Darkest Dungeon 2 Release Date: Platforms, Gameplay, And Everything We Know
Darkest Dungeon 2 has been in early access for well over a year now, but version 1.0 has finally received a release date, meaning players won't have to wait much longer until they can get their hands on the full release of the brutal dungeon-crawling roguelike.
The first Darkest Dungeon debuted back in early 2016, instantly cementing itself as an indie success story as it received critical acclaim and commercial success. Its tough blend of traditional dungeon crawling, RPG, and roguelike mechanics connected with gamers, and the stress mechanic made for a poignant exploration of the negative effects of not looking after your mental health.
Darkest Dungeon 2 looks to expand and improve many of the features that made it so beloved by its fanbase. So, if you want to know everything there is to know, including the release date, platforms, gameplay, and more, we've got you covered.
Darkest Dungeon 2 Release Date
The developer has revealed that Darkest Dungeon 2 will be launching in full on May 8, 2023, meaning we won't have to wait much longer to play version 1.0.
The early access release launched back in October 2021, so it will have been a year and a half between the release of both versions.
Darkest Dungeon 2 Trailers
The first trailer for Darkest Dungeon 2 was a teaser titled "The Howling End", which showcased a snowy mountain with some characters in front of it, ready to embark on a journey. It was made essentially to just confirm that the devs were working on the game, and certainly started the hype train for fans of the first game.
Another small teaser trailer was released a little after the first, but the next big trailer came in October 2021, which confirmed the early access release later in that month. This was a much more substantial trailer, showcasing many elements of gameplay.
Players got to see the new stylised 3D graphics which were presented as third-person in the meta world when exploring in the stagecoach, while the dungeon crawling still had the same side-on perspective. It also introduced many of the playable characters by highlighting the character select screen.
Since then, each new trailer has focused on new content like characters and locations that's been added into the early access release such, as the Bounty Hunter teaser, Altar of Hope teaser, and more.
Darkest Dungeon 2 Gameplay
Click to enlargeThe gameplay of Darkest Dungeon 2 is functionally the same as the first, just with some expansions to existing mechanics, a new 3D graphical style, and a brighter theme of hope in the face of darkness.
Firstly, the heroes you can select in the sequel are all unique, unlike the first where select from a pool of characters that appear at the stagecoach. Each character is more closely aligned to a traditional RPG archetype, leading to stricter party builds where you can no longer double up on a class.
Exploration has also seen a big change, as you now navigate the world in the stagecoach itself, moving down various roads and selecting branching paths in a third-person view. This adds more choice to how you move through the game, and lets you see the effects of your actions more immediately.
Click to enlargeThe dungeon-crawling combat obviously makes a return and is much the same with some small changes, like the removal of the accuracy stat and the addition of an affinity system. This mechanic allows the relationships between characters to grow or deteriorate over time, based on the choices you make in combat, at the inn, or during conversations at points of interest.
The full release might see some more surprise mechanics and changes, but most of the big additions to the sequel have already been explored in the early access release.
Darkest Dungeon 2 Platforms
Click to enlargeCurrently, Darkest Dungeon 2 is only confirmed for release on PC, where it's currently available on the Epic Games Store and is set to be available on Steam at release.
The first game received ports to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices, and it's been confirmed by Red Hook Studios that Darkest Dungeon 2 will also see a console release in the future.
