Clever Turns as the Clerics in Dwellings of Eldervale
Find adventures and treasures in the ruins and elemental realms of a world ready to be explored in Dwellings of Eldervale.
After my first play of Dwellings of Eldervale, I was ready to try my luck again! This amazing world features all sorts of variety, although I wanted to give myself a slight chance of winning… I kept the same elements and monsters during setup, although I was about to see how this would still lead to very different experiences. Onward as the Clerics of the Dawn!
Game Overview
Game Name: Dwellings of Eldervale
Publication Year: 2020
Designer: Luke Laurie
Artist: Many (10 Credited)
Publisher: Breaking Games
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
A hex-based map houses the world of ruins with actions and elemental realms. There are resources to gather, monsters to battle, and dwellings to set up… Not to mention the decisions around adventure cards and the changing landscape. Such a great set of mechanics and strategies!
First Play
March 22, 2026
Complexity
3
Latest Play
March 28, 2026
Expansions
3
Setup Time
10 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
4
Play Time
1 Hour & 15 Minutes
High Score
141
Game Area
50" x 28"
Low Score
89
Falling to Darkness
Since I was still getting used to the general flow, I stuck with the Clerics of the Dawn. Yet even with a lot of similar aspects during setup, everything felt very different.
Not all of the same adventure cards came out, and I loved the tough choices around which ones to invest in.
This second play was worse overall in terms of scoring, although I still think I had a thematic win… Look at all of those darkness cards! Mine was, indeed, a crumbling city.
So much fun, though! It was nice to feel more comfortable with the sequence of play, and I had an idea of how to win.
Battling the Ghosts
Part of my strategy involved keeping a closer eye on the solo opponent, or ghosts. Their moves were determined by a die roll, yet this gave me a good idea of what might happen.
For example, this mat state meant they would regroup on a roll of 4-6. They would only place a worker on their next turn if they rolled a 1-3… And I knew where that was.
Rather than only doing what would help me out, I paused to consider how the ghosts would react. It was excellent!
I still needed a little practice, yet I was able to limit their placements in elemental realms… Less dwellings for them!
Card Evaluations
Keeping an eye on the available adventure cards was a fantastic experience. I had to think about the costs, the benefits, and whether the ghosts would spoil everything.
Focusing on a single element sometimes didn’t make sense when the adventure cards weren’t all that useful to me.
And the little stories! I like this game a lot for how it’s not designed to be a heavily narrative time, yet leaves room for adding bits of storylines here or there. Just enough.
This should also show how much variety there is: Only 4 of 8 elements are used each play. So many neat combinations!
All the Right Stuff
As I carefully planned my turns during this play, a lightbulb went off as I started to see all of the adventure cards come together. The ghosts still stole my best options, though!
I loved how different the cards were. It wasn’t just a case of swapping out resource icons or having very slight changes.
Each one seemed to have its own identity, from the card name and art to the actual benefits. Some were short-term, and others played more into a long-term strategy.
It was excellent to fill up entomb with tokens, which gave me an adventure card I couldn’t otherwise afford. Excellent!
Appreciating the Clever, Little Game Moments
One of the main reasons why I enjoy solo games comes from the stories and narratives I can create. I get attached to all of my units, come up with sweeping tales at times, and otherwise get immersed in a grand storyline! But… What about the games that don’t do that? I realized I only had story snippets to remember after each of these plays. Why was it so good?!
Another thing that attracts me to a lot of solo games are those completely mechanical moments when I feel extra clever. For instance, when I give up a major bonus for myself to ensure the solo opponent gets nothing of value in the next round. Those are excellent moments! Despite not necessarily lending themselves to stories, they create exciting situations.
I still managed to craft some stories, yet I’m certain the lure of this game is the way it sets me up to feel clever. That’s an important emotion… Which also means I failed, yet could see what I did so I could sort of laugh it off. I appreciate games that offer me the opportunity to play around with different strategies, setting me up for awesome turns here and there.
It’s often the cozy solo games that are known for creating a happy and good overall feeling, yet there are other ways that can show up! Being able to recognize it and experience the joy of feeling smart, even for a couple of turns, was amazing.
Dwellings of Mine
I mentioned how I made an effort to block the ghosts when I could, and it paid off! During this play, I placed 5 of my dwellings while I limited the ghosts to just 3 dwellings.
Managing the monsters was also a subtle but important part of gameplay. Battles were actually helpful to the Clerics of the Dawn, so I leaned into those unique abilities a lot!
Yet I also found ways to lure the ghosts close to the monsters, banking on their losses with low odds of success.
It didn’t work out every time, but I had such a great time! Those little moments of feeling clever stood out to me.
Cool and Calculating
This set of adventure cards was probably the most interesting of all, because I didn’t think they would be all that helpful. Yet this was all it took for a sound victory!
Calculation was the real secret to my success. I gained an orb relatively early on and made sure to pick up this card.
My battle odds were better than ever with a guaranteed value of 6 for one die. The map was a very active place!
It was fun to pair up that ability with a few others, although I was surprised by how small my adventure card tableau was. Just another example of how much variety exists!
Session Overview
Play Number: 2-4
Accessory: Deluxe Upgrade Kit
Solo Mode: Included in the Base Game
Outcome: 89-112, 141-137, 138-95 (2 Wins & 1 Loss)
I did it! And just to be sure I knew how, I played once to thoroughly defeat the ghosts. Such a great time! Half of the elements weren’t used, and I only saw some of the possible monsters. There is a lot more to explore with everything the game has to offer, and I’m looking forward to finding all sorts of neat adventure cards in the future. I was surprised by the magnitude of the possibilities. What a great game!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
7
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
9
Originality
Design & Theme
10
Quality
Components & Rules
10
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
9
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
8
+ Pros (Positives)
- There are many strategies to try, and these often change with the high degree of variety in most of the components.
- Although it isn’t easy to plan each turn, plenty of chances to feel clever pop up in exciting and rewarding moments.
- Managing the solo opponent takes little effort and introduces a neat strategic layer about making the best choices.
- Placing a roof on a worker can lead to some laughs, but is a fully functional and smart move to use these pieces well.
- Little stories can pop up from the adventure cards, yet the focus is on identifying the best strategies at any one time.
- Gameplay changes constantly, requiring a consideration of past choices and how to remain on a successful path.
– Cons (Negatives)
- Final scoring can take a little time to get used to with the multiplier factor and ways this plays into the elements.
- Moving the watcher in the solo mode can be easy to forget, and this plays a very important role in worker placement.
- Getting the battle sequence correct requires understanding the timing of the steps and triggers, which can be a lot.
- Although the play area isn’t enormous, the scoring track can be a little hard to reach during the early rounds.
Victory Conditions
Score the Most Points
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game as the Clerics of the Dawn.
Continue the Conversation
What do you enjoy the most about Dwellings of Eldervale? Have you been surprised by any of the cards or strategies? I had a wonderful time puzzling through the possibilities and finding some of the best ways to gain the advantage over the ghosts. There is so much more to try out with the various elements, factions, and monsters. Lots more fun ahead!
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