Stats:
No. of players: 1-4 (up to six with the Dragons Expansion)
Amount of time to play: 90-120 min
Age requirements: 12+
Set-up time: 10 min

Defenders of the Realm Hero Expansion #2 and #3 Description:

There are three Hero Expansions for Defenders of the Realm. Hero Expansion #2 and #3 each contain new heroes and six global effects. The new heroes add more variety and theme to Defenders of the Realm.

This review assumes you know how to play Defenders of the Realm. Read this post, if you need a basic description of the game or want to read my review. I previously reviewed Hero Expansion #1, you can check that out here.

Hero Expansion #2 includes the Healer, Druid, Elf Lord and Monk. All of these heroes can be played with any of the other heroes available.

The Healer is a great support piece. She can heal herself and others, ignore Generals’ combat abilities and can one die per minion in an area and for each 5+ she can remove a Tainted Crystal.

The Druid will help you control green areas on the map. He is able to attack any green space at a -1 to hit. He also can ignore enemies if he ends his turn in a green space and also heals one wound. He can roll 2 dice when he attempts to Heal the Land.

The Elf Lord can move into an adjacent green area for free, let’s you re-roll one die roll per turn and can roll extra dice on his first attack at a location.

The Monk knows kung-fu and knows how to use it. She has flurry of blows which makes rolled 6’s count as two hits. Since she is on a spiritual quest she always has 2 Quest Cards and may complete either one. She can also avoid wounds by rolling a 5+.

The third Hero Expansion has the Feline, Shaman, Seeker and Thief.

The Feline is part cat, part human. She is able to shadow heroes or Generals that enter her space. She moves with them on their turn as long as she wants. When attacking minions if she defeats 2 or more she gains back an action (to a max of 7). She may re-roll 1’s in combat one time.

The Shaman has an attack that can eliminate all minions at a location. If he rolls an odd number he taints that location. Also once per turn he can become a wolf or a bear. When in wolf form he moves 2 spaces per action and can ignore enemies on green locations. As a bear he heals one wound and may re-roll all dice once during each attack.

The Seeker allows you to look at the top card on the Darkness Spreads deck. She can use any Special Card as thought they were Battle Luck cards. And she can send up to three minions into adjacent areas.

The Thief is great at scouting. At the end of her turn she can draw an extra card for each adjacent location with 3 minions or a General in it. However, if the Hero Card she draws matches the color of the location she is in she takes one wound. When the Thief ends her turn in a location with a General she may draw 2 Darkness Spreads Cards and choose which to play. Her greed helps her to fight on locations that have a treasure chest icon.

As in the first hero Expansion, the Global Effect Cards you receive are random. They add to the already rich theme and story of Defenders of the Realm, but you may get doubles which is annoying.

A Quick Review of Hero Expansion #2 and #3:

Hero Expansions #2 and #3 add more cool heroes to Defenders of the Realm. The new elements add replayability to the game and do so very elegantly. There are not a ton of new rules or mechanics to learn. But the new heroes bring a lot of variety.

The Global Effect Cards being random has yet to be addressed, but like I said before I think they will address this.

Both Hero Expansion #2 and #3 add fun new characters to Defenders of the Realm. So if you are getting bored with the base heroes either of these will revive your game.

Score and synopsis: (Click here for an explanation of these review categories.)
Strategy 3 out of 6
Luck 5 out of 6
Player Interaction 4 out of 6
Replay Value 5 out of 6
Complexity 3 out of 6
Fun 5 out of 6
Overall 5 out of 6