The dungeon crawler genre has diversified significantly since Descent first established the format. Gloomhaven is the complexity peak. Jaws of the Lion is the accessibility peak. Dungeons and Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms is the thematic peak for D&D fans. Sleeping Gods is the narrative peak for story-focused players.

For groups new to the genre: Jaws of the Lion teaches the Gloomhaven system in four introductory scenarios before deploying the full complexity. It is the best teaching implementation for any dungeon crawler. For groups that want narrative rather than tactical puzzle, Sleeping Gods is a genuinely different approach to the dungeon crawl format.

For pure tactical combat without campaign overhead, Hellboy: The Board Game and Trudvang Legends have their advocates. The genre is large enough to have something for every preference within the dungeon crawl aesthetic.