Board 8 > Darkest Dungeon Playthrough Topic (+ Sign Up)

(+) Yeah! (+)

So came across Darkest Dungeon for sale on the PSN store ($10 with presumably all expansions) and thought it looked interesting. Did a quick Youtube search and decided that I liked how it looked so went ahead and I bought it.

This is basically a blind playthrough topic. My current experience is watching like 2 Youtube videos and 3 dungeon runs (where I had 1 person die and 3 people afflicted)

Sign up to have a hero named after you. I'll likely do something like if you die, I'll throw you back at the bottom of the sign up list as I assume I'll have more deaths than signups. Especially since the game seems to throw new heroes at you like they are entirely dispensable (I think I had 13 in my 3 dungeons)

If you want a specific class or name then specify but keep in mind I know virtually nothing about the game so I'll likely play classes wrong and I anticipate this going very badly

DLC on:
Color of Madness
Shieldbreaker
Musketeer
Districts
Flagellant

I do not have Crimson Court turned on as the game recommended against it. I'll be playing on Radiant because I don't know what I'm doing.

Maybe at some point I'll stream it if I can work out how to do that on Playstation.

Signing up as a Jester please.

---

Peaf as a Grave Robber, please

And good luck!

---

Bounty Hunter, please.

---

Tutorial goes as expected and I don't open the chest at the end of it because it says its trapped and I'm not that foolish. The crusader gets no extra perks after the tutorial, the Highwayman gets Evasive

I'm assuming you always start out with the same 2 characters and always get the same 2 starting characters in the stage coach after the tutorial since I got the same people as last time.

So after the Tutorial we have (Using default names for now)

Reynauld - Crusader
Positive Quirk - Warrior of Light
Negative Quirks - God Fearing, Kleptomaniac
Skills - Smite / Zealous Accusation / Stunning Blow / Bulwark of Faith

Dismas - Highwayman
Positive Quirks - Hard Noggin, Quick Reflexes, Evasive
Negative Quirks - Known Cheat
Skills - Pistol Shot, Grapeshot Blast, Tracking Shot, Open Vein

Courci - Plague Doctor
Positive Quirks - On Guard, Fairweather Fighter
Negative Quirks - Dipsomania, Germophobe (This seems horrible for a Plague Doctor)
Skills - Noxious Blast, Plague Grenade, Blinding Gas, Emboldening Vapours

Bauldry - Vestal
Positive Quirks - On Guard, Healer's Gift
Negative Quirks - Fear of Eldritch, Ascetic
Skills - Divine Grace, Divine Comfort, Illumination, Hand of Light

Trinket wise I start out with a Stone of Patience (which I throw on Bauldry) and Stone of Endurance which I toss on Dismas

I upgrade the Stagecoach Network and enter the next dungeon with the above 4 since it's my only choice.

Sign ups

DYL - Jester
Peaf - Grave Robber
TheArkOfTurus - Bounty Hunter

Week 2

Well I worked out what the Kleptomaniac quirk does after Reynauld swiped a curios contents for himself. Courci also failed to disarm a trap and is having a bad time stress wise but otherwise it went fairly smoothly.

Reynauld (0 Stress) - Gained positive quirk Tough
Dismas (19 Stress) - Gained negative quirk Cove Phobe + Known Cheat became 'Severe'
Courci (90 Stress) - Gained positive quirk Steady / Gained negative quirk Scattering (well that sucks)
Bauldry (18 Stress) - Gained negative quirk Deviant Tastes

Trinket gained - Stun Charm

Stagecoach
Arbalest (Toustain)
Positive - Cove Tactician
Negative - Nocturnal

Shieldbreaker (Caunter)
Positive - Warrens Explorer
Negative - Off Guard, Tippler

Hellion (Machel)
Positive - Hippocratic
Negative - Enlightened

Upgraded - Hero Barracks
Sent Courci Gambling

Sub in the Hellion for Courci and entering a short Ruins dungeon

I'd love to be a plague doctor

---

Mega Mana posted...

I'd love to be a plague doctor

Do you want to be the existing Plague Doctor I have or the next one up?

ShatteredElysium posted...

Well I worked out what the Kleptomaniac quirk does after Reynauld swiped a curios contents for himself.

Yeah, I pretty much always drop Reynauld as soon as I can because of that. Kleptomaniac is the worst.

---

ShatteredElysium posted...

Do you want to be the existing Plague Doctor I have or the next one up?

Either is fine~

---

Signing up

---

Signing up for any class

---

Week 3

Dungeon went relatively smoothly with Machel racking up stress via curios fairly frequently

Reynauld (0 Stress) - Gained positive quirk Warrens Explorer
Machel (60 Stress) - Gained positive quirk Unerring (pretty sure this is useless since she has no ranged)
Dismas (16 Stress) - Nothing
Bauldry (92 Stress) - Deviant Tastes became Severe

Courci (maybe soon to be Mana) is back from gambling and is down to 35 stress

Trinkets Gained - Healing Armlet. Sickening Satchel

Upon entering town it gave me another Shieldbreaker (Bosanquet) with Unyielding, Balanced and Antsy (Jeeze Antsy seems awful)

Stage Coach

Plague Doctor (Toustain)
Positive - Gifted, Clotter
Negative - Stress Eater, Dud Hitter

Man-at-arms (Bossard)
Positive - Quickdraw, Stress Faster
Negative - Infirm, Antsy

Antiquarian (Belmis)
Positive - Quickdraw, Mankind Hater
Negative - Nervous

Man, some of these negative quirks seem awful and probably mean I won't keep those guys around long term.

I'll be any class. Give me the cute animal class that doesn't exist :(

---

Courci is renamed to Mana
Dismas is renamed to Pirateking
Bauldry is renamed to Jeffraze

I send JeffRaze to pray
I upgrade all Piratekings skills
I upgrade all Mana's skills
I upgrade the Transept, Instructor Mastery and Training Regimen

Probably need to look into if I should unlock some skills on other people too.

And ah crap, I'm going to have to enter the next dungeon without a healer.

Sign ups

DYL - Jester
Peaf - Grave Robber
TheArkOfTurus - Bounty Hunter
Zigzagoon (Will rename someone after the next dungeon)

Zigzagoon posted...

I'll be any class. Give me the cute animal class that doesn't exist :(

Apparently there's a Houndmaster class. I think that's the only animal type class though

Week 4

Bit of a wasted week. Entered the farmstead but ended up retreating when Pirateking got a little but too close to death for my liking after 13 kills.

Jeffraze prayed and recovered 69 stress however he also decided to go in search of a holy vision. Still shows on the roster so I assume this just means temporarily unavailable rather than permanently

Reynauld (28 Stress) - Gained positive quirk Natural
Pirateking (35 Stress) - Gained positive quirk Stress Faster
Mana (81 Stress) - Nothing
Machel (100 stress) - Nothing

Stage Coach

Houndmaster renamed Zigzagoon
Positive quirks - Deadly, Weald Adventurer
Negative Quirks - Tone Deaf

The other 2 are Shieldbreakers. I grab 1 just to fill out the roster but will likely dismiss down the line to make room.

I send Mana to pray.

Tempted to just take some of these backend roster dudes into the next dungeon since I have no healer and if they die it's not a big deal. Probably going to do 1 more dungeon and then take a bit of a break as I have some chores to do.

I will sign up to die probably.

Week 5

Dungeon run went less smooth than normal but no deaths. I probably got a bit lucky as the quest was clear out all room fights and the dungeon had like a T junction at the end with 1 room to the right and 2 to the left. I took the right room and it cleared the quest. If I had to backtrack back through the room I came from plus 2 more rooms, it could have ended badly as multiple people were low on health and 1 was afflicted

Bossard 25 Stress (Man at arms) - Gained positive quirk Warrens Scrounger
Zigzagoon 53 Strees (Houndmaster) - Gained nothing
Toustain 39 Stress (Arbalest) - Gained nothing
Toustain 100 Stress (Plague Doctor) - Gained negative quirk Curious / Afflicted with HOPELESS

Gained Trinkets - Bloodied Fetish, Snake Oil, Lock of Patience

Jeffraze returned from search for holy meaning
Mana prayed and receovered 69 stress
I upgrade Hero Barracks to max capacity of 17 (probably should have done stage coach network but whatever)

Town event gave me a Flagellant (and I dismissed Caunter the Shieldbreaker to make room as it was before the above)

Verdun - Flagellant
Positive Quirks - Evasive, Weald Scrounger
Negative - Mercurial, Zoophobia

Stage Coach is 2 Occultist and 1 Arbalest. I grab them all just because I have room. Guess I'll give a full roster update in a fresh post before taking a break for a bit.

Crusader - Reynauld (18 Stress)
Positive - Warrior of Light, Tough, Warrens Explorer, Natural
Negative - God Fearing, Kleptomaniac

Highwayman - Pirateking (25 Stress)
Positive - Hard Noggin, Quick Reflexes, Evasive, Stress Eater
Negative - Known Cheater (Severe), Cove Phobe
Skills at level 2

Plague Doctor - Mana (12 Stress)
Positive - On Guard, Fairweather Fighter, Steady
Negative - Dipsomania (Severe), Germophobe, Scattering
Skills at level 2

Plague Doctor - Toustain (100 Stress - HOPELESS)
Positive - Gifter, Clotter
Negative - Stress Eater, Dud Hitting, Curious

Vestal - Jeffraze (23 Stress)
Positive - On Guard, Healer's Gift
Negative - Fear of Eldritch, Ascetic, Deviant Tastes (Severe)
Healing skills at level 2

Hellion - Machel (90 Stress)
Positive - Hippocratic, Unerring
Negative - Enlightened

Man-At-Arms - Bossard (25 Stress)
Positive - Quickdraw, Stress Faster, Warrens Scrounger
Negative - Infirm, Antsy

Antiquarian - Belmis (0 Stress)
Positibe - Quickdraw, Mankind Hater
Negative - Nervous

Houndmaster - Zigzagoon (53 Stress)
Positive - Deadly, Weald Adventurer
Negative - Tone Deaf

Shieldbreaker - Bosanquet (30 Stress)
Positive - Unyielding, Balanced
Negative - Antsy

Shieldbreaker - Pennant (0 Stress)
Positive - Hard Noggin
Negative - Infirm, Enlightened

Flagellant - Verdun (0 Stress)
Positive - Evasive, Weald Scrounger
Negative - Mercurial, Zoophobia

Occultist - Montbrai (0 Stress)
Positive - Weapon Tinker, Eagle Eye
Negative - Lygphobia, Sitiomania

Occultist - Marci (0 Stress)
Positive - Stout
Negative - Deviant Tastes

Arbalest - Toustain (39 Stress)
Positive - Cove Tactician
Negative - Nocturnal

Arbalest - Senlis (0 Stress)
Positive - Back Tracker, Ruins Tactician
Negative - Paranormania, Nervous

Gold on hand - 15335
Material - 16 Bust, 7 Portrait, 1 Deed, 1 Crest

Sign ups

DYL - Jester
Peaf - Grave Robber
TheArkOfTurus - Bounty Hunter
Stan

What I'll do is I'll give people chance to claim an existing character and if they don't then I'll assign them either an existing character or stage coach next update after signup if possible given the criteria they specified. I'll try assign people to the characters I'm more likely to use but still feeling out the game so far so I could be guessing wrong on what to use (I know I like stun and blight and bleed!)

Lolo sign
---

Houndmaster/Hellion/Shieldbreaker sign

---

Typing this up on phone so will be less than normal

Week 6

Took in Bossard, Pirateking, Jeffraze and Mana. Clear went smoothly.

Pirateking is now Resolve level 2
Mana gained negative quirk Night Blindness
Zigzagoon recovered 45 Stress

Trinkets gained - Dazzling Charm, Bloodied Fetish, Bleed Stone, Seer Stone, Unmovable Helmet

Stagecoach

Recruit DYL the Jester (Stress Faster / Dacnophobia)
Recruit Black Hydras the Shieldbreaker (Luminous, Lurker / Thanatophobia, Hylomania)

I dismissed Pennant the Shieldbreaker to make room.

Stan and Lolo will likely get recruited or renamed next batch

Apparently I can now challenge the Necromancer Apprentice. Probably wait a run or 2 to do so though as I assume that's the first boss

Week 7

Entered with the same team. Fairly straightforward again but err the expedition results not so much. Pirateking got the Black Plague somehow, presumably from the trap that hit him. So bad times!

Bossard gained Unholy Slayer
Pirateking gained Perfectionist (which is a negative quirk), Early Riser and The Black Plague
Jeffraze gained Warren's Adventurer and Resolve level 2
Mana gained Winded, Unholy Slayer

The Black Plague gives -75% Blight Resist, -75% Disease Resist, -10% Max HP and -5 SPD so is pretty bad!

And oh boy, Stage Coach has 6 more Recruits than normal. So I'll probably save and quit here and decide what to do with them all next time as I'm at 17/17 but to give you a preview the loadout is Vestal, Hellion, Vestal, Man at Arms, Flagellant, Plague Doctor, Bounty Hunter, Vestal, Houndmaster

ShatteredElysium posted...

I do not have Crimson Court turned on as the game recommended against it.

Just want to say that this is the right call. Not good for a first playthrough.

Oh and make me a Vestal lol

Occultist sign

man i love this game, so much atmosphere and the ancestor's lines haunt my sleep

---

Don't know much about this game but sign me up as a Shieldbreaker, please.

---

Signing

Graverobber or Bounty Hunter, whichever you get first

I will sign up as a flagellant.

---

Will likely play more tonight after I get home and do my Genshin dailies.

Really enjoying the game so far. I was trying to look up a spreadsheet to keep track of the roster but the first 2 I found seemed to have a ton of other information that I didn't want to know as it may spoil stuff so I clicked out of them straight away.

I'm ok with maybe light warnings like if there's anything obscenely unfair that will wreck me that I have no way of seeing coming but I don't want to see 'Upgrade in this order' or 'Use this specific composition / skills for X boss'

I mean, DD is nice in that there are lots of ways to run.

Make sure you can damage the front and backline enemies, try to have at least one DOT for high protection enemies.

I've always found dancing teams fun (units that shuffle their own position in combat)

---

Steel yourself to the inevitable fact that you will lose party members, maybe even an entire party at once

Good luck out there

---

100%.

Sometimes the game just decides it wants to kill a character (or party) and there is nothing you can do about it.

---

Sign up as literally whatever!

---

Ok doing some roster management before the next dungeon.

I rename Reynauld to Stan
I rename Verdun the Flagellant to GildedFool
I rename Montbrai to CoolCly

I send Pirateking to the Sanitarium to cure his black plague
I send Stan to try cure his Kleptomania since his other traits seem to be good (hence the renaming)

Recruit Ark the Bounty Hunter (Quickdraw, Eldritch Slayer / Automatonophobia)
Recruit Paratroopa the Vestal (Clutch Hitter, Hot to Trot / Tone Deaf, Torn Rotator)
Recruit Lolo the Hellion (Luminous / Thin Blooded)
Recruit Bertrand the Houndmaster (Evasive / Ablutomania, Mercurial)

Dismiss Toustain the Plague Doctor (who was afflicted with Hopeless so probably for the best!)
Dismiss Belmis the Antiquarian
Dismiss Toustain the Arbalest
Dismiss Bossard the Man-at-arms despite using him as Antsy went severe

Signups
Shonen Bat (Shieldbreaker)
Tcaz (Bounty Hunter or Graverobber)
Mccheyne

I have a spare Shieldbreaker but they have Antsy so not renamed a B8er after them as Antsy seems awful. I have a couple of backend roster peeps that I could rename after McCheyne but I'll wait for something better / more likely to be used

I think that's everything

Week 8

Ark - Resolve 1
Lolo - Resolve 1 / Negative Quirk The Yips (ewww)
Paratroopa - Resolve 1 / Positive Quirk Quick Reflexes
Mana - Resolve 2 / Negative Quirk Soft replaces Germophobe

Jeffraze could not achieve Meditative state, gains negative quirk Unquiet Mind but recovers 45 Stress

Pirateking cured of The Black Plague
Stan is no longer a Kleptomaniac

Stagecoach

Recruit Lovet the Vestal (Luminous / Paranormania)
Dismiss Bosanquet the Shieldbreaker

(May rename Lovet after a B8er if someone dies)

All my town stuff seems to be missing deeds to upgrade so I do hero upgrades insteas.

I unlock Inspiring Cry and Battle Heal on Stan and upgrade all his abilities

I upgrade both Paratroopa's heals. Will probably upgrade Lolo and Ark next time I go to use them (sent them to Pray and Meditate)

I probably should look into camping at some point. Only done short dungeons so far

Week 9

Stan - Resolve 2 / Gained Eldritch Hater
Pirateking - Gained Ruins Scrounger (Replaced Evasive booooo)
Paratroopa - Gained Healers Gift
Mana - Ewww. Got Scurvy. Not as awful as what PK got but still bad

Ark recovers 69 Stress but wishes to remain in Prayer
Lolo recovers 45 Stress

Town event Trinket cost 50% down
Ruins advanced to mastery 4

I upgrade Weaponsmithing and then upgrade Para, Mana, Lolo, Stan, Pirateking and Jeffraze all to weapon 2

Stagecoach - Ok this is interesting this week...

Recruit Tcaz the Grave Robber (Cove Scrounger, Weald Scrounger / Gambler)

Recruit Perroy the Occultist (Luminous / Hylomania)

Recruit Montfiquet the Beastmaster (Twilight Dreamer, Elusive / Unquiet Mind)

Dismiss Bertrand, Marci and Machel

So need opinions on if Twilight Dreamer is worth keeping Montfiquet for / leaving it on him? It says I can only put it on 1 person?

Week 10 (Entered the Warrens)

Stan - Nothing
Pirateking - Resolve 3 / Got disease The Worries
Paratroopa - Positive Quirk Weald Adventurer / Negative Quirk Sickly
Mana - Nothing

Pirateking is now green on the menu which I assume means something

Ark Prayed (which I had no choice over) and went in search of a holy vision

Warrens Mastery 1
Town event Cornerstones - Unlocked Districts but not close to affording any of those yet
Upgraded Furnace

Stagecoach

Garbage Crusader and Antiquarian
Leper who I may get (would need to dismiss someone)

I've just noticed the reward for Necromancers Apprentice rotates every week. Is it always Very Rare? I think it was Heroes Ring last week and this week it is Eternity's Collar (Flagellant Very Rare). Am I supposed to wait to do it until there's a Very Rare item I want?

damn fucking RIGHT I'm hot to trot

I don't really remember very well what Twilight Dreamer does and what the strategy for that quirk is. I haven't played the game much since that particular content update.

Paratroopa1 posted...

I don't really remember very well what Twilight Dreamer does and what the strategy for that quirk is. I haven't played the game much since that particular content update.

Ignores Stealth

Ah, that's right. A very solid quirk but I wouldn't obsess over it TOO much... probably try to get it on someone who can attack any enemy position would be my advice.

*drinks orange juice*

---

Currently praying that I stop praying.

---

Week 11 (Warrens - Short)

Before the dungeon I sent Mana to meditate and Pirateking to try cure The Worries. Dungeon was fairly easy and got lots of rewards. Nobody died but the consequences quirk disease wise suck.

Lolo - Gained Positive Quirk Eldritch Slayer / Disease Ennui
Zigzagoon - Nothing
Paratroopa - Resolve 2 / Stress Faster replaced Weald Adventurer / Negative Quirk Antsy / Disease Syphilis (Sucks to be you Para!)
Tcaz - Resolve 1 / Negative quirk Compulsive

So 2 diseases (both from some pig vomiting on people) and 2 pretty awful negative quirks.

Mana recovers 45 Stress
Pirateking cured of The Worries
Ark finally returns from his marathon praying session and holy search

Upgrade Medical Ward
Upgrade Armorsmithing

Upgrade Ark, Tcaz, Zigzagoon to Weapon 1
Upgrade Lolo, Ark, Stan Pirateking, Jeffraze, Tcaz, Zigzagoon to Armor 1

Send Para to cure Syphilis
Send Mana to cure Scurvy

Nothing super interesting in stagecoach.

Oh man. This curio doesn't sound ominous or anything.

Shambler's Altar - It says "The sacrifice of fire is the gate to ruin! Place a torch if you crave the void!"

Pretty sure I read an in-game journal that mentioned a Shambler and tentacles or something and everyone dying? If I was with my main team I would light it but with the team I have probably not a good idea. I am very tempted though...

Dungeon design means I have to double back past here shortly so maybe on the way back

Week 12 - Weald (Short)

Lolo - Cove Adventurer
Zigzagoon - Kleptomaniac (ugh)
Jeffraze - Misses the spot (also ugh)
Tcaz - Zoophobia

I opted against using the Shambler's Altar after Lolo very nearly died with like half the dungeon to go. Maybe next time if I have a better party with me. I did get a Snipers Ring which seems good.

Town event - Laundry Day
Weald to Mastery 1

Para cured of Syphilis
Mana cured of Scurvy

Upgrade Mana and Para armor to 1

Stagecoach garbage

Don't really have the materials to upgrade anything I want and I see that locking in a positive quirk is expensive. So is getting rid of a severe negative quirk. I have quite a few problematic negative quirks I want rid of too. Bleh. I guess the ideal is to get not so bad negatives turn severe

Send Para to get rid of Antsy

Will probably attempt that Necromancer Apprentice as soon as it shows me a reward I want

Week 13 - Warrens (Short)

Lolo - Resolve 2 / Bad Healer
Ark - Beast Hater
Jeffraze - Disease Spasm of the Entrails
Tcaz - Quickdraw / Disease Wasting Sickness

I hate those vomit pigs. Just a damn money sink with their diseases

Compulsive triggered a few times but luckily with no bad results. I did come across another Shambler Altar which I didn't trigger

Warrens to Mastery 2 (which unlocks the Swine Prince I guess?)

Para removed Antsy
Zigzagoon apparently got The Worries at some point without me realizing as it never told me

Upgrade Stagecoach Network to 2
Upgrade Instructor Mastery to 2 (no upgraded heroes yet due to the below)

Nomad Wagon has a Solar Crown for 15k which sounds really good? I have 21k gold but lots of trinkets I don't use I could sell. Won't be doing another run tonight because Magic basketball about to start so I have time to think on it.

Stagecoach bad again

Wait. One of the stages is offering Book of Holiness (-20% Stress, -10% Deathblow resistance) which is uncommon but seems to be better than Solar Crown (-20% stress if Torch above 75)? Not suffered a Deathblow yet so don't know how bad dropping Deathblow resistance is.

Swine Prince is offering the Very Rare Houndmaster Trinket which could be good +20% DMG, +30% Bleed chance, -20% Healing received, -50% healing skills

Stopping for the day now but hopefully tomorrow I do some bosses!