A Reddit buyer following the community buying guide bought Dark of Mirkwood right after the core set; it is the cheapest way to add quests.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: An 82-card box with two scenarios for the Revised Core Set.
Fixes: Adds replay content early, before buying a full campaign box.
A Reddit owner of all three campaigns says Ered Mithrin sits in the middle on complexity; another notes it as nice after the core set.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: A sequential campaign of scenarios in the north (repackaged Ered Mithrin cycle).
Fixes: Offers a long wilderness campaign without the saga's difficulty spike.
Reddit commenters say complete the trilogy but call RotK very difficult and frustrating on a limited card pool; the player cards are valued.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: Six scenarios finishing the trilogy plus over 60 hero and player cards; its FFG July 2024 announcement marked the last repackaged box.
Fixes: Completes the saga campaign and brings key Gondor and Rohan heroes.
A Reddit poster buying the core set and Dark of Mirkwood added the Elves starter first; commenters report starter decks are solid enough to beat saga quests.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: A themed starter deck of Elf player cards.
Fixes: Adds Spirit/Lore player cards that were previously available only in out-of-print cycles.
Reddit owners buy the four starter decks together with the saga boxes and say they are solid enough for a newer player.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: A themed starter deck of Dwarf player cards.
Fixes: Replaces key Dwarf cards from out-of-print cycles.
A Reddit owner calls Dream-Chaser the most mechanically complex of the three campaigns, with very unique theme.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: Campaign with ship mechanics and XP upgrades for campaign boons.
Fixes: Adds a naval-themed campaign unlike the other boxes.
Reddit buyers treat the player-card hero boxes as optional after the saga boxes already supply many cards.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: Hero and player cards for Dunedain and related cards from the Angmar Awakened cycle.
Fixes: Lets deckbuilders use Angmar player cards without the campaign.
Reddit owners buy all four starter decks together with the saga boxes; no source rated the Rohan deck apart from the others.
Needs: Just the base game
Adds: A themed starter deck of Rohan player cards.
Fixes: Supplies Rohan cards from omitted cycles.
Buy The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game base game:Amazon (opens in a new tab)Asmodee US Store (opens in a new tab)
The Dark of Mirkwood Scenario. A Reddit buyer following the community buying guide bought Dark of Mirkwood right after the core set; it is the cheapest way to add quests.
Our verdict: worth it. It adds: An 82-card box with two scenarios for the Revised Core Set.
We’d buy The Dark of Mirkwood Scenario 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 2026-10-08.