The problem with Out of the Abyss (OotA) is Wizards of the Coast (WotC) made a setting book and called it a campaign. When you think of this books as a setting book rather than a campaign, it seems to becomes much more valuable. This book is for game groups who want to play a game set in the Underdark because it does a good job detailing travel and various location in the Underdark. If you're not into the underdark all that much, you may also see the adventures contained as more of a compilation of adventures rather than a single campaign, but they would need re-skinning to suit anything else.
Chapter 2: Into Darkness details traveling in the underdark. It explains the travel pace, terrain, hazards, monster and character encounters, navigation, foraging, and optional secret dungeons the DM may place at any step, serving as a template for creating additional such locations to break up the monotony of the underdark. If you want to know how to run any travel by water in the underdark, you can reference Chapter 3.
Chapter 10: Descent into the Depths, Chapter 13: The Wormwrithings, Chapter 14: The Labyrinth, and Chapter 16: The Fetid Wedding (detailing an region of the underdark called Araumycos) also provided details for traveling in particular regions of the underdark with distinct features, random encounters and events.
Fixed locations in the underdark are detailed in their own chapters:
Chapter 3: Darklake details a Kuo Toa village called Sloobludop
Chapter 4: Gracklstugh, home of the Duergar (grey dwarves) and the Derro
Chapter 5: Neverlight Grove, home of Myconids
Chapter 6: Blingdenstone, home of the Deep Gnomes (aka Svirfneblin)
Chapter 8: Gauntlgrym, (a Dwarven kingdom not in the underdark but on the surface in Faerun)
Chapter 9: Mantol-Derith, a trade hub in the Underdark where drow, duergar, svirfneblin, and surface dwellers can meet and trade
Chapter 11: Gravenhollow details a mystic Stone Library kept by Stone Giants
Chapter 15: Menzoberranzan details the City of Spiders and some drow culture
If you're into the Drow, then as an honorable mention, Chapter 1: Drow Prison, describes a drow outpost called Velkynvelve and has a small section briefly detailing a Shrine to Lolth, a drow priest quarters, and drow military quarters/barracks. Optionally, you can use this chapter to base additional Underdark Drow outposts because surely there are more than one, right?
The book does not provide a solid campaign. Players travel from place to place like they're on a road trip. They stay in each location long enough for a small adventure, then they leave to the next place. There are two distinct parts with a break in the middle. Chapter 1 states that it assumes the players begin at level 1 and will be level 2 or 3 by the end of Chapter 1. I find that hard to believe and awkward.
The first part of the book, chapters 1 through 7, is about the player characters being captured, waking up as slaves, they trying to find their way to the surface while fleeing drow pursuers. Part one encourages gamers to use survival mechanics. The players characters may have their own stuff, or they may be in a position where they have to scrape by on a lot of borrowed or found equipment. Madness mechanics are introduced.
The break in the middle can be used to allow the player characters to take down time or take on side adventures. Then they receive a letter providing the plothook to part 2. As a side note, it suits me to have the players begin OotA after completing a starter set such as Phandelver and adjust the encounters of OotA to suit the players' levels.
Part two is from chapters 8 to 17 and is about the player characters returning to the underdark to find a way to defeat the demon lords, and the final confrontation(s) with the demon lords. The encounters get tough in part two.
The way I see it, the first half of the book is a movie, the second half of the book is a sequel. Part 1 feels like Star Wars episode 4, and part 2 feels like Star Wars Episode 6. The break in the middle where the DM creates their Star Wars episode 5. I think this book gives a creative DM a good framework to work from. Following the vanilla story of OotA may be a detriment, so don't. Do you own thing, make it your own thing. I think that's the positive way to look at this uh, campaign.
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