It takes place primarily in the subterranean depths of the Underdark, and culminates in a battle between Vox Machina and a dangerous beholder by the name of K'varn, who is controlling an entire city of Illithid.

This arc features multi-episode guest appearances by Felicia Day (Lyra), Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Zahra), Wil Wheaton (Thorbir), and Will Friedle (Kashaw), adding a new twist to the now-divided adventuring band.

The party have to fight for control over Whitestone against Lord and Lady Briarwood, who are responsible for the demise of most of the de Rolo family and have taken the city as their own.

The Briarwood's ties into necromancy and a secret cult make things even more dangerous, and Vox Machina must stop them from completing a ritual that threatens to endanger the entire kingdom.

The Chroma Conclave story arc (46 episodes, 39–84) begins with the attack of four ancient chromatic dragons on Emon, the capital of Tal'Dorei, with the Sovereign and other important political figures falling in the onslaught.

Smaller arcs focus on Grog's herd that once exiled him, the last figure from Percy's traumatic past, as well as a strained family reunion for the twins, Vex and Vax.

[3] During this arc, which is loosely defined by Scanlan's absence and Taryon's presence in the party, Pike's family also makes an appearance and her relationship with them is explored.

Scanlan finally rejoins Vox Machina, while the party now has to fight a cult which tries to summon the evil lich demigod Vecna, who seeks to ascend to true godhood and rule Exandria.

With the indirect help of some of the prime deities who aid them with special powers, Vox Machina are the only group of heroes who can possibly stop the "Whispered One" in one gigantic final battle.

The opening and break sequences initially featured backstory videos about each player character- these used copyrighted artwork and had to be blurred out of the VOD versions.

In the book The World of Critical Role, it was revealed that these dance segments came from a desire to keep the core game session to three hours, while filling the dedicated time slot on Geek & Sundry.

[31] Phillips also wrote that "combining the two – watching people onscreen (online or TV) who are playing role-playing games – would seem to go a step too far in terms of our need to be entertained.

[...] The fact that these shows can average hundreds of thousands of views is probably lost on those who don't regularly watch TV online (re: older viewers)".

Teitman highlighted the emotional impact of a devastating city-wide attack: "in the midst of the chaos, they search the streets, desperately looking for beloved friends and allies.

[32] Friedman, for the Los Angeles Review of Books, commented that Critical Role's "maximalist" production design allows the viewer to watch all players at once which can create "unexpectedly moving moments".

[33] Friedman highlighted one such moment towards the end of the campaign: "As other players take their turns in heated combat, we can also see, in one corner, Sam Riegel's puckish face collapse in grief as he realizes his character can cast a spell that will save the world, but at the cost of his plans to save the character played by his friend Liam O'Brien—who whispers 'I love you' in response to Riegel's 'I'm sorry'.

It's an instance of seemingly infinite complexity – somehow, one moment summarizes the relationships between Vox Machina, the players themselves, and themes of heroism, sacrifice, and found family.

Duncan also commented on the show's early production value – "the audio quality on the first twenty or so episodes is a little rough, and there's some expected awkwardness as the group takes something that had been personal and private into the public eye".

[37] Duncan highlighted:A popular consensus, and one I recommend, is starting at episode 24, which is the beginning of the Briarwood arc when the group ends up in a revenge quest for Percy, taking on a vampire power couple who murdered his family.

[37]Caitlyn Ng Man Chuen, also for CBR in 2023, similarly highlighted skipping the early episodes of Campaign One and jumping to the Briarwood arc since it can be "a little boring or off-putting" due to poor production quality and the in medias res transition from Critical Role's home-game.

There are a lot of long hours at the table that are more worth skipping through than watching when it comes to the first campaign, but the chaotic, often confused energy is something special when fans revisit the origins of Critical Role.