Exandria Unlimited: Divergence is a four-part miniseries set at the end of the Calamity as the Prime Deities erect the Divine Gate, following five mortals as they begin to rebuild their world and learn to live in a world without the gods in their midst.[2] It is the fourth mini-campaign of the Exandria Unlimited series.
Cast[]
| Actor | Character | Race | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jasmine Don | Fiedra Marrow | Halfling | Rogue |
| Celia Rose Gooding | Rei'nia "Nia" Saph | Half-elf | Cleric |
| Matthew Mercer | Garen Hearthheart | Dwarf | |
| Liam O'Brien | Erro Mordaurum | Dragonborn | Ranger |
| Alex Ward | Crokas | Dragonborn | Monk |
| Brennan Lee Mulligan | The Dungeon Master | ||
Production[]
Exandria Unlimited: Divergence was shot in a single week.[3]
Character creation[]
Official art of the EXU: Divergence party, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 1]
In contrast to Exandria Unlimited: Calamity and Downfall, the characters are not affluent or super-powerful, but rather just people trying to cope with huge changes.[4] Brennan Lee Mulligan came up with the game design concept of having the players as "level zero characters" and this idea was "further developed during a collaborative character creation session with" the players.[5] The goal was to "capture" a "sense of helplessness" and the experience of "average individuals" in this time period.[5]
Alexander Ward revealed in an interview that one of the few ways their characters could start with additional powers (in the form of feats) was sacrificing 4 points from ability scores.[6]
It was revealed that Matthew Mercer was the only player who wasn't fully aware of his own character's identity, as Brennan wanted to surprise him by revealing that he had been the avatar of the All-Hammer, god of creation. Brennan pitched the idea to Marisha Ray, Dani Carr, and Kyle Shire in secret, receiving their approval to trick Matt and surprise him in the last episode.[7] There were, however, some hints about it from the very beginning of the miniseries, since the All-Hammer was mentioned, along with the Platinum Dragon, and the Moonweaver, as gods that had allegedly died during the Calamity.[8]
Episodes[]
| No. | Title | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Give and Take" (E4x01) | 2025-02-13 | VOD | 5:12:10 |
| As the Calamity continues, a group of prisoners deep within Rybad-Kol plot their escape from the Strife Emperor's fortress... | ||||
| 2 | "Seven of Them" (E4x02) | 2025-02-20 | VOD | 4:56:17 |
| The group, still stunned by their turn of luck at the fall of Rybad-Kol, must now survive the harrowing journey to hope and safety... | ||||
| 3 | "Mirror and Key" (E4x03) | 2025-02-27 | VOD | 4:37:32 |
| Nia leads the group in a search for her missing sister, but the discoveries they make along the way adjusts their plans and their perspectives... | ||||
| 4 | "By Heart Alone" (E4x04) | 2025-03-06 | VOD | 5:21:48 |
| The group arrives in Vasselheim, where they find that audiences with both holy leaders and cruel lords await... | ||||
Trivia[]
Screenshot of the logo for Exandria Unlimited: Divergence from the title sequence, set against a background of foliage and the Divine Gate from "State of the Role: Campaign 3 Finale and What’s Next for 2025!" at 8:09.[art 2]
- The title sequence for the series shows what appears to be the Tree of Names growing within the city of Avalir and its subsequent crash into Cathmoíra, the symbols of the Betrayer Gods surrounding their city of Ghor Dranas, the battle between Prime Deities and Betrayers at Vasselheim, meteors destroying the city of Aeor, and the creation of the Divine Gate with Catha within its bounds and Ruidus outside it. The gods shown battling over Vasselheim are (right to left) the Ruiner, the Lawbearer, the Platinum Dragon, and the Lord of the Hells. The title sequence was crafted by Christian Brown, the models were created by Daniel Ehrli at Axolote Gaming, and Colm McGuinness composed the music.[9]
- Just as the "marble" border of the overlays on Exandria Unlimited: Calamity showed progressively more damage each episode, the "stone" border of the overlay in this miniseries grows greener, with more moss and then leafy vines. Graphics for the design were provided by Jordyn Torrence.[10]
- The game system for this miniseries is Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition, although freely mixing rules and character options from 2014 and 2024.
Related interviews[]
At The Critical Role Table With Matt & Brennan! EXU Divergence's Alex Ward and Jasmine Don Interview on the The Character Sheet on Comicbook.com YouTube channel- "YOU ARE NOT READY!" Brennan Lee Mulligan & Celia Rose Gooding Talk EXU Divergence Finale on the Above The Table YouTube channel
References[]
- ↑ See producer Kyle Shire's post on Bluesky, 2025-03-07.
- ↑ See State of the Role: Campaign 3 Finale and What’s Next for 2025! on CritRole.com.
- ↑ Hoffer, Christian (March 3, 2025). "YOU ARE NOT READY!" Brennan Lee Mulligan & Celia Rose Gooding Talk EXU Divergence Finale (YouTube interview). Above The Table. Event occurs at 3:05. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
- ↑ See "State of the Role: Campaign 3 Finale and What's Next for 2025!" at 9:06.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Filsinger, Jack (February 20, 2025). "Critical Role's Liam O'Brien And Alex Ward On Finding The Light In The Dark In Exandria Unlimited: Divergence". TheGamer. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
- ↑ See At The Critical Role Table With Matt & Brennan! EXU Divergence's Alex Ward and Jasmine Don Interview at 13:53.
- ↑
CR Cooldown - CE4 E04 at 16:14 (subscription required) (Transcript).
- ↑ See "Give and Take" (E4x01) at 0:11:29.
- ↑ See producer Kyle Shire's post on Bluesky, 2025-03-07, as well as
Axolote Gaming (@AxoloteGaming) on Twitter: "Here are the rest of the things I did for the @CriticalRole EXU: Divergence opening. These are all based on a fabulous piece by @iDrawBagman. They have a bit of screen time in the amazing opening by @DeepOmega. I might revisit some of these as "fanart" later." (2025-2-22).
- ↑ See Jordyn's post on Bluesky, 2025-03-07.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of the EXU: Divergence party, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of the logo for Exandria Unlimited: Divergence from the title sequence, set against a background of foliage and the Divine Gate from "State of the Role: Campaign 3 Finale and What’s Next for 2025!" at 8:09. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
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