Over a small hill and across a stone bridge, you grow alarmed as you behold not a bustling backwater village but wreckage and devastation. Slain villagers lie scattered about the ruins of the settlement, and many of the structures are flattened or torn apart. Through the pouring rain, you see dark shapes moving about the village remains, and though it’s difficult to make out fine details, you very much doubt them to be survivors.

The Trollfens , the newest expansion for Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition , is now available at local retailers! Including new hero classes, new monsters, and a new lieutenant, The Trollfens also features five quests that can be played as side-quests in a larger campaign, or as their own mini-campaign, chronicling the heroes’ efforts to discover the corruption at the heart of the Valdari Swamp.

A Deadly Region

Deep within the Valdari Swamp, the heroes will soon be forced to traverse unsteady ground. The Trollfens introduces a set of new terrain tiles, often featuring land choked by water. As the heroes make their way deeper into the murky darkness, they may find themselves forced to leave the path and step into the standing water of the swamp. A fallen log might provide a quick route across a channel, but islands may hold vital equipment, and sometimes, the only way forwards is to step into the water and risk whatever dangers may lurk beneath the surface.

As the heroes make their way into the swamp, the overlord will find new monsters and a new overlord class with which to oppose the brave adventurers. As we covered in an earlier preview , the Valdari Swamp is a treacherous place, and any heroes that dare to venture within may find themselves opposed by disease-infested monsters. Plague worms burrow beneath the heroes’ feet, preying on the weak and spreading disease throughout the land. While plague worms emerge from below, fierce harpies swoop down from above, attacking in swarms and dealing more damage as more monsters join in the assault.

The monsters in the swamp are led by a new lieutenant of the overlord, the fearsome troll, Bol’Goreth. Although this creature is as dim as any troll, some believe there may be some darker and more sinister purpose to his presence in the Valdari Swamp. Even on his own, Bol’Goreth can be a terrible foe in direct combat, as he ferociously attacks any hero who dares to approach him.

The heroes have far more to worry about than monsters, however. In The Trollfens, the overlord also gains access to a new Overlord class: the Infector. Using the new infection tokens, an overlord can commit to playing the long game, wearing the heroes down over time with a series of punishing effects and Overlord cards. With Contaminated , each of your monsters gains the ability to infect the heroes, and by discarding infection tokens at the right time, you can bring the heroes to their knees.

Guides for the Path

Although the darkness in the swamp may seem overwhelming, the heroes have access to new champions, whose specialized talents can help to illuminate the way forward. In another preview , we examined the new heroes and Hero classes in The Trollfens . Roganna the Shade, a Latari Elf, excels at picking off monsters that stray from the group, and her supreme mastery of woodcraft can even make the heroes immune to ranged attacks for an entire round.

Roganna and her abilites exemplify the new hero class for Rogues – Stalker. Stalkers use trap tokens to get the better of the overlord’s monsters with a variety of potent tricks and traps. By using Set Trap , a hero playing as a Stalker can add extra damage to his own attacks and damage any monsters foolish enough to pass by. Traps can even be armed with Poison Barbs , giving the overlord and his minions a taste of their own medicine.

Another hero joining the adventure is a guide of a different sort. Augur Grisom’s prophetic talents allow heroes to regain health when a monster’s attack fails, and as his Heroic Feat, Augur can use his knowledge of the future to heal his allies’ health and stamina. Augur, or any other Healer, can take advantage of the powers attached to the new Prophet hero class. The presence of a true prophet has a restorative effect on the heroes, as proven with cards like Soothing Insight . By granting new insight tokens to heroes, a Prophet can heal his companions. Alternatively, with Omniscience , a hero with an insight token may use the Prophet’s knowledge of the future to cause any attack to miss completely!

A New Adventure Begins

The Valdari Swamp lies waiting, festering with mystery and hidden purpose. The overlord gathers horrific new monsters to himself and prepares for the arrival of the heroes. As the heroes gather their strength to brave the dangers waiting in the swamps, the heroes are joined by new compatriots with powerful new talents to navigate the wilderness and probe the future for answers. Whether the heroes pursue rumors into the Valdari Swamp, or play the included mini-campaign, a new adventure is about to begin! Purchase The Trollfens at your local retailer today.

Descent: Journeys in the Dark Second Edition is a story-driven board game for 2-5 players that takes a party of adventurers deep into the dungeons of Terrinoth for adventure, treasure, and glory. Players will embark on a campaign of linked quests as they develop characters based on four fantasy archetypes.