Mercenary Pack Bundle ESSEN PICKUP: What You Get
By Cephalofair - Epic Strategy Awaits | Published: 2026-10-19
Category: Product Reviews
A quick look at what's inside the Mercenary Pack Bundle for ESSEN PICKUP, including which infamous Gloomhaven characters you can play and how this bundle adds replayability to your campaigns.
Quick answer
The Mercenary Pack Bundle for ESSEN PICKUP includes multiple individual Mercenary Packs featuring infamous characters from Gloomhaven lore, designed to be cross-compatible with your favorite Gloomhaven campaigns. It's a limited convention pickup, so you need to be at the event to get it.
What makes this bundle different from buying packs separately
The Mercenary Pack Bundle is a convention-exclusive offering that bundles several individual Mercenary Packs together at a discounted price compared to buying each pack separately. The catalog comparison price of USD 79.99 versus the bundle price of USD 58.39 shows the savings, but you can only purchase it for ESSEN PICKUP — meaning you must be at the convention to collect it.
Each Mercenary Pack lets you play as a character from Gloomhaven lore that you might recognize from the game's story. These aren't generic stand-ins; they are named characters with their own abilities and backstories, adding narrative depth and replayability to your existing campaigns.
Cross-compatibility and campaign integration
These Mercenary Packs are designed to be cross-compatible with Cephalofair's most popular titles. That means you can drop them into Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, or Jaws of the Lion without needing to adjust the campaign rules. The packs include everything you need to play the new character — ability cards, miniatures, and character mats — so you can add them to your party mid-campaign or start fresh.
Because the bundle collects multiple packs, you get a ready-made set of new characters for your whole group to try. This can breathe new life into a campaign your group has already played, or give you options for different party compositions.
How to decide if the Mercenary Pack Bundle is for you
- Are you attending ESSEN?: This bundle is ESSEN PICKUP only. You must be at the convention to collect it. If you're not attending, you cannot purchase this bundle — consider buying individual Mercenary Packs from other retailers instead. Check your convention plans before considering this bundle.
- Do you already own a Gloomhaven campaign game?: The Mercenary Packs are cross-compatible with popular titles like Gloomhaven, Frosthaven, and Jaws of the Lion. If you don't own any of these, the packs won't be playable on their own. You need a base campaign game to use these characters.
- Do you want to add new characters mid-campaign?: Each pack includes everything needed to play the character — ability cards, miniatures, and character mats — so you can add them to an existing party without restarting. Great for groups that want variety. Ideal for refreshing a campaign you're already playing.
- Is the bundle price worth it for you?: The bundle is priced at USD 58.39 compared to a catalog comparison price of USD 79.99, so you save about USD 21.60 if you would have bought the packs individually. But you only get that saving if you actually want all the packs in the bundle. Only buy the bundle if you plan to use all the included characters.
What's inside the bundle
- Mercenary Pack Bundle - ESSEN PICKUP: New Mercenaries for Your Favorite Gloomhaven Campaigns! For the first time ever, play as some of the most infamous characters featured throughout Gloomhaven lore. Designed to be cross-compatible with our most popular titles, these individual “Mercenary Packs” add exciting gameplay, replayability, and fun to your adventuring party. You get multiple playable characters with unique abilities that fit into existing campaigns without extra rules, making it easy to expand your game.
Mercenary Pack Bundle - ESSEN PICKUP
Who should buy the Mercenary Pack Bundle
Best for
- Gloomhaven fans attending ESSEN who want to expand their character roster with lore-relevant mercenaries
- Players looking for a cost-effective way to add multiple new characters to their campaign
Not for
- Players who cannot attend ESSEN and collect the pickup
- Those who only want one specific mercenary and don't need the full bundle
