This is a visual reference for the HeroQuest 2021 edition using the Descent: Journeys in the Dark (2005) dungeon crawler board game by Fantasy Flight Games. Prior to being consumed by Asmodee, Fantasy Flight produced some of the most elaborate and well supported board games ever. All versions of the Descent line are impressively designed and have excellent miniatures that translate to other games well. The Descent series of board games lasted for 20 years before being discontinued in 2026.
This reference is for the first edition of the game. The “Coffin Box,” as some refer to it. This is my preferred version of the game, as it maintains the role of an arbiter/adversary game controller. Which, in my opinion, is far superior to the full cooperative versus procedural generation for the second edition or the even worse application-integrated version of Descent: Legends of the Dark.
There are 32 unique miniature sculpts, 20 “Heroes” and 12 “Monsters”. Heroes are grey plastic and monsters are in both red and an ivory/beige color plastic. The miniatures are the typical soft flexible plastic that Fantasy Flight used. Practically all of them will need to go through the hot water de-warping process. Though they do not necessarily need to go through the hardening process before being painted. They may need to be cleansed; several of mine had a yellow/brown goo left over from the release agent.
Most of the miniatures are multi-piece casts. They come preassembled. Some of the assemblies are easily separated for cleaning and painting; others are actually glued. It is a toss-up as to which miniature is glued or not. I have several sets, and there appears to be little consistency in this aspect.
Because I like the female elf miniature from the 2021 edition of HeroQuest, I have elected to use it as my reference in all of my images. Only 10 samples of the miniatures will be in this web article. At the end of the article is a link to the PDF version of the full reference containing all 32 miniature sculpts.
Since the Elf in HeroQuest is already a caster and wields a sword, this could be a good replacement for the lack of a male option in the main game. Or, since it is grey, it could easily be used as a Dread version of an elf character.
HeroQuest lacks a quality “pet” class. The falcon on this miniature is just begging to have a homebrew built around it. Luckily, I did that a few years back, right after animal companions were revealed. Yes, mine is a hawk on the card, but nothing on the miniature screams falcon.
Steelhorns is a minotaur. He could be played as a hero, adapting stats similar to the dwarf and including a charge ability. It could be a Dread version of beastkin or a cursed barbarian. The least creative use would be to make it a basic beastman analogue
One of the three orc heroes, and a caster as a bonus. With Wizards of Morcar no longer having a male orc caster, here is an alternative. Additionally, using this as a substitute for Grak makes more sense than using an orc with a sword.
As an undead hero, Varikas looks more like a villain or monster than a hero. Can be easily used as a Dread stand-in for a named adversary. Or as an option for the Witch King – it has the horns, the robes, and the undead visage.
This is an undead wolf; it has lots of different names in the various localizations of the game. The miniature has a gaunt look on one side and exposed skull and ribs on the other. Like the giant wolf, it takes up a 1×2 section of the board, making it a large monster. The fact it is obviously undead adds to the difficulty of killing it.
The human sorcerer comes in red and ivory/beige. This makes it a good replacement for the wizard hero as well as making it a good option for a Dread wizard. I like the staff and the rugged look when compared to the stock HeroQuest wizard.
An uncomfortable thing for my players to see on the table. As a massive spider, this thing looks menacing. Yes, Jungles of Delthrak has a giant spider, but that one looks bloated and slow; this thing looks fast and lethal. Taking up four squares on the board, it can clog a room and be a real threat. Add to it a poison condition or snare effect, and this becomes a party ender.
A winged manticore that effectively takes up 8 squares on the board. Add to it flight, a poison condition from the scorpion’s tail, and a few Dread spells to produce a questline ending threat. Or, make it a benevolent/indifferent sphinx with confounding questions and challenges for your heroes.
It’s rare to find a giant miniature that works well, is relatively affordable, and has some character. This giant meets all of that. For a giant miniature, it is surprisingly compact, and the club screams extended reach with an area-of-effect sweep.
This version of the game has a mountain of miniatures, 80 of them, 20 heroes and 60 monsters. The dragon and demon miniatures included are impressive in their stature without being overly excessive. It is worth locating this version of the game for the miniatures alone. Toss in all of the chits, dice, and map sections, and it is a homebrewer’s dream.
As with all of my references, there is a download available.
– Dru
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