Like many others, after one night of Dominion we were hooked. This shuffle-building game has been around for a while and comes out with a new expansion every 6 months or so, meaning there’s a nearly endless amount of possibilities and ways to play. We decided to try some out and rank what we think are the best dominion expansions.

At the time of writing this article, there is 13 major Dominion expansions as well as a bunch of smaller expansions and promo cards. Each expansion tends to build on the base game in unique way and introduce new dynamics, so choosing which one to get depends on what you’re looking for. Whether you’re looking for more player interaction, new types of currency , or new rules altogether, there’s a dominion set that will have what you need. We ranked our favorite expansions that really help build on the base game.

Best Dominion Expansions

5 – Dominion: Intrigue – Best For More Player Interactions

  • Number of Cards: 300
  • Complexity: 4/10
  • Added Components: Cards
  • Added Rules: N/A

To start off our list Intrigue is a great expansion that adds a lot more player interaction. So if you’re group is looking for more individual interactions and rivalries than this is a great place to start.

Intrigue is the first expansion to Dominion that adds rules to play with up to 8 players. Making it a great way to accommodate larger groups. Intrigue offers a lot of new attack cards, meaning players can interact more directly and have to think of ways to defend themselves. Cards like the Saboteur can really dismantle other player’s game-plan. Although personally we banned this card from our sessions due to how powerful it is.

4 – Dominion: Seaside – Best for New Players

  • Number of Cards: 300
  • Complexity: 3/10
  • Added Components: Cards, Embargo Tokens, Playing Mats
  • Added Rules: Duration Cards

Dominion Seaside is a great way to expand on the base game without an overwhelming number of new rules and card types. The duration cards included in the set last for multiple turns, which adds a lot of new strategic decisions without being overwhelming to newer players.

This set focuses on the discovery of new land and length voyages that can yield impressive returns. Cards like Embargo offer currency as well as cursing other players and making them have to filter more cards out of their decks. Where as cards like Ambassador offer creative ways to remove your own curses or unwanted cards.

3 – Dominion: Nocturne – Best for Adding Complexity

  • Number of Cards: 500
  • Complexity: 8/10
  • Added Components: Cards
  • Added Rules: Night Phase, Boons/Hexes

Nocturne is a great expansion for anyone who is looking to add more complexity to Dominion. As such, this probably shouldn’t be the first set you purchase and should be reserved for players with a good understanding of the game. But since this is the eleventh expansion of the game, most players who are looking to buy Nocturne are already pretty familiar with Dominion’s game-play.

This expansion introduces vampires that act during a newly added Night phase. This phase happens after the normal buying phase, and during this time is when the night cards can be played. For anyone who has played around enough with the base game and it’s expansions, Nocturne is a great way to revitalize the game with new rules and complexities.

2 – Dominion: Prosperity – The Best Place to Start

  • Number of Cards: 300
  • Complexity: 2/10
  • Added Components: Cards, Coins
  • Added Rules: N/A

Prosperity might be the best expansions to purchase first overall. This is because it improves on the base game in a way that doesn’t add too many complexities.

This expansion focuses on wealth generation. With tons of cards with a higher-than-normal cost, it also also introduces Platinum currency cards (which generate 5 coins each play). The result is a lot of big turns where players end up purchasing extremely powerful cards.

A great thing about Prosperity is that it doesn’t introduce a ton of new game rules or dynamics. It simply builds on the existing game and gives an extra use for all that excess currency. Expensive 7-cost cards like Kings Court and Goons can be absolutely devastating if you can manage to acquire them.

1 Dominion: Empires – Best Overall Expansion

  • Number of Cards: 300
  • Complexity: 6/10
  • Added Components: Cards, Tokens
  • Added Rules: Debt, Landmarks

At the very top of our list is Dominion: Empires, the expansion that keeps on giving. This set adds a number of new dynamics as well as the return of Event cards. Empires improves dominion in a number of small ways, making for a lot of new variations in gameplay.

The first thing Empires adds is a debt. This is a mechanic you can use to buy certain cards now and pay for them later. Doing so accrues debt tokens which must be paid off before any new purchases can be made. Another thing added to this expansion is Landmark cards; these are used to add new ways to score in the game.

Overall Empires is the expansion that we think adds the most to the game, without being overwhelmingly complex. A great expansion if player’s are looking to expand the game with new ways to play.

Honorable Mentions

Dominion: Dark Ages

  • Number of Cards: 500
  • Complexity: 6/10
  • Added Components: Coins
  • Added Rules: Ruins, Shelters

If you’re looking for more competitive cards and player interactions, than Dark Ages is a must-have. This expansion adds a lot of cards that directly attack other players, which can add a lot of dynamic decision making to your next play session. This expansion also offers a lot of cards that can be upgraded into better cards.

Dominion: Adventures

  • Number of Cards: 400
  • Complexity: 7/10
  • Added Components: Cards, Play Mats, Tokens
  • Added Rules: Reserve Cards

If you’re looking to eventually acquire multiple expansions and explore the competitive side of Dominion, than Adventures is another great expansion. It’s jam packed with a lot of very powerful cards such as a 2-cost Peasant that upgrades itself to more powerful Soldier card. This set also introduces Reserve Cards that can be stored and saved for a future turn.

What’s the Worst Dominion Expansion?

It’s typically agreed on that the Dominion: Alchemy expansion is the least useful expansion. This is mostly because of a few cards that are seen as massively overpowered and hard to use in a typical game. This expansion focuses on adding potions to the game as a new type of currency. If you choose to ban the few overpowered cards from the game, than this set doesn’t offer much else.

When trying to determine which are the best Dominion expansions, you should always consider what your specific game group is looking for. Each expansion attempts to add a different dynamic to the game, so it’s easier to introduce the expansions one-at-a-time until everyone is used to them.