original role-playing game now calls home". Christian Hoffer, for Comicbook, wrote that "Dragon Heist is a great introduction for newcomers, as it provides a huge setting ripe for exploration and tons of activities that don't involve wanton violence. Waterdeep is a city of laws and the punishment for breaking those rules can be harsh. Not only will this break new players of any 'murder hobo' tendencies, it also encourages players to find inventive solutions to the problems they'll encounter. The strength of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist is its four variant storylines, each of which have wildly different themes and motivations. [...] There are a couple of weaknesses in Dragon Heist that might leave some veteran players disappointed or underwhelmed. Despite its title, Dragon Heist is more of a treasure hunt than a heist. The story is more National Treasure than Ocean's 11, and some might feel misled based on how the book was promoted". Benjamin Bigelow, for SLUG Magazine, wrote that "in Waterdeep, as with any D&D adventure, not everything on the surface is what it seems. The players quickly discover that two underworld factions are on the cusp of an all-out street war, and even the well-equipped City Watch is having a rough time keeping the peace. [...] It’s like the Sharks and the Jets, but with way less dancing and a shitload more short swords and Magic Missile spells. [...] A good deal of the trouble my players experienced early-game stemmed from the sheer size and thoroughness of the city lore. With a place so compelling and beautiful, it’s hard to get a group to sit in a darkened tavern corner long enough to incite the action. Some of that burden belongs to me as a slipshod DM with a day job, but in the future, I’m still keen on running my brand new players through The Lost Mines of Phandelver to let them get a feel for the world. Waterdeep is definitely more suited as an adventure for seasoned players looking to make a fresh start in a familiar setting". For Paste, Cameron Kunzelman wrote that "for being an adventure that is fundamentally about changeability, the opening sections of Dragon Heist seem very on-rails. The players are in Waterdeep, they get into a brawl, there’s a sort-of dungeon delve, and things are basically linear until a fireball rips through their part of the city and the rush to