The Legend of Vox Machina season 4 ends on a massive cliffhanger ahead of the final season 5

The Legend of Vox Machina season 4 is the penultimate chapter of the series, and it ends on a major cliffhanger — one the creative team could lean into fully because season 5 was already confirmed while season 4 was in production.

Executive producer and voice of half-elf ranger Vex, Laura Bailey, told Polygon that having that security changed how the team approached the season: "It was a really beautiful thing to know that we had a season five when season four was being created because we got to take time with this arc and not feel rushed. We were able to leave this season with a cliffhanger knowing that we'll have the ability to wrap it up and find a conclusion for Vox Machina in the most wonderful way."

That confidence wasn't always there. The show started life as a Kickstarter campaign that Amazon picked up, but only the first two seasons were guaranteed from the start — nobody knew how much of the original D&D campaign would actually make it to screen. That uncertainty forced the creators to make difficult calls about how much story to pack into each season, always aware the show could be cancelled before the ending. With Critical Role's adaptations — including The Mighty Nein — now proven hits, the team finally had the runway to pace season 4 properly and set up a satisfying finale.

For Critters who followed the original actual play, the show is now firmly in the campaign's final arc. Season 5 will close out Vox Machina's story for good, and the season 4 cliffhanger makes the wait for that conclusion all the harder.