Despite how rooted Critical Role‘s stories have been in the iconic TTRPG of dungeon crawling and dragon slaying, it’s strayed. Animated adaptations such as The Legend of Vox Machina have actively distanced themselves from Wizards of the Coast’s branding, for example. Perhaps it was inevitable then, that Critical Role would finally crack its knuckles and make its own TTRPG. That game turned out to be Daggerheart, and it’s been a hit among many tabletop fans, despite some growing pains.
With all the momentum behind it, the developers just announced Daggerheart’s first major expansion, set for Summer 2026.
Daggerheart: Hope & Fear expands upon Daggerheart’s world with new lore and gameplay mechanics galore. Most exciting for players are the reveal of four new classes, each with 2 subclasses a piece. The Assassin, Brawler, Witch and Warlock will join Daggerheart campaigns, as they battle over 130 new adversaries across four new Campaign Frames. Certainly an offering to rival any of the modern DnD books.
A new mechanic is also introduced in this expansion, Transformation. Separate from ancestry and class, these augmentations will add new layers to your character. The six new forms are Vampire, Werewolf, Reanimated, Shapeshifter, Ghost and Demigod. Given the theme of Hope & Fear, the abundance of horror-themed modes are a welcome addition.
Capping off the reveal are Community Cards (Duneborne, Hearthborne, Frostborne, Warborne, Freeborne, and Reborne) and Ancestry Cards (Skykin, Tidekin, Earthkin, Emberkin, Gnome, and Aetheris). All these and way more will come packaged into the Standard Edition of Daggerheart: Hope & Fear, priced at $39.99. For mega fans, the Deluxe Edition offers unique artwork, GM resources such as sheets and tokens, and tons of pretty dice for $119.99.
You can preorder Daggerheart: Hope & Fear right now on the official website.
I’m excited to see how Daggerheart evolves as a game. With its focus on narrative play, it can be troublesome for GMs and players alike to adjust to the loose mechanics. Still, as more and more tools come into play, that freedom might become easier to harness.
Find your next Daggerheart party over at the Wargamer Discord. Oh, and check out our Wargamer’s review of Daggerheart for a more in-depth look at the Critical darling.