Darkest Dungeon still has harrowing horrors in store for you!
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In this risk-managing team-builder, it's up to you to forge squads out of spit, gristle, and whatever shiny treasures you discover along the way. The question is, do you have the stomach to lead them to victory?
A lot of fun hinges on its eighteen playable heroes – each with seven skills to choose from, a wealth of trinkets to equip, and various camping buffs to ease the burden. Thanks to its replayability, a wealth of custom content, and a hotly anticipated sequel on the horizon, there are still many trials, tribulations, and treasure-laden terrors awaiting us all.
Whether a fresh-faced adventurer or a seasoned veteran, "remind yourself that overconfidence is a slow and insidious killer" by checking out these great team compositions. After all, in this game of hindsight, it is never wise to go unprepared.
Let's start with the first four heroes you acquire at the beginning of your adventure, which can form multiple named squads – such as "Red Hook", "The Inverted Bunch", and "Tricky Glory" – with "The Usual Suspects" being one of the most standard variants.
It's a testament to how well they function when shuffled by the enemy or reorganised by the player, particularly after the fifth week – when we can fully unlock each hero's arsenal and specialise their skills to our liking.
Whenever you want a reliable and versatile squad with multiple strengths and playstyles to offer, this bread-and-butter battalion has you covered on all fronts. If you prefer a more challenging twist using the same heroes and heroines, consider "The Inverted Bunch" (CRU » HWM » VES » PD) with a different arrangement of skills.
It's much more fun and frantic when you don't open every fight with Blinding Gas, yet it still has the tools you need for a comfortable dungeon.
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#9 – CRIMSON COURT CRUSHERS
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Core components: Two healers. Two stress healers. Stunners. Three bleeders. Solid projection. Anti-ambush.
The Crimson Court (DLC) is rife with giant preset maps and devious bloodsucking insectoids. It also comes with the Flagellant – a self-punishing lunatic, ready to bleed the life out of everything in his path.
Once you have dealt with the apprentice tutorial and opened the proverbial gates, all hell breaks loose, so you'd be wise to pick a competent crew for the challenges that await you. After all, entering the larger Court missions requires consumable "invitations", and the vast preset maps contain some of the most dangerous threats in the game.
Thankfully, our team of choice can clear each map from start to finish in a single sitting, ensuring that your invitations are well-spent. Enemies in the Crimson Court may be partial to drinking blood, but thanks to this highly sustainable bleed-comp, you can now drink theirs with extreme prejudice.
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#8 – TWO FAST, TWO FURIOUS
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Core components: Two healers. Two stress healers. Stunners. High mobility. Burst openers. Good projection. Pierce attacks. Disease cleanse. Guaranteed trap disarms. Torch raising. Scouting. Anti-ambush.
Now that we've shared some standard comps, it's time to spice things up with a blend of explosive openers and slow but purposeful backups, all lovingly meshed into a versatile package of mobility.
Grave Robbers are the fastest heroes in Darkest Dungeon, making them excellent at starting fights with potent buttons like Lunge, which can delete or maim priority targets at the very start of each battle.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Crusaders are the slowest heroes with the benefit of serving as an entire team rolled into one package. They can heal, stress heal, stun, or push people backwards with Holy Lance, which keeps your squishy heroines fighting fit, or reposition them for the next volley of pain.
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Due to Crusaders being slow on the draw and Grave Robbers being somewhat flimsy, players should think ahead and plan their next moves carefully. However, good decisions during the dance of death will showcase the fun and potential that this composition can provide.
If you enjoy the high-speed burst aspect, consider using "Tomb Raiders" (GR » GR » GR » GR). Conversely, you can crank up the mobile support aspect using "The Last Crusade" (CRU » CRU » CRU » CRU).
#7 – IRRELIGIOUS IRREGULARS
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Core components: Healer. Stress healer. Self-sustain. Stunners. Bleeds. Blight. Guard. Mark synergies. Good projection. Knockback. Area-of-effect. Scouting. Anti-ambush. Optional corpse-clear.
When the Abomination was first released, they were not allowed to join teams containing 'religious' heroes, such as the Vestal, Crusader, Leper, or Flagellant. That rule has long since changed, but you can still relive the old days using this highly stable composition.
While the Abomination and Man-At-Arms stun enemies into oblivion using Manacle and Rampart, the Occultist and Houndmaster tend to faraway matters using Hound's Rush, Hound's Harry, Sacrificial Stab, and Abyssal Artillery.
Should you require it, the Occultist can also open battles with Vulnerability Hex, ensuring that the Houndmaster's canine companion gains bonus damage against problematic targets. Alternatively, you can replace it with Daemon's Pull if you prefer having a corpse-clearing pull.
This competent crew crushes all competition with style and aplomb.
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#6 – THE CRYSTAL BRAVES
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Core components: Two healers. Two stress healers. Stunner. Three bleeders. Solid projection. Party buffs. Riposte. Anti-ambush. Area-of-effect.
Partly a Final Fantasy XIV reference – but primarily a catch-all sustain battery, designed to acquire the 300 Endless Mode achievement (Ashes to Ashes) without resorting to virtue fishing, dodge strategies, or other cheesy shenanigans.
Seeing as bleeds and critical strikes do not leave corpses in their wake, this composition will passively reduce the number of crystalline nuisances that spawn in your path. It also performs well against practically every boss in the rotation.
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When you want a standard all-around composition for the Endless Harvest, this motley myriad of misfits will be happy to oblige.
The listed skills are primarily for trash fights leading up to each boss. However, when you enter a pre-boss room, it is worth swapping specific skills in or out. For example, you may wish to equip Finale on the Jester for boss battles or alternate the Flagellant's healing abilities. Conversely, you may want to remove Battle Ballad when using the comp for standard dungeons.
There is plenty of room to flex, so be sure to experiment!
#5 – ALPHA STRIKE
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Core components: Healer. Stackable healing buff. Stress healer. Stunner. Pierce attacks. Great projection. Mark synergies. Knockback. Pull skills. Scouting. Anti-ambush.
A bundle of bruisers with mark synergies, displacement skills, and a wealth of projected damage – ready to blast faraway foes or dismantle their positioning with ease. If you have the Shield Breaker DLC, Alpha Strike is worth trying out.
Problematic front-liner? Send them careening into the background with a jaw-breaking Uppercut. Pesky backline nuisances? Riddle them full of bolts, bites and piercing damage, or grab them by the belt buckle using movement skills.
An Arbalest can't compare with a Vestal in terms of healing potency, yet her bandage applies a stackable buff which improves all sources of healing on the target – such as the Houndmaster's Lick Wounds and even the food you eat after a battle.
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While it's not the fastest or most sustainable comp in the world, its damage and utility will see them through most dangers with relative ease.
Considering their flexible ranges and abilities, you can organise their order and skills to suit your preferences. For example, you can sacrifice a mark for de-stealth (Flare), provide an extra stun by slotting the Houndmaster into the second rank with Blackjack, root the Shield Breaker in rank one to prevent friendly shuffles, and so forth.
#4 – LET THERE BE BLOOD
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Core components: Healer. Stress healer. Stunners. Bleeds. Good projection. Scouting. Anti-ambush. Anti-stealth. Optional mark synergies. Optional guard.
This blood-spilling squad has plenty of tricks and tools at its disposal, but at its core, it thrives on projecting stuns, damage and bleeds all over the opposition, with plenty of room for customisation.
For example, fans of mark-centric teams can use the Houndmaster or Arbalest for that purpose if they desire. Alternatively, if you prefer more mobility, the Hellion can provide it by equipping Breakthrough, allowing her and the Jester to dance through the team on demand.
If you enjoy additional support or utility, the Houndmaster can become a self-sustained bodyguard while the Arbalest patches people up or finishes off troublesome opponents.
Conversely, Blindfire allows the Arbalest to increase her speed (at the expense of hitting random targets). Due to being a stackable buff, it is possible to walk into a later battle and guarantee she acts first. Considering that the Arbalest is a heal-capable sniper with the ability to reveal all hidden enemies with one button, it's a fun risk/reward system that can lead to highly beneficial openers.
In short, a backhanded bundle of bleed-loving bruisers and bursty back-rank bombardment.
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#3 – BACKLINE BLITZ
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Core components: Three healers. Stress healer. Stunners. Good speed. Great projection. Bleeds. Blight. Disease cleanse. Displacement. Battle medicine. Area-of-effect. Scouting. Corpse clear. Anti-ambush. Optional mark synergy.
Speaking of back-rank bombardment, this squad revels in cleaving faraway foes into a mushy paste, quick as a wink. Thanks to their high speeds and good sustainability, not much will survive the veritable smorgasbord of pain. Additionally, all heroes have flexible ranks and abilities, so don't hesitate to experiment with their skills and positions.
For example, players can freely slot in Vulnerability Hex to synergise with the Houndmaster's basic attacks. If you like the idea of lobbing eye-melting grenades, slapping enemies with ceiling tentacles, and showering them with blood as a friendly afterthought, then this comp is right up your alley.
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#2 – COIN COUNTER
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Core components: Healer. Stunners. Guarding. Mobility. Bleed. Blight. Decent projection. Various buffs and debuffs. Anti-ambush. Knockback. Anti-stealth. Riposte. Trinket and profit generation.
Now that we're nearing the end of the list, it's time to focus on fun and profit. Enter the Antiquarian – a hero designed to increase your wealth, at the cost of being somewhat weaker in battle when compared to her comrades.
However, don't let her gold-loving smile and lower potencies fool you. She is surprisingly good under the right circumstances, sporting thousands of kills in endless mode as part of dodge-focused compositions. She is also a competent support unit, providing heals, buffs, debuffs, anti-stealth, and blight-resistance reduction, amongst other things.
Another way to improve her usefulness is to use the defensive skill, Protect Me, on heroes capable of riposte – providing them with defensive buffs while increasing the chance of proccing the counter-attack. Once done, the Antiquarian uses downtime to support her allies, eagerly awaiting the opportunity to generate free trinkets at the next campfire.
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Note that passive Antiquarian perks – such as maximum gold-carrying capacity – will increase for each Antiquarian in your party. If you're feeling brazen, or need a hefty gold injection as soon as possible, consider forming a duo, triple, or quadruple Antiquarian party for insane profits.
The gold you see in the above image was earned via an ANT » JES » ANT » ANT team. When using high-risk comps like this, don't hesitate to hit the retreat button if things get too unpleasant. After all, failing a mission isn't the end of the world, whereas losing a hero – or an entire team and their trinkets – is very costly.
#1 – THE WALL
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Core components: Healer. Stress healer. Stunners. High health. Self-sustain. Various buffs and debuffs. Corpse clear. Knockbacks. Anti-ambush. Anti-stealth.
Many compositions use everyone's favourite leprotic god-king, yet you can't beat this tried, tested, and traditional tanking team. A walking powerhouse of indestructible meat and protection buffs, sprinkled with stuns, sustain, and sword-shaking shenanigans.
Sporting all three meatshields and backed by the queen of healing, it's time to sit back, power up, and watch the enemy fall on their face trying to dent you.
In all honestly, there's not much more to say. If you want to build a literal wall in Darkest Dungeon, now you can!
If you're still finding your feet, here are a few generic tips for the road.
Remember that you can alter your choice of skills inside a dungeon so long as you are not in combat, so if something isn't working, don't be afraid to mix things up. After all, a few simple tweaks can completely alter the teamwide dynamic.
Furthermore, a simple injection of a particular stat might be all that's stopping you from stomping to victory. For example, a lack of speed and accuracy can be utterly crippling, so don't judge a team too hastily, and remember to upgrade your hero's skills before venturing out. It may prove to be the difference maker.
When all else fails, try to form accurate teams and fit them with speed, stuns, sustain, mobility, or projection - preferably all of them. When in doubt, a healthy balance allows you to cover more bases.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck in your next dungeon!
A patient and persistent proofreading perfectionist with a penchant for purveying pixels and polygons. A certified tea drinker with words on their mind and thirty years of gaming in their blood.
