Walkthrough Darkest Dungeon 2 (2023) - guide, tips and tricks

Butcher79

May 10, 2023

Darkest Dungeon 2 is the sequel to the popular game that combines elements bagel и dark fantasy. In this guide, we will look at the main mechanics of the game, analyze the abilities of the starting team and give you useful tips for a successful passage. Darkest Dungeon 2.

Contents of the manual

Essential Tips for Playing Darkest Dungeon 2
Darkest Dungeon 2 Stress Management Guide
Maintain good team relationships
Use the card to your advantage
Pickups - Your Bread and Butter!
The Art of Effective Enemy Positioning in Darkest Dungeon 2
Focus on damage over time for success
Max out the Plague Doctor's Ounce of Prevention ability
Hate containment strategy: A key factor in Darkest Dungeon 2
Unleash your potential in the Shrines of Reflection: Darkest Dungeon 2's New Abilities and Hero Stories
Darkest Dungeon 2 Basics
Research and resources
Stress and Combat: Key Aspects of Resource Management in Darkest Dungeon 2

Before starting the game, it is important to know some key points. The original Darkest Dungeon was known for its difficulty and punishment, and Darkest Dungeon 2 retains those traits, offering new mechanics and a dark adventure atmosphere. Considering that the game has already been released in its full version, some parts of the story, acts and enemies that were not available in Early Access are now within reach, however, the basic mechanics have remained unchanged. In this guide, we will look at the main functions of the game and give tips on passing. Please note that Darkest Dungeon 2 is based on procedural level generation and random events, so it is impossible to provide an accurate walkthrough of the entire game.

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Essential Tips for Playing Darkest Dungeon 2

Build a balanced team: It is important to build a team of heroes that have different classes and skills. A variety of classes will allow you to effectively deal with various situations and opponents.
Manage Stress: In Darkest Dungeon 2, stress is an important element of the game. Stress can negatively affect the mental state of your heroes and cause various negative effects. Pay attention to stress and use abilities and items that allow you to cope with it.
Save Resources: In Darkest Dungeon 2, resources such as gold and items are limited. Be frugal in your use of resources and plan your moves so you don't run out of supplies too quickly.
Explore the environment: In every level of Darkest Dungeon 2, it is important to actively explore the environment. Finding secret rooms, treasures and other valuable items can greatly help you in battles and increase your chances of success.
Plan and balance risk: In Darkest Dungeon 2, you will often have to make decisions around risk and reward. Some events can offer you valuable resources, but come with a high risk for your team. Be careful when making such decisions and weigh the possible consequences.
Use Skills and Tactics: Each hero class in Darkest Dungeon 2 has unique abilities. Use them wisely and plan your moves to make the best use of your team's strengths and minimize vulnerabilities.
Develop and upgrade heroes: The game has a system of pumping heroes. Invest resources and time to improve the abilities and equipment of your heroes. This will help them survive in battles and become stronger.
Study enemies and their weaknesses: Each type of enemy in Darkest Dungeon 2 has its own vulnerabilities and strengths. Study their characteristics and attacks in order to develop an effective strategy to deal with them.
Be ready for the victims: Darkest Dungeon 2 is a game where you will inevitably have to face losses and victims. Heroes may die or be permanently damaged. Be ready for such situations and don't be afraid to make difficult decisions to save the team as a whole.
Experiment and find your playstyle: Darkest Dungeon 2 offers a variety of approaches to passing. Experiment with different strategies and tactics to find your own playstyle that works best for you.

Darkest Dungeon 2 Stress Management Guide

Stress management is a key aspect of playing Darkest Dungeon 2. In this guide, we will look at the importance of managing your stress levels and suggest effective ways to reduce its effect on your heroes.

Stress affects the performance and mental state of characters in Darkest Dungeon 2. High levels of stress can lead to bugs and negative effects during battle. Therefore, it is important to actively control and reduce the stress level of your heroes.

One of the most effective ways to reduce stress is to use frankincense. This item can significantly reduce the stress level of heroes. Try to collect incense whenever you have the opportunity. However, the most reliable way to reduce stress is to use the abilities of the Plague Doctor.

It is important to note that health regeneration in Darkest Dungeon 2 occurs automatically while traveling around the map. Gradually, the heroes regain lost health points without the need to use healing items. However, stress builds and persists throughout the game, and levels can increase as the story progresses.

A high level of stress can lead to serious consequences, such as a significant decrease in health and discord in a group of characters. Therefore, it is recommended to adhere to the following recommendations:

Pay special attention to abilities and items that reduce stress. Use them to the best of your ability to manage stress in your group.
Try to minimize situations that increase stress, such as facing dangerous opponents and making risky decisions.
Keep an eye on the health of your heroes and regularly take preventive measures to reduce stress. This will help keep their combat capability at a high level and prevent negative consequences.
Diversify your battle strategies and use tactics that will help reduce stress during battles. Some classes of heroes have abilities aimed at reducing stress, such as soothing words or protection from emotional upheavals. Use these abilities at critical moments to help your heroes deal with accumulated stress.
Manage the composition of the group and team spirit. Choose characters whose abilities can reduce the stress of other heroes or strengthen their mental state. Create a balanced team composition where each team member will play a role in stress management.
Use the time between battles to actively re-stress. Some camp activities and items can help reduce stress levels and prepare your heroes for the next battle. Plan your time wisely and use the available opportunities to strengthen your team's mental state.
Don't forget about upgrading heroes. Upgrading abilities and equipment will allow your heroes to deal with stress and battles more effectively. Invest resources in developing your characters to increase their stamina and stress management abilities.
Following these tips will help you successfully manage stress in Darkest Dungeon 2 and increase your party's chances of survival and prosperity.

Maintain good team relationships

Strengthening your party relationships is an important aspect of playing Darkest Dungeon 2. Maintaining positive relationships between characters will help you achieve better results in combat and manage stress. Here are some tips on how to maintain good relations in the squad:

Keep an eye on relationship indicators: Constantly monitor the scale of relations between heroes. If you notice that the relationship is starting to deteriorate, take steps to fix it.
Show caring: Interact with the characters in a positive way, support them, encourage their success and help them in difficult situations. This will help to strengthen the positive relationship between the characters.
Send Heroes Together on Missions: Send characters that already have a positive connection together on battles and adventures. This will help them spend more time together and strengthen their relationship.
Use camp activities: During camp activities in Darkest Dungeon 2, there is an opportunity to spend time with the heroes and develop their relationships. Choose activities that help improve relations between the characters.
Avoid Conflict: Try to avoid situations that may cause negative emotions or conflict between characters. Think twice before making decisions that could negatively impact squad relationships.
Use the inn's items and services: In the inn, you can purchase consumables that will help improve the relationship between the characters. Constantly check what items are available and use them to strengthen bonds in the squad.

By following these tips, you will be able to create a strong and cohesive squad.

Use the card to your advantage

Use the carriage to your advantage, ramming obstacles on the road. While they don't damage your team or increase stress, they can give you useful items or extra survival food. When you spot destructible objects along the way, feel free to move straight into them.

Please note that the carriage moves with some delay due to the horses. To get the most out of your carriage, it is recommended that you use the auto forward command (press the W key twice) and make minor course corrections using the A and D keys as needed.

Keep in mind that Darkest Dungeon 2 is not a Mario Kart, so the movement of the carriage may differ from regular racing games. However, proper use of the carriage and active interaction with the outside world can bring you additional resources and advantages in battles. So don't miss the opportunity to get free items and continue your journey through the dark world of Darkest Dungeon 2, ramming objects on your way.

Pickups - Your Bread and Butter!

In Darkest Dungeon 2, it is important to constantly use the collected items and not skimp on consumables. Don't forget that using items in combat doesn't require additional Action Points, so they can be used for free. After using an item, you can still make a move, use abilities, or attack enemies. So if you have a healing ointment or incense, use it at the beginning of the hero's turn, and then continue the fight.

In Darkest Dungeon 2, you will find a huge amount of items while traveling around the world, so there is no point in saving on using them. Moreover, some items can only be used in the inn, so active use of consumables will help you effectively develop the group.

In addition, your carriage has a limited number of item slots. Keep at least one slot free to be able to collect new items you find in the open world. It will also allow you to make decisions about which items to bring with you and which items to replace. If your inventory is full, the game will not allow you to collect new items. The narrator will point out the need to collect food and money, but he will also point out that they will be meaningless if you don't use them.

Don't be afraid to use the items you've collected, as they provide significant advantages in combat and will help you succeed in your journey through the world of Darkest Dungeon 2.

The Art of Effective Enemy Positioning in Darkest Dungeon 2

Positioning enemies in Darkest Dungeon 2 is an important aspect of combat strategy. You need to take into account both the position of your heroes and the position of enemies in order to make the most of your abilities and deal damage.

When studying the abilities of each character, pay attention to the yellow and red circles. The yellow circles indicate where your hero must stand in order to activate this skill. The red circles show where the enemy must be in order for your skill to hit them. Pay attention to these circles and keep them in mind when planning the positioning of your heroes.

There are four specific classes of heroes in your initial group, and each of them has its own preferred positions. The warrior is best placed in the first two positions, the rogue in the second position, and the grave robber and the plague doctor in the back lines. Designing the perfect squad is all about having a tank, a healer, and two high-damage heroes capable of attacking enemies in different positions.

However, don't limit yourself to just these four hero classes. In Darkest Dungeon 2, you will meet and recruit new heroes with different classes and unique abilities. This allows you to create more diverse and adaptable units for different situations. Experiment with different class combinations to find the best strategies based on enemy positioning.

Remember that it is important to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of enemies, examine their positions and choose the most suitable attacks and abilities. Gradually figure out the positioning of the enemies and this will help you become more successful in Darkest Dungeon 2.

Focus on damage over time for success

In Darkest Dungeon 2, it's especially important to use damage over time like burns, bleeding, and poisoning to handle the toughest fights. These effects are cumulative, so you can use them on dangerous opponents. The Tomb Raider and Plague Doctor have abilities that can poison enemies, while the Rogue has a bleed attack early in the game. In addition, damage over time effects (activated at the start of the enemy's turn) can help knock out strong opponents that activate Death's Door.

Max out the Plague Doctor's Ounce of Prevention ability

In Darkest Dungeon, a simple character development system makes the process of improving abilities quite transparent. You don't have to worry about gaining experience or leveling up, instead you will get skill points in some battles. These points can be used to improve the abilities of the heroes in the inn. Each ability can only be upgraded once per playthrough. Upgrading increases the effectiveness of the ability and sometimes adds additional effects.

I recommend focusing on improving the Plague Doctor's Ounce of Prevention as soon as possible. This ability helps reduce the stress of the heroes by 1 point and strengthens the defense of the entire group. In the early game, stress is your main enemy, so an improved version of this ability will make stress management much easier and help you deal with it more effectively.

However, be careful and do not rush to spend all your skill points on one character. If this hero dies, all mastery points spent will be lost. When you reach the next tavern, the dead heroes will be replaced with new ones, and you can start their development again, if, of course, you can get to this place.

Remember that proper distribution of skill points among different characters will help you create a balanced and effective squad that can withstand all the challenges in Darkest Dungeon.

Hate containment strategy: A key factor in Darkest Dungeon 2

In Darkest Dungeon 2, similar to the World Trend system from Demon's Souls, there are two gauges that keep track of the overall state of the game. One of them is the torch, which is already familiar from the original Darkest Dungeon. The brightness level of the torch is measured on a scale from 0 to 100. When you visit the inn, the torch flares up at maximum, but as you move along the map, its fire begins to fade. At maximum brightness, the torch provides your squad with significant combat bonuses, but as it fades, the advantage passes to the side of the enemies, who become more powerful. The speed with which the torch fades depends on another factor - hatred.

The level of hatred increases each time you reach the inn at the end of each level, and its level is reduced by defeating opponents during random encounters such as resistances, lairs and cultists. You can also significantly reduce the level of hatred by successfully completing all three rounds of the Guardian's final challenge on each map. When the level of hatred is high and the torch is dim, the battles become much more difficult. One of my first seemingly successful attempts failed because the level of hatred was too high.

Therefore, it is important to control the level of hatred and manage the brightness of the torch in order to cope with the challenges of Darkest Dungeon 2. Be mindful of your actions and strive to maintain a balance between hatred and light in order to prevent situations that become too difficult.

Unleash your potential in the Shrines of Reflection: Darkest Dungeon 2's New Abilities and Hero Stories

One of the permanent rewards in Darkest Dungeon 2 are new abilities for your heroes, which can be found in the Shrines of Reflection. On the map, these shrines are marked with a bell symbol. By visiting them, you will be able to unlock new skills and learn some details from the history of the selected character. Most of these stories are just playable, but sometimes you'll have to deal with a combat challenge that can end in failure. Because these new abilities persist between playthroughs, it's worth aiming to unlock as much as possible to give yourself more tactical flexibility. For example, the skills "Dead night" and "Open vein" for the grave robber and robber can be very useful.

Darkest Dungeon 2 Basics

Obviously, the first thing that catches your eye when moving from Darkest Dungeon to Darkest Dungeon 2 is the change in playstyle towards a roguelike based on multiple passages, rather than micromanagement. Each time you start the game, you are given four adventurers and some random items. Then you go on a journey, trying to get as far as possible until your squad is destroyed. And this will happen more than once! Your hope rank will increase after each pass, depending on how far you have progressed. This rank also depends on the number of victories in battles and treasures found. As the Hope rank increases, you will be able to find more and more powerful items among the loot, which will increase your chances of success in future passes.

Let's start with recruits. You start the game with four characters: a warrior, a robber, a grave robber and a plague doctor. As the time you play Darkest Dungeon 2 increases, you will unlock more characters, allowing you to create a more flexible strategy.

However, initially you don't have a choice, so you'll have to place the available seekers into slots that determine their position in combat. In the far right slot, place a warrior who has good armor and a shield, which allows him to act as a tank. Place the Robber and Grave Robber in the two center slots. Both characters have long-range weapons that come in handy for attacking opponents at a long and hidden distance. Finally, the plague doctor should be placed in the leftmost slot. He uses healing abilities and poison bombs. Try to use the advantages of each character and do not put them in unsuitable positions.

Research and resources

As mentioned earlier, Darkest Dungeon 2 is a dark, procedurally generated journey through a world full of monsters and danger. Therefore, you need to use every slightest advantage that you can get in battle. The game has two main resources to keep in mind on a long-term basis.

The first resource is a torch located on the carriage. As in the first part of Darkest Dungeon, the level of lighting affects the difficulty of the enemies encountered. The lower the light level, the more powerful and dangerous the monsters become. You can increase the level of illumination through certain actions, such as winning battles or providing supplies to starving travelers. At the beginning of the game, try to keep the lighting level high.

The second resource is hate, displayed on a scale in the upper left corner of the screen. As you progress in the game, the level of hatred will increase, which gives permanent bonuses for future battles with monsters. In some cases, when choosing a fork, winning the battle can reduce the level of hatred. Try to choose such collisions in order to contain the growth of this indicator.

During the journey, you will also find items in inns. Taverns are a kind of checkpoints between levels and provide an opportunity to rest between battles and improve your squad. In the inn, you can use items on your characters to give them permanent bonuses and improve their stats. Try to use all the available items in the best possible way to free up space in your inventory.

Also pay attention to the trinkets and combat items that you will find during your journey. Equip these items right away. Trinkets are important as they provide passive upgrades to your squad. While these bonuses may seem minor (like +2 speed or +10% plague resistance), they add up to greatly increase your chances of success. Right click on the character portrait at the bottom of the screen to open the menu, then left click on the bag icon to open the inventory. You can drag and drop trinkets into their respective slots to equip them.

In the same menu, you can equip combat items that play an important role during the most difficult battles. In addition to the four available character skills, you can also use combat items without spending action points. This means that you can activate a combat item and then use all available skills. You don't lose anything by doing this. For example, a healing ointment can restore health points, and bandages can help stop bleeding. Other items can remove damage or poisoning. There are also smoke bombs, ichor bombs, and combat stimulants. There are many different items in the game, so you should not skimp on using them.

Remember that the efficient use of resources and items can significantly increase your chances of survival and successful completion of the game. Pay attention and strategically plan your actions to give your squad an advantage during dark and dangerous adventures.

Stress and Combat: Key Aspects of Resource Management in Darkest Dungeon 2

Combat in Darkest Dungeon 2 requires a good understanding of mechanics and strategic planning. They are played turn-based, where the positioning of your characters and opponents, as well as the use of status effects, play an important role. Almost every attack or ability has a chance to damage or inflict status effects on enemies. It's important to remember that status effects can stack, so applying the same status effect multiple times can increase its effect.

Each character has different attacks that can only be used from certain positions. For example, warrior and rogue are effective in the first two positions, while tomb raider and plague doctor have attacks suitable for attacking enemies in the rear positions with poison darts and plague bombs.

Stress is an important aspect of the game that you will have to deal with. It is displayed as a scale with white squares under the health bar of each character. Stress builds up as you travel and can be caused by taking damage, combat, interactions between characters in a party, or adverse events in the world around you. When the stress level reaches its maximum, the character can receive negative effects, lose health and increase the stress of other party members. It is especially important to control the stress level of a character who plays the role of a “tank” and takes more damage.

To reduce stress, you can use certain abilities, items, or send the character to rest in the tavern after the battle. Also look out for characters' perks and skills that can help them cope with stress or strengthen their mental toughness.

Remember that the level of stress affects the efficiency and psychological state of your characters.

Continuing the conversation about stress in Darkest Dungeon 2, it should be noted that the level of stress affects the efficiency and psychological state of your characters. A high level of stress can lead to various negative effects, such as reduced accuracy, speed, resistance, and resistance to status effects. Also, characters can get various psychological conditions, such as paranoia, insanity, fainting, and others, which can greatly complicate the battle.

You may need different strategies to deal with stress. One way is to use abilities and items that can reduce characters' stress levels during or after combat. Some characters may have special skills or artifacts that allow them to effectively manage stress.

In addition, it is important to take precautions and plan your activities in such a way as to minimize stressful situations. For example, you might prefer to attack enemies that can deal a lot of stress damage to your characters, or use abilities that can relieve stress on allies.

Also pay attention to the state of your characters after the battle. If they have too much stress built up, it may be wise to take them to a restaurant or take other stress-reducing activities, such as meditation or a visit to the library. Resting and recovering from intense battles will help Sims cope with stress and regain efficiency.

All in all, stress management is an important part of the game, and managing your characters' stress effectively can be the deciding factor in Darkest Dungeon 2's success.

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