The most dangerous carriage ride in the world starts

A new tour of the Darkest dungeon around officially starts today. RedHook Studios Darkest Dungeon II officially launches in 1.0 today, May 8th, and is heading to Steam.

The sequel from 2016 Darkest dungeon, this new entry makes a number of changes to the formula. Four heroes embark on a fast-paced stagecoach ride, racing into a decrepit and dangerous world to stop the apocalypse. Different vehicle, but much of the same fear and desperation.

Although it looks like it ditches some of the management aspects, it’s replaced with some overrun boons to stem the tide of darkness. The affinity system also binds heroes closer together, creating synergy or dysfunction between them.

Darkest Dungeon II has been in Early Access status on the Epic Games Store for some time. At full launch, Red Hook will include 12 playable characters and a full five-act narrative arc. The last two acts as well as the flagellant character are specially new in version 1.0. Corpse Art, Hero Palettes, Weapon Sets, Radiant and Infernal Flames, and Achievements are also on deck for today’s launch.

Further down the street

Red Hook Studios plans long-term support for Darkest Dungeon II as well as. The team draws comparisons to its long-term support for Darkest dungeon, which added city events, Radiant mode, and more. There are already some new monsters on the way for Darkest Dungeon IIas well as playable Hero Origin skins and balance tuning.

In particular, it sounds like mods are in the works too. Similar to how modding eventually came about Darkest dungeonRed Hook says it also plans to develop modding tools for Darkest Dungeon II after version 1.0.

We haven’t had time to offer any official words on this new entry, but reviews seem to vary. I’m excited to see how this sequel’s legacy will compare to its distressed predecessor. If you want to find out for yourself Darkest Dungeon II is fully available today.

Eric Van Allen

Senior News Reporter – Eric has been writing about games since 2014 but has been playing them for much longer. Usually you’ll find grueling RPG combat, digging in an indie gem, or hanging out in the Limsa Aethryte.