One of my favorite games of 2024 was the hidden gem that was Hellbringer. It perfectly encompasses the “loot Piñata” feel from video game dungeon crawlers like Diablo. Create a character, kill some monsters, and get tons and tons of loot. The biggest knock against the game was its rather rough rulebook, which made learning the game a bit of a chore.
Hellbringer is back, though as designer/publisher Maxime Gauthier is ready with the first expansion (along with some upgrades), titled Bestiary & Forbidden Spells. Is this a worthy addition to this roguelike card game? Let’s find out.
Expansion Overview:
In our preview copy, there were 2 main things included. First, there is the new content. A small box called Bestiary & Forbidden Spells. It includes 2 new classes, the Alchemist and the Necromancer, along with 40 new monsters, including elite ones. Also included are a bunch of new items and spells.
The other thing the publisher included was an upgrade kit for the edition of the game. This was a massive pile of replacement cards (mainly for clarity or for iconography, according to them). It probably took me an hour to unsleeve and resleeve the new cards. But it’s good to have the improved text. The other thing included was an upgraded rulebook, which was to address one of the main pain points of the core game.
Gameplay with the Expansion:
So let’s get to the new stuff first. The two new classes are really interesting to play. The Necromancer is basically a glass canon. He has a paltry 20 life and 5 armor, but he gets access to the new black dice, which are much more deadly (going up to 15). He, as you might also expect, can have extra pets when they are undead. Properly kitted out, this guy can deal out some serious punishment.
The Alchemist, on the other hand, is more of a support character. She comes with potions to start with, which can be used to buff attacks against monsters. While she might not be as exciting to play as the Necromancer, she can make a good party much better. Never underestimate the benefit of a really good support character.
We did play our first game with these two as our only heroes, and while we won (barely), I probably would not recommend that combo. Neither of us was very tanky, so it was a lot of work trying to keep these two weaklings alive when big attacks came down the line. But paired with some of the core game characters, either of these characters will be really useful.
The new monsters and gear were a great addition as well. Hellbringer is a game that thrives on its variety, and it’s always exciting to add more to the mix. The new spells are similarly powerful, but some come with drawbacks. Such as Hell Grasp, which lets you roll 6 of the deadly black dice, but forces you to discard a loot card if it’s successful in killing the monster. These kinds of tradeoff spells always make for some interesting decisions during the game.
The rules do say that you need to play with both of the core game expansions to use this one. So that requires both the Loot & Merchants and Quests & Events in play. I don’t usually play with both expansions, as that can bog down the game a bit, but it wasn’t too bad using all 3 expansions. That being said, if you just want to use the new characters and items and aren’t interested in facing the elite monsters, you could just slot this content in with the core game and be fine.
Finally, let’s talk about the upgrade components. While swapping out the cards, I randomly compared some of the old and new ones. For the most part, many of these are clarity upgrades (better text or icons). Some were balance changes (more dice, etc…). Once you mix these in, you won’t have to worry about them again. The rulebook appears to be a better reference. I’m not 100% sure, as I’m very familiar with the gameplay in Hellbringer, so I don’t need to use the rulebook to learn the game anymore. I mostly used it to just look up a rules question if I had one, which I was able to easily do. I’d recommend downloading a PDF of the rulebook to see if it works better for you.
Final Thoughts:
Hellbringer is an underrated game that more people should be playing, so I’m glad it’s getting not only a reprint but also an expansion. The new content is fantastic, and I really like some of the Diablo-themed monsters (why hello, Mr. Butcher). If you’ve been curious about this one, now is your chance to grab a copy. And if you already own the base game, getting this expansion is a no-brainer.
If you are looking to get a copy of the Hellbringer reprint or to get a copy of this expansion, Hellbringer Bestiary & Forbidden Spells launches on Gamefound on October 15th. So head over to the campaign page for more information.
