One of the bigger differences between the original Darkest Dungeon and its sequel is the introduction of the relationship system. You pick four different heroes and they all have individually tracked relationships with each other that can affect rather a lot of things in the game.
Managing these relationships can be tricky, but it's important to learn how to do so as when tempers flare and moods sour the knock-on effects can be fatal. Luckily, there are quite a few things you can do to make the wagon a more joyful place for everyone.
This guide was written during the Early Access release of Darkest Dungeon 2. These details are subject to changes as a result.
How Affinity Works
Affinity denotes the relationship between two characters and it can be positive (for example Amorous) or negative (for example Suspicious).
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When the affinity is positive, there is a chance of positive events happening during battles. This may be one hero taking damage in place of another, healing a friend in battle, or making a free attack to avenge a hurt ally.
- In Darkest Dungeon 2, positive affinity is denoted with yellow text and icons.
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When the affinity is negative, there is a chance of your heroes impeding each other in battle. This can take the form of preventing a hero from changing ranks or not letting them use a support move on anyone but themselves.
- In Darkest Dungeon 2, negative affinity is denoted with blue text and icons.
You can check a hero's current relationships on the Character Screen under the Relationships tab. Each character will have a bar of six diamonds underneath their name which denotes the progress towards a new affinity stage being reached.
When that bar reaches six positive or six negative diamonds there will be a relationship change. You will be notified of this change with a sequence in which the pair's relationship is tested. The key to managing these relationships is to monitor these progress bars and make your actions accordingly.
How To Manage Affinity
Affinity changes in a range of situations across a campaign in Darkest Dungeon 2.
- There are random affinity changes that occur as you travel towards the Mountain. It seems that these have a higher chance of being negative when a hero's Stress is above a certain threshold. You can tell what this threshold is by the larger points on the Stress bar.
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Random affinity changes can also occur in battle. These are often tied to the random effects that occur as a result of a pair's affinity level and will usually deepen that relationship.
- For example, an Amorous couple may heal one another in a fight, making them closer.
- Conversely, a Hateful pair may block each other from moving, deepening the hatred.
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When at an encounter (for example a Lair or a Cultist encounter) you must choose one of your heroes' plans. Sometimes your heroes will agree with one another - if you choose one of their plans they will get an affinity boost. If a hero disagrees with the chosen plan, however, those heroes will get some negative affinity.
- You can tell if a hero will approve of the currently highlighted plan - they will have a yellow aura. If they disapprove, there will be a blue aura.
- Keep an eye on your party's affinity - if a pairing is in danger of suffering a relationship hit, try making choices that they both approve of.
- There are lots of Inn Items that can affect affinity. Some of these, such as the deck of cards, have a chance of improving or reducing a pairing's affinity. As you level your profile up you will gain access to better and more efficient Inn Items.
- Undergoing a Stress break (which occurs at ten points of Stress) a hero will lose a number of affinity points with every ally still remaining. To avoid this, you need to manage your Stress as well as you can.