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Dominion Expansions Guide
Compare Dominion’s 16 released expansions by mechanism and player fit, check combined and revised editions, and see the publisher’s Arc
Compare Dominion’s 16 released expansions by mechanism and player fit, check combined and revised editions, and see the publisher’s Arc
Dominion has 16 released expansions through Rising Sun as of 2 October 2026. Rio Grande Games lists Arcana as expansion 17 for Q4 2026, so it is kept separate below until release. An expansion supplies new Kingdom cards and sometimes extra mats or tokens; you still need the basic Treasure, Victory and Curse cards and a rulebook, supplied by the Dominion base game, or by a separate Base Card Set together with the basic-game rules. Current editions of expansions such as Intrigue are not stand-alone base games.
Which expansion fits your group?
Start with the kind of decision you want in your next game. Seaside adds cards that affect your next turn; Intrigue adds more choice and interaction within turns; Prosperity raises the economic ceiling; Renaissance adds persistent Projects and saved resources. These are suggestions based on the mechanisms, not a required purchase order. If your group already enjoys Dominion’s core engine, sets such as Empires, Nocturne, and Rising Sun add more setup concepts to absorb.
The 16 released expansions, in series order
| Set | Distinctive idea | Who may enjoy it |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Intrigue | Choices on cards, interactive effects and unusual Victory cards. | Players who want more tactical decisions without changing the turn structure much. |
| 2. Seaside | Duration cards and other ways to set up a later turn. | Players who like planning across turns. |
| 3. Alchemy | Potion costs on some Kingdom cards; the Potion pile enters only when a selected card needs it. | Groups happy to plan around a second purchase resource. |
| 4. Prosperity | A richer economy and high-end basic cards such as Platinum and Colony. | Players who want bigger buys and longer economic arcs. |
| 5. Cornucopia | Rewards for variety among the cards in your deck. | Players who prefer a diverse engine to repeating one card. |
| 6. Hinterlands | Effects that occur when cards are bought or gained. | Players who enjoy gain timing and chain reactions. |
| 7. Dark Ages | Trashing, upgrading, Shelters and Ruins. | Groups who like rebuilding a weak deck into a stronger one. |
| 8. Guilds | Saved Coffers and cards with overpay effects. | Players who want to manage money across buys and turns. |
| 9. Adventures | Reserve and Duration cards, plus Events available to buy. | Groups comfortable with extra mats and timing choices. |
| 10. Empires | Debt, split piles and Landmarks that alter scoring incentives. | Players who want the Kingdom setup to reshape scoring. |
| 11. Nocturne | Night cards, Heirlooms, Boons and Hexes. | Groups willing to learn an extra phase and more setup pieces. |
| 12. Renaissance | Coffers, Villagers, Projects and Artifacts. | Players who like accumulating options across the game. |
| 13. Menagerie | Horses, Exile mats and Ways that change how Actions are used. | Players who want flexible, sometimes surprising card uses. |
| 14. Allies | Favors, Ally cards and rotating split piles. | Groups interested in building around a shared extra resource. |
| 15. Plunder | Treasures, Loot, Duration cards and Traits that modify piles. | Players who enjoy a large set with many different Kingdoms. |
| 16. Rising Sun | Shadow cards and Prophecies, with Debt and Events returning. | Experienced groups ready for more unusual timing and setup. |
Three practical starting paths
- You want a smooth first expansion: Intrigue for card choices, or Seaside for planning the next turn. Try one set mixed with base cards before mixing several expansions at once.
- You want larger economy games: Prosperity first, then consider Renaissance for persistent Projects or Empires for alternate scoring. Prosperity’s Colony and Platinum are game setup choices, not automatic additions to every Kingdom.
- You already know the engine: Choose the unfamiliar mechanism you want to learn. Dark Ages emphasizes trashing; Nocturne adds a Night phase; Menagerie changes Actions with Ways; Rising Sun adds Prophecies. These sets ask for more rules explanation than a simple extra Kingdom pile.
Edition and box checks before buying
Rio Grande’s current Cornucopia & Guilds box combines the fifth and eighth expansions; count it as two entries above, not a seventeenth expansion. Seaside, Prosperity, Hinterlands and other older sets have revised editions or update packs. If you own a first-edition box, check its card list before buying a second-edition box or a separate update pack. A current second-edition Intrigue box requires the base cards; older first-edition packaging can create confusion here. The publisher’s product pages identify current and older editions.
Arcana: announced, not counted among the 16
Rio Grande currently lists Dominion: Arcana for Q4 2026. Its announcement describes 37 Kingdom piles, including five Victory cards, Studies, Carts and returning Projects. There is still no exact official street date. Read the dedicated Dominion: Arcana release and expansion guide for the current status, confirmed contents and what remains unknown.
Detailed expansion guides
Related guides
Publisher sources
- Rio Grande Games Dominion line and edition listings
- Cornucopia & Guilds combined edition
- Base Card Set
- Rising Sun
- Arcana announcement
Catalog and release status checked 2 October 2026.