The D&D Essentials Kit for 5E is more than the D&D Starter Set, but less than the core Player’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide and Monster Manual experience. What’s inside the box, how far will it take players new to the game, and what’s different from the Starter Set? Sidekicks and 1-on-1 play included!

From the Wizards of the Coast website:

UNLEASH YOUR IMAGINATION!

Everything you need to create characters and play the new adventures in this introduction to the world’s greatest roleplaying game.

Dungeons & Dragons is a cooperative storytelling game that harnesses your imagination and invites you to explore a fantastic world of adventure, where heroes battle monsters, find treasures, and overcome quests. The D&D Essentials Kit is a new introductory product meant to bring D&D to audiences interested in jumping into a fantasy story.

This box contains the essentials you need to run a D&D game with one Dungeon Master and one to five adventurers. A newly designed rulebook on-boards players by teaching them how to make characters, and the included adventure, Dragon of Icespire Peak, introduces a new 1-on-1 rules variant.