Darkest Dungeon Catch All

Release date announced: Jan 19th, 2016 for PC, PS4/Vita shortly thereafter. Source

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Greetings everyone!

Thank you for being part of the Darkest Dungeon early access experience! This community has grown beyond our expectations, and we’re both grateful and humbled by your support, ideas, critiques, and feedback throughout this past year.

From the moment we launched early access back in February, we had two important priorities: regularly deliver exciting, meaty updates to the game, and ship the full release this year. We recognized that October would not only be an awesome thematic fit for the full release, but it was early enough in the year to avoid getting swept away by the massive AAA releases around Thanksgiving.

As many of you know, game development has a great many dependencies and variables. Between PAX’s, Coves, & corpses, it became clear that an October date would mean rushing our endgame content out the door – a move that would ultimately not be in anyone’s best interest. So, we looked at the December 1st timeframe – it would be tight, but with a few lucky bounces and a whole lot of focus, it was doable. A Death Star trench run with Obiwan gently whispering in our ears.

Unfortunately, late last week Chris’ father-in-law passed away suddenly. Given our small team size, events such as these have a measurable effect on development. If anyone is out of action, it means delays because each person’s job is highly specialized.

As a result, we have set January 19th as our Official Launch Day.

In keeping with our commitment to regular content updates, we’ll be dropping an interim patch towards the end of November that introduces a new playable hero: The Abomination! Designed in collaboration with our Lord tier Kickstarter backer, this bloodthirsty class is unlike anything currently in the game. Keep your eyes peeled for the full reveal in the coming weeks! This update will also include two decidedly unsettling backer-designed monsters, as well as some other ‘goodies’! You can also expect continued hotfixes as necessary.

As always, a very sincere thanks to all of you who have made this game and this community something special. We are truly on the home stretch, and we are incredibly excited to bring this game to completion… and beyond!

–The Darkest Dungeon Team

trueheart78 wrote:

Release date announced: Jan 16th, 2016 for PC, PS4/Vita shortly thereafter. Source

Glad it's not coming out this year. Already have Wasteland 2: Director's Cut, The Witcher 3 expansion, Rebel Galaxy, and Fallout 4 to play.

Updated my original post.

Looks like a new class is coming, "The Abomination" - can't wait to see what they have in store

Also, a few custom designed monsters!

I had a similar issue, did OK getting some characters up to level 3, lost my L3 Hellion on one run, then tried a level 0/1 group on a short apprentice run... party-wipe

Now I'm down to 3k gold, and very worried...

Wink_and_the_Gun wrote:

Now I'm down to 3k gold, and very worried...

I suggest a policy of disposable new adventurers on badly equipped low level missions, and if things look grim just run away with whatever you've grabbed so far - don't try to finish the goal if things go badly. A few of those should get you ready to equip a serious group again.

Phew, at week 41 I finally killed the Sonorous Prophet. The only other boss I killed is the Apprentice Necromancer.

I've built up a stable of 4 level 3, 3 level 2, and 5 level 1 heroes. The level 3 and level 2 guys have upgraded weapons, armor and skills. This last session I finally made some steady progress without taking 2 steps back too. It can all fall away so quickly though. I agonized whether I should camp on this boss run because every time I've been ambushed and surprised. I decided to do it and got ambushed but not surprised. The enemies weren't tough so it was worth it.

Fun, fun game. A small gripe- I wish the traits that your heroes get after completing a run were more related to the adventure instead of being random. Doesn't make sense to get some trait that makes the hero better againsts beasts when he didn't fight any beasts.

Right after commenting on my success, I lost each level 3 hero in the same battle. I had 3 or 4 failed retreat attempts when I tried to salvage some lives. On a more positive note I killed the Swine Prince!

Maybe I'm the only one who wasn't smart enough to figure this out, but just in case I'm not, you can sell unwanted trinkets by shift-clicking on them with the trinket window open. They sell from 750 gold on up. This has made a huge difference for me as selling all the unwanted trinkets can increase your bank significantly.

I sell most of the trinkets because they usually have some negative effect I don't want to accept. Yeah, they really boost your money which helps!

robc wrote:

I sell most of the trinkets because they usually have some negative effect I don't want to accept. Yeah, they really boost your money which helps!

One of my annoyances, and not sure if they fixed it, has been the trinkets. I never used any of them because they were all like "+1 to hit on Wednesdays when there is a full moon but your first born will get diarrhea and your next check will bounce"

I know it's supposed to be an unforgiving game but the "enchanted" items have so many downsides I don't know why they bothered.

Crazed Java wrote:
robc wrote:

I sell most of the trinkets because they usually have some negative effect I don't want to accept. Yeah, they really boost your money which helps!

One of my annoyances, and not sure if they fixed it, has been the trinkets. I never used any of them because they were all like "+1 to hit on Wednesdays when there is a full moon but your first born will get diarrhea and your next check will bounce"

I know it's supposed to be an unforgiving game but the "enchanted" items have so many downsides I don't know why they bothered.

They've overhauled the trinkets at least once. I have a basic Manslayer Ring that I'm loving, not rare or anything, that's +25% damage vs humans, -4 dodge. A nice bandit belt that gives bonuses to range damage but at the cost of melee damage. I can totally live with those, and a fair amount more. I have one that's just +20% stun chance, which is great. There are still a fair number I sell, but I am finding some definite keepers.

I agree with trueheart78. I'd say a lot of trinkets go on the sell pile, but I do get some I find worth using. I'm not sure how the trinkets used to be, but I probably use 10-20% of them.

OK, maybe someone can offer some clarification on this, but what's the payoff in this game?

I've come back to it a couple times since I picked it up, but I've never gotten that far because of resets I guess (saves were just gone). The game seems like it's a bit of a slog, you drag your ass through these small dungeons, but it's hard to see what the interesting choices are down the road. Based on the posts I've seen the game starts as a slog and continues to be increasingly punishing throughout.

I'm not typically averse to hard games but I'm having a hard time with this one.

It took a little while to click for me. I first bought it during the summer sale and took it for a test drive about about 90 minutes. While I didn't think it was bad, I didn't think it was that great either so I returned it.

It went back on sale recently and I decided to get it again. So far I've played about 20 hours in total. I think as the game opens up and you start to upgrade buildings, improve skills, weapons and armor it gets more interesting. I wish I had been more organized and kept track of what creatures I encounter in each area, and what their strengths and weaknesses are so I could plan my parties better for each excursion because getting a party that gels for a particular encounter feels good.

This isn't to say I won't get tired of it before I get to the end, but I'm still having fun. I think the biggest revelation was when I realized I didn't need to keep trying to destress my low level heros. I could either cut them loose to make room for fresh recruits or run then into the ground until they expire. That let me same up money more quickly.

The payoff, for me, is the amazing atmosphere they've built. I really enjoy the art style, the music, the stress mechanic - I think it all mixes well together. It's also a game that values knowledge over brashness. You can try to go through a dungeon unprepared, but you'll likely get eaten alive. Even when you are fully prepared, things can totally throw you off, because the randomness can just get cruel. It feels like a classic dungeon crawler, with some Dark Souls-esque features added in, for extra punishment.

And I like all of that.

I've also enjoyed it's run in Early Access. Steam Cloud support was added a few months back, which makes my life easier. Players used to thrive off from torchless runs - you don't see many of those happening anymore, because they dreamt up some horrors to keep you on your toes. Release notes sometimes just taunt the players in certain ways, so the devs definitely know my sense of humor.

The end goal, of course, being able to take a crew through the Darkest Dungeon (implementation forthcoming), and take care of whatever nightmares they throw in there.

It might not be for you, and that's okay. If it were me, I'd table it and go play something else.

Tyops wrote:

OK, maybe someone can offer some clarification on this, but what's the payoff in this game?

I've come back to it a couple times since I picked it up, but I've never gotten that far because of resets I guess (saves were just gone). The game seems like it's a bit of a slog, you drag your ass through these small dungeons, but it's hard to see what the interesting choices are down the road. Based on the posts I've seen the game starts as a slog and continues to be increasingly punishing throughout.

I'm not typically averse to hard games but I'm having a hard time with this one.

It's the Dark Souls of turn-based RPG's.

There is an endgame, but it's really hard.

The atmosphere is really unique and oppressive. It's more of a Lovecraftian than Tolkeinish type fantasy RPG.

It does get to be a slog. I gave up on the game eventually but really enjoyed my time there. It's not a $50 game by any stretch but as something unique to play for awhile it was certainly worth the money.

trueheart78 wrote:

It might not be for you, and that's okay. If it were me, I'd table it and go play something else.

That certainly might be the case, but that's why I was asking.

Typically with these punishingly hard games there's an interesting story driving you forward, and some sort of development (either items, skills, etc.) that provides new ways or new approaches to progressing. At various points I've upgraded buildings and levelled full parties to level 2-3, but the game didn't seem to "open up" as a result. Just checking if I'm missing something.

Chances are I'll at least give it a thorough try once it's "released".

Edits:

Crazed Java wrote:

It's the Dark Souls of turn-based RPG's.

Disagree here. Dark Souls is cruel, and punishing, but not nearly as randomly so as Darkest Dungeon. In that sense, Souls games are more respectful of your time investment (as opposed to risking a full party wipe), and there are real rewards associated with exploration and pushing your luck.

The atmosphere can be considered similar, but for me (200+ hours on Souls games) that's about where the comparison ends.

I have been having a blast with this game since the latest update - it's definitely my favorite dosage of self-inflicted punishment since Alien: Isolation. The art style, the narration ("Curious is the trap-maker's art, his efficacy unwitinessed by his own eyes."), the atmosphere.

One big help if you are struggling; you can sell trinkets to get some much needed cash to acquire torches/food/bandages for your next run. I have been on the ropes a couple of times, with most of my villagers stressed out/diseased/not ready for battle, and a little cash influx for gear for a new wagon full of hopefuls made quite a difference.

Wow. Been working my way through the game. Up to about week 16. Was starting to feel good about things.

Then I took my first "Veteran" mission. I took my main 4, who had been pretty well mopping the floor with Apprentice missions. Everything went pretty well until just outside the last room -- when the large corpse eater came.

Total party wipe. Entered the fight at probably about 70%. Ouch.

Don't be afraid to retreat and save your heros. Of course retreat doesn't always work so they may be dead anyways.

Oh yeah, I tried. Once I realized things weren't going to end well, it was over in two rounds.

On the bright side, I can't stay mad. I'm already building up the next generation of meat heroes. I went after the Sonorous Prophet, and everything was PERFECT!

Spoiler:

I had no idea what to expect. I took my Lvl 1 Hellion, Lvl 2 Bounty Hunter, Seeker Arbalest, and Lvl 2 Vestal. When he popped up hiding in the back row I laughed! Hellion Iron Swan, Bounty mark and bleed, Arbalest shoot, Vestal Holy Judgement or whatever. It's like this party was accidentally made specifically to kill that boss. Then again, it also mowed through everything on the way there... hmmmm.

Yep, I love that team as well. The Arbalest isn't ranked well on the official forums, but I have found her quite useful and fun. I think the Houndmaster might be my favorite - give him some +bleed trinkets, and CONSTANT BLEED! Plus, that heart-warming "lick wounds" sound effect (or the awesome "POOCHER IS SORRY!!! *big puppy-dog eyes*) when he scores a critical miss is hard to not appreciate for even a passing poocher fan. I also have begun to appreciate skills of the Plague Doctor and the Occultist, after their balance changes.

I never get a team as deep into a level as when I have an Occultist there for the heals. His formation mixing pull spell is fantastic too.

My best is usually a Plague Doctor (small heals + cure bleed/blight) and a Vestal (bigger/team heals).

My favorite time to have the Occultist is when fighting high dodge, like dogs. His Mark Target + Dodge debuff ability, makes them meat for a Bounty Hunter. The pulls and pushes can be nice too, but you have to watch. Some of those back line guys have really annoying front line powers.

Darkest Dungeon coming to PS4 next year. Soon I shall know your pain.

Oooh... I've been eagerly anticipating this game being "done" on the PC, but I'd much rather play it on my couch.

4 failed dungeons, in a row

4 level 3 adventurers dead

Stupid stage coach not stocking a replacement occultist. 3 level 0 newbies still waiting to get their turn.

Down to 3K gold, a bunch of adventurers at high stress, but can't afford to de-stress them. Ugh.

Throw a crew together, and kill the L2 Necromancer "easily," but left with more heirlooms than cash. Nice trinket, but running low on funds.

Following run - forget to equip ANY trinkets. Ffffffffuuuu.

You have died of Dysentery.

Well, lost another L3 team.

And down to 15g. Time to throw together a sacrificial L0 team.

Holiday Cheer Update

This surprise update adds more gameplay options, a number of interface and quality-of-life improvements, and some key gameplay tweaks! Happy Holidays from Red Hook!

Game Options

* More game options have been added!
* Options are sorted into categories
* Gameplay Options are now controlled by a master "Darkest Dungeon Config" option. In order to toggle individual gameplay options off, you must first change "Darkest Dungeon Config" to OFF. "Darkest Dungeon Mode" is the default configuration as designed.
* If you previously had Corpses turned OFF, you will need to turn Darkest Dungeon Config OFF and then turn Corpses OFF again.
* Removed the option to disable Heart Attacks. Heart Attacks were changed substantially in the Inhuman Bondage update (they no longer kill you instantly) and the stress mechanics of the game require you to play with the revised Heart Attacks
* New Game Option: Disable Combat Delay Penalties
* New Game Option: Reduce strength of enemy crits
* New Game Option: Eliminate lasting mortality debuffs from Death's Door and Heart Attacks
* New Game Option: Make Combat Retreats always succeed (except when blocked by Affliction)

Interface Improvements

* Town Quicknav Buttons - Upon entering a town building, you can quickjump to another building by clicking the buttons on the left side of the screen. This reduces the clicks necessary to get around town and attend to your heroes.
* Embark Memory - Upon returning to the Hamlet, the party slots will remain occupied by the previous party. Roster sort by activity should also include sorting by who is in current party.
* Trap Disarm Tray Icon - Upon approaching a scouted trap, a tray icon will pop for the hero(s) to show their chances of disarming it.
* TAB to switch between Map and Inventory panels.
* Right panel will no longer automatically swap to map from inventory when the party starts moving. Manually do it with TAB or (M).
* CLICK on torch meter at top of screen to quickly use a torch from inventory.
* Added "actions remaining" to the health/stress bar tooltips to indicate what the tickmark means (hero or monster still has another action this combat round)
* Added tutorial event for selling trinkets.
* Misc town UI icon polish
* Trinket selling confirm now has an "always" button, to reduce popups on repeated trinket selling
* If embarking on a quest of Veteran or Champion difficulty and you don't have any trinkets equipped, a warning box will pop up to remind you.
* Curio disease resists will say "Resist!" to give a better idea of what happened
* Trinket alphabetical secondary sort so that identical trinkets end up beside one another after a class/rarity sort.

Gameplay Adjustments

* Afflictions: if trying to heal, move or buff an afflicted hero and they resist, this will no longer consume the originating hero's turn. That hero can try to do another action. (e.g. You try to heal your paranoid Crusader with a Vestal. If the Crusader refuses, you still get to use the Vestal to do something else that turn.)
* Increased ACC of many hero skills, with particular emphasis to make status skills (debuffs, stuns, etc.) more accurate overall. This shifts more burden onto resist rolls for those skills.
* Highwayman - Tracking Shot now procs the buff even on a miss
* Sanitarium - increased chance of curing all diseases at once during a disease treatment
* Monsters - some veteran and champion HP increases to partially account for overall increased hero accuracy
* Monsters - review of resistances (bleed, blight, stun, move, debuff), mostly resulting in reductions
* Monsters - some speed tweaks to emphasize roles
* Monsters - dodge tweaks (some up, some down) to still reflect intent of dodgy monsters, given increased hero accuracy
* Madman - reduced stress output at apprentice level so he isn't quite so bad of a new party landmine
* Fungal Bloat - reduced dmg, crit, and marked target dmg (he was a bit too over-damaging, contributing to high Weald death rates)

Miscellaneous Fixes

* Fix to padlock stress buff not applying on transform stress.
* Abomination stance fixes.
* Fix to abomination not reseting to idle when fighting in battle that has no loot.
* Restricted hero class can swap out eachother in quest select when no other restrictions will take place.
* Clamp stress when pending affliction to avoid heart attack before affliction is applied.
* Removed the ability to use items when screen is not idle.
* Fix to instant skill buffs carying over when transforming because of affliction and selected skill being set.

A break in the clouds--hark, the sun!

--the Darkest Dungeon team