The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 is Going to Hell (Literally)

This article contains spoilers for the first two seasons of The Legend of Vox Machina.

The first trailer of The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 is here and, well… It's gonna be a hell of a time. While the preview kicks off with Percy noting that “The future is frightening…” which is, perhaps, the most obvious statement in existence given how heartwrenching we know Season 3 is going to be, it’s what immediately follows that feels noteworthy. “It’s a future that hasn’t yet been written” is whispered alongside an elder Keyleth screaming in despair in front of a mausoleum featuring the faces of all the members of Vox Machina but her own.

The pairing of that line and the chosen scene makes me wonder which parts of this trailer are real and which are made of dreams and nightmares. The hell part, that’s for realsies. But while Keyleth’s (Marisha Ray) greatest fear is outliving all of her companions and spending the rest of her life alone, that possible future won’t come for thousands of years.

A future that’s possible much sooner is, of course, Vax’ildan (Liam O’Brien) and Keyleth’s slow burn relationship finally getting its moment in the sun. But, given that they freely showed the kiss in the trailer, it stands to reason that their long-awaited smooch is a look at a brighter future that either party hopes will come to pass rather than something happening in real-time in the season. Remember, though, Vax made a deal with the Raven Queen in Season 2, offering his life to the Raven to save his sister Vex’alia’s (Laura Bailey) life, putting his future smoochin’ abilities in serious danger.

What Does Vax’s Deal Mean For Season 3?

Raven feathers falling now come with their own unique form of PTSD, reminding viewers that there is an ax hanging over the rogue half-elf’s head. While offering your life could have different meanings, such as servitude or devotion, I suspect that’s not quite the case here (even if he will be serving the Raven Queen in the end). At this point, it’s becoming the worry over the when rather than the inevitability of Vax’s death. Will it be in Season 3? Will we lose him later? Will we think that we’ve lost him and then there’s some silly plot twist because anything can happen in Exandria and Matt Mercer and the rest of the creators have been clear that The Legend of Vox Machina could take turns that the original Critical Role campaign didn’t? Who can say?! All I know is that I am stressed and that the opening credits and this first trailer are playing me like a fiddle. Vex’s voice telling me that “we have to believe that everything will be alright” is doing little to calm that panic.

What of Keeper Yennen, Raishan and the Chroma Conclave?

Season 2 left us with the major reveal that Keeper Yennen (Gina Torres) was none other than the green dragon Raishan. Given their relationship with the rest of the Chroma Conclave, Vox Machina wasn’t too pleased to learn that one of their closest allies had a scaly alter ego that she’d been keeping a secret. We don’t see much of it explored here in the trailer, but expect that situation to be complicated, especially given that, in the original campaign, Raishan was one of their greatest nemeses. But, while their relationship moving forward will be strained, it seems logical that Raishan and Vox Machina’s new disposition towards each other will be one of those aforementioned changes to the original campaign.

Even with Raishan on their side (complicated allyship and all), and Umbrasyl defeated in Season 2, Vox Machina still has the rest of the Chroma Conclave to contend with. Thordak (formerly voiced by Lance Reddick, who will be recast in Season 3) is pissed, which is enough of a problem without even beginning to consider Vorugal and Brimscythe.

While this first trailer deals heavily in potential futures and the looming despair, we do see plenty of fighting with dragons (and hell beings), even if we won’t learn more about their scheming until Season 3 drops in October.

A Party Divided? And in Hell!

Vox Machina’s little vacation from hell seems to split the party, seeing Pike, Grog, Scanlan, Vax and Keyleth split away from Percy and Vex. We do see the two in the scene immediately after, but they seem to be fighting dragons rather than the giant hell creature that’s chasing them. The obvious question here is just how long Vox Machina remains split up, and what tragedies will befall them before they do? This crew has about as much luck when it comes to splitting up as the Scooby gang, so seeing them separated is rarely a good sign!

As for what awaits the party in hell, we can at least be sure that there’s one big ol’ demon ready to squash Vox Machina for good. While the original campaign can give us hints, we’re seeing enough changes at this point that even die-hard Critters will likely have plenty of surprises coming their way. For now, expect at least a cursory explanation as to how the layers of hell work in this world, loads of goopy bodies, and plenty of shenanigans. (And probably heartbreak. But let’s hold on to the shenanigans!)

The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3 hits Prime Video on October 3. You can catch up with the first two seasons now!

Amelia is the entertainment Streaming Editor here at IGN. She's also a film and television critic who spends too much time talking about dinosaurs, superheroes, and folk horror. You can usually find her with her dog, Rogers. There may be cheeseburgers involved. Follow her across social @ThatWitchMia