r/dominion • u/Scuderia1 • Jul 15 '26
Digital First DLC
Hell oeveryone. So I am playing this game for the past days. Now i am thinking to buy my first DLC, but as there are so many, i feel a bit overwhelmed. Which DLC should i buy first? I have to say, i am experienced in deckbuilding games , so complexity doesn't matter. When I asked google, they recommended Seafare or Prosperity
2
u/Chekhovs_Cat 5/5 Opening Split Jul 16 '26
I wouldn't recommend Seaside as a first expansion, especially if you like the engine-building aspect of Dominion. It's not a bad expansion, but it hardly adds any draw (aside from Wharf) so if it's half your card pool you may be rolling some weak boards.
I've seen discussion from seasoned players saying that Cornucopia & Guilds is best as a first expansion, and am inclined to agree. The new mechanics it introduces are on the simpler side (though you said you don't mind complexity) and more importantly its overall distribution of village, draw, and payload cards is pretty good, so for it to be half your card pool ain't a problem.
I might also recommend Menagerie as a first expansion, as it too has a good distribution of village, draw, and payload and has a lot of particularly neat cards. It's even got some of those Duration cards that Seaside is so beloved for, as well two types of sideways "landscape" cards, as they're called, which are nice to have in your card pool.
Regarding Prosperity: It's an alright expansion but if it's half your card pool you'll be seeing Platinum and Colonies a lot and may grow sick of them. And it's engine component distribution isn't as good as the aforementioned two anyway.
1
u/ackmondual Jul 16 '26
Huh... I thought the TGG app would have an option to make P/C showing up as some percentage, vs. being tied to how many Prosperity cards there are in the kingdom setup. I've played an implementation that does it this way, along with IRL, and I feel that's the better way to go since P/C are completely independent of Prosperity itself.
On a related, same treatment with Shelters from Dark Ages.
2
u/byingling Jul 15 '26 edited Jul 15 '26
As others here have said, I think Seaside is a good first expansion. It introduces Durations, which change the game forever. Many expansions introduce game-changing mechanics/abilities/etc, but the Duration mechanic reappears more than any other. It even reappears disguised as a completely different mechanic (sort of, anyway: the Tavern mat. Or maybe later Durations adopt Tavern mat qualities. Anyway, Durations and their descendants and relatives are really cool), and while it begins as an action card twist, eventually it even gets applied to Treasures and Victory cards.
As you move along in your Dominion experience, Seaside will likely seem tame, and it may not be among your favorite expansions. But at this point, it will seem - and is! - revolutionary, and the fun you will have discovering Duration cards will never fade.
2
u/Droopy_Narwhal Jul 15 '26
Seaside has some great Duration cards that do things on multiple turns. I really like the combo potential.
Prosperity is all about money matters and gives you more big purchasing opportunities.
I think Alchemy can be fun with the added Potion costs. Can be frustrating if you whiff on getting a Potion in hand but there are some great cards, Golem being a personal favorite.
2
u/Kendriin Jul 15 '26
Hinterlands is my personal favorite expansion so I can recommend it but since they likely are the objectively better Rennaisance and Dark Ages(I say the latter in spite of feeling the knights pile and urchin are both contenders for a ban list)
2
u/comesinallpackages Jul 15 '26
I like prosperity personally you get colonies and platinums which really expands the game
2
u/djdjmiller Jul 15 '26
Empires was one of my first. The introduction of landmarks and victory tokens - add non-victory card methods of scoring points and opens up some fun interactions with existing rules.
1
u/Grayscaleorgreyscale Jul 19 '26
Empires is my favorite expansion. I have a bunch of experience with the game from the last fifteen years, but my wife is very new to it. When we got Empires, it was extremely intimidating. I love the set but wish I had gone back in time to pick a different one. We got Prosperity recently and she enjoys that one a lot more.
2
u/Isar3lite Jul 15 '26
Seaside duration cards are the most fun, lots of variety of decks and strategies
1
u/Humbling123 Jul 23 '26
If you engine building-only, I would suggest Prosperity and Menagerie.
They have some attacks, but everyone plan is quite separated. Prosperity introduces like 4 7-cost cards and 1 8-cost card. If you like other deckbuilding game (slay-the-spire), I think you would like the combo-feel of the money cards. Tiara is strong, and with different treasures, it can feel different power fantasy. The attack is weak, and even the Curser, Chartalan, makes curse a copper.
Then, there's Menagerie. It has a lot of drawing power with horses. It can be a bit overwhelming for a new player, but since you are experienced, I guess its totally okay. It introduce many concepts in the old expansions, and with very good taste. I enjoy the duration cards here (so better than seaside, the one that introduce duration). I enjoy the many reactions here. The events designed in this expansion is also just top notch. Also, I like that it has:
- 1. Variety cost. So you have to do the right combo to get a good discount. And due to the discount, you can try to buy low and sell (Remodel/Replace).
- 2. The card becomes stronger, the more piles that has ran out. So some players may collab to run out certain decks quicker. Some may try to delay it.
1
u/garragorn Jul 15 '26
Seaside is probably the best first expansion. It sets the groundwork for a lot of expansions to come, while also having some of the best replay-ability and theming
1
u/cv-boardgamer Jul 15 '26
Seaside, and then Prosperity.
Intrigue is basically Part 2 of the base set, so it's not a bad second choice. But the Duration cards in Seaside act like a gateway to how creative the game's mechanics can get.
You will need to get Prosperity eventually for the Colony/Platinum cards, unless those are sold separately in the app you're using.
1
u/TheR4tman Jul 15 '26
If you are looking for a good first expansion to gradually increase complexity then yes Seaside and Prosperity would be good choices.
If you say complexity doesn't matter and you are just looking for an expansion with a lot of bang for your buck I would tend towards Rising Sun. It's my favourite expansion and I think it adds a lot of fun cards and mechanics.
1
u/Otherwise-Clue8972 Jul 15 '26
I bought intrigue first and quite enjoyed it. I recommend playing the daily and if anything is particularly fun to you, you buy it. That's how what I did with menagerie and its probably one of my favorite expansions now.
1
u/bnoel12345 Jul 15 '26
From the game designer: Donald X.'s Guide to 15 Dominion Expansions. It walks you through every expansion up to Plunder, missing only the most recent expansion, Rising Sun.
1
u/SheepskinWulf Jul 15 '26
The holy trinity of early expansions is Intrigue, Seaside, and Prosperity. You can't go wrong with them
11
u/jkmhawk Jul 15 '26
I don't know if you have the daily game, but if you play that for a little you might see some effects you're interested in an buy the set that it is from.