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Darkest Dungeon 2 launched in early access on the Epic Games Store yesterday. Sequel to the indie darling game Darkest Dungeon and developed by Red Hook Studios, Darkest Dungeon 2 brings back the familiar grim art style and unfair difficulty of the first game, but with its own wicked twists.
The first Darkest Dungeon released back in 2016 to much critical acclaim, being lauded as the “Dark Souls of. A mere two years after its launch, Darkest Dungeon had sold more than 2 million copies across all platforms and was nominated for numerous indie game awards.
The title is scheduled to remain in Early Access for about a year while developers tweak, balance, and update the game in preparation for a full release in 2022.
With its Early Access release exclusively on Epic Games(for now), can Darkest Dungeon 2 scratch the itch that fans have been sustaining these past 5 years?
The Nightmare Roadtrip
While the original Darkest Dungeon saw players recruiting and training stables of would-be heroes in an attempt to save their beloved hamlet, Darkest Dungeon 2 makes you commit to a static team that you'll be taking on a stagecoach ride to stop the apocalypse.
This latest installment of the gothic turn-based strategy RPG is by far more character-focused than the first, focusing on how your squad of misfits relate to each other—and piss each other off—while on a quest of epic proportions.
Darkest Dungeon 2 doubles down on its roguelike elements instead of being one long, open-ended campaign. After committing to your characters for a run, you'll set off on a stagecoach ride from hell, passing through towns, resting at inns, and fighting through hordes of enemies bent on ending your journey for good. Just like the first game, managing your stress and tempering your heroes' reactions is key to your success.
Throughout the random encounters and events your party goes through, you'll have many chances to delve deeper into the backstory of each character, forge bonds between the party members, or break them. Depending on your choices, your heroes can quickly grow to resent each other, hurling insults and breeding mistrust among themselves… like your average cross-country roadtrip, but with the stakes dialed up to 11.
If your run is cut short—either by external factors or through infighting—fear not, because each failed run still gives you some progress towards unlocking more characters or improving your current stable's skills and stats.
How To Unlock Darkest Dungeon 2 Heroes
At the time of writing, Darkest Dungeon 2 has nine available heroes to build your party with, but not all of them are available to play with at the start. Most of these heroes are returning classes from Darkest Dungeon, with the exception of the Runaway, a completely new character class for Darkest Dungeon 2.
On your first playthrough, you'll have access to the Highwayman, Grave Robber, Man-At-Arms, and Plague Doctor. This party is fairly strong in its own right, but unlocking different heroes and skill is paramount to your success in stopping the end of the world.
Five out of the nine heroes must be unlocked through playing the game and earning Hope. You can earn Hope by defeating foes, completing missions, helping NPCs, and getting as far as you can with your stagecoach. Hope acts like experience points, raising your profile rank. The higher your profile rank goes, the more things you unlock, with the five unlockable characters being locked behind certain ranks.
The Hellion is unlocked at Rank 3 and is arguably one of the strongest heroes in the game, dishing out stuns and tons of damage. Rank 6 unlocks the new hero class, the Runaway, which is the only hero class unique to Darkest Dungeon 2 so far. Ranks 9, 12, and 15 unlock the Jester, Leper, and Occultist respectively, making their return from Darkest Dungeon.
