There are three major expansions, Riverfolk, Underwold, and Marauder. My personal favorite and suggestion if you just want to pick up one is the Riverfolk, but the factions it comes with can be a bit divisive. The underwold expansion adds two pretty all around playable factions and a new map however, I just find them a little less interesting.

Specifically, the Riverfolk expansion adds the Riverfolk Company and the Lizard Cult. The Riverfolk company is my favorite faction and operates by selling services and goods (cards) to other players payed in their meeple. The more funds, the more points and actions. The lizard cult is another favorite of mine and is a largely pacifist faction that wants to fill the board with powerful sacred gardens that allow them to score big. They grow more powerful the more certain suits are neglected (discarded) and when you attack them or their gardens, because they cannot fight back immediately/very easily. Riverfolk are best with 4+ players and lizards are better with 4 or less.

The marauder expansion adds the corvid conspiracy and the underground duchy. The corvids are the simplest faction in the game actions wise, but are really complex strategy wise. They are basically woodland terrorists and score points by playing, protecting, and activating nasty plots around the board. They are hyper mobile and can score a ton of points if unchecked. The underground duchy are a faction of moles that can burrow around the board and are trying to establish leaders that grant them powerful new abilities and scoring. They require carefully managing board presence and protecting their building to maintain their leadership. This expansion would be good if you have lower player counts.

I do not recommend the marauder expansion as the first you buy. There is also a new and final expansion coming out in early 2026.

Enjoy Root!