Inns & Cathedrals is the first Carcassonne expansion to buy. It adds a sixth player and bigger scoring without changing the game's feel.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 18 tiles with inns and cathedrals, a big meeple, 6th-player pieces and 50/100 point tiles.
Fixes: Lets a sixth player join and adds big-score gambles without much extra rules.
Traders & Builders is the natural second box. It adds goods and a builder that make turns more interesting.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 24 tiles, goods tokens, builder (extra tile turns), pig for farms, and a cloth bag for tiles.
Fixes: Adds reasons to finish cities and more scoring depth.
Princess & Dragon is great for groups that want more chaos. Tile-placement purists may not enjoy the dragon.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 30 tiles, a dragon that eats meeples, a fairy that protects them, the princess and magic portals.
Fixes: Adds lots of tiles and ways to knock rivals out of features.
Bridges, Castles & Bazaars is worth it once you've exhausted Inns and Traders. The tile auctions suit groups that like bidding.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 12 tiles, castles that grow small cities, bazaar tile auctions, and 12 wooden bridges.
Fixes: Rescues awkward road and small-city spots; adds auctions.
Abbey & Mayor is solid but not essential. Get it after the first few expansions if you want more meeple options.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 12 tiles, abbey tiles to fill holes, plus mayor, wagon and barn pieces.
Fixes: Makes hard-to-finish features easier to close.
Hills & Sheep is fine to own eventually but not essential. The sheep add a light push-your-luck twist.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 18 tiles, hills that break ties, vineyards near monasteries, and a shepherd with a sheep/wolf bag.
Fixes: Adds a push-your-luck choice and a tie-breaker on hills.
Count, King & Robber is a value box of several small add-ons. It's good if you want lots of variety for the price.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 22 tiles, the city of Carcassonne with the Count, and King/Robber bonus tiles for biggest city and longest road.
Fixes: Adds biggest-city and longest-road style bonuses.
Under the Big Top has fans, but it's hard to find and not essential. Skip it unless you spot it at a fair price.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 20 tiles, circus and acrobat tiles, animal tokens and ringmaster meeples.
Fixes: Adds circus clustering bonuses; little core fix.
The Tower lets players capture each other's meeples, which many experienced players don't like. Skip it unless your group enjoys take-that play.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: 18 tiles, 30 tower floors to capture rival meeples, and a tile dispenser tower.
Fixes: Adds direct take-that play for competitive groups.
Buy Carcassonne base game:Asmodee Store (opens in a new tab)Z-Man Games (opens in a new tab)Miniature Market (opens in a new tab)
Inns & Cathedrals. Inns & Cathedrals is the first Carcassonne expansion to buy. It adds a sixth player and bigger scoring without changing the game's feel.
Our verdict: buy this first. It adds: 18 tiles with inns and cathedrals, a big meeple, 6th-player pieces and 50/100 point tiles.
We’d buy Inns & Cathedrals first. See the side-by-side comparison for what each adds and needs.
Same publisher
Rankings are our editorial picks, built from the reviews linked on each expansion page. Last checked 2026-09-27.