Build a thriving city full of adorable animals and interesting structures in Everdell, a board game that perfectly balances worker placement with tableau construction.
If you love tabletop titles with tons of variability, changing objectives, and light-hearted thematics, this game might be the perfect addition to your shelf. But which editions are the best, and which expansions are worth getting? In this guide, we’re covering all the available Everdell products and collectables to help you get the most out of this popular board game.
Where to Start: Everdell Standard Edition
The standard edition of Everdell’s base game has everything you need to begin your journeys in the woodland. Every card in the box has incredible artwork, from the cute critters that have a special role in town to the little birdhouse buildings and farms. The board itself includes a cardboard tree with objective cards in its branches, and a meadow at its base that serves as the common draw pile. The game takes place over the course of four seasons, and it’s your goal to have as many victory points as possible before winter comes.
An Alternative Entry Point: Everdell Collector’s Edition
If you’re ready to get started with Everdell and want to invest in the quality of the game’s components, you might want to consider getting the collector’s edition instead of the standard one. There are a few extra cards included in this box, such as the powerful Legends characters and the Extra! Extra! mini-expansion. However, the main draws here are the metal victory point tokens and the upgraded dice.
Upgrading the Base Game: Everdell Glimmergold Pack
If you already have the standard edition of Everdell and you’d like to update your game with the components of the collector’s edition, you can simply pick up the Glimmergold Upgrade Pack. The Legends, Extra! Extra!, and Rugwort cards are all included, as is a set of rat workers. If you’re not too concerned about getting the metal tokens, however, you can jump right into the game’s main expansion content instead.
Everdell Expansions
Ready to begin venturing further from the Ever Tree for a new Everdell experience? Below you’ll find each of the expansions available for the game, listed in our suggested purchasing order. However, you can easily deviate from this list and skip right to the content that sounds most interesting and relevant to your play style.
Everdell Bellfaire
The Bellfaire expansion adds more variety to the Everdell experience without changing too much, and as such, it’s a great choice for a first expansion. There’s a new board added along the bottom of the meadow that lets you trade for resources in a marketplace. Plus, there’s the addition of asymmetric player powers, some new events, and extra end-game scoring opportunities. This box also allows you to play with five to six players, rather than having to stick to the base game’s limit of four.
Everdell Newleaf
Everdell’s Newleaf expansion is an exciting upgrade to the base game in several ways. First, there’s a new train station board, which essentially expands the size of the meadow. In addition, there are ticket tokens that let you move the workers you’ve already placed to new locations, and visitors cards that will give you points at the end of the game. The extra critters and constructions are also fun. Overall, this expansion is an awesome experience for new and experienced players alike.
Everdell Spirecrest
Ready for a more challenging Everdell experience? The Spirecrest expansion adds new weather cards that restrict your movements and challenge your favorite seasonal strategies. You’ll also get an additional sideboard with this box that lets you move your new explorer rabbit around to make discoveries and gather expedition tokens. With a little bit of luck, your explorer will let you recruit a big critter meeple to your cause who will replace one of your base game workers.
Everdell Mistwood
If you enjoy Everdell’s solo mode but want to play against a more challenging opponent, then you’ll love the Mistwood expansion and its automated spider adversary, Nightweave. There are several difficulty levels against which you can try your hand, and you can work cooperatively against this opponent with one other player if you’re feeling stuck. There are also a ton of extra cards here that you can add to the main deck for games of any player count.
Everdell Pearlbrook
Pearlbrook was the first major expansion released for Everdell. It adds the river area, the frog ambassador token, and pearl resources. However, its biggest change to the base game comes in the form of wonders, which you can build for upwards of twenty points. However, because these projects are so valuable, they can often eclipse the other mechanics in the game, or even cause you to completely avoid the meadow. There’s still plenty of fun to be had with this box, but I’d personally recommend it less than the others.
Extra Everdell Upgrades and Goodies
If you love Everdell and you want to get the absolute most out of this game, there are several awesome items you can get to further expand your collection, including spin-off games, component upgrades, and jigsaw puzzles.
Everdell: Farshore
Farshore is a standalone game for set in the Everdell universe that takes you on a journey far from the meadow. The mechanics are very similar to the original title, but the sea-faring theme makes for a refreshing change. There are new tropical workers and critters, windrose tiles, and a 3D lighthouse that replaces the original’s Ever Tree.
My Lil’ Everdell
The cute animals and adorable building cards in Everdell are of course great for kids, but the complex mechanics of the game are definitely more enjoyable for teenagers and adults. That’s why publisher Starling Games has a spin-off board game called My Lil’ Everdell that simplifies the original experience and makes it friendlier for families with younger children. It’s simple, accessible fun that works well on game night.
Everdell: Wooden Ever Tree
Arguably the most iconic part of Everdell is the 3D tree at the center of the board. If you own the standard edition of the game, this structure is made from cardboard, and might break down over time if you play with it enough. Thankfully, you can easily invest in your game by upgrading to a durable wooden version of the Ever Tree.
Everdell Deluxe Resource Vessels
Tired of your twigs and berries rolling around the game board? The deluxe resource vessels pack make it easy to keep track of all your tokens with fun, thematic containers. While this of course doesn’t add any additional mechanics, it definitely makes the game a more efficient experience.
Everdell Jigsaw Puzzles
The artwork of Everdell is undeniably fantastic, and brings the board game to life with rich details and an engaging theme. Putting together one of the Everdell puzzles is a great way to relax and continue enjoying this cozy tabletop world. Alternatively, if you’re shopping for another Everdell fan, these jigsaws make for a great gift.
Everdell Big Ol Box of Storage
If your collection of Everdell expansions has gotten out of hand and you need to free up some space, you can upgrade to the Big Ol Box of Storage, which allows you to keep all of the game’s components in one well-organized place. If you enjoy bringing all the Everdell content to game night, it’s a must-have. Plus, there’s plenty of room in there for the wooden version of the Ever Tree.
Published: Nov 19, 2024 08:41 am