Skip to main content
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King box art

HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King

Game ID: GID0157918
Game Info
Year
2017
Collection
Your Tier
Loading…
Expansions & Family
HEXplore It: The Forests of Adrimon HEXplore It: The Domain of Mirza Noctis
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description

HEXplore It is a hero building adventure board game. Enter a realm teeming with fantasy creatures, heroes and villains.

Select your hero by combining two character options: your Role and Race. Your Role is your profession and your Race is your heritage and species. This combination drives your Hero's strengths, weaknesses and defines their special abilities. You'll use dry erase markers to keep track of your hero's strength.

Travel across the map earning power ups by completing quests and battling opponents of several different types. Move carefully to avoid multiple dangers and travel from city to city, visiting shrines and ruins along the way.

Gain power quickly, for the Dead King also moves... He takes away your cities as you play the game. For each city he destroys, he gains more power.

The object of HEXplore It is to power up your heroes as quickly as possible, to eventually defeat the Dead King himself. The game is won if you confront and defeat him, bringing light back to the Valley.

Description

HEXplore It is a hero building adventure board game. Enter a realm teeming with fantasy creatures, heroes and villains.

Select your hero by combining two character options: your Role and Race. Your Role is your profession and your Race is your heritage and species. This combination drives your Hero's strengths, weaknesses and defines their special abilities. You'll use dry erase markers to keep track of your hero's strength.

Travel across the map earning power ups by completing quests and battling opponents of several different types. Move carefully to avoid multiple dangers and travel from city to city, visiting shrines and ruins along the way.

Gain power quickly, for the Dead King also moves... He takes away your cities as you play the game. For each city he destroys, he gains more power.

The object of HEXplore It is to power up your heroes as quickly as possible, to eventually defeat the Dead King himself. The game is won if you confront and defeat him, bringing light back to the Valley.

Featured Videos
Playthrough
HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King | Playthrough | With Colin

HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King | Playthrough | With Colin

One Stop Co-op Shop Jan 20, 2026
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 2
This page: 2
Sentiment: pos 2 · mix 0 · neu 0 · neg 0
Mentions per page
Showing 1–2 of 2
Video oKTvQ7d9gYw The Dungeon Dive Discussion at 17:19 sentiment: positive
video_pk 88836 · mention_pk 235000
The Dungeon Dive - HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King video thumbnail
Click to watch at 17:19 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • robust character option space across base and expansion content
  • modular system allows cross-volume integration
  • art and presentation in the line offer appealing fantasy aesthetics
  • storybook lore adds optional depth without forcing it on all groups
Cons
  • timing mechanism can slow play and feels constraining in longer sessions
  • solo play and expansion components can feel less useful for some players
  • art and card quality were criticized in some decks before illustrated replacements
Thematic elements
  • heroic fantasy quest; power-ups and exploration drive progression
  • fantasy overland hex crawl; travel between cities and shrines to stop an undead king
  • emergent narrative with lore-driven context; optional storybooks expand world
Comparison games
  • Valley of the Dead King
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Boss Battler — as the game unfolds, players gain power-ups and confront multiple boss-type encounters.
  • Campaign integration across volumes — volumes can feed into future volumes, enabling long-running campaigns and shared resources.
  • Character customization via races, roles, and traits — each volume adds many combinations for unique character builds with different powers.
  • Hex crawl / Overland exploration — players move across a large hex map to reach objectives and encounter events.
  • Narrative Choice — quests and encounters shape the emergent story as you travel the map.
  • Narrative-driven encounters and exploration — quests and encounters shape the emergent story as you travel the map.
  • Power-up progression and boss battles — as the game unfolds, players gain power-ups and confront multiple boss-type encounters.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • I am not trying to to sell you on these games that is not the point of this video
  • the point of this video is just to offer up some information and you can use that information in however you choose
  • one volume usually consists of the following things you have one base box game you have one large box expansion
  • the campaign system for force of adramon they are adding a huge Choose Your Own Adventure style campaign system
  • the world map will get bigger and bigger there are a lot of different play Styles
  • these are sandbox hex crawls at some of their finest
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video iH3KaaduX6g One Stop Co-op Shop Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 625 · mention_pk 146528
One Stop Co-op Shop - HEXplore It: The Valley of the Dead King video thumbnail
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
  • Powerful two-player synergy with the Beast Lord and the Vagabond Fallen One, enabling strong combos like Alpha Onslaught, Feral Blow, and Inner Strength.
  • High thematic flavor with dense, artful encounter cards and a vivid sense of progression through gear, talismans, and power-ups.
  • Deep strategic options and emergent storytelling with varied quests, encounters, and endgame boss strategies.
  • Flexible play options via house rules and map reveal options that keep the game fresh and adaptable to player preference.
  • Epic late-game battles with big numbers and satisfying chain reactions from multiple abilities and summoned creatures.
Cons
  • Rule complexity and heavy bookkeeping can slow play and create a high learning curve for new players.
  • Balancing between starter and higher difficulties can be tricky; mid-to-high tier battles can become punishing if not managed carefully.
  • Numerous components and references to expansions may overwhelm players new to the game’s ecosystem.
  • Tracking multiple health/energy pools, timers, and effects across several creatures can be demanding during long sessions.
Thematic elements
  • Exploration-driven adventure with tactical combat against undead legions and rival bosses; reclaiming fallen cities and navigating a shifting map.
  • A fantasy land under threat from the Dead King, with five Cities to defend and free; undead foes, bosses, and treacherous marshes and mountains shape the exploration.
  • Campaign-like, session-based storytelling with emergent narrative from player decisions, randomized encounters, bosses, and quest chains; dramatic turn-by-turn battle narration.
Comparison games
  • Return To Dark Tower
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
  • Boss Battler — The Dead King and lieutenants provide multi-round boss encounters with escalating health/energy and special phase rules; defeat yields powerful rewards and progression.
  • boss_battles_and_scale — The Dead King and lieutenants provide multi-round boss encounters with escalating health/energy and special phase rules; defeat yields powerful rewards and progression.
  • camping_blessings_and_restoration — Camping at Shrines grants blessings that persist until replaced; blessings affect survivability, healing, and sometimes allow revival or enhanced combat stats.
  • character_progression_and_gear_upgrades — Heroes gain gear upgrades and power cards; upgrades modify attack, defense, mastery ranks, and skill tests. Gold is spent to push upgrades and unlock powerful synergies.
  • Combat: Deck/Hand — Draws Quest and Circumstance cards to drive objectives and potential events; the die roll during the circumstance phase determines which card is encountered.
  • creature_pack_and_taming — Heroes can tame creatures from encounters to join their pack; creatures contribute to combat power and provide ongoing benefits.
  • encounters_vs_encounter_deck — Encounters replace or augment standard decks; creatures from encounters and from expanded decks fill slots with health/energy costs and rewards.
  • exploration_and_map_reveal — Tiles start unrevealed or revealed depending on house rules; players uncover land as they move, with Exotic maps and shrine spaces providing alternative routes and power-ups.
  • favorite_opponent_and_special_dice — A favorite-opponent mechanic and a special d10 die can boost damage against certain enemy types; the mechanic scales with level/rank and can explode on high results.
  • luck_stones_and_dice_modification — Luck Stones provide rerolls or card refreshes; they are spent to mitigate bad outcomes and can be replenished under certain conditions.
  • Movement Points — Multiple movement modes (normal, cautious, reckless) with different space costs and effects, including river/road constraints and a toll for reckless movement.
  • movement_options — Multiple movement modes (normal, cautious, reckless) with different space costs and effects, including river/road constraints and a toll for reckless movement.
  • quest_and_circumstance_decks — Draws Quest and Circumstance cards to drive objectives and potential events; the die roll during the circumstance phase determines which card is encountered.
  • Resource Management — Health and energy are tightly managed; some abilities spend health instead of energy, or vice versa, affecting life/death in combat and exploration.
  • resource_management_and_devastating_effects — Health and energy are tightly managed; some abilities spend health instead of energy, or vice versa, affecting life/death in combat and exploration.
  • talismans_and_items — Talisman items grant powerful, limited-use effects (e.g., free city frees, special abilities powering combat or exploration) and may require defend actions to activate.
  • Token Pairing — Heroes can tame creatures from encounters to join their pack; creatures contribute to combat power and provide ongoing benefits.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
  • this game is epic
  • the map is amazing
  • it's exploration it's sandboxy
  • this is my type of game
  • I feel so strong you guys I feel so
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Top
Showing 1–2 of 2
View on BoardGameGeek