The End of an Era: ‘Vecna Eve of Ruin’ Variant Covers are Hydro74’s Last Ones
Hydro74, whose work you’ve seen on the alternate covers of D&D books for years now, handed in the last one with Vecna: Eve of Ruin.
It is the end of an era at D&D, and not just because there’s a newish edition coming out in September 2024. But, according to a post from D&D variant cover artist extraordinaire Hydro74, the variant cover of Vecna: Eve of Ruin was also the end of that era as well.
So, if you’ve got a collection of metallic, detailed, gorgeous covers, you might want to hang on to them, folks. This is the end of an era. It was quite the ride, but it seems Wizards of the Coast has changed direction.
Hydro74’s Last Variant Cover – Eve of Ruin
In a post on Twitter, Hydro74 revealed that the collector’s cover for Vecna: Eve of Ruin was the last one in that style from WotC, saying:
Just got my copy of Vecna, Eve of Ruin from D&D in. The Gold & Silver really are fantastic. Sadly @Wizards_DnDsaid this was my last book since they are changing direction, which is disappointing but freelance life! Was a fun ride!
via Hydro74 on Twitter
If that style of cover looks familiar, that’s because Hydro74 was a staple of the collector/deluxe/alternate cover design at WotC for a while. You’ve seen Hydro74’s work on books like the alternate covers for the rereleased core rulebooks or Xanathar’s Guide to Everything and Volo’s Guide to Monsters, and more. These are some of the most stylish alternate covers out there.
That signature metallic sheen, the gold and silver, and colors that take a central image and really make it pop so you know right away what the book is all about. It will be sad to see Hydro74 go, but Vecna: Eve of Ruin is a great note to head out on. As the tyrannical archlich tries to rewrite the rules of the multiverse (in an adventure that goes from 10-20 if you’re lucky), we get to see the signature hand and eye on the cover. This is amazing, considering they don’t appear in the adventure for some unknown reason that I can’t fathom.
Either way, Hydro74 delivered an amazing era of D&D alternate covers.
