign Three of Critical Role, in many ways, felt like the culmination of Exandria as a whole, and of ten years of Critical Role. The stakes had never been higher toward the end, with Bell’s Hells needing to, in essence, persuade an entire pantheon of gods to surrender their godhood. Matt, of course, announces that, for the plan to work, Laura/Imogen needs to roll a 30.
She does better than that and rolls a Natural 20, which more than exceeds what she needs. The celebration of the cast is so joyous and exciting that it’s practically infectious. This is also one of those moments where I remember thinking, ‘they are never beating the scripted allegations.’ The moment just feels too good to be true.
39
Despite the fact that so many of the arcs of the first campaign are highly memorable (the Briarwoods, in my opinion, is still the best), it would be ridiculous to say that the Chroma Conclave arc isn’t the most iconic or well-known from Campaign One. This arc dominated so many episodes, and basically comprises the majority of the animated series.
So, when the Conclave attacked Emon, signaling the true start of this arc, it was clear that the campaign was about to take an incredibly dark turn. Plus, for diehard fans, this attack had been signaled for so long that it really felt like the culmination of something great.
97
One more lighthearted moment before we say farewell to this list: Keyleth’s cliff dive is one of the funniest moments from the entire first campaign. The whole process from start to finish is so chaotic and filled with some of the most iconic one-liners from the entire series.
Perfectly buttoned by Ashley Johnson, quietly exclaiming, ‘it’s only 7:15!’ is probably still my favorite joke from the entire first campaign. It just goes to show that, even in professional DND, you never know what might happen.
85
Last but certainly not least, Scanlan’sleaving Vox Machinais still one of my favorite arcs in the entirety of Critical Role. It’s so emotional, so overwrought, I can’t even really rewatch it too often. I get too upset.
Plus, this moment is made even more amazing by the cast’s reactions. There’s an air of ‘is he allowed to do this?’ that feels so raw and vulnerable. Even though, ultimately, there’s some sense of reconciliation by the end of the campaign, a moment like this really points to why Critical Role is so special: it’s a unique form of storytelling that can do things that other mediums just can’t.
