"There are black zones of shadow close to our daily paths, and now and then some evil soul breaks a passage through. When this happens the man who knows must strike before reckoning the consequences."

–H.P. Lovecraft, The Thing on the Doorstep

Through your investigations in Arkham Horror: The Card Game, you have been drawn across the globe, fighting monsters, ghouls, and any other threat that puts your home in danger. In your first journey into the Lovecraftian Mythos in the Core Set, you were introduced to the investigators, mechanics, and rich world that make up the Arkham Horror Files universe as you confronted horrors beyond all imagining.

Now, your home is once again threatened from within, and you must return to where it all began. Today, we're pleased to offer you a closer look at the new Cultists who have arrived in Arkham in Return to the Night of the Zealot, the first upgrade expansion for Arkham Horror: The Card Game! You can pre-order your copy today at your local retailer or online through our website here!

New Recruits

Return to the Night of the Zealot adds new content to the classic campaign from the Arkham Horror: The Card Game Core Set with sixty-six new cards to elevate your investigations to new levels of terror, all contained within a premium box to hold your complete Night of the Zealot campaign. While it may seem as though time has somehow stood still or even reversed itself to bring you back to your first campaign, the enemies of Arkham have not been idle. The Cultists you once faced have increased and even replaced some of their number, as members of the Dark Cult are replaced with those of the Devourer’s Cult. While you may still have the opportunity to meet with old enemies like the player-favorite cannibal "Wolf-Man" Drew (Core Set, 137), the number of unique Cultists you must interrogate has increased and the low-ranking members you must fight are more dangerous than ever.

Unlike the Acolytes (Core Set, 169) you have encountered in the past, which spawn at any empty location you choose, a Disciple of the Devourer (Return to the Night of the Zealot, 41) specifically spawns at the farthest empty location. While this deployment may seem like a mercy that protects you from the cultists' strikes, it may prove to be a curse. When this enemy spawns you must either place one doom on it or place one of your clues on its location. Additionally, if you have spent too much time searching the city of Arkham and the first agenda has passed, you must do both. There is no earthly way of knowing what has come to pass since your first investigation of Arkham or what power has brought you back, but you can be certain that the danger is only growing.

These disciples of darkness may find their strength increased with cursed implements such as the Mask of Umôrdhoth (Return to the Night of the Zealot, 43). When this Item is revealed, you must attach it to the farthest Cultist from your location and place one doom on them. Even if you have defeated all the enemies leading up to this treachery’s revelation, the Mask calls to any who desire power, pulling a Cultist from either the encounter deck or discard pile. Once the mask is attached, the one who wears it gains terrible power, increasing their health and granting a bonus ability. If the enemy who dons the mask is just a run-of-the-mill cult member, they gain the aloof keyword, whereas if the enemy is unique, they gain retaliate. No matter how powerful your enemy becomes, you have no choice but to hunt them down and destroy them, lest you run the risk of advancing the agenda deck. Time is already short—this is a setback that you cannot afford.

Worthy Adversaries

In your travels across the world and beyond, you have gained valuable experience and confronted horrors that even Arkham’s Cultists cannot begin to imagine. If you are a true thrill seeker, you may wish to not only survive the night, but to prove your skills as an investigator and show the Devourer’s followers exactly who they are dealing with. For the ultimate challenge, Return to the Night of the Zealot provides you with an achievement list that you can strive to complete during your investigation, further enabling you to choose your difficulty level and increasing replayability with shifting objectives. In the “Return to the Midnight Masks” scenario, for instance, you may spare a moment to take a Tour of Arkham, triggering each of the “once per game” abilities on all of the locations in play. Then, if you wish to continue conducting the most thorough investigation, you may attempt to expose the Conspiracy of Silence by finding and interrogating all six unique Cultists. But be careful as you move forward. There is no telling how deep the conspiracy goes.

Unfortunately, this mission must fall to you alone. You cannot trust those who were tasked with Arkham’s defense in your absence. The police have been writing off the disappearances as animal attacks. One officer in particular, Billy Cooper (Return to the Night of the Zealot, 45), has been pushing this narrative. Could he be crooked? One way to add Billy Cooper to your victory display is to defeat a Monster enemy at his location, making it impossible for him to deny the unnatural nature of the attacks. If you wish to make your case absolutely undeniable, the Do You Get It Now? achievement challenges you to trigger this ability by defeating the Ghoul Priest (Core Set, 116) at his location. With any luck, by forcing Billy to face the truth of the cult’s activities, he may see the error of his ways and change alliances. If not, you can always arrange for just one more disappearance—for the good of Arkham, of course.

Expose the Conspiracy

You may never understand what dark force brought you home again, but you do have the power to bring this evil to an end. Interrogate the new clan of Cultists, defeat the Devourer’s cult, and save Arkham at any cost!