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Darkest Dungeon |OT| A festering mecca of antediluvian evil

Dargor

Member
Really like this game, but I really think it needed to be more punishing.

Once you realize that your heroes are nothing more than pawns to be sacrificed, it really loses its edge. You don't care anymore if they live or die and that really takes away from the game's atmosphere.

I really worried about them, but then you understand how the game works and now I'm sending them aways instead of treating them, it's just cheaper to train someone else.

The only guy I'm keeping is the first crusader you start with (Reynold, I think), everyone else is replaceable.
 

Klyka

Banned
Really like this game, but I really think it needed to be more punishing.

Once you realize that your heroes are nothing more than pawns to be sacrificed, it really loses its edge. You don't care anymore if they live or die and that really takes away from the game atmosphere.

I really worried about them, but then you understand how the game works and now I'm sending them aways instead of treating them, it's just cheaper to train someone else.

The only guy I'm keeping is the first crusader you start with (Reynold, I think), everyone else is replaceable.

Well, you will get diamonds out of the rough and you will want to keep them alive and be very unhappy about the time invested in them that you lose when they die/become unsalvageable.
 

kionedrik

Member
I have really bad luck with movement skills to be honest. Lost track of how many adventurers I've lost in scenarios that involved wasting a turn with a movement skill only to fall back on outdamaging the monsters. So yes, there are indeed ways to overcome the corpse obstacles, but I feel they are incredibly unnecessary and slow down the pace and flow of the combat. Also, the fact that I've played 25+ hours of the game without having to deal with them plays a role in me not liking this addition.

I never had a problem with the corpses mechanic myself and I started playing when they didn't exist. IMO they add another layer of complexity that isn't bad at all as it forces you to think one or two steps ahead. You can even use it to your advantage since you can lock melee bruisers behind their comrades corpses and reduce significantly their threat for 1 turn.
I really believe you're undervaluing movement skills and if you get into a situation where you have to choose between them and mindless rushing the enemy corpses for fear of being killed you might be doing something wrong. BH pull and stun grenade, Occultist pull or PD stun shuffle, just to name a few, are pretty invaluable skills that I need to have in my party in any given moment and can completely change the tide of any battle.
 

Dargor

Member
Well, you will get diamonds out of the rough and you will want to keep them alive and be very unhappy about the time invested in them that you lose when they die/become unsalvageable.

I really wish I still had some attachment to them.

Like the last dungeon I went, I lost a really good occultist. Guy healed like a champ, I lost him on the boss fight. The only thing I felt was surprise that I only lost him. The other 3 (hellion, arbalest and highwayman) were really hurt, two on deaths door and the other with almost no hp.

The arbalest really clung to life though lol. She must have resisted at least 3 times to a hit at deaths door. Little engine that could, that one hehehehe.
 

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
Really like this game, but I really think it needed to be more punishing.

Once you realize that your heroes are nothing more than pawns to be sacrificed, it really loses its edge. You don't care anymore if they live or die and that really takes away from the game's atmosphere.

I really worried about them, but then you understand how the game works and now I'm sending them aways instead of treating them, it's just cheaper to train someone else.

The only guy I'm keeping is the first crusader you start with (Reynold, I think), everyone else is replaceable.

Met the Darkest Dungeon yet?
or even just Champion dungeons?
Once you realize it's 38 exp and 28k gold to get one back up...
 

LiK

Member
why is curing them of Quirks and Ailments so friggin' expensive especially when I'm still lvl 1? might as well just get rid of them and start with a fresh dude. two of my guys has 6 Quirks stacked up each lol.

I'm gonna just look up a guide on trying to balance out the stress stuff. my least favorite part of the game cuz trying to balance the gold between curing stress or buying provisions gets too hard for me.

so far I have only 2 guys at lvl 2.
 

Sarcasm

Member
My least favorite part is trying to figure out who to take/cut and the inflow of upgrades for this to become easier lol
 
why is curing them of Quirks and Ailments so friggin' expensive especially when I'm still lvl 1? might as well just get rid of them and start with a fresh dude. two of my guys has 6 Quirks stacked up each lol.

I'm gonna just look up a guide on trying to balance out the stress stuff. my least favorite part of the game cuz trying to balance the gold between curing stress or buying provisions gets too hard for me.

so far I have only 2 guys at lvl 2.

I found when i was focusing on short missions, I was barely making a profit, once I starting focusing on medium mission though, this became much less of a problem(the secret rooms alone are often worth 7.5k or 5k + a high level item... fucking dimas' head is great). part of it is that i just kind of ignore most bad quirks and ailments, except stuff like kleptomaniac and compulsive as those guys can't screw me out of cash while also fucking them selves over by opening trapped shit I could have used an item for. Honestly at low levels the -10% damage and hit aren't gonna ruin a character. When you've got the extra cash, sure get rid of it(hopefully it isn't a locked in one), but odds are they will do fine with those penalties until you hit tier 2 dungeons.
 

DrArchon

Member
why is curing them of Quirks and Ailments so friggin' expensive especially when I'm still lvl 1? might as well just get rid of them and start with a fresh dude. two of my guys has 6 Quirks stacked up each lol.

I'm gonna just look up a guide on trying to balance out the stress stuff. my least favorite part of the game cuz trying to balance the gold between curing stress or buying provisions gets too hard for me.

so far I have only 2 guys at lvl 2.

A lot of quirks are things that you can ignore pretty easily. Stuff like "can't go in the brothel " or "extra stress against eldricth" are pretty easy to deal with so fixing them is usually a waste. Same with stuff that's normally bad for one class but doesn't matter for another, like damage reduction on a Vestel that you only use for healing.

Also, when you have max quirks and you get more, the new ones will replace old ones, so you might see some bad ones get replaced by ones that aren't as bad.

Until you get guys to a high enough lvl to know that you want to keep them around for as long as possible, don't bother with quirks at all.
 

LiK

Member
I found when i was focusing on short missions, I was barely making a profit, once I starting focusing on medium mission though, this became much less of a problem(the secret rooms alone are often worth 7.5k or 5k + a high level item... fucking dimas' head is great). part of it is that i just kind of ignore most bad quirks and ailments, except stuff like kleptomaniac and compulsive as those guys can't screw me out of cash while also fucking them selves over by opening trapped shit I could have used an item for. Honestly at low levels the -10% damage and hit aren't gonna ruin a character. When you've got the extra cash, sure get rid of it(hopefully it isn't a locked in one), but odds are they will do fine with those penalties until you hit tier 2 dungeons.

A lot of quirks are things that you can ignore pretty easily. Stuff like "can't go in the brothel " or "extra stress against eldricth" are pretty easy to deal with so fixing them is usually a waste. Same with stuff that's normally bad for one class but doesn't matter for another, like damage reduction on a Vestel that you only use for healing.

Also, when you have max quirks and you get more, the new ones will replace old ones, so you might see some bad ones get replaced by ones that aren't as bad.

Until you get guys to a high enough lvl to know that you want to keep them around for as long as possible, don't bother with quirks at all.

thanks for the tips. guess quirks aren't as big a deal if they don't really ruin their stats eh
 

kionedrik

Member
A lot of quirks are things that you can ignore pretty easily. Stuff like "can't go in the brothel " or "extra stress against eldricth" are pretty easy to deal with so fixing them is usually a waste. Same with stuff that's normally bad for one class but doesn't matter for another, like damage reduction on a Vestel that you only use for healing.

I used to ignore quirks like the bolded one and the "extra stress damage in ruins" quirks but not anymore. Being hit by 25+ stress per attack/crit or dealing less 4hp per hit is quite substantial and in higher level dungeons is unsustainable.
 

DrArchon

Member
I used to ignore quirks like the bolded one and the "extra stress damage in ruins" quirks but not anymore. Being hit by 25+ stress per attack/crit or dealing less 4hp per hit is quite substantial.

It's bad if you run into a lot of that kind of enemy, but as long as you know which areas have which enemies you can play around it more or less. When I have a guy with weakness against eldritch, I never take him to the cove for example, and with a guy that sucks against unholy and the ruins. You'll still see enemies of all types in all areas, but each type is still concentrated in certain places so you can avoid them if you want.
 

kionedrik

Member
It's bad if you run into a lot of that kind of enemy, but as long as you know which areas have which enemies you can play around it more or less. When I have a guy with weakness against eldritch, I never take him to the cove for example, and with a guy that sucks against unholy and the ruins. You'll still see enemies of all types in all areas, but each type is still concentrated in certain places so you can avoid them if you want.

But you're unnecessarily limiting your party potential. Imagine your PD is afraid of eldritch and/or unholy which means you will not be able to take him to the cove or ruins where he would be most effective since enemies in those areas have rather shitty blight resistance.

There's always the chance you lock yourself into a corner and really need a hard hitter or a healer that will suffer immensely from the place you take them, diminishing their effectiveness and maybe even ruining the quest entirely.

It's not something to worry about in the beginning of the game but I found it to be quite important from veteran dungeons onward. Hopefully by that time you'll have the necessary income to deal with such quirks.
 

DrArchon

Member
It's not something to worry about in the beginning of the game but I found it to be quite important from veteran dungeons onward. Hopefully by that time you'll have the necessary income to deal with such quirks.

Oh, late in the game you absolutely want to deal with that kind of stuff. Stress is a nightmare in those long runs no matter how many Jesters and stress reduction trinkets you bring. I'm just talking about early and shorter mid-game runs where money is more limited.

For late game, yeah I'll splurge on getting rid of damage reductions and stress increase. I can't have my Crusader lose all the bonus damage he gets against unholy.
 

Dargor

Member
Met the Darkest Dungeon yet?
or even just Champion dungeons?
Once you realize it's 38 exp and 28k gold to get one back up...

Not yet, but so far I've had no problem getting gold, I think they should even nerf how much gold you can get a little. On my first 4/5 missions or so I had amassed something like 60k gold (I think thats too much, theres nothing remotely expensive enough for me to use that much gold at that point). I always entered them dungeons with the appropriate itens to get all the curios. So I walk out with 10k+ of gold most times, the longer ones I even got more...

I stopped doing that cuz I really think I was setting myself up for disappointment later on. I dunno if you ever grinded some game that is supposed to be dificult later on, then, when that later on arrives, you're too overpowered and things go way too easily? I thought I was doing that.

Only the heirlooms are a bit more troublesome, since there are times you enter a dungeon to get some specific type, but ends up getting another one more. Like, right now I need busts to finish the Sanatorium (60 busts I think), so I get on the ruins and get lots of crests. Go figure lol

Sorry for the long post

I give them the names of my friends/family/people I know.

Makes it hilarious.

I think I won't be going that far, I would find it a little unsettling (not in a good way hehe), but naming things sure is a good way to create bonds with them, so I really am thinking it will make it more enjoyable :D.
 

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
Not yet, but so far I've had no problem getting gold, I think they should even nerf how much gold you can get a little. On my first 4/5 missions or so I had amassed something like 60k gold (I think thats too much, theres nothing remotely expensive enough for me to use that much gold at that point). I always entered them dungeons with the appropriate itens to get all the curios. So I walk out with 10k+ of gold most times, the longer ones I even got more...

I stopped doing that cuz I really think I was setting myself up for disappointment later on. I dunno if you ever grinded some game that is supposed to be dificult later on, then, when that later on arrives, you're too overpowered and things go way too easily? I thought I was doing that.

Only the heirlooms are a bit more troublesome, since there are times you enter a dungeon to get some specific type, but ends up getting another one more. Like, right now I need busts to finish the Sanatorium (60 busts I think), so I get on the ruins and get lots of crests. Go figure lol

Sorry for the long post



I think I won't be going that far, I would find it a little unsetling (not in a good way hehe), but naming things sure is a good way to create bonds with them, so I really am thinking it will make it more enjoyable :D.

Trust me, this isn't happening there.
Green dungeons are a cakewalk. Yellow can really wipe you out, Red gets real, and fuck the darkest dungeon.

Also, gold is relative. The important part is really blacksmith upgrades - you basically can't enter champion dungeons without L4 armor.
 

Dargor

Member
Trust me, this isn't happening there.
Green dungeons are a cakewalk. Yellow can really wipe you out, Red gets real, and fuck the darkest dungeon.

Also, gold is relative. The important part is really blacksmith upgrades - you basically can't enter champion dungeons without L4 armor.

Good news then! Makes me really want to do everything instead of holding off in hopes of keeping the games difficulty high :D

Ain't holding back no more hehehehe
 

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
Do heroes ever come back, when they leave? My best Vestal just fucked off on a pilgrimage, and i'm kinda screwed.
 
Do heroes ever come back, when they leave? My best Vestal just fucked off on a pilgrimage, and i'm kinda screwed.

I haven't even had one leave like that yet but if you have an Occultist or Plague Doctor they can heal in a pinch. Especially Occultist because that bleed chance is worth getting a 12HP heal. Carried me through my first boss battle.
 

BeesEight

Member
Do heroes ever come back, when they leave? My best Vestal just fucked off on a pilgrimage, and i'm kinda screwed.

They're usually gone for just one extra week. Though I think there's a few things they might wander off to do that lasts longer (like the pilgrimage). However, mine came back (the fool) so I'm assuming they all do.
 
Really like this game, but I really think it needed to be more punishing.

Once you realize that your heroes are nothing more than pawns to be sacrificed, it really loses its edge. You don't care anymore if they live or die and that really takes away from the game's atmosphere.

Yeah their refusal to change this and some other key issues really made me drop the game tbh. To me at the end of the day it's basically just a grind, like you cant lose the game permanently but you can lose men permanently which is honestly more annoying for me than just restarting. Like oh I'm not actually worried about failure I'm worried about spending more time to be able to beat this challenge. Neat.
 

Szadek

Member
Yeah their refusal to change this and some other key issues really made me drop the game tbh. To me at the end of the day it's basically just a grind, like you cant lose the game permanently but you can lose men permanently which is honestly more annoying for me than just restarting. Like oh I'm not actually worried about failure I'm worried about spending more time to be able to beat this challenge. Neat.
You can lose the game in new game plus. If you wan to emulate the lose condition, just delete your save after losing 13 heroes or after 91 weeks have passed.
 
So are ancestral trinkets unique as in you can only get one of each?

Once I've gotten one, like the lantern or the moustache cream I haven't seen them pop up again for a reward.
 

QFNS

Unconfirmed Member
Loving this game. I just got started a little but last night. It seems there are a number of quests in each area. Should I be focusing on one in particular or just progressing toward whichever seems easiest with the party I happen to have?
 

inm8num2

Member
IGN review - 9.1/10

Darkest Dungeon is a grim and merciless tactical strategy game whose great tension comes from its many layers of complexity, unpredictable randomization, and willingness to put our fragile characters in mortal danger if we dare to venture into its depths in search of treasure and glory. Brilliant narration and stiff yet surprisingly expressive animation make it easy to be drawn into its vague but tantalizing world, though the end feels artificially out of reach.

(sorry, not trying to spam reviews, just sharing in case people are interested to read more about the game and/or purchase it)
 
I'm afraid I might be grinding too many early levels out of ear of losing my loved party members. I just fought my first boss and absolutely rocked him.

You people who talk about your party as if they are canon fodder---shame on you heartless monsters. I will cry when I lose my Hellion. She's my first....
 

kionedrik

Member
Dots, dots, more dots! But they still get a turn or two at full strength while in the other areas a good group will DPS down at least one enemy during the first turn.

Each zone needs to be address in a specific way and the cove enemies tend to have high prot, so dots are the way to go and poison is what's most effective against them.
While the poison is doing it's thing you can still slap them, stun them and move them around in order to lower their effectiveness.

I don't think the cove is that hard but it seems that way because you are forced to use more mechanics than anywhere else (apart from the Darkest Dungeon).
 

cabot

Member
It was all going reasonably well until I ran into a Collector....

He kept spawning his little head army that stopped my melee chars from hitting, and the spellcaster could only do so much, then the heads would heal the collector.

Rinse, repeat.

Oh shit, I just remembered one of my party had a drag to front ability, lol. Either I was super dumb or I tried it and he was still out of reach.
 
Since a lot of you seem to be doing very well at the game I'd love some tips on solid party combos to tackle the more difficult challenges (such as the bosses).
 
Since a lot of you seem to be doing very well at the game I'd love some tips on solid party combos to tackle the more difficult challenges (such as the bosses).

Most important thing is to be able to put big hits on all 4 locations. Slowly working through the ranks and corpses to bring the boss to the front never ends well. I usually run one of two parties for boss runs.

Occultist at 4 with a speed boost so the first move I usually get is firing off a vunerability hex on the boss. Also has big heals and abyssal artillery to target back line stressers like vomit pigs and wine throwers.

Arbalist at 3 with snipe to expoilt the mark, flare to clear marks on your party and bola to at least target the front line.

Bounty Hunter at 2 with collect bounty to exploit the mark, come hither to pull and finish him to get to 3.

At 1 is either a Leper or Hellion depending on location and damage. The Hellion has Iron Swan to attack 4, Yawp to stun and let the BH finish him. The Leper is more a basher and debuffer with big chop and hews and lots of cool annoyances for the enemies.


You need to watch the BH closely at 2 as he is squishy and will need the most heals. This party is more about big hits quickly not allowing the boss to get too many turns, working great so far. One thing, due to the way the Occultist heals you'll need some bleed resist, so bring bleed resist trinkets and no one susceptible to bleeding! Haemophiliacs need not apply!
 

DrArchon

Member
Since a lot of you seem to be doing very well at the game I'd love some tips on solid party combos to tackle the more difficult challenges (such as the bosses).

A lineup with good melee damage and ranged damage is effective on almost every boss. The necromancers for example are best dealt with by ranged characters/characters that can pull him to the front and good melee heroes to keep the summons in check (usually a Crusader or two). That's basically how all of the bosses work, there's one enemy/part to focus on but you need to be able to damage something else as well, be it the hag's pot, the sailor with the anchor, or the bandits that prime the canon so it can shoot you. Don't target Wilbur though, that's a bad idea. Save him for last :)

The only way that I've been able to melee my way through a boss and all of its associated bullshit has been with a Jester/Occultist/Abomination/Abomination lineup, and it leaves my party so fucked up after the run that I always need to send all 4 to stress treatment. Double Rake is crazy strong though so if you want to try it out then go for it.
 

Hoo-doo

Banned
Since a lot of you seem to be doing very well at the game I'd love some tips on solid party combos to tackle the more difficult challenges (such as the bosses).

For the bosses, you need a dedicated healer and some synergy between your squad.
Take the Vestal with both heal spells and 2 ranged damage spells and slot her in the back. Or take the Occultist with his rather powerful heal spell, the bleed effect is negligible. See if you have any +heal items and equip them.

With synergy I mean that the skills of your partymembers benefit eachother. So when the Occultist casts Vulnerability Hex on someone, he marks the enemy while debuffing it.
If you then have a Graverobber, Highwayman, Houndmaster or Arbalest in your team, they have specific skills that do extra damage against marked enemies and often land critical blows.

It leads to a situation where any enemy getting marked, is going to get slapped down hard.

Also, make sure you have some kind of stress heal. It can really save you in a pinch.

Another thing I've felt was really useful lately is drawing out fights just so you can get your entire party healed up. When you have just one weak enemy standing in a random encounter and you're pretty battered, don't attack him, just keep buffing with your entire party and let the healer heal everyone to max before landing the killing blow. Heals are free and this strategy saves on food. There are those wimpy enemies that do nothing but mark you for 1dmg every turn (you know the ones), those are prime targets for this strategy.
 

Neoweee

Member
Really like this game, but I really think it needed to be more punishing.

Once you realize that your heroes are nothing more than pawns to be sacrificed, it really loses its edge. You don't care anymore if they live or die and that really takes away from the game's atmosphere.

I really worried about them, but then you understand how the game works and now I'm sending them aways instead of treating them, it's just cheaper to train someone else.

The only guy I'm keeping is the first crusader you start with (Reynold, I think), everyone else is replaceable.

You'll change your tune when you get to the point where you need 16 max-level characters to do the endgame dungeon. Multiple parts, and characters "retire" from going back even when they survive.

Re-leveling characters is no joke, and your team inherently has to go wide due to the level restrictions (upper and lower bounds) for each tier of dungeon.

They're expendable. That's the point. The game is still punishing. Even in the second tier of dungeons a few missed hits or a few crits will completely wreck you.
 
Got an Arbalest with the +10% ranged dmg trait fuck yes.

I finally feel I'm making some good progress now. For a while I felt stuck grinding lvl 1-2 dungeons because I got destroyed every time I tried a lvl 3-4 one. The key was upgrading my characters weapons and important skills, and preparing better for the specific zone.

I'm still not really making money, I'm usually hovering around 15k gold. Maybe I should spent less on stress healing.
 
So, everything except the Cove is beaten up to lvl. 5.

Gonna get the final 8 bosses done and then work on the Hero Caretaker checklist.
 

Aureon

Please do not let me serve on a jury. I am actually a crazy person.
For the bosses, you need a dedicated healer and some synergy between your squad.
Take the Vestal with both heal spells and 2 ranged damage spells and slot her in the back. Or take the Occultist with his rather powerful heal spell, the bleed effect is negligible. See if you have any +heal items and equip them.

With synergy I mean that the skills of your partymembers benefit eachother. So when the Occultist casts Vulnerability Hex on someone, he marks the enemy while debuffing it.
If you then have a Graverobber, Highwayman, Houndmaster or Arbalest in your team, they have specific skills that do extra damage against marked enemies and often land critical blows.

It leads to a situation where any enemy getting marked, is going to get slapped down hard.

Also, make sure you have some kind of stress heal. It can really save you in a pinch.

Another thing I've felt was really useful lately is drawing out fights just so you can get your entire party healed up. When you have just one weak enemy standing in a random encounter and you're pretty battered, don't attack him, just keep buffing with your entire party and let the healer heal everyone to max before landing the killing blow. Heals are free and this strategy saves on food. There are those wimpy enemies that do nothing but mark you for 1dmg every turn (you know the ones), those are prime targets for this strategy.

Most bosses work _far_ better if you don't bring a dedicated healer.
You can get through the dungeon on food supply + minor healing (Arbalest \ Crusader), and then have full-damage for bosses, which is often needed.
There's exceptions when healers during bosses is useful, but don't overvalue healers - Mark teams are the right idea for most bosses.


Got an Arbalest with the +10% ranged dmg trait fuck yes.

I finally feel I'm making some good progress now. For a while I felt stuck grinding lvl 1-2 dungeons because I got destroyed every time I tried a lvl 3-4 one. The key was upgrading my characters weapons and important skills, and preparing better for the specific zone.

I'm still not really making money, I'm usually hovering around 15k gold. Maybe I should spent less on stress healing.

Fully upgrade either the Pray or the Bar facilities, and and just use nothing else until everyone has Unquiet Mind.

Fuck yeah 700 gold 70 stress.
 

kionedrik

Member
I've been having great success with the Abomination in boss runs. Rake does massive damage and is AoE which helps attack the boss and at the same time kill whatever minion is near him. On your way to the boss you can almost always stay human and negate the stress gain from transformation thanks to his blight and stun attacks.

It works wonders on every one except the Flesh and the Hag.

Plus it can be used on a mark team.
 
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