It’s been a while since I last previewed a set of Pathfinder Battles pre-painted plastic miniatures from WizKids, but I’m back for a year-end surprise. A few weeks ago, I got an email from one of our primary contacts at WizKids that Pathfinder Battles: Darklands Rising, originally announced for an April 2021 release, was actually going to be in and ready for release in January. “Would that be a problem for you?” he asked. No. No it wouldn’t. The more minis we can get, the sooner we can get them, the better!
But the set’s early release isn’t the only thing I’m happy to announce today; for the first time ever, in addition to the expected three Small or Medium figures that make up the bulk of the set, each Darklands Rising booster will contain either a Huge figure or two Large figures. You read that right. Two Larges or a Huge per booster box.
How did this happen? Well, it all started with this guy, who I wanted to see in plastic since he debuted years ago in the first edition of the Pathfinder RPG. The Adamantine Golem is a giant mass of plastic, and when WizKids started getting in production samples, they were surprised at how much it weighed. They couldn’t figure out how to make it work within the randomized distribution of the set without it being obvious that a given booster contained this piece. So instead of cutting it, they came back to me and said they wanted to add another six figures to the set. Rather than fill non-Adamantine Golem boosters with weights to hide the disparity, they figured they might as well fill them with another Large mini. The Adamantine Golem is an uncommon Huge figure.
Heck, while we’re showing off some of the big figures you can get in this set, let’s just rip the bandage off, shall we? My absolute favorite piece in the entire set is the Jabberwock, a rare Huge figure that is sure to find use in any campaign running the Kingmaker Adventure Path. Oh frabjous day!
When putting together the set list for Darklands Rising, I wanted to make sure that some of the iconic denizens of the expansive underground layers of Golarion that have never appeared in a Pathfinder Battles set made their debut. While that includes some of our first drow, it also means we get to make some truly horrific plastic representations of the fleshwarped mutants they create in their demonic alchemy labs. Behold, the Fleshwarp, Irnakurse (a fleshwarped elf); the Fleshwarp, Ghonatine (a fleshwarped xulgath); the Fleshwarp, Grothlut (a fleshwarped human); and the Fleshwarp, Drow Abomination (in this case, a male fleshwarped drow. The females still have spider bodies, but they maintain their elven upper bodies and heads without further mutation.) They are Huge rare, Large uncommon, and Large uncommon figures, respectively.
One of the best-known entrances to the Darklands from the surface of Golarion is the Earthnavel, a great spiraling pit into the depths in the primal Realm of the Mammoth Lords. So it should come as little surprise that we are including mammoths in this set. In this case, there are two versions of the mammoth, one bearing a barbarian rider and decorated in warpaint, and the other in its natural form. The rider is, of course, removable, increasing the possible configurations of these Huge uncommon figures.
Finally, I am thrilled to announce the largest miniature in the set, the premium Mengkare, Great Wyrm Gold Dragon. This is, without a doubt, the most impressive single figure we’ve seen in the Pathfinder Battles line across more than 20 sets. It’s truly awe-inspiring. No campaign of the Age of Ashes Adventure Path would be complete without one, nor would any collection of gigantic dragons. It’s no wonder Mengkare is so revered on his island nation of Hermea. Just look at him!
Next week, I’ll show off some of the smaller figures in the set, including a whole bunch of drow. Until then, stay safe, Pathfinders.