Darkest Dungeon

[Alvis Alendran]

Picked this game up recently, and find it to be a fantastic dungeon crawl with done interesting mechanics. It has various lovecraftian overtones that feature very prominently throughout the game, with a pretty well narrated story.

Has anyone else tried this game out, and what did you think?

 

[Erit of Eastcris]

Love it to pieces even as it infuriates me with the bone-crushing despair of the dice rolls. The Lovecraft-inspired horror and art style are immensely well-detailed, the Ancestor's voice actor clearly wasn't paid enough, and it's balanced just enough against you to make you appreciate every little victory.

But god damn it if it isn't rage-inducing when the pigman gets a lucky crit on your one and only Vestal, killing her stone dead just before you can complete the Expedition.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

It is easily one of the most infuriatingly irritating games that I can't stop playing.

Though after I got the hang of using the, I'm loving the carnage I can cause with a Hellion on the frontline!

 

[Erit of Eastcris]

My preferred layout is actually Arbalest/Vestal/Highwayman/Hellion. My off-team is Plague Doctor/Grave Robber/Bounty Hunter/Man-At-Arms, sometimes switching the Man-At-Arms for a Crusader if I think Undead might want a piece of the action. My main weakness is probably getting my ranks shuffled, especially the A-team whose integral squishies have no solid means of relocation on their own. God help me if I don't hate the hell out of the Hag for that.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

I'm a hug fan of he Grave Robber, probably the best slot 3 character in my experience. Just so very many options in most cases!

But damned if I don't feel you for the shuffle-hate ><
The hag is irritating, but I can deal with it most often. I reserve most of my hate for the Siren, who is flat out stealing my people while summoning her own. I mean...seriously, fuck that bitch.

I used to love the highwayman, but I've drifted away from them lately, just not finding enough utility out of them in later stages of the game.

 

[Erit of Eastcris]

Yeah, utility is a bit of a problem for them. Pairing a Highwayman with Grape Shot alongside a Hellion with Breakthrough, though, is a greatly entertaining way to watch the first three enemies evaporate before the last is Iron Swan'd to death. The Arbalest and Vestal have enough utility to cover me for the most part, unless I'm for some reason being carpet-plagued every other step. That gets old fast.

Speaking of synergy, though, the opposite springs to mind; what the hell kind of use could there be for the Abomination other than pointlessly stressing out other party members or being otherwise vaguely useless?

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Abominations are actually a good second choice for just about any party that'll take him. In human form he can delier stun and plague effects to control the opposition, and if they force shuffle him to the front, then he can rage out and go full on wrecking ball. Plus he heals himself when he shifts back to human.

I wouldn't have him as a first choice in my groups, but I'll take him in a pinch, it just calls for some careful stress management

They're also amazing if you get access to a few Heroes Rings that give a massive bump to the chances of going virtuous. I've specifically forced stress on some heroes with that set up, and passed one ring around the party. Lemme tell ya, having the whole party in a virtue state is AMAZING. You're all but impossible to stop at that point

 

[Erit of Eastcris]

Oh, good God virtues. I had a Crusader once with the sun cape (name escapes me—Crusader exclusive, gives craptonne of bonuses when the torch is high?) and a Hero's Ring. I renamed him Jesus after a few runs because he was that untouchable. Then the Hag ate him right after, and I immediately adopted the policy of keeping the bible out of there.

Could use some more people in this conversation >.> I refuse to believe we're the only two people on the pain train in the whole of this forum.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

I had a Hellion go Virtue, and she was healing herself 8 damage every time her turn came up, and just piling the damage out. The rest of the team had a bad habit of getting stunned, so she basically had to solo the encounter.

If there aren't more people who have played this, then they can PM me. I'll bloody well send them the install file and they can play it for free! More people should know this game!

 

[Erit of Eastcris]

I'd advocate them buying it if they like it, though; reward the devs for a job well done and such moral things.

 

[Alvis Alendran]

Oh, most certainly. But still, more people need to be playing this game!