The original Eldritch Horror game came out in 2013 and since then, it has released several terrifying and exciting expansion packs, giving you brand-new missions, investigators, rules, and other game features and elements that make the game more intriguing and fun to play!
However, it can be a little difficult to decide which one to settle for with all these options available.
This is why we’re giving you this comprehensive review of our 5 best Eldritch Horror Expansions, to help you reach a clear decision.
How to Play Eldritch Horror (A Summary)
Eldritch Horror is a 2–3-hour cooperative adventure and Lovecraftian game developed for 2-8 players.
In this game, you will be working together playing as a team of investigators who are trying to prevent the end of the world.
To stop the Ancient One from awakening, you and your team are going to have to find clues, fight monsters, solve mysteries, and encounter absurd and terrifying events.
Gameplay
Each turn of the game is split into 3 phases: Action, Encounter, and Mythos.
Each investigator will perform one phase, starting with the lead investigator (the first player) and going clockwise until everyone has had a turn. After which, they can collectively continue to the next phase.
Rules and Scoring
If you manage to solve 3 mysteries before the Ancient One awakens, then they’re defeated, and your team secures victory over the game.
However, if the Doom token manages to reach “Zero”, then the ancient one awakens, and you’ll have a more challenging time winning the game.
Most Ancient Ones have a “Final Mystery,” which you’ll have to solve once they awaken, and that isn’t always easy.
Additionally, you lose the game if all investigators are defeated in one round or you run out of cards to draw from your Mythos deck.
Now that we’ve gone over some of the basics for the original Eldritch Horror game, let’s take a look at our top 5 favorite expansions, to help you decide which pack to buy next.
Best Eldritch Horror Expansions on the Market
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Best for Experts 
| Signs of Carcosa
| Check Price |
Best Expansion Overall
| Forsaken Lore
| Check Price |
Best Map Expansion 
| Under the Pyramids
| Check Price |
Best for Completionists 
| Mountains of Madness
| Check Price |
Best for Beginners 
| Strange Remnants
| Check Price |
Signs of Carcosa — Best for Experts
The Signs of Carcosa is a great expansion that introduces several new Investigators to Eldritch Horror; not to mention a new Ancient One, plus 196 new cards. It also adds a new layer of complexity to the game; perfect for players who have been playing since its release in 2013 and are looking for ways to spice up their sessions. Signs of Carcosa also introduces new mechanics to the game, so we don’t recommend it for beginners.
Aside from the original Eldritch Horror game, this expansion is also compatible with the other expansions released before it.
One downside to Signs of Carcosa, however, is its production value, which is a little low compared to the others before it. Cards and other items are always missing from their boxes, and you have to go through all the trouble of contacting the manufacturers to send you the missing parts (which could take a week to two weeks tops to arrive).
Components
Signs of Carcosa contains:
- 4 new Investigator Sheets
- 1 Ancient One (Hastur)
- 84 new Encounter Cards
- 8 Mystery Cards
- 24 Mythos Cards (10 yellow, 8 green, 6 blue)
- 4 Prelude Cards
- 4 Artifact Cards
- 16 Asset Cards
- 28 Condition Cards
- 12 Spell Cards
- 16 Unique Asset Cards
- 4 Investigator Tokens with Plastic Stands
- 8 Monster Tokens (6 normal, 2 epics)
- 20 Impairment Tokens
Gameplay and Features
Signs of Carcosia introduces a new Ancient One, Hastur, an entity that spreads insanity and dissension to everything he touches.
He brings with him 8 new mysteries, which are:
- Beneath an Alien Sky
- Cities on the Lake
- Finding the Way
- He Who Is Not to Be Named
- Ravages of the Blight
- Spawn of Hastur
- The King in Yellow
- The Yellow Sign
To defeat Hastur, players have to either resolve 3 mysteries before the Ancient One awakens or solve two of his Final Mysteries, which are found on his card.
This expansion also features 4 new Investigators with 4 unique actions.
Michael McGlen (The Gangster)
McGlen introduces a new action that allows him to gain 1 item or 1 service asset from the Reserve when he is in a city space.
Jenny Barnes (The Dilettante)
Barnes is an Investigator that, when in a city space, may perform an Acquire Assets action and gain 2 Influence points during the action.
Dexter Drake (The Magician)
Drake can magically transport monsters from one space (your space) to another space that contains a gate.
Wendy Adams (The Urchin)
Adams allows you to gain 1 Trinket Asset from the Reserve or discard pile.
Pros and cons
Final Judgement
Overall, Signs of Carcosa is a great expansion for players who have more experience with the game. Hastur, despite only having 2 Final Mysteries, is a complicated enough Ancient One that players will surely have a fun and intriguing time trying to resolve his challenges. It might not be perfect for beginners, but it’s a great choice for veteran players.
Forsaken Lore — Best Eldritch Horror Expansion Overall
By far the best and most anticipated Eldritch Horror Expansion — Forsaken Lore adds an entirely new level of suspense and excitement to the game that a lot of players enjoy. It’s not so much an expansion as it is a continuation of the game.
To start, it throws Investigators into a cockpit full of defeated Ancient Ones who have all come back to seek world domination. To stop them, Investigators must complete new tasks, uncover new mysteries, and dig even deeper into the story surrounding every single Ancient One. Players can do this with the help of new Research cards.
Components
Forsaken Lore comes with the following components:
- 6 New Mythos Cards
- 4 New Generic Encounters
- 6 New Expeditions
- 6 New Other World Encounters
- 8 New Mysteries
- 12 New Ancient One Encounters
- 64 New Ancient One Research Encounters
- 24 New Conditions
- 28 New Spells
- 8 New Artifacts
- 16 New Assets
- 24 New Location-Specific Encounters
- 7 New Epic Monsters
- 1 New Ancient One (Yig)
- 24 Yig Research Encounters
- 6 Yig Mysteries
- 8 Yig Special Encounters
- 1 New Cultist
Gameplay and Features
Forsaken Lore introduces a new Ancient One that’s unlike any other — possibly the most complicated one that the manufacturers have printed so far: Yig.
At the beginning of the game, Yig removes the generic weak monsters (the Cultists and Serpent People) from the Normal Monsters pile, bumping up the difficulty levels for all players, as you’ll be left with mid-to high-level monsters to defeat.
Aside from Yig, the other Ancient Ones included in Forsaken Lore have also received updated loadouts. Shub Niggurath, Cthulhu, and Azathoth all get 2 additional mysteries, plus new tricky Epic Monsters. Additionally, all the Ancient Ones got an increase on Research Encounters of 16 new cards each.
Pros and cons
Final Thoughts
Forsaken Lore is an absolute must-have for anyone who loves to play Eldritch Horror. Not only does it add 1 entirely unique Ancient One to the game, but it also allows players a deeper look into the stories of Ancient Ones from the base game. New spells and weapons add variety to the actions that Investigators can take in-game. It’s the ideal expansion pack for players who want to expand on the core elements of Eldritch Horror.
Under the Pyramids — Best Map Expansion
Although the mysteries in Under the Pyramids do come off a little dry, this expansion opens 6 new locations in Egypt. This includes Cairo, the Nile River, and Tel El-Amarna.
It introduces 2 new ancient baddies (Abhoth and Nephren-Ka) and Cultists who are working to raise an evil power called the Dark Pharaoh back from the dead.
It has other components that add variety to the original Eldritch Horror game, like new mythos cards, encounter cards, and spells. Although, we do think that the side board is too big, making it a little inconvenient to use. Still, exploring the ancient ruins of Egypt does have its own appeal.
Components
The expansion set contains the following components:
- 1 Game Board
- 1 Rulebook
- 8 Investigator Sheets
- 2 Ancient One Sheets
- 22 Mythos Cards
- 48 Location Encounter Cards
- 48 Research Encounter Cards
- 6 Other World Encounter Cards
- 12 Expedition Encounter Cards
- 40 Special Encounter Cards
- 12 Mystery Cards
- 6 Adventure Cards
- 6 Prelude Cards
- 4 Artifact Cards
- 16 Asset Cards
- 16 Condition Cards
- 24 Spell Cards
- 35 Unique Asset Cards
- 12 Monster Tokens
- 6 Clue Tokens
- 20 Impairment Tokens
- 6 Gate Tokens
- 1 Adventure Token
- 1 Mystery Token
- 1 Active Expedition Token
- 8 Plastic Stands
Gameplay and Features
As mentioned, Under the Pyramid includes a new side board that features 6 new locations to explore.
To use the side board, you will either have to choose Nephran-Ka as your Ancient One or pick a certain prelude card that requires you to play with the side board.
Otherwise, the mechanics and setup from the basic game all still apply to Under the Pyramids.
Pros and cons
Final Thoughts
Adding a side board with 6 completely new locations will indeed lengthen the game. Still, it adds a ton of variety to gameplay that players can enjoy.
The addition of 8 new Investigators also widens the list of actions that are available to players in-game. It’s a perfect expansion for those who want to explore different locations and discover new assets.
Mountains of Madness — Best for Completionists
Pack your winter gear, because it’s going to get crazy cold once you start playing Mountains of Madness.
This 2014 expansion pack is the first to bring a side board to Eldritch Horror. The side board takes players to the cold, cruel, and icy lands of Antarctica.
There are also a couple of new spells, encounters, and weapons introduced throughout the game. Plus, 2 new Ancient Ones to vanquish.
Similar to Forsaken Lore, Mountains of Madness glues the entire Eldritch Horror narrative together, making it a much easier story to understand and relate to. However, we do feel like they could have done it without adding a side board into the mix.
Components
Mountains of Madness includes the following components:
- 1 New Antarctica Side Board
- 2 New Ancient Ones
- 8 New Epic Monsters
- 8 New Investigators
- 48 New Antarctica Encounter Cards
- 12 New Antarctica Adventure Cards
- 6 New Prelude Cards
- 4 new Round Overview Cards
- 26 New Mythos Cards
- 4 New Generic Cards
- 6 New Expedition Cards
- 6 New Other World Encounter Cards
- 24 Special Encounters
- 48 Research Encounters
- 14 Mystery Cards
- 12 New Location Specific Encounters
- 42 New Unique Asset cards
- 32 New Conditions
- 16 New Spells
- 8 New Artifacts
- 16 New Assets
- 14 New Monsters
- 6 New Clue tokens (For Antarctica locations)
- 6 New Gate tokens (3 Antarctica locations and 3 Expedition spaces)
- 8 New Focus tokens
- 1 New Adventure token
- 1 New Mystery token
Gameplay and Features
As we mentioned before, Mountains of Madness takes place in the snowy lands of Antarctica. The side board opens 6 new locations, namely: Miskatonic Outpost, Lake Camp, Frozen Waste, City of the Elder Things, Plateau of Leng, and Snowy Mountains.
Players can move freely from the mainboard to the Miskatonic Outpost without spending any action. However, they can only do this once every turn.
Each location on the board contains a specific action that can either help or harm you during the game, so be careful.
Mountains of Madness introduces 2 new formidable Ancient Ones: Ithaqua and Ride of the Elder Things.
Prelude cards are available to give you more context in terms of what you’re trying to solve throughout the game. You can choose these cards randomly or specifically, whichever method works best for you.
Pros and cons
Final Thoughts
Mountains of Madness is a great expansion pack that adds more variety to gameplay and setup. It improves the narrative sense of the original Eldritch Horror game and brings in new Monsters, Investigators, Actions, and Assets for players to have fun and experiment with. It’s a great buy for those looking for a longer and more in-depth game.
Strange Remnants – Best for Beginners
Strange Remnants transports you and your teammates to different haunted ruins across the world where each of you must learn the secrets hidden within each location.
There are also new Glamour Spells and Relic Unique Assets to use as weapons against a new and all-powerful Ancient One: Syzygy.
Strange Remnants also include 4 unique prelude cards that alter quests and scenarios, giving you a fresh Eldritch Horror experience.
Components
Strange Remnants includes several new components, such as:
- 4 Investigator Sheets
- 1 Ancient One Sheet (Syzygy)
- 86 Encounter Cards
- 6 Mystery Cards
- 6 Adventure Cards
- 20 Mythos Cards (8 yellow, 7 green, 5 blue)
- 4 Prelude Cards
- 4 Round Overview Cards
- 4 Artifact Cards
- 16 Asset Cards
- 16 Condition Cards
- 16 Spell Cards
- 24 Unique Asset Cards
- 4 Investigator Tokens with Plastic Stands
- 6 Monster Tokens
- 6 Health Tokens
- 4 Sanity Tokens
- 12 Focus Tokens
- 1 Adventure Token
- 1 Mystic Ruins Token
Gameplay and Features
Strange Remnants introduces a variety of new mechanics to the game. To start, it has 4 new investigators: Skids O’Toole (The Ex-Convict), Tony Morgan (The Bounty Hunter), Zoey Samaras (The Chef), and Mary Lambeau (The Entertainer).
The new Ancient One, Syzygy, is a terrifying cosmic entity that you must defeat by pursuing clues and resolving encounters throughout the game.
There is a new set of Mystic Ruins cards that can grant any player access to a new area on the board, such as the Easter Islands, the Stonehenge, and the Great Wall of China. There are also several new and unique Items and Spells you can use to defeat monsters.
One new feature that we absolutely like about this expansion is the focus tokens. Players earn 1 Focus Token each time they choose to “focus” during a turn. Later, you can spend these tokens to roll and reroll dice when you’re trying to pass a test.
There are also two new assets in the game: Task Assets and Unique Assets.
Pros and cons
Final Thoughts
Although it certainly brings great variety in terms of storyline to the game, the gameplay and mechanics can get a little stale sometimes. On the bright side, it has interesting new assets and tokens to explore, plus a cool, all-powerful baddie to defeat. It’s great for both beginners and advanced players.
Conclusion
There are over a dozen Eldritch Horror Expansions available right now in the market, but arguably the 5 that we’ve just reviewed for you today are the best out of all of them. If you’re still uncertain about which expansion pack to buy, let us narrow down your choices a bit more.
If you’re a beginner, you should settle for Strange Remnants. It offers just enough intrigue and mystery without involving too many confusing mechanics. If you’re an advanced player, on the other hand, you can mix things up with Mountains of Madness or Forsaken Lore, which adds more complexity to the gameplay for you to enjoy.
Have a great adventure!
