Descent: Legends of the Dark – Betrayers War Expansion Unboxing

Just typing that title was a lot of work, but the brand new expansion of Descent: Legends of the Dark arrived last week from my friends at Asmodee Canada and Fantasy Flight Games, and I couldn’t wait to get it opened up. Before we hop into what comes in this expansion, it’s worth noting that this is an expansion, and a copy of the base Descent: Legends of the Dark is required to play!

Not Concerned About Cardboard this time Around!

If you read any of my content around Descent: Legends of the Dark, you know that I had concerns about the cardboard quality and how it would hold up as dozens of hours of use. Although a few of my original Descent items are a bit worn after roughly 45 hours of playtime, the overall quality has basically remained. There is a TON more cardboard terrain in Betrayer’s War, and this time around, I have zero concerns.

A lot of the new terrain features revolve around new gameplay options in Betrayers War. I love the inclusion of the swinging bell, which can be hit for bonuses during a game. I love the addition of the fire pieces that can be used to set both new and old terrain ablaze! I also really love the brand new wagon terrain piece. It reminds me of the well included with the base game, which was my favourite piece of terrain.

The big difference this time around is the insert included in the bottom of the box which lifts the middle box up so terrain can be stored, is now also a terrain piece itself. I think this is a brilliant way to use something that once only provided a simple storage solution as a piece of terrain that will be used quite often.

More tokens is always good!

On Top of the brand new tokens included in the box for the brand new conditions, there are also additional tokens for strain, important points on the map, and more. Having a few additional pieces is really good – we never ran out of them in the original game with 2 or 3 players, but did get close a few times with 4 players. When you factor in the brand new rule sets and character cards, the additional tokens will likely be needed in some situations.

Brilliant new characters sculpts and cards

Fantasy Flight Games decided to included brand new character sculpts for the Legends of the Dark expansion, and these sculpts are amazing. I even think they have done a good job of reducing the size of these figures to make them easier to use on terrain pieces. In the original game, it was often difficult to get two wide characters next to each other on separate board spaces. It’s more maneagle now.

It’s also great to see Syrus’ phoenix become a stand-alone companion! This will make for some great gameplay enhancements. The brand new cards are also a breath of fresh air and a great way to mix-up abilities and gameplay stats that have become a bit tiresome after using them for 45+ hours!

One thing I wish to note here is that I believe the cost of the expansion could have been reduced slightly by forcing players to use the models from the original box. Since that set is required to play the expansion anyway, it could have been a great way to get more players investing in the expansion.

Mini’s upon Mini’s upon Mini’s

There are so many miniatures included in Descent, and even more are added into the expansion. The level of detail remains very high, and the brand new enemies will definitely create more variety moving forward. What’s cool is that if you haven’t yet finished Act 1, but indicate in the application that you own Act 2, you can use the Act 2 enemies as you finish up Act 1!

It be remiss to not mention that phenomenal 14” tall miniature included in the box. It’s crazy to think that the tallest miniature in the first game 1) had to be assembled; and 2) was only 8 inches tall or so. This new miniature is massive, VERY detailed, and will look great when painted!

Conclusion

Descent: Legends of the Dark was an expensive game when it launched, and it’s still an expensive game. You have heard me reiterate time-and-time again that the value in the box matches what is being asked at retail. I think there will be those that look at the expansion for the base game, see the slightly smaller box and less terrain, and question why Fantasy Flight Games are almost charging the same amount.

Here is my take – if you are invested in Descent and loved the first Act, I wouldn’t think twice about plopping down the funds required to play Act 2. It’s going to be a phenomenal experience, and probably a precursor to more Act’s in the future!