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Back in 2016, the first entry in the Darkest Dungeon series burst onto the scene to plenty of critical success. Fans of the series are more than aware that the long-awaited sequel Darkest Dungeon 2 is now out in an early access form. The fact that it’s in early access hasn’t stopped fans from flocking to the game to find out what the exciting but difficult roguelike has in store for players.
It would be an understatement to say that Darkest Dungeon 2 is a difficult game. It requires a lot of practice and familiarity with the many unique and in-depth mechanics on offer in order to be successful. With lots of mechanics comes lots of important tricks that many players either aren’t aware of or missed completely.
10 Manage Character Relationships For Bonuses
While the idea that players need to manage character relationships to be successful in Darkest Dungeon 2 is pretty basic, plenty of gamers have overlooked the value of the bonuses they can pick up. With plenty of ways for relationships to turn sour, it’s important to build respect amongst any player’s roster of characters.
Ensuring that the various characters have positive relationships will provide vital bonuses that make a huge difference in some of the more difficult sections of the game. A positive relationship may reward players with assists when they need them the most.
9 Avoid High Loathing By Completing Challenges
While there are a lot of reasons as to why Darkest Dungeon 2 is such a difficult game, one of the biggest is the occasionally frustrating loathing system. To put it simply, the higher your loathing the more difficult enemies you’ll have to deal with at a faster rate.
One look at various forums will show that plenty of gamers have difficulty dealing with the loathing within the game, but there are some simple remedies. Players need to take the time and risk to complete challenges across the various worlds in order to maintain a low loathing level.
8 Destroy Obstacles To Find Special Items
In most games, exploration is one of the most obvious keys to success, but Darkest Dungeon 2 makes just about any action an anxiety-inducing one. Players may have completely missed the overall value of destroying any and all obstacles that they come across.
When destroying the game’s various obstacles, it’s entirely possible to get some incredibly important items. In a game with such a brutal difficulty players are likely to take whatever items they can get their hands on with relative ease. Next time you see that rubble, bulldoze right through it.
7 Cause Extra Damage Over Time With Some Characters
The combat system in Darkest Dungeon 2 can take some time to become accustomed to for a lot of players. There’s a lot to consider every time gamers make any move in the middle of an encounter, so it’s not all that surprising that many players have been neglecting the damage over time mechanics.
Pro players likely jumped right onto the valuable damage-dealing mechanic in order to help take out the game’s toughest enemies. Stacking damage over time effects can make even the most dangerous encounters relatively simple.
6 Use Battle Items Without Wasting A Turn
As players progress through the game, many are sure to find various battle items that can provide some useful perks during the game’s fights. In a game where pretty much every move you make could result in your entire party being wiped, it’s important to make every turn matter.
Some players may shy away from the use of battle items, thinking that they’ll replace a character’s turn in battle, but pro players will know that they can follow up the use of a battle item with an attack by the character that used the item.
5 Use The Field Hospital To Remove Quirks
The Field Hospital is a somewhat rare location that's always worth a visit if you have extra Relics to spend. Not only can the Healer cure Diseases and sell you medicines, but she can also remove debilitating Quirks from your Heroes to keep them in top form!
Removing a negative Quirk is reasonably inexpensive, but if you have a lot of cash on hand you can also lock in positive Quirks, ensuring that a Hero will never lose their best traits.
4 Use Hero Shrines For Some Serious Boosts
Pro players will already know that much of the progress made in a run has some transferability to other runs. While some players may avoid Shrines of Reflection for fear of complex combat puzzles, the rewards that can be received are well worth putting your fears aside.
There are plenty of new abilities to unlock for your characters thanks to these shrines, and some will even be vital to ongoing success with Darkest Dungeon 2. Always be sure to try out anything the game tries to bring your attention to.
3 You Can Decrease Equipment Costs Sooner Than You Think
Darkest Dungeon 2 provides players with plenty of opportunities to customize their party. Players will know that making sure characters have the best equipment possible can be difficult and pricey. What some newcomers may not know is that it’s possible to significantly decrease some in-game costs.
Upgrading skills to decrease the cost of dealing with the blacksmith for instance can be done at a low cost, and the return is quite high. A 20 percent discount on gear can make all the difference in the world, especially early on.
2 You Can Scout Ahead, And You Should As Much as Possible
Anyone who’s spent an hour with Darkest Dungeon 2 will likely already know how brutally difficult the game can be. While many gamers turn to the internet for help making it through the tough journey, one of the most important skills every player should possess is the knowledge on the importance of scouting.
Every pro will no doubt explain the importance of planning out your routes and doing everything you can to be aware of what you may face on your next journey. The more you can anticipate, the less likely you are to be unprepared for one of the many different situations you can find yourself in.
1 Turn Setbacks Into Advantages
The primary challenge of Darkest Dungeon 2 is that problems mount quickly and add up even more so. There's no avoiding it; over the course of the run, it's a guarantee that you'll experience some kind of setback, from a nasty Disease to a feud between your Heroes. Good players can manage these troubles and succeed in spite of them, but the best players can turn a problem into a benefit.
For example, suppose a Hero gets stuck with a Disease. With the right Trinkets, you can make the Disease's effects work for you - many of them apply negative tokens, so try equipping the Selfish Motivation, which gives the Hero a damage boost for every negative token they have! If all else fails, the Sickening Silence is a great piece of gear for Diseased Heroes, as it inflicts heavy Blight on enemies who attack them.
Once you master turning disadvantages to your benefit, the game becomes much, much easier. Try it on your next run!