Quick Links
Summary
Darkest Dungeonis not for the faint-hearted. Theacclaimed roguelike turn-based gamepivots around an eerie town called Halmet, which serves as a base of operations from where gamers must make their way to the shadowy estate. Along the way, though, one’s party of heroes will face all manner of Lovecraftian horrors.
Death is all but guaranteed. Players will lose many heroes during their runs, but each loss will only make them stronger. While the game is not designed to hold the player’s hand, making note of certain tips and tricks can make the journey to the titularDarkest Dungeona bit easier.
Updated December 10th, 2024, by Saqib Mansoor:Darkest Dungeon continues to cater to a large fan base. While its sequel brings to life a whole new range of horrors, the feeling of dread and despair of the original can hardly be forgotten. Hence, we have added more tips and tricks to help new (or returning) players navigate the dark and gloom of the Darkest Dungeon.
17Embrace Death With Open Arms
Learn From Your Mistakes
Something most newcomers have a hard time digesting is thatdeath is a permanent featureinDarkest Dungeon. Heroes are meant to be killed while exploring dungeons. When they die (and they will),there is no way to revive or bring them back from the dead. New heroes will arrive every week in the Stage Coach, and players can replace their fallen adventurers and create new parties to try again.
“From Beyond” is a rare Town Event that allows players to resurrect a random hero from the graveyard. If it triggers, consider choose the hero with the highest level and best quirks.
Hence, there is no traditional “game over” inDarkest Dungeon. Even if a player loses all of their heroes and upgrades, sees their town destroyed, and becomes bankrupt,they still cannot lose the game. There is always room to recover and start again with a new party of adventurers. Those playing the Stygian mode, however, will need to beat the final boss of the base game within 86 weeks. The failure condition also limits players to 12 deaths, after which they need to complete the game within the same aforementioned number of weeks.
The Crimson Court DLC adds 14 weeks and four deaths to the failure condition. Those new toDarkest Dungeonwho don’t want an overly difficult first-time experience can disable the Crimson Court expansion if they wish.
16Discard the Weakest Heroes
No Room for Emotional Attachments
There is a limit to how many heroes players can have in their roster at a given time. It is important not to be afraid to cut them out at the first sign of weakness, especially during the early game. If there are heroes with high stress levels and several negative quirks, players shoulddismiss them instead of spending precious gold on treating them. There will always be new heroes to take their place.
To remove heroes from one’s roster inDarkest Dungeon, players should open their character sheet and hit the Dismiss button in the top-left corner, underneath the name-change icon.
15Save Gold & Heirlooms
Manage Your Money Wisely
Darkest Dungeonplayers do not have much gold at the start of the game, so they should refrain from spending any on upgrading heroes. There is no need to treat their afflictions or quirks. Farming gold inDarkest Dungeontakes a lot of time, so it is recommended that gamers save what they have to improve their early game.
It’s best to only spend gold on upgrading weapons for heroes. Improving armor is not as cost-effective, since bad RNG can still result in death. In the late game, players can start locking in thebest quirks inDarkest Dungeonfrom the Sanitarium.
Similarly, players should save their heirlooms until they have a good understanding of what buildings to upgrade, which means they should not throw them on everything they come across. Completely upgrading Hamlet is how gamers get access to valuable facilities and services. However, there is a certain order to what buildings need to be upgraded first inDarkest Dungeon.
14Upgrade the Stage Coach First
More Heroes to Feed the Eldritch
Upgrading the Stage Coach increases the number of heroes arriving every week. One’s aim should be to get at least four new heroes with each run to create a full party. Following that, players should spend heirlooms on the Guild and Blacksmith to upgrade theirDarkest Dungeonheroes. Reducing their upgrade costs willsave a lot of moneyin the long run.
If dungeon runs are going fine, players may want to upgrade the Abbey as well. It allows them to remove stress from heroes at a greatly reduced cost.
13Prioritize Blacksmith and Guild Upgrades
To Boost Your Early Game
The Blacksmith and Guild are used to upgrade the heroes' combat capabilities. They are expensive though, so do not waste money on maxing out everything. In fact, players shouldonly improve weapon damage at the Blacksmith, and ignore the armor upgrades. InDarkest Dungeon, increased damage always triumphs over everything. Being able to close out fights quicker helps better than staying alive for multiple rounds.
As for the Guild, only upgrade the main abilities of each hero. For example, if players are using the Highway Robber’s pistols, upgrade them instead of his knife. Keeping the Vestal for heals? Invest in her healing skills only. This also means that players should unlock their core abilities from the Guild in case they are using new heroes straight off the Stage Coach.
12Know What Heroes Are Capable Of
Take Specific Classes for Specific Roles
Every hero inDarkest Dungeonoffers a unique class with skills and abilities tailored around a specific playstyle, and players should not be afraid to try them all out.
Then, there are sub-roles or hybrids depending on what skills players want to use in their builds. The Abomination, for example, can be used as a tank, damage dealer, or both. He can also self-sustain by healing himself. Crusader, as another example, can be a tank or damage dealer while being a secondary healer in the party.
Vestals and Occultists are the main healers inDarkest Dungeon. Players should always have one of them in the party to increase their survival chances.
11Find the Right Party Comp for Each Dungeon
Prioritize Hero Synergy
Once players are familiar with what each hero is capable of, it is time to start experimenting to find thebest party compositions inDarkest Dungeon. Gamers will want heroes that synergize with each other in a team and are also suited for the unique challenges each dungeon offers.
For example, the Plague Doctor will be of little use in Weald since she does Blight damage, and most enemies in Weald are highly resistant to it. Players shouldn’t be afraid to experiment with different heroes in different dungeons as the Stage Coach will always bring in a fresh supply of heroes to reinforce the roster.
10Check Your Hero Ranks
Position Heroes According to Their Skills
Within the same domain of finding the right party composition is another important gameplay aspect for new players to understand inDarkest Dungeon. Every hero plays best in certain ranks (4-3-2-1) based on their skills. Some attacks forcefully move heroes, so players must keep that in check while positioning their heroes.
Jester, for example, moves forward by one rank every time he uses Dirk Stab. Hence, positioning him in the front ranks would be a mistake. Grave Robber moves forward by two ranks with Lunge, making it important for her to be in the back.
Make it a habit to open the heroes' character sheets from the Hamlet screen to confirm how their abilities work. The yellow button-like dots show the most appropriate position for each hero, while each skill’s description tells players whether the hero will move or not. Also, note which enemy ranks each skill can reach.
8
16
20
10
2
3
4
The Caretaker will be willing to sell provisions before the start of every dungeon. These supplies can be used to remove obstacles in the path, open locked doors, treat negative status effects, interact with curios for loot, and provide other benefits.
Firewood can be obtained for free in medium and long dungeons and should not be sold. They allow players to set up camp to heal and recuperate while in the dungeon.
It is important to keep in mind thatsome provisions are needed in more quantities for certain dungeons, while others can be completely ignored. Knowing thebest provisions for each location inDarkest Dungeonwill save players a lot of gold. For example, Antivenom is important for Weald, where enemies do Blight damage, and Bandages for Warrens, since enemies there do Bleed damage. Players will need more Shovels in Cove due to the increased number of obstacles.
The table above is a good starting point based on the length of a run, but as stated before, players will naturally come to know what provisions they need to buy more for each dungeon.
8Keep the Torch Levels High
Light the Way Forward
The lower the light levels, the harder a dungeon run can become. Enemies might ambush the player, and they hit a lot harder in the dark. However, players will find more loot as a result of this, which is important to keep in mind.
Keeping the torch above 75 percentwill allow players to ambush enemies themselves and scout further ahead to reveal the map and get a better understanding of one’s surroundings.
