Hello friend!
If you're here, that means you're about to get into your first Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) adventure. How exciting! This page will point you at all the things you'll need to prepare for your first session. If you have questions about anything that's on here, get in touch with your Dungeon Master (DM).
Before you do anything else, you should go read the D&D introduction. It gives you an idea of how the game is going to go in broad strokes, and how gameplay will work mechanically at a high level. I can also highly recommend "Not Another D&& Podcast", which is both entertaining and a great introduction to what playing D&D is like. On this page I'll link to D&D Beyond a lot, but all the rules linked on this page are available elsewhere online, and in the Player's Handbook. For now, we'll be using the "2014" version of 5th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, as you'll see from the "(2014)" annotation on a bunch of the linked pages. There is a 2024 edition as well, but I haven't had a chance to move to those yet.
You will be playing one of the official D&D campaigns set in the world of the Forgotten Realms, and specifically one that is aimed at introducing new players to the world of D&D. At this point, you know next to nothing about that world beyond tales you may have heard from far-away lands, and that's okay! Over the course of this adventure (and the ones that follow), you (and your character) will slowly uncover the secrets of the world, and the dangers that lurk within.
In D&D, you create your very own character, and play the game through that character. You don't have to roleplay them any more than you want to, but you'll be experiencing the game through their eyes. You know what your character knows, and you see what your character sees. Creating a character can be as simple or as involved as you would like — you can randomize a set of stats, or you can creatively craft a full persona with a juicy backstory and an attitude. Or something in between. The link above will help you with the basics.
If your DM has sent you a link to a campaign on D&D Beyond, now is a good time to click it. It has a character building tool that helps you through the process by highlighting any choices you need to make. And at the end, you'll get a fully filled-out character sheet!
Each character has a class and a species. There is a lot of information on those pages, and it can be overwhelming to try and read it all before choosing. I recommend you start by looking at just species and class, and read just the first paragraph or two about each one. Go with whatever combination appeals to you, you can't really go wrong. Once you've chosen, give the rest of the text for that species and class a read. You can skip anything that talks about the higher levels (5+) since it won't be relevant to you for a while.
Remember that the DM is there to help you enjoy the game, and that starts with building your character! If you are struggling with it, reach out to your DM and they'll gladly help you get set up.
Now that you have the outline of a character, you'll want to try and flesh them out a little. Make them a "real" person. First, think about what your character's general inclinations are in life. In D&D, these are summarized in the form of the character's alignment. Player characters are rarely evil, so check with your DM if you're thinking of going in that direction. Next, expand upon your character's personality and backstory by choosing a background and selecting some personal characteristics. Here, too, there is a lot to choose from, so just skim each one until one catches your eye.
You can go as far as you want with this process. Some players like to also give their character some additional backstory like "I'm originally from a different planet, but I was magically teleported here as a child with no means to get back" or "My parents were dragon hunters, and I haven't heard from them since they went chasing after an ancient red dragon two years ago". These tidbits are great tools to help the DM spin an interesting story that incorporates all the characters in the party. They also serve as a way to make your character unique, and might even inform how your character interacts with the world. It doesn't have to be much, and it doesn't have to be detailed — in fact, vagueness usually adds to the mystery. If you include something like this, the DM might ask you some follow-up questions to help them build a coherent story, such as what your character spends their time on these days or what they want for the future. It's okay if you don't have answers :)
Once you've finished your character, give them a name and let your DM know. If you set the character up on D&D Beyond, the DM will already have all the information you filled out, otherwise you'll want to send them a summary.
The primary thing you'll end up with after creating a character is a character sheet. It summarizes your character's skills, attributes, abilities, lists your equipment, and lots more. You can see some example sheets here. On D&D Beyond, you should get a link to your digital character sheet once you've made your character, or you can access one you've already made by clicking "Collections" in the menu and then "My Characters". If you don't use D&D Beyond, you'll want to fill out this paper template instead. It's worth filling this out with some care and familiarizing yourself with its different parts as you'll be interacting with this sheet a lot! Your DM will be happy to help.
Now that you have a character, it's time to learn the basic rules of the game. You should read at least chapters 8 (adventuring) and 9 (combat). If your character has spells, you should also read chapter 10 (spellcasting). If you haven't already, you should also read the specific entries for your chosen species (ch. 2), class (ch. 3), alignment and background (ch. 4). Finally, look up any equipment or spells you have too so that you know how they work.
You don't need to know any of these rules by heart — your DM will guide you through them as you go. However, it is good to at least give them a skim so you have a rough idea of how gameplay will work, and the kinds of things you can do in this game.
When it's about time for your first session, you only really need to bring yourself and your character sheet. You will also want to keep a note sheet handy to record things you may learn over the course of your adventures. If you're meeting in real life, your DM will have dice you can borrow, or if you're playing online, either use the dice roller directly on your D&D Beyond character sheet or use an online dice roller. There are also tons of mobile apps that have pretty virtual dice you can roll.
With that, you're ready to get started!
Good luck, and have fun!