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The Ideas fan designer has made free building instructions available so you can turn the bricks into a slick alternate build. So before this popular D&D set leaves the lineup soon, we’re showing you the alternate instructions.
Back in March 2024, the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons was celebrated with the LEGO Ideas set “The Red Dragon’s Tale”, but now the big castle ruins are on the LEGO End of Life list for 2026 and will be leaving the lineup at the end of the month. So before the D&D set goes EOL at the end of the month, we’d like to introduce you to the elaborate alternate instructions that come straight from the original designer himself.
LEGO Dungeons & Dragons Alternate Build
Under the title “A Parallel Saga,” LEGO Ideas fan designer Lucas Bolt has built a new model out of the bricks from the Dungeons & Dragons set that works as an alternative or even as an expansion to the original. A tall tower stands on the cliffs, reached by a winding staircase leading up the mountain.
A total of 3,311 pieces are used, all of which come from the 3,745 pieces in LEGO 21348 The Red Dragon’s Tale, so you can simply rebuild the Ideas model without having to order any additional individual bricks. Lucas emerged as the winner of the D&D Ideas contest in 2023 with his design, which then went on to become the official LEGO set. As a thank you, he’s making the building instructions for the alternate build completely free on Rebrickable, where you can simply download the PDF.
The “Parallel Saga” model promises lots of little details, surprises during the build, and of course new monsters for the adventurers to take on. My personal highlight is the giant hermit crab living beneath the cliffs, whose snail shell is part of the staircase.
Since the same pieces were used, the alternate build matches the original well in terms of color and can even be attached as an expansion if you have two copies of LEGO 21348 The Red Dragon’s Tale.
Current Deals & EOL Date
The alternate build from Bolt.Builds relies on the bricks from the LEGO 21348 The Red Dragon’s Tale set, which you can find directly at LEGO.com as well as at select other retailers. The RRP is $359.99 / £314.99 / €359.99.
If you want to grab the LEGO Dungeons & Dragons set, whether for the alternate build or not, you shouldn’t wait too long, because the set is on the End of Life list and is officially set to leave the lineup on July 31, 2026. It may stay available for a little while after that, but if demand is high and stock runs out, it could sell out even sooner.
How do you like the D&D alternate build, and can you picture yourself building it? As an alternative, or as an expansion to your fantasy world? Will you miss the Dungeons & Dragons set, and would you like to see new models from this world? Feel free to share your thoughts on the free building instructions in the comments.
*As an Amazon Associate and member of the eBay Partner Network, and other affiliate programs, we earn from qualifying purchases you make through our links to the retailers. By doing so, you support us – thank you!