If you’re like me, you are a fan of adding depth and new life to your role-playing games. Talisman is known for having a wide variety of different types of expansion packs and downloadable content for the online edition!
There are some strong examples of what the perfect pack should be, but there are also a few failures of add-ons. Here, I’ll rank the Talisman expansion packs so you can know which one is up your alley!
13. Sacred Pool Expansion
The Sacred Pool Expansion Trailer
I think it’s easy to say this pack is both the least essential to the game, and really provides nothing when it comes to character development and gameplay. It’s kind of a big waste of money.
Now there are a few cool ending cards that come with the expansion: the Sacred Pool, Judgement Day, and the Demon Lord. Along with the new ending cards, the expansion pack comes with four new characters: the Dread Knight, the Cleric, the Chivalric Knight, and the Magus.
The new ending cards and characters are the best things to come from the pack, but it would be better to save your money for the packs higher on the list.
Full details about the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267781/Talisman__The_Sacred_Pool_Expansion/
All in all, I would rate this pack a 2/10.
12. Frostmarch Expansion
The Frostmarch Expansion Trailer
Sort of like the Sacred Pool expansion, the Frostmarch expansion doesn’t really add anything spectacular to the game. The new ending cards and characters are once again the only things about this pack that I enjoyed.
The characters that come with this back are really interesting. Included are the Necromancer, the Leprechaun, the Warlock, and the Ogre Chieftain! The new end cards are cool as well. With the pack, you can encounter the Crown and Sceptre, Warlock Quests, or even face off in a battle against the Ice Queen!
But all of these new features just don’t seem worth it for the price. If Nomad released a smaller game pack with only the end cards and characters, then I would be all for it!
Full details about the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267772/Talisman__The_Frostmarch_Expansion/
I would give this pack a solid 3/10, it’s definitely not a favorite.
11. Deep Realms Expansion
The Deep Realms Expansion Review
The Deep Realms expansion is… interesting. The new realm and tunnel cards bring a massive added depth to the game, and it’s really the pack’s only saving point. One big downside to the Deep Realms expansion is that the City and Dungeon expansions are both required.
The pack is far from perfect. One big difference this pack has against some others is that it comes with NO new characters or end cards. This difference is a big reason why many people tend to stray away from the pack. The characters make the game interesting!
However, the Deep Realms expansion is great for players who favor adventure over character advancement. The pack comes equipped with two realm cards, 20 tunnel cards, and 20 bridge cards, so you have choices as to what kind of adventure you want to partake in.
Full details about the pack are linked here:
https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2014/11/14/the-deep-realms/
The tunnel cards really saved this pack, so it gets a rating of 3/10. With some characters, it would have gone MUCH higher on the list!
10. Firelands Expansion
The Firelands Expansion Trailer
The Firelands expansion is a pretty decent pack! It’s packed full of fun new characters, end quests, and a new item in-game: fire tokens.
Fire tokens in a nutshell is an item that when placed on a space, any character who lands there loses a life. There are also the new terrain cards. These cards frequently update the board with new tasks and challenges!
There are also four new characters: the Dervish, the Nomad, the Jin Blooded, and the Warlord. Along with these new characters are three new end cards: A Hero Rises, the Crown of Flame, and Spreading Flames.
My only critique with this pack is that while the characters may seem interesting at times, they aren’t any more special than the characters in the base game. It isn’t a bad pack, it’s just nothing insanely new or spectacular.
Full details about the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/525520/Talisman__The_Firelands_Expansion/
The pack like I said isn’t bad, but the creators could have done so much more with it. That being said, I feel the addition of the fire tokens was the best part about the pack, so I’m going to give it a 5/10.
9. Blood Moon Expansion
The Blood Moon Expansion Trailer
This is a pretty decent pack! The Blood Moon expansion introduces one of my favorite game add-ons! Since the pack is based around werewolves, the game issues a day and night aspect. During the day, all creatures take a minus one on their attack damage, but at night it’s plus one. Cool, right?
The pack comes with three new characters and end cards. The character list includes the Grave Robber, the Vampire Hunter, and the Doomsayer. These are all great characters! For the end cards, it is in my opinion the weakest part of the pack. There is a battle against the Blood Moon Werewolf, the Horrible Black Void, and Lightbearers.
Full details on the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267788/Talisman__The_Blood_Moon_Expansion/
As I said before, this pack has many strengths, its only weakness being the end cards. I would give it a 5/10. For the price, it could make a nice addition to your game!
8. Highlands Expansion
The Highlands Expansion Trailer
This is an interesting one! The Highlands expansion is the first of the larger packs on the list, and is packed full of a ton of fun game additives that you and your friends will love to use! It comes with six characters: the Alchemist, the Valkyrie, the Highlander, the Vampiress, the Rogue, and the Sprite.
In this pack, we are introduced to the Alchemist, who is also one of the best characters in the game! You’re able to constantly trade gold for lives, magical objects, potions, etc.
This pack comes with a removable corner piece that players can add to the original game board for an extra map your characters can travel on. The adventure cards in this pack are great as well!
There are three new end cards that come with this pack: Battle Royale, the Eagle King, and the Hand of Doom.
The only “bad” critique I have for the game is that aside from the Alchemist, the characters are a bit lackluster and aren’t as interesting as some others.
Full details about the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267780/Talisman__The_Highland_Expansion/
This is a good pack, the characters just aren’t as interesting as I would have hoped for how much I paid. I’m gonna give it a 5/10, there is a lot of room for improvement!
7. Dragon Expansion
The Dragon Expansion Trailer
This pack would have made it into the top five if not for one specific thing: the confusion behind the dragon lords. This pack comes with so much fun stuff, that it was bound to have something off with it. The idea behind the dragon lords is so… strange. Even after years of playing the game with it, I still don’t understand.
The dragon lords basically rule the brand new inner region that comes with the expansion pack. In the inner region, you may only move one space (just like in the original game). The dragon lords also bring dragon tokens, which makes fighting enemies more difficult at times, but can lead to greater rewards.
That is my ONLY critique with this pack. I love everything else about it. With this pack, we get five new end cards: Dragon Slayers, the Dragon King, Domain of Dragons, Challenge for the Crown, and Confront the Dragon King. We also get six new characters! There is the Dragon Rider, the Fire Wizard, the Conjurer, the Dragon Hunter, the Minotaur, and the Dragon Priestess.
The Dragon Priestess is the strongest character you can get, and is arguably the best character in the game. Anyone who plays as her is almost guaranteed a win from the start. She makes the pack even better than before!
Full details on the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267789/Talisman__The_Dragon_Expansion/
This pack is one of my favorites, but the actual dragon lord concept could have been so much simpler. I would rate it a 6/10.
6. Dungeon Expansion
The Dungeon Expansion Trailer
This is a really fun pack. The dungeon corner piece that comes with the game is fairly large and includes many different hallways players can travel through!
Any character who makes it to the end of the dungeon board and defeats the final boss is guaranteed a victory and will move to the end of the map! This is also the only end card included in the pack; Winner Takes All.
The pack also comes with some very intense characters that are some of the best on the list! There is my favorite character, the Amazon, who can redo battles she previously lost. Then there is the Gladiator, the Gypsy, the Philosopher, and the Swashbuckler.
The map is difficult to navigate through, and if you are a first-time player, it may hinder your gaming experience.
Full details about the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267775/Talisman__The_Dungeon_Expansion/
This pack is great for anyone who has any basic knowledge of Talisman. While the pack may seem expensive to some, it really is a must-have. I would rate it a 6/10, it’s a really fun pack to have.
5. Woodlands Expansion
The Woodlands Expansion Trailer
Now we’re at the best of the best. The Woodlands expansion pack is one of the best money can buy. Coming equipped with five new characters and three end cards, this pack allows players to choose to follow a light or dark path.
At the start of each game, players can choose to collect light or dark fate (or both!) that can help influence some decisions later on in the game.
The characters include the Ancient Oak, the Totem Warrior, the Leywalker, the Spider Queen, and the Scout. The end cards include Judged by Fate, Wanderlust, and War of Seasons. This pack includes some of my favorite ends cards. It makes the game so much more fun and interesting.
That being said, the rules can be difficult to understand at times, but the characters and end cards make up for it. This pack is great and will ensure an upgrade to your gameplay.
The full details about the pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/773600/Talisman__The_Woodland_Expansion/
I would rate this pack an easy 7/10.
4. Cataclysm Expansion
The Cataclysm Expansion Trailer
I wanted to tie this expansion for third, but for a few reasons, I had to place it lower. This expansion pack comes with an entirely new board that replaces the one from the base game, but you will still need the base adventure cards and such to play.
This game is packed with vibrance, adventure, and wonder. This game pack flips what you remember from the base game upsidedown.
You get a lot of cool stuff with this pack. There are four new alternative endings: Cult of the Damned, the Eternal Crown, the One Talisman, and the Lands of Wonder. There are also five new characters: Arcane Scion, the Barbarian, the Black Knight, the Mutant, and the Scavenger.
If you love the base game and want to experience something different but still fun, this is the pack for you.
The full details about this pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/929550/Talisman__The_Cataclysm_Expansion/
This pack gets an easy 8/10. If the rules behind the game weren’t as confusing, this would have been in the top three.
3. Harbinger Expansion
The Harbinger Expansion Trailer
There is a reason this is ranked third. There is so much this pack did RIGHT. My only critique is that it isn’t new-user-friendly. That’s it!
This is a great smaller pack for anyone who wants to up their gameplay to the max. The pack centers around the Harbinger, an NPC in the game. He travels along the board during each turn and you have the chance to interact with him through events!
The goal is to collect omen tokens and stop the end of the world. Simple, right? Not really. As I said, this is not very easy for new players. But if you love a challenge, this pack is perfect for you.
The pack comes with three new characters, including the Ascendant Divine, the Celestial, and the Possessed. There are also two new end cards: the End of Days and the Armageddon Crown.
The full details on this pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/707670/Talisman__The_Harbinger_Expansion/
I’m gonna rank this pack a solid 8/10. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to add a challenge to their gameplay!
2. City Expansion
The City Expansion Trailer
Probably one of the most well-known expansion packs in Talisman is the City expansion. This expansion pack comes with a corner piece to the base game that, in my opinion, it the best of all you can buy. There are many different areas to explore, a ton of new adventure cards to experience, and frightening new monsters to encounter.
Of all of the larger packs, this is easily the best one. It is easy for any new player to understand and allows for freedom and ease while moving.
This pack comes with six new characters. Included are the Cat Burglar, the Tinkerer, the Spy, the Bounty Hunter, the Elementalist, and the Tavern Maid. There are also three new end cards including the Thieve’s Guild, the Merchant’s Guild, and the Assassin’s Guild.
This pack allows for players to complete quests for gold, visit the shops in the city, and accumulate pets along the way. You end up getting more with this pack than you originally paid for.
The full details on this pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/267784/Talisman__The_City_Expansion/
I want to give this pack a 10/10, but that’s reserved for the next pack. So this gets a 9/10. I have no complaints about this pack.
1. Reaper Expansion
The Reaper Expansion Trailer
The best thing Talisman has ever done was create this expansion pack. It almost doesn’t seem real. This is the best of the smaller packs, and you get it for relatively cheap! Everything about this pack is simply perfect.
This is one of the hardest packs to play, but it offers so much that it makes it fun! It centers around the Grim Reaper. Players have the ability to move the Reaper across the board. If you encounter the reaper on your space, you lose all of your lives and are killed.
This small pack offers a lot with it. There are four new characters including the Dark Cultist, the Knight, the Sage, and the Merchant. There is also one end card called the Danse Macabre. With this end card, the player who reaches the crown of command first can send the Grim Reaper to any alive player on the board, killing them. The player at the crown of command must then defeat the Reaper and win.
It’s a thrilling addition to the game and a pack that everyone needs at some point.
The full details on this pack are linked here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/258810/Talisman__The_Reaper_Expansion/
This pack gets a 10/10 and for good reason. You get way more than you paid for. This is an adventure like no other, and allows for even new players to experience the thrill of the game in a new light.
Talisman is a great game for anyone who loves adventure games because there are so many packs, characters, and alternate endings to choose from. I own all of them and can confirm that they have brought my level of gaming up from a five to a 10. There is a pack out there for everybody, it’s just a matter of finding which one interests you the most!
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