Aeon's End COMPLETE Buying Guide

[@JoeHuddleston]

Zach's enthusiasm is so contagious. Can't get enough of him!

[@michaell6549]

This week, Zach has sold me on backing Lairs and now likely buying a lot of Aeons End. Love seeing him in videos.

[@FlawlesSanshiro]

We just played the original the other day and we loved it! Having watched a couple of how to play videos before, the algorithm brought me here! A truly detailed and complete approach in the game and the expansions! Amazing work guys! 👍

[@eburns-nc]

This is an amazing video and the perfect one for me as I plan my entry into Aeon's End/Astro Knights with my Christmas wishlist - THANKS ZACK

[@willd937]

Thanks, Zach! This is a game I've wanted to get into, but just like the purpose of the video, I've been intimated. Now I feel I can buy 3-4 things as a good start.

[@zerocool3742]

Thanks! I snagged aeons end used a year ago towards the start of my board gaming hobby. Love the game, but got it so cheap used, that spending 500$ on 4 complete waves, mats, shipping and such is a bit nerve-racking. I feel better now, my research seems solid. And now I know to get past and future next. :)

[@PBMatthews254]

This is something I've been searching for! Thank you both so much. I haven't even watched it yet and I'm excited!

[@allmyguitars28]

I've only played Aeon's End Legacy and always wanted to get more content. It looks like New Age is the next one to get. Thanks Zach!

[@tomvermeulen8003]

Great video, just received the descent so its a great day to see it all pass by again. Played the second edition of Aeons end reluctantly 3 or 4 years ago and i fell in love with the world, the mechanics and the story or more the lack of story. I only could buy war eternal and did it directly with all 4 of the expansions of wave 1 and 2. Afterward ive got wave 7 and the new age wave via kickstarter with the personal play mats (must have according to me) and the general playmat (that one is not must have but very helpfull).Finally now i got the descent wave with the extra narrative books for aeons end 1 and 2 (a nice extra for the fans) and also the last playmat that i like a lot. The list you guys made is really accurate, well done. Only thing i dont do is mix everything. I keep the waves all seperate since they seem to match quite well.

[@rahdo]

zach was a real mvp here, great stuff. shame he's ignored all the story stuff becuase for me and jen, as the series has developed over the years and the devs put more and more focus on it (thanks mostly to sydney englestein i think) jen and i have found ourselves really pulled into the narrative almost as much as the gameplay. saying that having played almost everything that's come out so far :)

[@rahdo]

oh and tell him that descent might shoot up high on his list when he gets to try it. the new "friends and foes" stuff in that expansion designed by dave turczi is maybe my personal favourite mechanism the series has ever seen :)

[@kylemoore7746]

This is fantastic, thanks for doing this one you guys! I have War Eternal, about 4 expansion little boxes, and Legacy of Gravehold... Haven't touched the Legacy game, nor half of the other stuff but still feel like I've gotten my money's worth. I can't imagine the people who did those recent kickstarters and bought like 4 waves of content lol

[@tabletop_road]

I was always put off of this game because I thought the whole not shuffling your deck thing was going to be super important to the strategy, so I’ve never even looked at it. Well. Now I definitely want to give it a go! You guys are legends thanks for another great video and what a great evergreen resource it will be!

[@cchaney215]

Flippin thanks Zach! Thank you for sharing your storage solution for this game!

[@ryangilmore3678]

Wow. I’m inspired to pull out my AE stuff now! I knew I wanted to add New Age but now it feels like I have to. Thank you Oh Great Zach!

[@craftymoustache]

Thanks, Zack! I still have so much AE to play. I own everything except for the legacy stuff and I'm only at War Eternal. Have been owning it for years, but it takes forever to play through all of it. Loved listening to you guys rambling on about it, though, and getting Zack's opinion on the various expansions.

[@olivertremel9869]

Applause for Zach! 👏 Great content, well done. 👍 I love this game and as I’m playing the German version which includes only four translated waves yet, this is a fantastic glimpse into the future! Big thanks to both of you!

[@polydipsiac]

Thank you Zach ❤ i mostly play the digital version and it only has the first wave and new age wave so I'm looking forward to experiencing war eternal

[@tymoore253]

I’m only marginally interested in Aeons End……… and I watched a 90 minute video lol. I guess thanks Zach 😂

[@andrewgavan9528]

I love aeons end (I have 3 big box's and about 8 small box's) and this video has been great fun and helped me to decide what to get next (and a naruto ref to boot )

[@LisaSueMarieHuffman]

Thank you Zach! 😊

[@VortexMotiveVision]

Thanks, Zach!

[@michael3123]

Thanks Zack! I have always hesitated mixing my stuff together because what if i nesepit for something else. This video really encouraged me to just mix it up.

[@billypratt421]

Thanks Zach!

[@ynotgriff]

Thanks Zach, I had been thinking about trying out AE but found it quite overwhelming finding where to start, will be picking up New Age sometime soon :)

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@ynotgriff it's super overwhelming. I'm glad, that's exactly what I hoped would happen with this video!

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@ynotgriff get yourself a little birthday treat ;)

[@m.schwarz]

Thanks a lot for this!

[@zomburs]

Zachs a delight!

[@rmclean101]

This was a great video, thank you!

[@zachras9643]

I needed this! Thanks!

[@larssarbkkristiansen5665]

Thanks Zach! I have Aeon’s End Legacy so now I am legally obliged to go buy everything you recommended before getting legacy…. Thanks a lot!

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@larssarbkkristiansen5665 haha what a jerk isn't he!

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

if you got legacy, just play that and add what you want, if you want it when your done the campaign. the first legacy--> into new age, is pretty seemless

[@wasdfbasdf1215]

thank you zach

[@Janju76]

Thank you Zack

[@rmclean101]

We only have New Age and Outcasts and we love it. We've been playing two handed, which is great.

[@olegyd]

Very cool video. Explain whole system and now is clean for me. Thanks a lot , subscribed already. Quick question: can I combine Basic nemesis cards from difference waves? That sounds super cool for me but maybe there will be problems with balance? Thank you

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

I have combined all the basic nemesis cards from all waves that I have. It works fine. The only issue is that with all of them combined you are more likely to get a nemesis deck that is wildly inbalanced between powers, attacks, or creatures The last game I played, almost every card in the deck was an attack. It made the nemesis aggressively unleash. It was oppressive but we won. I tend to like the difficulty that an unpredictable nemesis deck brings. If you are fighting a nemesis that summons a lot of minions. you may want to make sure that the basic nemesis cards you added arnt all also minions. That can be daunting to discover in play. You can fix that by forcing a more or less even split of card types when you build the nemesis deck. I will sometimes quickly check the cards just to make sure they are not all purple or yellow, but otherwise let myself be surprised.

[@RobertSmith-tn2pu]

That was great gonna go play aeons end now

[@nathansavelli]

Loved this video. Thanks Zach!! I absolutely adore the game (in my Top 3). I may be in the minority in enjoying the story element as well. Mechanics are the best though.

[@Allthesmallteas]

Well if this came out a few months ago i could have used this BUT since you were so late i went ahead and bought Astro Knights. Also, dont worry, the Nameless joke wasnt lost on me. I gave you a "thumbs up" for it. lol

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

Hahaha it's such a dumb joke so I'm very thankful someone appreciated it

[@TheHumblefish]

@@RoomandBoardReviews Yes, I came down to comment just on that joke alone! But having watched till the end, this is a really great resource and having bought most of the content (except for base and its mini expansions), I completely agree with Zach and he's completely right on the money!

[@WebsterMk4]

Thanks Xack!

[@jelledewit8887]

Thank you Zach! To play the story, where do I begin? With the new expansion with expedition mode for the first base game? Or a other the new stand alone because it is before everything like you said?

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

If you want to focus story content. Grab the first legacy and then each big box after that pushes the story along until you get to legacy of gravehold. The mini expansions from new age onwards all have a little side story or side character. They are interesting but not plot critical. You could skip the first legacy and start at new age if you wanted. Most of the important story content of legacy is summarized in the story of new age.

[@rmclean101]

P.s. thank you, Zach, this was very useful and entertaining

[@justinvamp15]

Is there Zachs list ordered as a buying guide? I know he mentioned each boxes place when it came up bit is there a place where its listed 1-18?

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@justinvamp15 in the recap

[@justinvamp15]

@RoomandBoardReviews Thank you!!

[@chrisdunn6096]

I've got almost the exact same storage solution, Zach. It's bursting at the seams. I'm wondering what will happen when the new big box arrives tomorrow! Might steal that character bag idea.

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@chrisdunn6096 I like it so much more than what we were doing previously just without having to search for the starting cards. Just taking away that one step I find very helpful

[@polydipsiac]

I need Zach to come back after playing outcasts and descent and give opinions

[@polydipsiac]

These guys are cute 🥰 😘 Im liking this video so far. Like a trip down memory lane

[@zerocool3742]

Oh no, ordering deck is critical.

[@phloog]

This. Obviously the market and mage can influence it, but it can be used for some really cool moves.

[@Oaklestat]

Outcast was great

[@TableTopTroubadour]

Awesome review! So -- is Legacy of Gravehold worth it for expedition content and/or one-off play? Or can you ignore it if you're not interested in the story? Oops I forgot to say THANK YOU ZACH!!!! In all seriousness, absolutely terrific survey!

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

The nemesis’s and mages in legacy of gravehold are good. The supply cards and expedition content is also good. Mechanically the challenge of the campaign is great. The amount of stuff you get is worth the price imo. Becuase it is a legacy game and there are a buch of mechanics that make you stronger over time in the campaign I find that the supply cards are a bit weaker. Still good cards, interesting effects, but a bit slower, a bit more expensive on average out side of legacy. You will have some cards and things that are legacy only, but less than the first legacy game. And there are so many cards in the box it’s absurd. I put it at the bottom of the list tho becuase there are more efficient ways to expand your collection that are more focused and cheaper. Legacy of gravehold is really for the aeons end fanatic. I don’t think it should be anyone’s first or second or third buy. If you get it it’s becuase you really want it

[@TableTopTroubadour]

@@zacharygroombridge6511 Thanks again, Zach! As someone much more interested in playing the expedition mode (like you, it seems), sounds like its a good edition for value/$$. I would thumb this video infinity times if I could.

[@jeffbrantz6620]

This video was soooo great and exactly what I was looking for. Also, so timely. I have been going through games I have not played and was going to start with New Age or got to Astro Knights Eternal. Do you think I should play one over the other to start?

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

I have played less Astro knights. It feels a bit lighter and easier to approach than aeons end but is essentially the same system. I think aeons end can feel more like a puzzle. I prefer the chunkiness of aeons end. But they say you will always prefer your first car.

[@jeffbrantz6620]

@ again, great video. Your rankings make sense and I believe I will be starting New Age this weekend. Thanks again!

[@saraathena]

So I can mix any mini box with any big box?

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@saraathena yup!

[@saraathena]

@RoomandBoardReviews that's great. I finished aeons end legacy and didn't know I can add more content to it

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

YOU can. some of the mini boxes specifically add content for the expedition mode. if you dont have outcasts or new age, that expedition mode content wont be useful to you. but all the mages, nemesis and supply cards in those mini boxes are useable with any version of the game. i see that you mentioned that you have aeons end legacy in a comment, so i would prioritize the mini expansions from wave 1 or 2 becuase they dont have any expedition mode content. i would specificlly avoid the mini boxes that came out with new age becuase they are very expedition mode focused.

[@KylePoole]

Would love to hear Zach's opinion on Astro Nights, too

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@KylePoole we did an unboxing of astro knights where he might talk about it a bit

[@nakanoFIN]

I don’t own the best 2 from the list, but I do have the worst 2.😅. Have played through Legacy 1 and 1 scenario from War Eternal. Have enjoyed the game so far. I think I won’t get New Age because it exists digitally.

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@nakanoFIN any Aeons end is good aeons end, haha, so I hope you've enjoyed it!

[@cchaney215]

I'm already obsessed with this video by title alone!

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@cchaney215 it's honestly one of my favorite videos I've ever put out

[@joelabram]

Thanks Zack for wrecking my wallet

[@SlayBoredom]

you triggered the plans every turn?! xD Dude, thats literally ultra-hardcore mode.

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

We only figured it out on the last boss who had a special rule which was that the powers triggered every time. And we were like: that’s just how the game works tho

[@SlayBoredom]

@@zacharygroombridge6511 haha thats too funny! Luckily Legacy isn't all too hard, because I think we wouldn't beat a single boss with that rule. (we played 3 rounds yesterday and each round was super close even with "normal mode" :P)

[@RoomandBoardReviews]

@@SlayBoredom haha yeah we were VERY proud of our win rate after realizing our mistake. It made every choice of when to swap the market out so stressful, we were like wow these cards seem fun for building a deck but we have no time!! We'll be dead before we have a chance to activate them! Haha. My favourite rules mistake we've ever made.

[@vinceclorto66]

As for Legacy of Gravehold, the writing of the story was the lamest I ever encountered in a boardgame .I did have interest in it at first, (so Zach I don't think your lack of previous interest with the story is the reason you didn't like it ) but all these pages and pages of text were just bland, and each chapter ended up being summarized with this conversation: "Brama is right!" "no, Zahna is Right!". Again, and again and again.That's IT. it was awful. The first Legacy didn't go very further in storytelling quality, but at least it was just a couple of lines each new chapter, so it wasn't much of a bother. Anyways, loved this video, I was very curious to know your views on this saga, and I'm glad to see that my ranking quite matches yours!

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

Really divided putting it so low on the list purely for the mechanics. The mages and nemesis’s are so good. But it’s hard to recommend.

[@vinceclorto66]

@ yeah I get that. I also still loved it because I already played so much A.E that I was only expecting new mechanics with Nemesis AND mages, and boy I really got served! (Razra, with her personal deck, remains one of my favorite mages to play). Despite the fact that some nemesis were not replayable, it still gives a whole lot of quality content for future games! On the other hand my friends, who had much less experience in the game, prefered the first legacy were they were involved in the evolution of their own mage throughout the campaign (and at a point we were just making fun of the story and dumb interactions between characters, which didn’t help change their opinion!). So yeah, maybe I wouldn’t put it last on the list, but pretty close, maybe just before the first wave, which feels really dated (however your words made me want to try it with the latter content).

[@Oaklestat]

You lost me!!! Legacy of Gravehold is #1 or #2 for sure. Alongside New Age. Crazy that you sit here and say the content is fantastic (which it is) and drop it so low

[@zacharygroombridge6511]

This is less a ranking of quality, and more a ranking of buy order/priority. New age is at the top with mini expansions becuase that’s the most efficient way to start/expand a collection. Legacy of gravehold is at the bottom becuase it benifits from you having experienced all the content previous. If you are into the story gravehold is the payoff at the end. If you want to rapidly expand your collection, past and future is more economical and focused. Gravehold is great but I can’t recommend it over a lot of other entries. If a new player picks up new age and a few mini expansions and falls in love with the system then gravehold may be the way they choose to dive into the deep end… but it is the deep end so it’s at the far end of the pool/list.

[@Oaklestat]

@zacharygroombridge6511 that's fair. 🍻

[@Oaklestat]

​@zacharygroombridge6511 my wife and I absolutely love Aeons's End and own and have played everything except wave 7. This was an excellent video.

[@thomasthannhauser6142]

Thanks Zack!

[@tabletop_road]

I was always put off of this game because I thought the whole not shuffling your deck thing was going to be super important to the strategy, so I’ve never even looked at it. Well. Now I definitely want to give it a go! You guys are legends thanks for another great video and what a great evergreen resource it will be!

[@marcolai9735]

Thank you Zach!