Thinking of starting up Darkest Dungeon for next game, have some questions

Hobbun · Apr 26, 2021

I actually already have Darkest Dungeon, the original game. I played it about 5 years ago and found it to be...challenging. I did not get far at all and intended on getting back to it eventually. Since then, a number of DLCs have been added on, none of which I had gotten. I am thinking of giving the game another try now.

But I have some questions on which DLC I should go with. I see there are several. I went ahead and downloaded The Musketeer, as it was free DLC, but see there are 3 other ones. The Color of Madness, The Shieldbreaker and The Crimson Court. The Color of Madness seems like a new...area? If I downloaded this, when would this played in relation to the base game? Or can it be played instead?

The Shieldbearer appears to be another hero class with some other small additions. The Crimson Court looks to be the biggest addition, an actual expansion. It says it's a "parallel campaign along the main dungeon". Should I play the main dungeon first? Or does it mean by 'parallel' it is integrated as part of the main campaign?

Which of these should are recommended to download before I start the main game, to improve QoL?

Also, any tips for a beginner is much appreciated. I know this is a hardcore game and I definitely would need any tips and help anyone can supply (no spoilers please!).

Thanks to everyone who to those who reads my posts and takes the time to post/give suggestions!

Doomguy Fieri · Apr 26, 2021

1. Musketeer is just a reskin of the arbalest. Same moves, stats, etc.
2. Shieldbreaker is a whole new character type. No reason not to play as her.
3. Color of Madness is like an infinite dungeon run mode. I don't think it affects the core game progression at all, but it's been a while. Crimson Court is indeed a whole new area and kind of an expansion pack for the main game. You will be affected by Crimson Court mechanics right away, and they are more "advanced" than the base game. I would actually say for your first playthrough do not activate The Crimson Court. It increases the overall challenge of an already challenging game. Overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer.

Each DLC can be turned on and off on a per save file basis, so it's OK to download everything.

Put on Radiant Mode (which is still very hard!) and give the base game a couple of runs.

Setreal · Apr 26, 2021

Hobbun said:
The Color of Madness seems like a new...area? If I downloaded this, when would this played in relation to the base game? Or can it be played instead?

Correct. You basically can go there whenever you want as a way to earn a separate type of currency for items. It's definitely a side thing, but still fun!

Hobbun said:
The Shieldbearer appears to be another hero class with some other small additions.

Yep. Not a dealbreaker to not have this one.

Hobbun said:
The Crimson Court looks to be the biggest addition, an actual expansion. It says it's a "parallel campaign along the main dungeon". Should I play the main dungeon first? Or does it mean by 'parallel' it is integrated as part of the main campaign?

It's parallel in that it adds another location to your map that you can go to throughout the campaign (as well as events). I will say people have mixed feelings on this one and it can increase the difficulty even more with an affliction called the Crimson Curse which is extremely annoying in my opinion.

Hobbun · Apr 26, 2021

Setreal said:
Correct. You basically can go there whenever you want as a way to earn a separate type of currency for items. It's definitely a side thing, but still fun!

So does the extra type of currency allow you to buy different (more powerful?) items? If so, sounds worthwhile with how difficult this game is. Also, an area to help 'build up' your group for the main dungeon?

Setreal said:
It's parallel in that it adds another location to your map that you can go to throughout the campaign (as well as events). I will say people have mixed feelings on this one and it can increase the difficult even more with an affliction called the Crimson Curse which is extremely annoying in my opinion.

Hmm, what kind of QoL does the expansion give you, if any? Basically the higher challenge? Also, is there a way to deal with the Crimson Curse eventually (somewhat readily if your characters get high enough)?

A bit torn on this if I want to purchase it, being $10.

aett · Apr 26, 2021

Weird coincidence: I was looking up music to play for my Pathfinder campaign, I clicked "play" on a Color of Madness track, started wondering if I should give the game another shot, then tabbed over to twitter and saw this thread pop up.

Played the game when it was new on Switch and loved everything about it except for the difficulty. I thought about starting over on an easier setting but that almost feels like defeating the point of the game.

Setreal · Apr 26, 2021

Hobbun said:
So does the extra type of currency allow you to buy different (more powerful?) items? If so, sounds worthwhile. Also, an area to help 'build up' your group for the main dungeon?

Yes, Color of Madness opens up an entirely separate set of items you can purchase with the "Shards" currency. However it is not helpful for training your group as you get a separate roster of characters to use specifically for that area.

Hobbun said:
Hmm, what kind of QoL does the expansion give you, if any? Basically the higher challenge? Also, is there a way to deal with the Crimson Curse eventually (somewhat readily if your characters get high enough)?

From a QoL perspective I don't think anything. It's a separate area to explore, level up in, etc. with some items that only drop there (with the downside of the curse I mentioned). It also unlocks another hero called the Flagellant. If I were you I'd feel comfortable not buying it if you're on the fence.

As a side note I'll echo Doomguy Fieri 's comment about Radiant Mode. It is by no means easy and can help to reduce the amount of grinding you'll need to do.

Hobbun · Apr 26, 2021

Setreal said:
Yes, Color of Madness opens up an entirely separate set of items you can purchase with the "Shards" currency. However it is not helpful for training your group as you get a separate roster of characters to use specifically for that area.

From a QoL perspective I don't think anything. It's a separate area to explore, level up in, etc. with some items that only drop there (with the downside of the curse I mentioned). It also unlocks another hero called the Flagellant. If I were you I'd feel comfortable not buying it if you're on the fence.

As a side note I'll echo Doomguy Fieri 's comment about Radiant Mode. It is by no means easy and can help to reduce the amount of grinding you'll need to do.

Ok, thank you. I think I will hold off on the DLC, then.

What is Radiant mode? Is that the easiest difficulty setting?

Setreal · Apr 26, 2021

Hobbun said:
Ok, thank you. I think I will hold off on the DLC, then.

What is Radiant mode? Is that the easiest difficulty setting?

Yes, though there's only 3 settings and most of the changes are just to increase the QOL (and not make enemies easier)

Radiant
Normal
Stygian (this used to be only for NewGame+)

Hobbun · Apr 26, 2021

Setreal said:
Yes, though there's only 3 settings and most of the changes are just to increase the QOL (and not make enemies easier)

Radiant

Normal

Stygian (this used to be only for NewGame+)

Ok, so there are really only two difficulty settings (not county Stygian since it is only in NewGame+). What is the QoL difference(s) between Radiant and Normal?

Setreal · Apr 26, 2021

Hobbun said:
Ok, so there are really only two difficulty settings (not county Stygian since it is only in NewGame+). What is the QoL difference(s) between Radiant and Normal?

It used to be NewGame+ only but now it isn't. Differences are here:

Game Modes

Darkest Dungeon features different game modes to allow players to customize their playing experience. The "Normal" mode of Darkest Dungeon. Not as difficult as Stygian Mode but takes more time to complete than Radiant Mode. It is recommended for players who want a prolonged experience. Radiant...

darkestdungeon.fandom.com

Hobbun · Apr 26, 2021

Setreal said:
It used to be NewGame+ only but now it isn't. Differences are here:

Game Modes

Darkest Dungeon features different game modes to allow players to customize their playing experience. The "Normal" mode of Darkest Dungeon. Not as difficult as Stygian Mode but takes more time to complete than Radiant Mode. It is recommended for players who want a prolonged experience. Radiant...

darkestdungeon.fandom.com

I had to look up the "Never Again" trait to see what it exactly entailed.

I am surprised the game discourages you to use party members if you are able to keep them alive. With how I read 'Never Again', once a hero completes a Darkest Dungeon mission (so, just one?), they cannot do another one? I know with Radiant Mode that hero 'can' do another one, but you gain increased stress.

It just seems counterintuitive on improving your heroes to continue adventuring in the Darkest Dungeon, as they can only complete one Darkest Dungeon mission (or best, they take significantly increased stress, which you already get a lot of).

Setreal · Apr 26, 2021

Hobbun said:
I had to look up the "Never Again" trait to see what it exactly entailed.

I am surprised the game discourages you to use party members if you are able to keep them alive. With how I read 'Never Again', once a hero completes a Darkest Dungeon mission (so, just one?), they cannot do another one? I know with Radiant Mode that hero 'can' do another one, but you gain increased stress.

It just seems counterintuitive on improving your heroes to continue adventuring in the Darkest Dungeon, as they can only complete one Darkest Dungeon mission (or best, they take significantly increased stress, which you already get a lot of).

Yeah I'm not a fan of that mechanic myself either. Keep in mind though that the Darkest Dungeon is essentially the final dungeon so you should hopefully only have to go a few times to beat the game once you've beaten everything else / sufficiently powered up your characters.

Whowasphone · Apr 26, 2021

As someone who has played this many times the best advice I can give you is so not upgrade any armor or skills until you have maxed out the carriage/ armory and trainers so you only get the best new recruits.

Also try not to take to much stuff into a dungeon run as you will need the space. Usually 2 slots for food, one for torches, a couple of herbs, one slot for bandages. 2 antidotes, 1 holy water and a couple of keys and shovels.

Sounds like a lot but you just dump the consumables you need the least based on the run you're having. Your finanes will grow considerably. Also feel free to sell useless relics.

Hobbun · Apr 26, 2021

Setreal said:
Yeah I'm not a fan of that mechanic myself either. Keep in mind though that the Darkest Dungeon is essentially the final dungeon so you should hopefully only have to go a few times to beat the game once you've beaten everything else / sufficiently powered up your characters.

The 'final dungeon'? I guess I am misunderstanding how the game works, I thought the Darkest Dungeon was just the general name for the entire dungeon you explore in the game? So it's only the final dungeon (didn't know there were multiple dungeons) where the 'Never Again' comes into play?

Whowasphone said:
As someone who has played this many times the best advice I can give you is so not upgrade any armor or skills until you have maxed out the carriage/ armory and trainers so you only get the best new recruits.

Ok, so if I am understanding correctly on how to upgrade armor and skills, it is done via improving your carriage/armory in town, and then you need to purchase/recruit new heroes with the upgraded armor/skills? You can't directly upgrade armor/skills on heroes in your existing party?

Whowasphone said:
Also try not to take to much stuff into a dungeon run as you will need the space. Usually 2 slots for food, one for torches, a couple of herbs, one slot for bandages. 2 antidotes, 1 holy water and a couple of keys and shovels.

Sounds like a lot but you just dump the consumables you need the least based on the run you're having. Your finanes will grow considerably. Also feel free to sell useless relics.

No, that makes complete sense. I am used to playing RPGs with very limited inventory space, but the better ones allow you to increase the inventory slots as the game progresses. Does this game do the same?

Also, you indicate to sell 'useless relics'. Do you mean there are relics that are actually useful? Or if you pick up any relic, you should automatically sell it? I only ask because there are plenty of times in RPGs where I run into an item and I think it's ok to sell, and then I find out you need to collect three of them for a quest. Or something similar.

Whowasphone · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Ok, so if I am understanding correctly on how to upgrade armor and skills, it is done via improving your carriage/armory in town, and then you need to purchase/recruit new heroes with the upgraded armor/skills? You can't directly upgrade armor/skills on heroes in your existing party?

Oh sorry I should clarify, you totally can upgrade your adventurers in equipment and abilities but you will waste a great deal of your income doing so unless you've fully upgraded the trainers and armoury first. Also due to the fragility of your crew, while tempting, it's a recommendation to resist upgrading them until they feel brave enough for the "final level/darkest dungeon". Personally I wait until they are level 5 at least.

When upgrading your hamlet it's a good idea to focus on accomodations in the various services (clinic/tavern/cathedral) over their other attributes as events will often pop up that allow free treatment for that day and you can get a great deal of destressing of your heroes for a small early investment.

When doing boss runs try to bring heroes that have skills in the dungeon type, especially being able to map it out. That way you can save your camp buff for the nearest room to them and maximize your abilities.

Regarding relics, their usefulness is mostly subjective to your preference, but as for quest essential items they are present in your inventory only for the duration of the quest. They can be massive space hogs which is frustrating. On the other hand, if you come upon relics in your hunts and don't know where to put them you can just equip them to be your heroes right away (unless they have class limitations)

Ostron · Apr 27, 2021

Have fun with it!

Going in hardcore with a set plan is bound to mess you up. The game is full of surprises and it takes a while before you learn to mitigate all the negative effects, and even then the randomness can be harsh.

Focusing on getting good recruits is a good tip. Learn to detach yourself from your "main crew" as early as you can.

My advice is get all DLC that gives you additional classes as experimenting with party set-ups is IMO the most fun you'll have with the game.

Whowasphone · Apr 27, 2021

Ostron said:
Have fun with it!

Going in hardcore with a set plan is bound to mess you up. The game is full of surprises and it takes a while before you learn to mitigate all the negative effects, and even then the randomness can be harsh.

Focusing on getting good recruits is a good tip. Learn to detach yourself from your "main crew" as early as you can.

My advice is get all DLC that gives you additional classes as experimenting with party set-ups is IMO the most fun you'll have with the game.

This is great advice, the most important thing is to enjoy the chaos and tension of the randomness of the world 🙂 and of course... don't get too attached to your crew!

pbayne · Apr 27, 2021

Just be ready for the grind. Especially for gold in the early game which can be hard to come by and goes easily and for relics to upgrade the hamlet.

If i remember right the radiant difficulty mitagates it somewhat but by the end of the game you will want a full roster of about 12-16 fully leved units that you can mix and match depending on what the dungeons require.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

I completely understand what all of you are saying in "don't be attached to a main crew" from what I hear about the game and how often people die, but my question is, when you recruit new heroes, aren't they at level 1? How do you get them up to fighting shape?

2Blackcats · Apr 27, 2021

Subbed because I fell off this hard recently after years of looking forward to playing it.

pbayne · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Thank you everyone for your suggestions!

I completely understand what all of you are saying in "don't be attached to a main crew" from what I hear about the game and how often people die, but my question is, when you recruit new heroes, aren't they at level 1? How do you get them up to fighting shape?

You can upgrade the coach which let us you recruit level 2 or 3 heroes which speeds thing up a bit. Thats why most people would suggest getting it upgraded asap before anything else.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

pbayne said:
You can upgrade the coach which let us you recruit level 2 or 3 heroes which speeds thing up a bit. Thats why most people would suggest getting it upgraded asap before anything else.

Ok, great. Thank you!

So, is it recommended to upgrade the various services (clinic/tavern/cathedral) first? Or the armory? I've heard recommendations to do both first in differing posts. Or is it one of those: upgrade the clinic, then upgrade an aspect of the armory, then the tavern, then another aspect of the armory, and so on?

What this sounds somewhat similar to, at least specifically with having the upgradeable town is Heroes of Might and Magic. I'm sure there are other games that have done that as well, and are even closer to how Darkest Dungeon works, but HoMM is the first one that jumps to mind on what I've played. Again, on just the town upgrades.

Late Flag · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
I had to look up the "Never Again" trait to see what it exactly entailed.

I am surprised the game discourages you to use party members if you are able to keep them alive. With how I read 'Never Again', once a hero completes a Darkest Dungeon mission (so, just one?), they cannot do another one? I know with Radiant Mode that hero 'can' do another one, but you gain increased stress.

It just seems counterintuitive on improving your heroes to continue adventuring in the Darkest Dungeon, as they can only complete one Darkest Dungeon mission (or best, they take significantly increased stress, which you already get a lot of).

This mechanic undoubtedly contributes to the grindiness of the game, but it's also a big part of the experience. You need to be constantly levelling up promising adventurers with an eye toward building good teams to run the Darkest Dungeon. All four DD quests are quite different and reward different team compositions, so you need to plan ahead. But getting 16 guys up to level 6 and tending to their various quirks requires a lot of gold. So you're constantly taking disposable scrubs off the stagecoach and running them through low-level dungeons so you can afford upgrades for your A-team. That metagame is intentionally designed to turn you into an evil HR manager, like the Ancestor was before you.

And besides, the basic gameplay is fun enough that it never really felt like a grind to me.

Late Flag · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Ok, great. Thank you!

So, is it recommended to upgrade the various services (clinic/tavern/cathedral) first? Or the armory? I've heard recommendations to do both first in differing posts. Or is it one of those: upgrade the clinic, then upgrade an aspect of the armory, then the tavern, then another aspect of the armory, and so on?

Early priority upgrades are the stagecoach (larger barracks, more recruits, higher-level recruits), the blacksmith (upgrading weapons and armor), the guild (upgrading skills). Everything else is a "do it when I get around to it" item, but those are essential. You'll be upgrading the guild and blacksmith in particular throughout most of the game.

DaciaJC · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
The 'final dungeon'? I guess I am misunderstanding how the game works, I thought the Darkest Dungeon was just the general name for the entire dungeon you explore in the game? So it's only the final dungeon (didn't know there were multiple dungeons) where the 'Never Again' comes into play?

There are four main areas in the base game - Ruins, Cove, Warrens, Weald - that you can explore via procedurally-generated dungeons. At the end of the game you will fight through the Darkest Dungeon(s), specially-crafted challenges that will inflict the "Never Again" status on any heroes that venture through them. It's meant to force you to thoroughly prepare for the final long haul instead of being able to just reuse nobody but your favorite four characters for the last few dungeons.

A bit of advice that I don't believe anyone else has mentioned yet: spend a little time managing your trinkets now and then. Each character can equip two of them, and they generally buff certain attributes. As an example, the Leper is a hard-hitting class that suffers from below-average accuracy, so his attacks often miss. You can compensate for this by, among other things, equipping him with accuracy-boosting trinkets. You don't have worry much about this at the start, but they'll become important as the game progresses for maximizing your heroes' potential.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

Late Flag said:
This mechanic undoubtedly contributes to the grindiness of the game, but it's also a big part of the experience. You need to be constantly levelling up promising adventurers with an eye toward building good teams to run the Darkest Dungeon. All four DD quests are quite different and reward different team compositions, so you need to plan ahead. But getting 16 guys up to level 6 and tending to their various quirks requires a lot of gold. So you're constantly taking disposable scrubs off the stagecoach and running them through low-level dungeons so you can afford upgrades for your A-team. That metagame is intentionally designed to turn you into an evil HR manager, like the Ancestor was before you.

And besides, the basic gameplay is fun enough that it never really felt like a grind to me.

I'm sure it's just part of not understanding the design and layout of the game, which is something I will learn when I play. I had thought there was just one 'big dungeon' which the general name was called the "Darkest Dungeon". But apparently the 'Darkest Dungeon' is the final dungeon. And I am guessing where each dungeon is large, have their own quest, where 'Never Again' comes into play.

With Radiant Mode, the same character could do all (4?) dungeons, including the Darkest one, but he will likely have an unmanageably high stress level.

Maybe it's better I don't understand the specifics, so I find out on my own as it's part of the experience. I just don't want to be in a situation, especially how challenging this game is, where I will be stuck with heroes(?) that will have stress that I cannot bring down.

And I agree, evil HR Manager indeed. lol These are supposed to be heroes, but it sounds like making your red-shirt brigades is needed often.

Late Flag said:
Early priority upgrades are the stagecoach (larger barracks, more recruits, higher-level recruits), the blacksmith (upgrading weapons and armor), the guild (upgrading skills). Everything else is a "do it when I get around to it" item, but those are essential. You'll be upgrading the guild and blacksmith in particular throughout most of the game.

Ok, will keep that in mind for the stagecoach and blacksmith doing first.

Thanks so much for your information, it really is a lot of help!

DaciaJC said:
There are four main areas in the base game - Ruins, Cove, Warrens, Weald - that you can explore via procedurally-generated dungeons. At the end of the game you will fight through the Darkest Dungeon(s), specially-crafted challenges that will inflict the "Never Again" status on any heroes that venture through them. It's meant to force you to thoroughly prepare for the final long haul instead of being able to just reuse nobody but your favorite four characters for the last few dungeons.

Ah, that makes it much more clear, thank you. So that is why it is a good idea to have multiple parties worth of characters at max level.

OmegaDragon · Apr 27, 2021

You can select what parts of the DLC you want active when you start up a campaign (At least on PC). For example, Crimson Court DLC (CC) adds the Crimson Court questline, the Flaggelant hero class and Districts (extra end game upgrades for your hamlet). You can start a new game with the Flagellant and Districts from CC, but not the questline.

For reference, I've played the game 3 times. First on radiant, then normal, both base. I bought all of the DLC later and played another game with everything active (but didn't finish).

If you want to experience the base game, I do not recommend the Crimson Court questline. It introduces a very nasty disease that can't be cured and requires resources. The area for the questline is brutal and on par with the final dungeon imo.

The Flagellant (from CC) and Shieldbreaker are both fun classes.
I don't know what to make of Districts (CC). They cost a lot of relics for some extra buffs. End game material.

Colour of Madness is kind of odd. It's wave based combat. After a few runs you open an endless mode and the game gives you 'free' fully upgraded characters to play with. Progress gives you shards, an new currency to buy unique class specific trinkets. The risk is low, because characters don't die/you get them for free. If you like grind, this DLC is for you.

Anyway my recommendations for you. Seems everything is on sale right now on Steam, I'd get them all on sale.
Crimson Court: On sale worth it for the class, maybe the districts. Don't recommend it at full price.
Shieldbreaker: Get it.
Colour of Madness: I like the DLC. Maybe not the first priority when you want to explore the base game.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

OmegaDragon said:
You can select what parts of the DLC you want active when you start up a campaign (At least on PC). For example, Crimson Court DLC (CC) adds the Crimson Court questline, the Flaggelant hero class and Districts (extra end game upgrades for your hamlet). You can start a new game with the Flagellant and Districts from CC, but not the questline.

For reference, I've played the game 3 times. First on radiant, then normal, both base. I bought all of the DLC later and played another game with everything active (but didn't finish).

If you want to experience the base game, I do not recommend the Crimson Court questline. It introduces a very nasty disease that can't be cured and requires resources. The area for the questline is brutal and on par with the final dungeon imo.

The Flagellant (from CC) and Shieldbreaker are both fun classes.
I don't know what to make of Districts (CC). They cost a lot of relics for some extra buffs. End game material.

Colour of Madness is kind of odd. It's wave based combat. After a few runs you open an endless mode and the game gives you 'free' fully upgraded characters to play with. Progress gives you shards, an new currency to buy unique class specific trinkets. The risk is low, because characters don't die/you get them for free. If you like grind, this DLC is for you.

Anyway my recommendations for you. Seems everything is on sale right now on Steam, I'd get them all on sale.
Crimson Court: On sale worth it for the class, maybe the districts. Don't recommend it at full price.
Shieldbreaker: Get it.
Colour of Madness: I like the DLC. Maybe not the first priority when you want to explore the base game.

I actually already have the game for the PS4. I must have purchased it as some point but I don't remember when. And The Musketeer DLC was available or free, as well. Although it said it was gained through a Kickstarter, which I did not contribute to, so not sure how I got the DLC. However, I downloaded that.

I will go ahead and download The Shieldbearer just for the fact another class is usually a good thing and especially if it's fun to play.

Color of Madness sounds intriguing, I may give it a try. Are the trinkets worthwhile additions for the classes to complete the main game? I don't need the extra dungeon/endless mode just to have more combat as I know the game is pretty big in itself. If the trinkets don't add much for characters, I don't think I will get Color of Madness.

Right now I am leaning towards not getting Crimson Court. I don't have a problem with the increased difficulty, but the curse is turning me off. If there was a more readily way to deal with it maybe so, but as you said it can't be cured and I am guessing the resources it requires are not readily available, as well as taking up valuable inventory slots.

Reddaye · Apr 27, 2021

The only advice I can give is: the characters you hire and recruit are simply resources, and nothing more. You play the role of the inheritor of the Ancestor's cursed estate, and you're hiring a bunch of nobodies to go in and clear it all out for you. It's not even like XCOM where they sort of designed it so you get attached to the characters. The party in Darkest Dungeon is a tool. One that you want to keep in working condition if possible, but ultimately disposable.

Once I wrapped by head around that concept, the game became more enjoyable for me.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

Reddaye said:
The only advice I can give is: the characters you hire and recruit are simply resources, and nothing more. You play the role of the inheritor of the Ancestor's cursed estate, and you're hiring a bunch of nobodies to go in and clear it all out for you. It's not even like XCOM where they sort of designed it so you get attached to the characters. The party in Darkest Dungeon is a tool. One that you want to keep in working condition if possible, but ultimately disposable.

Once I wrapped by head around that concept, the game became more enjoyable for me.

Yes, that's what I've been hearing! Probably will take me a bit to get used to it, as well.

Although you will need to pick a party (or parties) that will be your main characters eventually? No longer disposables? For the final dungeon(s)?

Reddaye · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Yes, that's what I've been hearing! Probably will take me a bit to get used to it, as well.

Although you will need to pick a party (or parties) that will be your main characters eventually? No longer disposables? For the final dungeon(s)?

You're certainly going to need to keep a pool of characters alive and equipped for the final stages of the game. Like any tool, you want to keep it honed/sharpened as much as possible or it gets too costly and time consuming to replace it. I wouldn't just throw good characters away needlessly, but try not to get too attached because people will die or be broken beyond repair.

If things are getting too hairy, or the situation in the dungeon has become too risky for your party...you can always escape or abandon the run to protect them.

Arkanim94 · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Yes, that's what I've been hearing! Probably will take me a bit to get used to it, as well.

Although you will need to pick a party (or parties) that will be your main characters eventually? No longer disposables? For the final dungeon(s)?

By natural selection, sooner or later the you will bring up characters than you don't want to loose.
And

Characters who have completed a mission in the DD will no longer use a character slot in the hamlet, they will become your means to bring recruits to their level and farming high level missions in the late game.

Deleted member 4090 · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
I had to look up the "Never Again" trait to see what it exactly entailed.

I am surprised the game discourages you to use party members if you are able to keep them alive. With how I read 'Never Again', once a hero completes a Darkest Dungeon mission (so, just one?), they cannot do another one? I know with Radiant Mode that hero 'can' do another one, but you gain increased stress.

It just seems counterintuitive on improving your heroes to continue adventuring in the Darkest Dungeon, as they can only complete one Darkest Dungeon mission (or best, they take significantly increased stress, which you already get a lot of).

Everything about the game is designed as a punitive grind. You see like 90% of the game in the first 10 hours, and then the last 10% across the next 30 hours.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

Truly, survival of the fittest make it through. :)

Arkanim94 said:
By natural selection, sooner or later the you will bring up characters than you don't want to loose.
And

Characters who have completed a mission in the DD will no longer use a character slot in the hamlet, they will become your means to bring recruits to their level and farming high level missions in the late game.

So in regards to your spoiler

can you redo the Darkest Dungeon missions/quests? Not for the same character, but to eventually have all your characters complete the 4 quests/missions?

Arkanim94 · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Truly, survival of the fittest make it through. :)

So in regards to your spoiler

can you redo the Darkest Dungeon missions/quests? Not for the same character, but to eventually have all your characters complete the 4 quests/missions?

no, DD missions once completed can't be replayed.

BlackJace · Apr 27, 2021

Posters here have done a good job of explaining everything, I just wanted to gush about how much I love this game.

I hope you have a good run!

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

Arkanim94 said:
no, DD missions once completed can't be replayed.

Oh wow, that's a shame. I know that's going to cause me additional concern on losing a character that I took through a mission and no longer uses up a slot at the Hamlet. I hope the amount of slots you can open up at the end is sufficient (no need to tell me the number). Although I'm guessing it's not going to be a large amount with that ability of characters not taking up a slot in completing DD quests.

BlackJace said:
Posters here have done a good job of explaining everything, I just wanted to gush about how much I love this game.

I hope you have a good run!

When I begin playing, I will start up a LTTP thread for the game and give updates. And anyone will be free to post (will welcome it!). But still in the process of finishing up Dragon Quest XI now. In Act 3.

5taquitos · Apr 27, 2021

Hobbun said:
Although you will need to pick a party (or parties) that will be your main characters eventually? No longer disposables? For the final dungeon(s)?

They're only main characters until they die.

DaciaJC · Apr 27, 2021

5taquitos said:
They're only main characters until they die.

And then they're only dead until From Beyond.

Hobbun · Apr 27, 2021

5taquitos said:
They're only main characters until they die.

Well, there are still exception 'main' characters, if you read the spoiler indicated by Arkanim94. At least I would consider those as 'main' characters.

Thinking of starting up Darkest Dungeon for next game, have some questions

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