Darkest Dungeon

Hey there! So, Darkest Dungeon is still getting love with updates and new DLCs, even though it's been out for a while. It's pretty cool that the devs keep adding stuff. Let's break down what's new and what you can expect.

There are a few main DLCs that really shake things up:

• Crimson Court: This one's a biggie, adding a whole new area called the Courtyard. You'll face the Crimson Curse, deal with new bloodsucker enemies, and even meet some seriously tough bosses. Plus, you get a new hero, the Flagellant, and a bunch of new buildings to upgrade your Hamlet. It's packed with content!
• The Color of Madness: This DLC introduces the Farmstead region, which offers endless battles with great loot. There's a new merchant, the Nomad Wagon, selling unique crystal trinkets that you get with Comet Shards. You'll also face new bosses like The Miller and The Thing From the Stars. It adds 4 new Districts and some new quirks too.
• The Shieldbreaker: This one focuses on a new hero, the Shieldbreaker, who brings unique combat mechanics like armor piercing and stealth. You'll find new class-specific trinkets and encounter new monster types. Keep an eye out for the Aegis Scale consumable – it can save you from all damage for a turn!

There's also a free DLC, Musketeer, which adds a hero similar to the Arbalest and some class-specific trinkets. It was free for GOG releases or for those who supported the devs earlier.

Now, about speeding things up: these games can take a loooong time. If you're feeling impatient, some folks use Cheat Engine's Speed Hack. Just a heads-up, though: speeding things up might make you miss out on cool effects from Curios or other details. Use it at your own risk!

Crimson Court Deep Dive

Seriously, this DLC is a blast. The Flagellant hero is a unique addition, and the Courtyard dungeon is no joke with its Crimson Curse. You'll be fighting new bloodsuckers that might even show up in other dungeons until you defeat the main bosses. Speaking of bosses, you've got 5 new ones to contend with: 3 main vampires, the Fanatic (who can show up if a hero gets the Crimson Curse), and the Garden Guardian (after you beat the first three). There are also 10 new buildings to upgrade your Hamlet. The maps can be long, and you'll need to manage a new consumable called 'The Blood' to survive. Oh, and the Crocodilian is another boss, making it six in total!

Plus, you'll find tons of new trinkets, often called Crimson items, some with cool set bonuses.

The Color of Madness Details

The Farmstead region is where it's at for endless battles and sweet drops. The Nomad Wagon merchant sells special crystal trinkets that you buy with Comet Shards, which you earn from fights or events. The main boss here is The Miller, along with his monster pals. You'll also run into The Thing From the Stars and the Comet itself. This DLC also adds 4 new Districts and some new quirks to spice things up.

New Curios in this DLC can help keep your party going between those long, endless fights.

The Shieldbreaker Features

This DLC really shines with the Shieldbreaker class. Her unique mechanics include armor piercing, guard break, and stealth. You'll get new class-specific trinkets, some with set bonuses. There are 3 new monster types to face, and keep an eye out for the Aegis Scale consumable – it's rare but lets you avoid all damage for a turn.

A cool note: this DLC adds stealth to some enemies, and the Shieldbreaker has her own story arc where you camp with low stress until you unlock her 7 background stories.

Starting Your Game: The Estate

As of July 2018, you can start with these DLCs enabled:

• Musketeer
• Crimson Court
• Districts
• Flagellant
• Shieldbreaker
• Color of Madness

If a particular DLC's content is annoying you (like the vampires from Crimson Court), you can actually uncheck it before starting your game!

You've got three difficulty levels to choose from:

• Radiant: Perfect for your first playthrough. It's the easiest mode.
• Darkest: This is your standard, normal mode.
• Bloodmoon: This is the super hard mode, combining Stygian rules with the Crimson Court. You have a strict time limit (86 weeks) and a hero death limit (12 deaths). If you fail either, it's game over for your save slot. Seriously, think hard before picking this one!

Different modes affect prices, enemy difficulty, and even the level of heroes you can hire. No matter which mode you pick, you'll start with a mini-dungeon called 'The Old Road' to get to your Hamlet. Your starting heroes will always be Reynauld (a Crusader) and Dismas (a Highwayman).

From there, it's all about exploring your Hamlet and venturing into the Dungeons. Good luck out there!

Soon as you level up, you'll unlock more and more features in the Hamlet. Some are tied to DLCs. This guide provides information on upgrades and the approximate time/event when you can use these features.

Abbey

Upgrading the Abbey increases the types of stress treatments and their effectiveness. Possibilities:

• Cloister: Increase efficiency, reduce cost by 15% two times and increase slot number to 3.
• Transept: Similar to Cloister, but with 16% and 12% cost reduction.
• Penance Hall: Similar to Cloister, but with 13% cost reduction twice.

Unlocks after the 2nd week.

Ancestor's Memoirs

Get information on your ancestor's failures. These can be unlocked once you are done with certain bosses and/or collected enough Journals. DLCs can provide more stories. This feature is available from the start.

Blacksmith

Upgrading the Blacksmith allows for purchasing better weapons and armor, and reduces costs. Upgrades include Weaponsmithing, Armorsmithing, and Furnace (reduces upgrade costs by 10%/level). Weapon- and armorsmithing unlocks L2-5 items. You can upgrade items by dragging and dropping your character to the top right holder or selecting them from your roster.

Unlocked in the 3rd week.

Graveyard

View your fallen heroes. This feature is available from the start.

Guild

Upgrading the Guild allows for training of advanced ranks in hero skills. Upgrades include Instructor Mastery (allows skill upgrades from L2 to L5) and Training Regimen (reduces skill training cost by 10%/level). To upgrade a hero's skill, drag and drop it to the top right, then pay for the skills, or click them in your roster. Do not forget to upgrade necessary skills on new heroes if you have the Gold.

Unlocked in the 3rd week.

Nomad Wagon

Upgrading the Nomad Wagon improves trinket purchase selection and reduces their cost. Upgrades include Wagon Size (4-12 trinkets available) and Merchant Network (reduces trinket costs by 10%/level). Crystal-based items are unique and can only be bought once. Once you have a trinket, right-click a hero and select "Trinket Inventory" below your roster. You can only equip trinkets that are either good for the hero class or not class-limited.

Unlocked at week 10.

Roster

Your roster contains your heroes. You can sort them by level, stress, class, and activity. You can see their portraits, attack/defense, main level, stress level, and whether they have a disease (indicated by a yellow stink or blood on the portrait with Crimson DLC). Right-click any hero to select them and view their stats.

Sanitarium

Upgrading the Sanitarium allows for more quirk treatment slots and reduces treatment cost. Upgrades include Treatment Library (reduces treatment costs by 10% five times), Medical Devices (reduces treatment costs by 13% max 3 times and increases efficiency), and Patient Cells (increases Treatment and Medical Wards slots to max 3). "Medical Ward" removes diseases, while "Treatment Ward" removes or finalizes quirks. Locking a quirk or removing a negative quirk with a death symbol is costly.

Unlocked after your 4th dungeon run, week 4.

Stage Coach

Upgrading the Stagecoach increases available heroes for hire or roster size. Upgrades include Stagecoach Network (increases maximum available hero number), Hero Barracks (increases your available roster size), and Experienced Recruits (chance for a max L3 hero). This building is available from the start, but "Experienced Recruits" cannot be unlocked immediately.

Survivalist

Upgrading the Survivalist increases available Camping skills and reduces their learning cost. Each level gives a -10% reduced cost. Unlock camping skills by dragging and dropping your mates to the top right or selecting them in your roster.

Unlocked at week 10.

Tavern

Upgrading the Tavern increases the types of stress treatments and their effectiveness. You can upgrade the Bar, Gambling, and Brothel. Each can be upgraded to have max 3 slots with cheaper treatment costs (~12-16%x2) and higher efficiency. Some heroes may refuse certain methods while others may prefer specific solutions. Upgrade choices are up to you.

Unlocked after the 2nd week.

Specific Event: A Day Long Awaited

• This event is triggered by defeating Vvulf.
• It results in 6 more recruits than usual appearing in your Stage Coach.