Darkest Dungeon has excellent gameplay like all good games, but the story and world-building set this game apart. A large part of this is the ancestor’s commentary of your efforts. This commentary is so good that we at Gamers Decide have put together this list for your reading pleasure; enjoy.
No amount of inspirational quotes will fix these unfortunate souls now.
15) “Continue The Onslaught. Destroy Them All.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
There are a lot of tense moments in Darkest Dungeon. Players will go through some extreme highs and devastating lows during a playthrough, but nothing gets me back in the fight, like hearing the ancestor’s wise yet gruff and weathered voice cheering me on with this statement. Usually, this voice line plays when a hero lands a killing blow on an enemy, which also helps!
14) “Mortality Clarified in a Single Strike.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
This quote is like the yin to the last quotes yang. Where the last quote bolsters me with hope, this one has me gritting my teeth as an enemy cripples one of my party. This quote is a testament to the near-perfect wordplay of this game, and I can’t think of a better way to commentate a blow that may spell the end for a party member.
13) “And Now the True Test; Hold Fast or Expire.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
This quote will be spoken when one of your heroes is on Death’s Door. One of the most effective things Darkest Dungeon does is generate an atmosphere of tension and suspense. This quote enhances an unrivalled moment in creating this atmosphere. You better hope this test is one your hero passes…
12) “The Abyss Returns Even the Boldest Gaze.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
As I’m sure most of you know, Darkest Dungeon’s universe is massively influenced by Lovecraftian horror. Nothing embodies Lovecraft more than a quote personifying the abyss while expressing existential dread. This quote is a very thematically fitting reminder that even your strongest heroes aren’t immune to death. Unsurprisingly, the ancestor will say this quote when a hero is on Death’s Door.
11) “Death Waits for The Slightest Lapse in Concentration.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
This quote is great because it reminds me of another great quote from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome which goes: “Death is listening and will take the first man that screams”. I don’t know if the two are officially linked, but they are similar. Furthermore, personifying death as a hungry, ever-present waiting force fits the Darkest Dungeon setting.
The Flagellant is definitely more of an old testament kind of guy.
10) “The Human Mind. Fragile, Like A Robin’s Egg.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
All of Darkest Dungeon’s quotes are great. Whoever wrote the ancestor’s script honestly deserves some kind of award, however as a big fan of proverbs, I have a soft spot for the quotes that can apply outside the game. This is one of them that I feel says something profound about the human condition.
9) “More Blood Soaks the Soil Feeding The Evil Therein.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
I like this quote because you realise this was a hint after completing the game once or learning about certain hidden mechanics. I want to keep this piece spoiler-free, so I won’t go into detail, but I believe this quote deserved a spot because it matures like a fine wine. A very, very red wine…
8) “Failure Tests the Mettle of Heart, Brain and Body.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
Another proverbesque quote, I think every player can relate to this quote. If you’ve had a long term physical illness, you know how testing it can be. The same goes for mental health issues. Others may relate to the mettle of their heart being tested in personal relationships or when they have lost confidence in a labour of love. I like this quote’s general relatability, but it also fits when it is a commentary on your latest party wipe.
7) “Even Reanimated Bones Can Fall, Even the Dead Can Die Again.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
No proverbs here. This quote is just a badass thing to hear as you strike down a particularly powerful undead enemy. It makes you acknowledge the tremendous achievements of your heroes in their efforts to clean up the estate. Of course, you could also see it as a cautionary tale for resurrected members of your party, but the game has enough pessimism in it without seeking more out.
6) “Regroup, Reassemble, Evil is Timeless After All.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
Darkest Dungeon loves to switch between hope and despair depending on how your playthrough is going, and I found this quote often softened the blow of a party wipe. Darkest Dungeon comes across as very self-aware of its difficulty, and I think quotes like this were put in to minimise rage quits. I think they were successful too.
Welcome to the house of fun
5) “You Will Endure This Loss and Learn from It.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
This quote deserves a top-five spot on this list for the same reasons as the last. It reinvigorates players to dust themselves off and give the game another go. I would go further though and say that this quote, like others, is one that players can take out of the game and apply to real life when times get tough.
4) “A Moment of Valour Shines Brightest Against the Backdrop of Despair.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
You will hear this voice line play out when one of your heroes virtues upon reaching one hundred stress. This quote enhances the epic feeling you get from this moment, and it's very fitting considering the despair you will have been feeling watching your hero’s stress bar reach that dangerous one hundred mark. Once again, it also works as a real-life proverb when life gets tough.
3) “Remind Yourself That Overconfidence is A Slow and Insidious Killer.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
Here it is, arguably the most iconic quote in Darkest Dungeon. This quote is often memed because it sums up the entire game. One wrong move and a dungeon run can fall apart in seconds. This quote has earned third place due to its popularity.
2) “This Man Understands That Adversity and Existence are One in the Same.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
I have a confession. The Leper is my favourite class. He is a tragic hero, a former noble king afflicted with a terminal illness that has decided to take up one last crusade; to fight against the estate’s corruption until he dies in battle. This quote sums up this character perfectly, and his sad story makes it worthy of second place.
1) “He Will Be Laughing Still, At the End.”
See the quote on YouTube here.
The ancestor is referring to the Jester when he says this quote, and I can’t think of a class that embodies the game’s mood better than the Jester. Perhaps this is a commentary on the hopeless nature of your quest or the inevitability of insanity in this universe, who knows? What we do know is that this quote makes for an incredibly cool introduction to the Jester.
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