Daggerheart, the fantasy role-playing game from Critical Role’s publishing arm Darrington Press, is getting its first expansion in summer 2026, which will add a bunch of new character options and enemies to face.
Daggerheart: Hope & Fear nearly doubles the character creation options. All characters in Daggerheart choose their ability from cards, with each class having access to two decks representing different domains like Arcana or Grace. Hope & Fear will add a Dread domain representing macabre magic used by the new Witch and Warlock classes. Hope & Fear also adds a Brawler & Assassin class, who presumably will provide new combinations for existing domains like Midnight and Blade. Each of the new options comes with two subclasses to choose from.
The expansion also adds the concept of transformation cards, which can expand heritage options in a way similar to Pathfinder’s versatile heritages. Now you’ll be able to play a halfling or orc who’s also a werewolf, vampire, ghost, or demigod. Hope & Fear offers additional options for a character’s community, like Frostborne and Reborne, and six new ancestries, including gnome and elemental-touched people like Tidekin and Emberkin. Equipment was one of the weakest parts of the base game, but Hope & Fear is shoring things up with 100 new gear items, including weapons, armor, and consumables.
Game masters will get four new campaign suggestions with their own custom mechanics and themes, plus a collection of more than 130 adversaries to send at their players. Attendees at PAX Unplugged can get a first look at the expansion, which is available for pre-order now, with release set for summer of 2026. The $39.99 standard edition includes a 200-page book, the cards, and a blank pad for designing adversaries. A $119.99 deluxe edition adds dice, a GM screen, tokens, and a gold foil box.
Upon full release, the deluxe edition will remain an exclusive offering at Darrington Press Guild stores and Critical Role shops (US, UK, CA, AU, and EU), while the standard edition will also be available at other local game stores and bookshops.
