Darkest Dungeon II Cheats and Tips
Loathing Is A Slippery Slope
The definition of loathing is an intense disgust or hatred, and in Darkest Dungeon 2, it operates on a scale from zero to one hundred. Unless you keep a close eye on this number in the top left corner of the screen, you may have a new appreciation for why Yoda says hate leads to suffering.
The Loathing meter will increase after your party goes to the inn at the end of a biome. To lower this meter significantly, you can make an effort to finish the three rounds of the Guardian challenges. Otherwise, each encounter with enemies will slide in favor of the baddies and increase the odds of your demise.
Pay Close Attention to Relationships
Another new system in Darkest Dungeon 2 that can ruin your road trip is the relationship mechanic. Like anyone stuck in cramped conditions on a long journey, the characters may become resentful, hateful, and other types of nasty toward one other.
Consider this crucial reason why you want to avoid toxic relationships running amok: the deterioration of your party’s cooperation can make characters act in selfish and unintended ways. For example, while trying to heal someone, they may get in the way and take the HP for themselves.
Run Over Items With The Stagecoach
It may not seem intuitive to swerve toward obstacles in the road, but you want to do exactly that in Darkest Dungeon 2. No matter what difficulty mode you’re trying to beat, an item here and there can add up quickly throughout your run.
Darkest Dungeon 2 can be punishing at times, so take advantage of whatever you can. Otherwise, you may find that some of those far and few between items are rarer than you’d like.
Focus On Stress Instead Of HP
Stress was literally a killer in the original Darkest Dungeon, and it remains a vicious mechanic in the sequel. As a result, you’ll want to pay less attention to a character’s HP than the strain on their psyche.
You have even less reason to worry about HP because your party heals HP as you travel in the stagecoach. Moreover, having a character that suffers a mental breakdown can snowball into negative impacts on relationships.
Kill Backline Enemies First
In general, most of the backline enemies have the most potential to create chaos. These baddies tend to dish out AoE damage, hit you with debuffs, and stress the party to its breaking point.
If you have a Bounty Hunter character (which also makes the top five on our rankings for Darkest Dungeon), you can use him to pull those nasty buggers to the front. Alternatively, a plague doctor can reliably stun the backline and give you time to reach them or pull other characters back.
Upgrade The Stagecoach First
Your party’s humble home on wheels should be the first priority for upgrades. Beyond literally carrying the torch that represents hope, it’s also how you recruit new heroes to join the journey.
There are four upgrade slots in your stagecoach that can offer vital benefits. Increasing the amount of inventory you can carry or the stacking limits are crucial aspects of surviving the epic challenge of reaching the Mountain.
