#Plague doctor darkest dungeon 2 update#

On one run I lost my beloved Man-At-Arms early doors. These events can really swing the balance of the fight in your team favour. Good teamwork between characters can proc random combat buffs such as 50% extra damage next turn. The affinity system also plays a prominent role as you try to wear down the opposing hoarders of undead and rapscallions. The stress meter has been tweaked from 100 to a 10 point scale, so it is much more important to pay close attention to it mid skirmish. The turn-based battles play out much like the original darkest dungeon. Playing closer attention to your party state of mind is essential if you want to reach the end game above and beyond basic health statistics. This not only cripples their health points but also wipes out any positive affinity relationships they had with other characters. If you don’t take care of your team’s well being and leave them to their own devices, their stress levels rocket triggering a meltdown. Stocking up on items such as Laudanum, which ease the pain is a vital strategy. Encounters and the heat of the battle mentally fatigue your characters. Managing the stress of your party is paramount just like in the previous game. But it is up to you to make the final decision and press on. Your party will show their choice for the path ahead with the corresponding icon. As you reach forks in the road, you can see the forthcoming encounter icons which are also displayed on the left side map. There appears to be no option to reverse your vehicle so bear that in mind. Navigating between nodes is done in an endless runner like perspective, you manually control the stagecoach using the WASD keys. Forward planning and item management is key to a successful run. You can uncover their contents by visiting watchtowers which reveal the relevant encounter information. Other nodes only display a question mark. Some nodes contain information regarding encounters so you can pre-plan your journey to some degree. On the left of the screen is your travel map which displays all the branching paths and nodes. Leaving the inn you are greeted with your stagecoach set on a 3D path. I chose “the sprawl” area which would reward me with 250 hope points. Along the paths are nodes that contain watchtowers, shrines of reflection and various kinds of encounters.Īfter the intro segment which preps your party for the road ahead, you can select one of two opening routes that have different rewards associated with their difficulty. It carries your party on a branching path of up to three lines. The stagecoach is your means of transport. Their relationship can deteriorate and unearth some serious negative stats causing them to argue and bicker like squabbling children. The flipside of this is when two characters take a dislike to each other.

This relationship boosted some stats and their blossoming friendship also decrease their stress when they chated during battles. This interplay causes their affinity to level up to Hopeful. To illustrate this point, on my first run, the plague doctor was continually healing my Man-At-Arms as he fended off multiple attacks on the front row. Interactions on the battlefield and decisions on the road can alter this stat. I presume further adventurers will be added before the final retail build.Ī new gameplay system has been added to the characters. : Runaway (Level 6): Jester (Level 9): Leper (Level 12): Occultist (Level 15). There are five extra characters in this first build include the following. For folks new to the series, higher profile levels can be accrued by collecting hope, which is earned by successful runs. More characters can be unlocked by levelling up your profile. these are The graverobber, Highwayman, Man-At-Arms, and Plague Doctor. On your first run of the adventure, you have four characters to make up your team. A radical switch that might not appeal to all fans of the series. Players transverse a map of branching nodes in order to complete a story arc. Instead of doing a dungeon run and returning to a town hub. The big change is the overarching run system. The core turn-based battle system has been fleshed out but still retains many of the previous game’s facets. Red Hook has been both bold and clever in this regard. The brave option is to radically change the game flow and presentation.

#Plague doctor darkest dungeon 2 update#

A safe bet would be an incremental update with minor changes to a winning formula. The developers are caught between two stools. Especially when the first title garnered so much praise.