Welcome to the Darkest Dungeon hub! This is a challenging, atmospheric RPG where you manage a roster of flawed heroes as they delve into treacherous dungeons, battling eldritch horrors and their own creeping stress. You'll need to master combat, manage your heroes' sanity, and carefully plan your expeditions to reclaim your ancestral estate from the encroaching darkness.
This guide is here to help you conquer the game's toughest challenges. We'll cover expert strategies for combat encounters, effective character builds, navigating quests, and crucial resource management. Whether you're aiming to overcome the final descent, manage your Hamlet effectively, or simply survive the psychological toll of the dungeons, this guide provides the insights you need to succeed.
The game and the new DLCs
Explore Darkest Dungeon DLCs like Crimson Court, Color of Madness, and Shieldbreaker. Learn about game modes and starting extras.
Darkest Dungeon is an enduring game that consistently receives updates and new downloadable content (DLC) packs, expanding its challenging gameplay.
DLCs Available:
- Crimson Court: Introduces the Courtyard region with new enemies, 5-6 new bosses (including the Fanatic and Garden Guardian), the Flagellant hero class, 10 new Hamlet buildings, and the Crimson Curse disease. It also adds new consumable items called The Blood and many new Crimson items with set bonuses.
- The Color of Madness: Adds the Farmstead region for endless battles with valuable drops. It includes a Nomad Wagon merchant selling crystal-based trinkets requiring Comet Shards, which are obtained from Farmstead fights or events. New bosses include The Miller, The Thing From the Stars, and The Comet. This DLC also provides 4 new Districts, new quirks, and new Curios to aid your party between fights.
- The Shieldbreaker: Features the Shieldbreaker hero class with unique combat mechanics like Armor Piercing, Guard Break, and Stealth. It includes class-specific trinkets with sets and introduces 3 new monster types. You may also find the consumable item Aegis Scale, which prevents all damage for one turn. This DLC also adds stealth to some enemies and includes a story for the Shieldbreaker with camping mechanics.
- Musketeer: A free DLC for GOG releases or previous purchasers, making the Musketeer class available. She is similar to the Arbalest and comes with new class-specific trinkets.
Starting Extras (as of 12.07.2018):
Depending on your installed DLC, you can start with the Musketeer, Crimson Court, Districts, Flagellant, Shieldbreaker, and Color of Madness content. You can uncheck specific features, like vampires from the Crimson Court, if you wish to disable them.
Game Modes:
- Radiant: Offers easier runs, ideal for your first experience.
- Darkest: The standard game mode.
- Bloodmoon: A hard mode with a time limit of 86 weeks and a maximum of 12 hero deaths. Failing either condition ends the game and your save slot. This mode combines Stygian difficulty with Crimson Court elements.
Different modes offer varying prices, enemy strength, and the ability to hire higher-level heroes.
Starting the Game:
Regardless of the mode chosen, you begin with The Old Road mini-dungeon to reach your Hamlet. Your starting heroes are always Reynauld (Crusader) and Dismas (Highwayman).
- Battles in Darkest Dungeon, even without DLCs, can be lengthy. Some players use tools like Cheat Engine's Speed Hack to accelerate gameplay, though this may cause you to miss effects from Curios (interactive objects in dungeons).
- The Crimson Court DLC can be challenging due to the Crimson Curse disease and the need to manage the new consumable, The Blood.
- The Color of Madness DLC offers endless battles in the Farmstead with potentially good drops, but requires managing Comet Shards for special trinkets.
- The Shieldbreaker DLC adds new combat mechanics and a unique hero, but be aware that some enemies gain stealth.
- Carefully consider your choice of game mode, especially Bloodmoon, due to its strict time and death limits.
FAQ (PC) by Adjneki
Darkest Dungeon FAQ covering DLCs, Hamlet, Town Events, Heroes, Disease, Trinkets, Quirks, Classes, Dungeons, and Strategies.
Table of Contents:
- The game and the new DLCs
- Your Hamlet
- Bottom interaction line
- Town Events
- Heroes
- Disease
- Trinkets
- Quirks
- Negative quirks
- Positive quirks
- Classes
- Dungeons
- Strategies (high spoiler alerts)
- The Old Road
- Curios
- Weald
- Warrens
- Ruins
- Hamlet
- Farmstead
- Darkest Dungeon
- Cove
- Courtyard
- Items
- This FAQ was last updated on 08/10/2018 and is version 0.9.
- It covers a wide range of topics for Darkest Dungeon on PC.
- The guide includes sections on both positive and negative quirks.
- Strategies are available but contain high spoiler alerts.
The game and the new DLCs (2)
Dive into Darkest Dungeon's DLCs! Learn about Crimson Court, Color of Madness, Shieldbreaker, and more. Get tips on game modes and starting your estate.
Hey there! So, Darkest Dungeon is still getting love with updates and new DLCs, even though it's been out for a while. It's pretty cool that the devs keep adding stuff. Let's break down what's new and what you can expect.
There are a few main DLCs that really shake things up:
- Crimson Court: This one's a biggie, adding a whole new area called the Courtyard. You'll face the Crimson Curse, deal with new bloodsucker enemies, and even meet some seriously tough bosses. Plus, you get a new hero, the Flagellant, and a bunch of new buildings to upgrade your Hamlet. It's packed with content!
- The Color of Madness: This DLC introduces the Farmstead region, which offers endless battles with great loot. There's a new merchant, the Nomad Wagon, selling unique crystal trinkets that you get with Comet Shards. You'll also face new bosses like The Miller and The Thing From the Stars. It adds 4 new Districts and some new quirks too.
- The Shieldbreaker: This one focuses on a new hero, the Shieldbreaker, who brings unique combat mechanics like armor piercing and stealth. You'll find new class-specific trinkets and encounter new monster types. Keep an eye out for the Aegis Scale consumable – it can save you from all damage for a turn!
There's also a free DLC, Musketeer, which adds a hero similar to the Arbalest and some class-specific trinkets. It was free for GOG releases or for those who supported the devs earlier.
Now, about speeding things up: these games can take a loooong time. If you're feeling impatient, some folks use Cheat Engine's Speed Hack. Just a heads-up, though: speeding things up might make you miss out on cool effects from Curios or other details. Use it at your own risk!
Crimson Court Deep Dive
Seriously, this DLC is a blast. The Flagellant hero is a unique addition, and the Courtyard dungeon is no joke with its Crimson Curse. You'll be fighting new bloodsuckers that might even show up in other dungeons until you defeat the main bosses. Speaking of bosses, you've got 5 new ones to contend with: 3 main vampires, the Fanatic (who can show up if a hero gets the Crimson Curse), and the Garden Guardian (after you beat the first three). There are also 10 new buildings to upgrade your Hamlet. The maps can be long, and you'll need to manage a new consumable called 'The Blood' to survive. Oh, and the Crocodilian is another boss, making it six in total!
Plus, you'll find tons of new trinkets, often called Crimson items, some with cool set bonuses.
The Color of Madness Details
The Farmstead region is where it's at for endless battles and sweet drops. The Nomad Wagon merchant sells special crystal trinkets that you buy with Comet Shards, which you earn from fights or events. The main boss here is The Miller, along with his monster pals. You'll also run into The Thing From the Stars and the Comet itself. This DLC also adds 4 new Districts and some new quirks to spice things up.
New Curios in this DLC can help keep your party going between those long, endless fights.
The Shieldbreaker Features
This DLC really shines with the Shieldbreaker class. Her unique mechanics include armor piercing, guard break, and stealth. You'll get new class-specific trinkets, some with set bonuses. There are 3 new monster types to face, and keep an eye out for the Aegis Scale consumable – it's rare but lets you avoid all damage for a turn.
A cool note: this DLC adds stealth to some enemies, and the Shieldbreaker has her own story arc where you camp with low stress until you unlock her 7 background stories.
Starting Your Game: The Estate
As of July 2018, you can start with these DLCs enabled:
- Musketeer
- Crimson Court
- Districts
- Flagellant
- Shieldbreaker
- Color of Madness
If a particular DLC's content is annoying you (like the vampires from Crimson Court), you can actually uncheck it before starting your game!
You've got three difficulty levels to choose from:
- Radiant: Perfect for your first playthrough. It's the easiest mode.
- Darkest: This is your standard, normal mode.
- Bloodmoon: This is the super hard mode, combining Stygian rules with the Crimson Court. You have a strict time limit (86 weeks) and a hero death limit (12 deaths). If you fail either, it's game over for your save slot. Seriously, think hard before picking this one!
Different modes affect prices, enemy difficulty, and even the level of heroes you can hire. No matter which mode you pick, you'll start with a mini-dungeon called 'The Old Road' to get to your Hamlet. Your starting heroes will always be Reynauld (a Crusader) and Dismas (a Highwayman).
From there, it's all about exploring your Hamlet and venturing into the Dungeons. Good luck out there!
FAQ (PC) by Adjneki (2)
Darkest Dungeon FAQ covering DLCs, Hamlet management, Town Events, Heroes, Disease, Trinkets, Quirks, Classes, Dungeons, and more.
Table of Contents:
- The game and the new DLCs (Downloadable Content - additional game content)
- Your Hamlet (your base of operations)
- Bottom interaction line
- Town Events (special occurrences that affect gameplay)
- Heroes (your recruitable characters)
- Disease (afflictions your heroes can contract)
- Trinkets (items that provide stat bonuses)
- Quirks (traits that affect hero behavior and stats)
- Negative quirks
- Positive quirks
- Classes (different hero archetypes)
- Dungeons (the areas you explore)
- Strategies (high spoiler alerts)
- The Old Road
- Curios (interactive objects found in dungeons)
- Weald
- Warrens
- Ruins
- Hamlet
- Farmstead
- Darkest Dungeon
- Cove
- Courtyard
- Items
Similar guides you might like
100% Human-Written. AI Fact-Checked. Community Verified. Learn how AntMag verifies content