Which Expansion

Aeon's End expansions

Base game: 1–4 players60 minIndie Boards & Cards12 expansions checked
  1. #1 overall

    Aeon's End: War Eternal

    Buy this first

    BGG and Reddit buyers say to get a standalone big box before any small box; War Eternal is the pick for harder nemesis fights, though one BGG poster calls it a bit too punitive.

    Needs: Standalone: playable on its own and fully compatible with the original game; also usable as the base box for small-box expansions.

    Adds: A complete second big box: 8 mages, 4 nemeses, 27 supply sets and 25 basic nemesis cards, with harder nemesis fights.

    Fixes: Gives a first-time owner more mages, nemeses and market variety than the base box alone, with tougher fights than the original nemeses.

    Big box1–4 playersAdds more rulesBest for experienced groupsPrice: $40–$60
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards
  2. #2 overall

    Aeon's End: Past and Future

    Worth it

    Reddit's top-voted advice is to buy New Age, Outcasts and Past and Future as a minimum purchase; it is a large box with campaigns rather than a first buy.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box to play; it is not standalone itself. Expedition play also needs the Expedition rules from New Age or another box that has them.

    Adds: 10 mages, 6 nemeses, 18 market cards and two full campaigns (Past and Future) in one large box.

    Fixes: Adds a large mage and nemesis pool plus campaign play for owners who have finished the base box content.

    Big box1–4 playersAdds more rulesBest for experienced groupsPrice: $60–$100
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards
  3. #3 overall

    Aeon's End: The Nameless

    Worth it

    IGN calls it arguably the best small box and one of the first small boxes most players should buy; a Reddit poster likes its gems and spells.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 1 breach mage, 2 nemeses, 7 supply sets, with new gems, relics, spells and minions.

    Fixes: Adds fan-favourite nemeses and a fresh supply of gems and spells for groups that have played the base box nemeses.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadFine for any groupPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:Indie Boards & CardsTabletopMerchant
  4. #4 overall

    Aeon's End: The Ancients

    Worth it

    IGN rates it great for both classic and Expedition fans and a BGG poster lists it among their favourite small boxes; Expedition play needs New Age or a similar box.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 2 breach mages, 1 nemesis, 7 supply sets and 10 treasures.

    Fixes: Adds treasures and variety for both classic and Expedition games.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadFine for any groupPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards
  5. #5 overall

    Aeon's End: The Void

    Worth it

    IGN lists it among the small boxes that add a new mechanic (Link spells) and says every small box works with any standalone box.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 2 breach mages, 2 nemeses and 8 supply sets, and introduces the Link spells mechanic.

    Fixes: Adds a new spell mechanic and two nemeses to a collection that feels familiar.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadFine for any groupPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:Indie Boards & CardsTabletopMerchant
  6. #6 overall

    Aeon's End: The Descent

    Worth it

    Puzzlewick (an affiliate, AI-assisted site) ranks it third after New Age and Outcasts; no independent forum thread was read for it, so treat this as a lower-confidence pick.

    Needs: Standalone prequel playable on its own, and compatible with all existing Aeon's End content.

    Adds: A prequel set with elemental tokens and the optional Friends & Foes module.

    Fixes: Adds a new, different feel (elements, allies) for owners who want something other than more of the same nemeses.

    Standalone (mixes in)1–4 playersAdds more rulesBest for experienced groupsPrice: $60–$100
    DetailsBuy:Indie Boards & CardsBoardGameBliss
  7. #7 overall

    Aeon's End: The Depths

    Worth it

    A BGG poster added The Depths and The Nameless after the big boxes; IGN says it was great at launch but newer boxes now have more interesting characters.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 3 breach mages, 1 nemesis and 8 supply sets, with new spells, relics and minions.

    Fixes: Adds mage variety at a low price.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadFine for any groupPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:Indie Boards & CardsTabletopMerchant
  8. #8 overall

    Aeon's End: Shattered Dreams

    Depends on your group

    IGN calls it a decent box with a harder nemesis; it is not mentioned among the first small boxes buyers recommend.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 1 breach mage, 1 nemesis, 10 supply sets and 5 treasures.

    Fixes: Adds a harder nemesis for groups that find the core nemeses too easy.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadBest for experienced groupsPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards
  9. #9 overall

    Aeon's End: The Outer Dark

    Depends on your group

    IGN says it does not do anything particularly noteworthy apart from a fan-favourite mage, so it is a pick only if you want more supply variety.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 2 breach mages, 2 nemeses and 11 supply sets, with new gems, relics, spells and minions.

    Fixes: Adds a fan-favourite mage and a large number of supply sets.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadFine for any groupPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards
  10. #10 overall

    Aeon's End: Return to Gravehold

    Depends on your group

    One BGG poster lists it among their favourite small boxes, but the main buying threads put big boxes first.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them.

    Adds: 2 breach mages, 2 nemeses, 3 supply sets and 11 treasures.

    Fixes: Adds treasures and two nemeses for owners who already have several small boxes.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadFine for any groupPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:Indie Boards & CardsBoardGameBliss
  11. #11 overall

    Aeon's End: Into the Wild

    Most groups can skip

    Skip it unless you own New Age or another Expedition box: IGN says it is best with New Age or a Legacy title and BGG posters say it needs Expedition mode.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them. Built for Expedition mode, which needs New Age or another box with Expedition rules.

    Adds: 2 breach mages, 1 nemesis, 3 supply sets and 18 treasures.

    Fixes: Adds a large treasure pool for Expedition play.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadBest for experienced groupsPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards
  12. #12 overall

    Aeon's End: Buried Secrets

    Most groups can skip

    IGN says it was built to support Legacy and has no mages or nemeses, so skip it unless you play Legacy or want only extra market sets.

    Needs: Needs a standalone Aeon's End box (Aeon's End 2nd Edition, War Eternal, New Age, Outcasts or The Descent) to play; works with any of them. Designed to support the Legacy campaign.

    Adds: 22 supply sets and 9 basic nemesis cards, with no mages or nemeses.

    Fixes: Adds supply sets and basic nemesis cards for Legacy campaign owners.

    Expansion1–4 playersAbout the same rules loadBest for experienced groupsPrice: Under $20
    DetailsBuy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards

Need the base game?

Buy:AmazonIndie Boards & Cards

Stuck between two?

Aeon's End expansions: quick answers

Which Aeon's End expansion should I buy first?

Aeon's End: War Eternal. BGG and Reddit buyers say to get a standalone big box before any small box; War Eternal is the pick for harder nemesis fights, though one BGG poster calls it a bit too punitive.

Is Aeon's End: War Eternal worth it?

Our verdict: buy this first. It adds: A complete second big box: 8 mages, 4 nemeses, 27 supply sets and 25 basic nemesis cards, with harder nemesis fights.

Aeon's End: War Eternal or Aeon's End: Past and Future: which first?

We’d buy Aeon's End: War Eternal first. See the side-by-side comparison for what each adds and needs.

Other games’ expansion guides

Same publisher

Rankings are our editorial picks, built from the reviews linked on each expansion page. Last checked 2026-10-08.