Quick answer
Add Forgotten Circles if you finished the original Gloomhaven campaign and want a linked twenty-scenario epilogue built around one new class, the Aesther Diviner. Skip it if you have not finished the base campaign, play only occasionally, or want an expansion that adds many new classes. It is a campaign continuation, not a side quest.
Gloomhaven
What Forgotten Circles actually adds to your table
This is the first expansion for Gloomhaven 1st Edition. It contains twenty new scenarios set after the events of the original campaign, plus one new character class: the Aesther Diviner, whose story follows her attempts to prevent an approaching calamity. The scenarios are presented in an accompanying scenario book that breaks them up across multiple sessions, so you play it as a sequence rather than as one-off side missions.
That structure is the whole point. You are not buying more monsters or a sandbox of optional quests; you are buying a continuation with its own narrative spine and a single new class to carry it. If you liked the base campaign's linked-scenario rhythm, this extends it. If you preferred unlocking a stable of new characters, one class will feel narrow.
The Diviner is the reason to buy — or the reason to wait
The Aesther Diviner is not another damage-dealer you slot into an existing party and forget. Her identity is tied to the expansion's story and to the scenarios written around her. That makes her a strong pick if you enjoy classes that change how a party approaches a room rather than classes that simply hit harder.
The trade-off is flexibility. One class means less replay variety than an expansion that ships several. If your group rotates characters constantly and gets bored quickly, the Diviner alone may not sustain a second full campaign. If your group likes mastering one unusual toolkit across a long arc, she is exactly the right size.
Third printing and out-of-print reality
Forgotten Circles is out of print, and the third printing is described as the last remaining copies. That changes the buying math. A third printing is still the same expansion content, so you are not missing rules or scenarios by buying it — but availability is finite, and restocks are not something you should plan around.
If you already know you want the physical expansion for a completed Gloomhaven 1st Edition collection, buying while the third printing is in stock is the low-risk move. If you are still undecided, do not let scarcity alone push you into a campaign continuation you will not finish. The spiritual successor, the Cassandra: Forgotten Diviner Mercenary Pack, exists precisely because the original expansion went out of print.
How to decide between the expansion and the Mercenary Pack
These two products solve different problems. Forgotten Circles gives you the twenty-scenario campaign plus the Diviner as written for Gloomhaven 1st Edition. The Cassandra: Forgotten Diviner Mercenary Pack is a separate, newly designed character inspired by Forgotten Circles: Cassandra creates rifts across the planes to hamper foes and uses divination to predict the future of your party and its enemies. It has brand new design, development, and artwork, and it lets the Forgotten Circles idea live on spiritually without the out-of-print campaign.
So the question is not which is better, but which you will actually play. If you want the linked scenarios and the original Diviner arc, take the expansion. If you want a diviner-flavored character to drop into games you already run, take the Mercenary Pack and skip the campaign commitment entirely.
Decision rules: add Forgotten Circles or skip it
- Rule 1: Finish the base campaign first: Forgotten Circles' twenty scenarios take place after the events of the original Gloomhaven campaign. If your group has not completed that campaign, the expansion will sit unplayed and its story will not land. Unfinished base campaign? Wait. The expansion is a continuation, not a starting point.
- Rule 2: One class is enough if you like depth over variety: You get one new class, the Aesther Diviner, and scenarios written around her. Buy it if your group enjoys mastering a single unusual toolkit across a long arc; skip it if you need several new classes to stay interested. Count how many new classes you need before you commit.
- Rule 3: Buy the third printing while it exists, not later: The third printing is described as the last remaining copies, and the expansion is out of print. If you have already decided you want the original campaign content, the decision deadline is availability, not price. Decided yes? Buy now. Undecided? Do not let scarcity decide for you.
- Rule 4: Separate campaign content from character content: If you want scenarios, Forgotten Circles is the answer. If you want a diviner-flavored character for games you already run, the Cassandra: Forgotten Diviner Mercenary Pack was designed for exactly that and does not require the out-of-print expansion. Pick the product that matches the gap in your collection.
Products that matter for this decision
- Gloomhaven Forgotten Circles (3rd Printing): Third printing, described as the last remaining copies; the first expansion for Gloomhaven 1st Edition with twenty new scenarios set after the original campaign and one new class, the Aesther Diviner. This is the only way to get the original linked campaign and the Diviner as written. Because it is out of print and down to last copies, decide before you need it rather than after it disappears.
- Cassandra: Forgotten Diviner - Mercenary Pack: Inspired by Gloomhaven: Forgotten Circles (out of print); Cassandra creates rifts across the planes to hamper foes and uses divination to predict the future of your party and its enemies, with brand new design, development, and artwork. A lower-commitment alternative for players who want a diviner-style character without running a twenty-scenario continuation. It does not replace the expansion's campaign content.
- Hail: Irritable Enchanter - Mercenary Pack: Hail is Gloomhaven's perpetually annoyed and reclusive enchanter, letting you turn her irritation into resolve and releasing a fraction of her immense power. A relevant comparison if what you actually want is another distinct ally for existing games rather than a new campaign. It adds a character, not scenarios, so it does not solve the Forgotten Circles question.
Who should add Forgotten Circles
Best for
- Groups that have completed the Gloomhaven 1st Edition campaign and want a linked twenty-scenario epilogue
- Players who enjoy one unusual, story-integrated class more than a pile of new characters
- Collectors who want the original Forgotten Circles content before the third printing sells out
Not for
- Players who have not finished the base Gloomhaven campaign
- Groups that need multiple new classes to keep a campaign fresh
- Anyone who wants a drop-in character rather than a campaign commitment — consider the Cassandra: Forgotten Diviner Mercenary Pack or Hail: Irritable Enchanter instead
