The Lord of the Rings: The Card Game is an expansive, immersive, and cooperative delve into the world of Middle Earth. With the heroes you choose and the deck you build, you’ll explore all of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world, from the lowest dungeon to the highest peak. There are more than a hundred available scenarios to play spread across the game’s expansions, along with near-limitless customization options when it comes to selecting player cards.
With the recent release of the repackaged Ered Mithrin campaign, there’s a wide selection of LOTR LCG expansions to choose from, even in 2024. While some expansions may have limited availability, Fantasy Flight Games has, for the most part, reprinted the game’s best content. Let’s take a look at some of the best overall additions to the game you should consider purchasing after beating the core set.
10. Lord of the Rings Starter Decks
To discover more of the game’s variability in terms of deck-building, you may first want to consider purchasing a few of the game’s starter decks. The Elves of Lorien is in my opinion the best of the bunch, while the Riders of Rohan stalls a bit more than the others. Thankfully, you can look at exactly what’s inside each of them on the community website Hall of Beorn.
9. The Dream-chaser Hero Expansion
Repackaged content in the Lord of the Rings living card game is often divided between campaign and hero expansions, with the latter containing only player cards. The Dream-chaser’s player cards feature a wide blend of traits and archetypes, which can be tougher for new players when deck-building.
8. The Steward’s Fear
Though you won’t be able to play the scenario in The Steward’s Fear box without the Heirs of Númenor deluxe expansion, the player cards alone make this purchase worth it. Inside, you’ll find a near-complete Outlands deck.
7. Angmar Awakened Campaign Expansion
The Angmar Awakened campaign is mercilessly difficult, even for long-time players. However, if you enjoy the game’s more challenging scenarios, you might want to consider picking this one up. I’d advise owning at least a starter deck or hero expansion alongside it.
6. Angmar Awakened Hero Expansion
The player cards from the Angmar Awakened cycle include a handful of all-star heroes, including Arwen, Erestor, and Merry. The box also comes with a new mechanic in player side quests.
5. The Dream-chaser Campaign Expansion
Scenarios in the Dream-chaser campaign expansion take players across the vast expanses of Middle Earth’s oceans to the ruins of Númenor. The sailing mechanics, underwater locations, and overall storyline are very immersive.
4. Ered Mithrin Campaign Expansion
In your journey across the wilds of Rhovanion, you’ll get lost in Mirkwood, battle dragons, and explore the depths of Mount Gundabad. Almost every scenario here is a home run.
3. Ered Mithrin Hero Expansion
The Ered Mithrin hero expansion is a great place to start expanding your player card collection. The box allows you to create a Dale-archetype deck that’s arguably stronger than the starter decks. You’ll also be able to tinker with “guarded” player cards.
2. The Two Towers Saga Expansion
The best Lord of the Rings card game expansions are of course those that follow the main story of J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece novels. The Battle of Helm’s Deep is an iconic scenario for the game, as is Shelob’s Lair. The box contains both player cards and quests.
1. The Fellowship of the Ring Saga Expansion
The Fellowship of the Ring expansion takes players from the rolling hills of the Shire, to Bree and Rivendell, and through the dark of Moria. The thematics of this expansion are incredible, as are the heroes, attachments, allies, and events.
If you’ve completed the core set and want to start expanding your game, I’d recommend starting here. Like The Two Towers saga expansion, you’ll get a mix of player cards and quests.
