Frosthaven has plenty of scenarios to explore, but not every situation is explained as clearly as you might expect in the rulebook. From deciding when you can return to town to understanding special boss mechanics, a few small rules can make a big difference to how your party handles an encounter.
In this Frosthaven scenario guide, we’ll go through the important rules for playing scenarios, explain the difference between Campaign and Casual Mode, and cover the special rulings for individual scenarios. I’ve organized the information by topic and scenario number so you can quickly find the answer you need while playing.
We’ll also cover solo scenarios, including Masteries, Battle Goals, Personal Quest progress, and the restrictions that apply after completing a solo challenge. Some later scenario clarifications contain campaign and class spoilers, so if you want to discover every twist yourself, consider stopping before the scenario-specific section.
Frosthaven 1.0 Scenario Guide 2026 – Campaign Rules, Clarifications
Do You Have to Return to Frosthaven After Every Scenario?
In most cases, yes. After successfully completing a scenario, you normally return to Frosthaven before starting another one.
The exception is when the scenario you have just completed is linked or force-linked to another scenario. The Scenario Rewards section indicates this with a chain-link symbol accompanied by a red or yellow exclamation mark when the next scenario is unlocked.
Keep in mind that scenario links work in one direction. Completing a linked scenario does not automatically mean you can travel backward through the same link, and you cannot replay a successfully completed scenario without returning to Frosthaven.
Campaign Mode vs. Casual Mode
Frosthaven offers two ways to play scenarios, and choosing the correct mode matters if you are trying to progress through the campaign.
Campaign Mode
Campaign Mode is the normal way to play scenarios when you want your actions to affect the ongoing campaign. Depending on the outcome and what you accomplish, you can gain experience, collect resources and loot, find treasure, and obtain random items from the loot deck.
However, replaying a scenario you have already completed successfully does not award its Scenario Rewards again. You can still collect eligible loot and treasures that you missed previously. If you replay a scenario outside Frosthaven, you may also need to resolve a Road Event. An Outpost Phase follows the scenario, allowing campaign time to advance.
Casual Mode
Casual Mode is primarily intended for replaying scenarios without affecting campaign progression. You do not gain resources, experience, or quest progress, and you do not draw events or complete an Outpost Phase afterward.
Choose Casual Mode when you simply want to enjoy a scenario again without changing your campaign.
Can You Replay a Scenario to Collect a Missed Treasure?
Yes, but you need to replay it in Campaign Mode.
Run the scenario again as normal and collect any treasure you missed. You will not receive the Scenario Rewards for completing a scenario you have already won, but you can still gain eligible loot, treasure, and experience.
Can You Play Random Scenarios in Campaign Mode?
Yes. Random scenarios drawn from the random dungeon deck can be played in either Campaign Mode or Casual Mode.
The same differences between the two modes apply, but random scenarios do not require a Road Event.
What Happens to Your Loot if You Lose a Scenario?
If your party loses and chooses to replay the scenario, you keep certain rewards from the failed attempt.
You retain:
- Gold collected, including gold gained from loot cards.
- Rewards obtained from treasure chests, including resources found inside them.
- Random items gained from the loot deck.
- Experience earned through your action cards.
You do not keep other resources gained during the attempt, including resources obtained through item usage.
This is an important distinction when deciding whether a failed run was still worthwhile.
Can You Inspect a Scenario Before Choosing It?
You can examine the main scenario pages when deciding where to go next. This includes information such as the map layout, complexity, monster list, loot deck, and whether treasure tiles are present.
However, you should not inspect the scenario’s section links during this decision-making process. These links can reveal information that is meant to be discovered as the scenario unfolds.
How Should You Round Unspecified Calculations?
If a scenario requires a calculation but does not specify which direction to round, the FAQ advises rounding up unless the intended direction is otherwise indicated.
What Happens When a Boss Crosses Multiple Health Thresholds?
Some bosses have special rules that activate when their health drops below particular thresholds. If a single attack crosses multiple thresholds, you cannot skip the intervening sections or resolve all of them at once.
Resolve the first pending section before doing anything else. The boss may regain health or undergo another change as part of that section. Only after resolving it should you check whether another threshold has been crossed.
A boss reduced to zero health is not necessarily dead if a pending threshold section still needs to be resolved. Its final status depends on the result after the required section has been processed.
What Does “All Enemies in the Scenario Are Dead” Mean?
This condition includes enemies throughout every room, as well as enemies listed in fixed spawn tables. Enemies scheduled to spawn in later rounds still count as part of the scenario.
If the victory condition requires all enemies to be defeated, you cannot ignore a future spawn simply because it has not appeared on the map yet.
Does Escaping Count as Leaving a Room?
Yes. Escaping from a room counts as leaving it for Battle Goals that refer to leaving a room.
Why Are Some Scenario Markers Green and Others Grey?
The green and grey markers represent the same type of marker. The different colors are simply a result of the number of physical markers supplied with the game.
Frosthaven Scenario-Specific Clarifications
The following section covers the individual rulings listed in the Frosthaven FAQ. These clarifications are useful when the printed scenario text, map, or special rules leave room for confusion.
Some entries concern first-printing errors, while others explain how a scenario mechanic should work. Where the FAQ lists a scenario heading without an accompanying clarification, this guide does not invent a ruling.
Scenarios 0–17
Scenario 0 — Masteries
You cannot complete Masteries in Scenario 0. The second printing includes this as a printed rule.
Scenario 1 — City Guards
Although the City Guards do not take turns, they still cause conditions that expire at the end of their next turn to expire on Initiative 50. This includes conditions such as Disarm and Immobilize.
Scenario 2 — Door Placement
After opening the final section, the door may appear to be in the wrong position. Do not move it; leave it where the scenario setup places it.
Scenario 4
The supplied FAQ excerpt includes this scenario heading but does not provide a specific clarification beneath it.
Scenario 7 — Campaign Sticker
The conclusion’s campaign sticker is labeled “Coral Crown” on the first-printing sticker sheet.
Scenario 9, Section 26.1 — Switches
The switches are the wall hexes. A character can target one with a melee ability while standing in an adjacent hex, or target the wall hex itself with a ranged ability.
Scenario 10, Section 65.3 — Deathwalker Shadows
Deathwalker shadows move into the new room with the character when the party transitions there. This ruling is also referenced in the Deathwalker class clarifications.
Scenario 11 — Boss Special 2
The boss’s Special 2 ability can affect invisible characters.
Scenario 13 — Attacks Against the Scenario
Monsters do not target the scenario itself as a secondary target when using multi-target attacks. Remember that direct damage abilities are not attacks, so they do not get redirected to the scenario either.
Scenario 15 — Chaos Demon Targeting
Picture the Chaos Demon as standing on scaffolding above the ground floor where the characters enter. The special targeting rules make more sense when you visualize the different elevations.
The FAQ also corrects the wording in the third paragraph of the special rules: the first sentence should refer to ranged abilities, not abilities in general. The Chaos Demon can focus on an enemy in 1-B or 6-B instead of one in 15-D, provided it does not need to move extra spaces to target them.
Scenario 16, Section 27.2 — Rubble and Overlays
If a player-created overlay is in one of the designated “a” hexes, newly placed rubble replaces it. This also applies to player-created overlays placed in those hexes later in the scenario.
Scenario 17, Section 25.3 — Door Reference
In the first printing, the instruction that says to read Section 62.3 when Door 3 opens is incorrect. It should refer to Door 1.
Scenarios 21–30
Scenario 21, Section 51.1 — Character Tokens
The special rules should explicitly include character tokens, which means Deathwalker shadow tokens are included. The rule describing how the door unlocks is correct: the door becomes unlocked, but it does not open as the narrative text might suggest.
Scenario 22, Section 41.2 — Boat and Water Rules
Three details matter in this scenario:
- Water on border hexes, including half-hexes along the edge of the map tile, counts toward the scenario’s failure condition.
- A monster attacking the boat attacks only one hex, even if it drew an area-of-effect or multi-target attack.
- Water created by a Wavethrower counts toward the failure condition just like other water.
Scenario 24 — Special Corridors and Spawn Requirements
Character summons do not treat the special corridor hexes as negative hexes.
The FAQ also identifies a potential situation in which random events can make the scenario unwinnable. To address this, the relevant section links should refer to all enemies on tile 8-A being dead in Section 83.2, and all enemies on tile 4-B being dead in Section 74.2.
Scenario 28 — First-Printing Spawn Errors
In the first printing, the guard and archer spawn positions were reversed, as were the exit hexes. Guards should spawn at E and archers at D.
The second printing corrected this by changing the letter-token positions on the map.
Scenarios 29 and 30 — Event Deck Cleanup
At the conclusion of either scenario, remove the cards specified by the scenario instructions from both the Available and Unavailable Event Decks. Do not remove them from just one deck.
Scenarios 34–45
Scenario 34 — Chaos Beam and Movement
Chaos Beam effects still apply to characters who are jumping or flying. Character summons do not treat the special corridor hexes as negative hexes.
Persistent effects such as the Drifter’s Sustained Momentum do not modify movement caused by Boss Special 2. That boss ability is not considered a move ability for this purpose.
Scenarios 36 and 37 — First-Printing Rewards
In the first printing, the conclusions of Scenarios 36 and 37 should include the blueprints for Item 067 in their scenario rewards.
Scenario 38, Section 23.1 — Hound Spawns
The wording “at each” is unnecessary for the three-player spawn instructions. Both the two-player and three-player setups produce a total of two normal hounds, one at each designated location.
Character tokens count as figures and occupy their own hex adjacent to the altar.
Scenario 39 — Frozen Corpse Availability
If a character’s ally dies but every Frozen Corpse standee is already on the board, the dead ally remains until a Frozen Corpse standee becomes available for the replacement.
Scenario 40 — First-Printing Scenario Link
In the first printing, the conclusion’s Section 71.2 incorrectly identifies the scenario number for Blizzard Island. The correct scenario is Scenario 48, not Scenario 47. Blizzard Island itself is the correct destination.
Scenario 45 — Climbing Gear
The requirement to have Climbing Gear is correct. Although the narrative could suggest climbing gear, a boat, or both, this is not an error in the scenario rules.
Scenarios 49–59
Scenario 49 — Refilling Oxygen
You only need to pass through an air-pocket hex to refill your oxygen. You do not need to end your movement or an action in that hex.
Scenarios 50 and 54 — Scenario Hexes and Water
The special scenario hexes count as water only for Lightning Eel summoning and movement. They are not treated as water for other purposes.
You can still place ordinary water hexes in the scenario through relevant items or abilities.
Scenario 55 — Event Deck Cleanup
At the conclusion, remove the specified cards from both the Available and Unavailable Event Decks.
Scenario 56, Section 3.2 — Harbinger Health Thresholds
Even if the Harbinger is reduced directly to zero health from above two-thirds of its maximum health, you must resolve Section 21.2 first.
The Harbinger is not considered dead unless it remains at zero health after the section resolves. Apply the same principle to other health-threshold sections in this scenario: resolve the pending section before deciding whether the boss is dead or another threshold has been crossed.
Scenarios 58 and 59 — Event Deck Cleanup
At the conclusion of each scenario, remove the specified cards from both the Available and Unavailable Event Decks.
Scenarios 62–73
Scenario 62 — Tracking Crain
This scenario uses “a” tokens for both Crain’s current location and his starting location, which can become confusing as he moves.
The FAQ recommends using a miniature or another distinct token to represent Crain himself. The damage tokens mentioned in the instructions mark locations on the map and act as time trackers; they are not used to damage Crain or his goals.
Scenario 63 — Monsters and Negative Hexes
Monsters may enter negative hexes to attack Crain if doing so is necessary for them to attack during that round. However, they enter as few negative hexes as possible.
Scenario 65, Section 89.1 — Named Ice Wraith
The Named Ice Wraith begins with elite statistics and changes forms like other ice wraiths. Use the normal white and yellow bases, or white and red bases depending on your components, but remember that it remains a named monster.
Scenario 70 — Random Item Count
As noted in the errata, there is only one random item in the loot deck for this scenario.
Scenario 71, Section 111.2 — Piranha Pig Spawn
The instruction means that one piranha pig spawns at each location marked F.
Scenario 72, Section 132.2 — Metal Cabinets and Snow Rocks
The metal cabinets, or snow rocks in some versions, cannot be moved or destroyed unless the scenario’s own mechanics specifically allow it.
Scenario 73 — Coral Class Spoiler
The special hexes in this scenario also count as water for Coral’s abilities and perks. This clarification involves a class-specific interaction, so avoid reading it if you want to discover the relevant mechanics without spoilers.
Scenarios 77–90
Scenario 77 — Fish King Health Thresholds
If the Fish King is reduced to zero health in a single attack, resolve Section 131.2 before treating him as dead.
He only dies if he remains at zero health after that section has been resolved. You cannot skip or resolve multiple health-threshold sections simultaneously. The same rule applies to other threshold sections in this scenario.
Scenario 78 — First-Printing Map Error
The first-printing errata corrects the Map Layout image by flipping 13-D and 13-B. The depiction on the introductory page also needs 13-B flipped.
Do not change the door positions when entering new rooms.
Scenario 81 — Aesther Ashblade Teleporting
An Aesther Ashblade cannot teleport to a room while any door between its current room and the destination remains unopened. All intervening doors must have been opened first.
Scenario 82 — Additional Scenario Questions
The FAQ directs readers to a separate discussion thread for questions about this scenario. The thread’s URL is not included in the supplied excerpt, so this guide cannot identify or verify its specific answers.
Scenario 83 — Giant Piranha Pig and Water
The Giant Piranha Pig continues to use the regular piranha pig ability deck. The boss deck controls how the water rises and whether additional pigs spawn; drawing a non-special boss card does not give the pig an extra action.
The scenario’s water tiles cannot be removed, replaced, or relocated except through the scenario’s own mechanics. When the instructions refer to “left,” they mean the horizontal row containing a water tile.
Scenario 83 and Building 88 — Capturing the Giant Piranha Pig
The FAQ accepts capturing the Giant Piranha Pig as a substitute for killing it to meet the scenario’s goal. Functionally, it is still treated as a normal piranha pig pet.
Scenario 84 — Elder Ooze Damage Limit
The Elder Ooze cannot suffer more damage from a single source than the health of a normal ooze. Any damage beyond that limit is lost.
Scenario 90 — Boat and Frozen Corpse
This scenario does not require the boat to have been built at the workshop. The boat does not necessarily belong to your party.
The special-rule wording that says the Frozen Corpse “heals all damage” should be interpreted as “clears all damage.” Resetting its health in this way does not interact with conditions.
Scenarios 92–111
Scenario 92 — Scenario Ally
For questions about how the scenario ally works, the FAQ refers readers to its general scenario-ally rules in Section 5.9. The specific ally rules are outside the scenario clarification provided here.
Scenario 96 — Platform and Newly Revealed Enemies
The stairs are decorative. The platform follows normal corridor rules, so characters may move onto or off it as they normally would.
When the platform opens doors at the end of the round, newly revealed enemies do not activate immediately.
Scenario 97 — Program Director and Monster Alliances
Boss Special 2 triggers on the Program Director’s initiative. As a result, the Program Director does not become an ally to the monsters until its turn.
If you play a monster ability card, only you personally become an ally to that monster. Other players and the Program Director remain its enemies for that turn.
Scenario 99 — Enemies on Numbered Tiles
Enemies remain on the numbered “1” tiles where they begin. They do not move off those tiles, even to another tile marked “1,” unless something forces them to move.
Scenario 101 — Goal Treasure Tiles
The goal treasure tiles have been replaced with numbered tokens because of component limitations. Any references to goal treasure tiles should be understood as references to those numbered tokens.
Scenario 104 — Element Consumption
The special rule should specify that each element can be consumed only once per turn.
Scenario 107, Section 168.4 — New Monster Placement
Treat the new monsters as spawns. If the hex where a monster should appear is occupied, place it in the nearest available empty hex.
Scenario 109 — Initiative Correction
The special rule should refer to Initiative 52 rather than Initiative 54.
Scenario 110 — Water and Electrification
The water hexes in this scenario are difficult terrain, not corridor hexes. The first printing incorrectly describes them as corridor hexes.
Moving or destroying the water hexes, or placing other overlays in corridor hexes, does not change the electrification pattern. Keep that pattern as it was at the beginning of the scenario.
Scenario 111 — Door and Summon Rules
The door positions described in Section 182.2 are correct. However, Section 138.2 should link to Section 147.2.
Under Section 147.2, a character who loots the goal tile and then performs a Summon ability still receives only one summon because of component limitations. The summon may be placed on either side of the ice wall.
Scenarios 117–134
Scenario 117 — First-Printing Polar Bear Shortage
The first-printing setup calls for five Polar bears, but the game provides only four standees. Use a standee or miniature from another available source to represent the fifth bear.
Scenario 118 — Letter Tokens
Letter tokens do not have an upside-down orientation. Ignore instructions that imply otherwise; the specific letter used is not important to the scenario rules.
Scenario 120 — Geminate and Damage Loss
If a Geminate is in the party, divide the character’s hand into two piles according to form. If damage forces the Geminate to lose a card, they may choose a card from the set-aside hand.
Scenario 122, Section 98.1 — Hungry Maw Health Threshold
Even if the Hungry Maw goes from above half its maximum health directly to zero health in one hit, resolve Section 151.1 first.
The Hungry Maw is only considered dead if it remains at zero health after that section has resolved. Do not skip the pending threshold resolution.
Scenario 134 — Movement and Attacks Between Balconies
When making a jump or ranged attack between the balconies, count the distance between the relevant hexes. You can use additional corridor hexes to measure the distance accurately.
Frosthaven Solo Scenario Guide
Solo scenarios have their own rules because they take place outside the usual flow of a party scenario followed by an Outpost Phase. Here are the main clarifications from the FAQ.
Can You Complete Masteries and Battle Goals in Solo Scenarios?
Yes. You can pursue Masteries and Battle Goals during a solo scenario, and you can also make progress toward character retirement through your Personal Quest.
However, you do not gain Inspiration. Inspiration depends on party size, and a solo scenario has a party size of one, which falls within both the minimum and maximum party size for that solo challenge.
Do You Have to Defeat Enemies That Have Not Spawned Yet?
Yes, if the solo scenario’s victory condition requires all enemies in the scenario to be dead.
Enemies listed in fixed spawn instructions for later rounds still count as part of the scenario, even before they appear. You must defeat them to satisfy that condition.
Can You Level Up or Buy Items After a Solo Scenario?
Not immediately. Leveling up, crafting, buying items, and purchasing enhancements must wait until the next campaign Downtime phase.
Solo scenarios happen outside the normal Scenario and Outpost flow, so these activities are limited to Downtime.
Can You Buy Blessings Before a Solo Scenario?
No. Under the Building 42 clarification, you cannot buy Blessings before undertaking a solo scenario.
Should You Add Special Coin Cards to the Solo Scenario Loot Deck?
Yes. The Building 74 clarification says to include the special coin cards in a solo scenario’s loot deck.
Do Trials Affect Solo Scenarios?
No. Under the Building 81 clarification, Trials do not affect solo scenarios, and you cannot use rewards from completing them in the solo scenario.
Can You Bring a Pet to a Solo Scenario?
No. The Building 88 clarification does not allow you to bring a pet into a solo scenario.
Do You Draw Challenges During a Solo Scenario?
No. The Building 90 clarification confirms that you do not draw Challenges for a solo scenario.
Trap Solo Scenario — Snowspeaker Retaliate
The special range rule in the Trap solo scenario does not affect the Snowspeaker’s inherent Retaliate.
Astral Solo Scenario — Orb Tokens
The letter tokens used to represent orbs are not limited to one of each letter. You may use multiple “a,” “b,” and other letter tokens as needed.
First Printing vs. Second Printing: What Should You Check?
Not every scenario clarification is a gameplay rule that applies to every copy of Frosthaven. Some entries specifically correct mistakes in the first printing.
When using this guide, pay particular attention to the following first-printing corrections:
- Scenario 17: The door reference should point to Door 1 rather than Door 3.
- Scenario 28: Guard and archer spawn positions were reversed; the second printing corrected the map tokens.
- Scenarios 36 and 37: Item 067 blueprints should be included in the rewards.
- Scenario 40: The Blizzard Island scenario number should be 48 rather than 47.
- Scenario 78: The Map Layout image requires the specified hex-label corrections.
- Scenario 110: The water hexes are difficult terrain, not corridor hexes.
- Scenario 117: A fifth Polar bear must be represented with another standee or miniature.
Other clarifications, such as those for boss health thresholds, oxygen, event deck cleanup, and solo scenarios, explain how the rules should work rather than simply correcting a printing mistake.
Source note: This guide paraphrases the scenario-related section of the supplied Frosthaven FAQ, last updated October 5, 2026. It covers the general scenario questions, the individual scenario clarifications present in the supplied excerpt, and the solo-scenario questions. It does not replace the rulebook, the full FAQ, or any external discussion threads referenced by the FAQ.
