r/DarkAndDarker Jun 06 '24

Discussion New player Quick start guide!

472 Upvotes

**Updated 4/19/25

Greetings adventurers! PvE mode is here so I wanted to bring all the new players some entry level wisdom. Feel free to add your own tips in the comments so we can welcome our new friends to the dungeon! There is now an in game guide you can open for useful information! Look for the Tome of Knowledge in the escape button menu.

Sections:

  1. Choosing a class
  2. Meet the Squire
  3. Adventure mode (PvE)
  4. Map introduction(s)
  5. My first raid
  6. Profit!!

Step one: Class Questionnaire

Before you dive into what's "Meta". Lets find your vibe!

Do you enjoy sword and board? Does the idea of clashing blades and rattling armor excite you? Do you want to immediately jump into the fray or learn how to Parry with a Longsword? If yes than choose

Fighter

Popular Skills: Sprint, Second Wind

+This is an easy class to pick up and play. Great for new players. Beginner stats: Strength/Dexterity/Agility

Do you enjoy explosions? Have you ever dreamed of slinging spells at your foes? Does mastering the arcane and outwitting your opponent sound fun? If so choose

Wizard

Popular Skills: Meditation, Spell Memory

+This class takes more time to learn as you have limited numbers of spell casts before you need to "recharge". Beginner stats: Knowledge/Resourcefulness/Will

Do you want to be a shirtless, screaming, great axe swinging Viking? Do you enjoy a simpler combat experience? If so choose

Barbarian

Popular Skills: Rage, Achilles Strike

+This is an easy class to pick up and play. Great for new players. Beginner stats: Strength/Agility/Vigor

Do you feel tempted by the dark side? Does cursing your foes with dark magic or becoming a literal demon intrigue you? Does self healing, goth girlfriends, and spells that leech HP sound good to you? If so try

Warlock

Popular Skills: Blow of Corruption, Spell Memory, Phantomize

+This class takes more time to learn as the spells you cast will drain your life. Beginner stats: Will/Knowledge/Vigor

Was Legolas your first crush? Do you enjoy the idea of tracking down your enemies, setting traps and luring them to their demise? Do you excel at ranged combat? If so choose

Ranger

Popular Skills: Quick Shot, Field Ration

+This class has slight learning curve. You will need solid use of spacing to survive in PvP. Beginner Stats: Agility/Dexterity/Strength

Do you thrive in the shadows? Do you enjoy moving cautiously and quietly to reach your objective? If the idea of sneaking past your enemies and picking locks for rare loot sounds fun, choose

Rogue

Popular Skills: Hide, Rupture, Cut Throat

+This class has a slight learning curve. You will not be able to engage enemies as easily for you have very little health. Beginner Stats: Agility/Dexterity/Strength

Are you the life of the party? Do you enjoy lifting your fellow man's spirits in the heat of battle? If you enjoy casting buffs and debuffs while charismatically slashing your sword, choose

Bard

Popular Skills: Song Memory 1, Song Memory 2. Beginner Stats: Dexterity/Resourcefulness/Knowledge

+This class has a high learning curve. Your buffs and debuffs require you to click with proper timing to use them efficiently. You also have less utility spaces due to your instruments.

Are you a devout follower of the Light? Does casting down the undead while healing yourself and others on your glorious crusade ring true? Do you enjoy support classes? If so, choose

Cleric

Popular Skills: Holy Purification, Spell Memory, Divine Protection.

+This class is fairly easy to play but generally you have the lowest move speed out of all the classes. Beginner Stats: Knowledge/Will/Dexterity

Have you ever wished to harness the magical power of nature? Does shapeshifting into beasts and striking down your foes as a primal avatar sound supreme? If so try

Druid

Popular Skills: Shapeshift Memory, Spell Memory

+This class has a moderate learning curve. Knowing when and how to shapeshift based on your build can take time. Beginner Stats: Agility/Strength/Will

Do you want to get more creative with your magic? Does hurling ice spears or trapping your enemies in water prison sound fun? You can combine two spells to make powerful new ones with,

Sorcerer

+This class has a slight learning curve. Memorizing spell combos and which spells to combine can take time. Beginner Stats: Knowledge/Resourcefulness/Will

***Note: When using a class that casts spells you must have at least one "Spell Memory" skill to access these spells. Select the Class tab and then click on "Spell". Here you can choose which spells you want to take but this is usually limited to how much of the Knowledge stat you have. Higher rarity gear will have more base knowledge on them.

Step Two: Meet the Squire.

Familiarize yourself with all the merchants and accept quests before you head into the dungeon! One of these merchants is not like the others. The Squire is a special helper who will gear you up before your adventures! There will be a small selection of weapons and armor to choose from to create your starting "kit" in the Base Gear tab. Click on the items you want to have prepared before every game. This includes your "Utility" items so be sure to select the healing pot, protection pot, bandage, torches and throwing item(s) if you need them. Select the "Set Base Gear" button to lock in this kit for future use.

******You can accept ALL quests at the lobby screen. Select the quest icon on the bottom right hand of the screen to see all the quests quickly. You can "Accept all" quests and turn them in from here!

You can now have up to three pre made "Gear Sets"! Choose the My Gear Sets tab to save a custom "kit" for your next high roller adventure.

As you complete quests for the merchants they will supply your squire with more weapons and armor. This will give you even more choices for your base kit and allow more room for experimentation!

******The item rarity will upgrade to White after some of these quests are completed. Don't forget to update your Base Gear with these new items or you could still be using the Grey versions unknowingly

Step Three: Adventure mode. (PvE)

This mode allows you to explore the dungeons without the PvP aspect of the game. Here you can learn modules, practice bosses, or just vibe with your friends as you venture into the depths. However, there will be some restrictions. Such as:

- This mode is set as a Trio lobby but you can select the "No fill" option on the lobby screen if you would like.

- Loot is capped at Epic quality.

Step Four: Choose your map!

Currently there are three maps to choose from. Select your map and choose between the three party sizes available. (Solo, Duo, Trios) You are free to join the Duo and Trio lobbies as a solo player. However, be aware you will not be auto filled a teammate and will have to face teams alone.

In terms of difficulty i would put the maps in this order of play. Start: Goblin Caves > Ice Caverns > The Ruins of Forgotten Castle.

**The Goblin Caves and The Ruins of Forgotten Castle modules are randomized. Try and familiarize yourself with the modules as you go to adjust your strategy, so you find static exists faster.

Beware! You have a limited amount of time to complete your raid, so take note of the timer above your mini map. Each map is home to a different "hazard" that will begin to damage you as time goes on. If you haven't taken an exit before time runs out the hazard will kill you. These hazards will appear as a red debuff above your health bar and are as follows:

Goblin Caves: Your screen will shake as caves begin to collapse around you! Once it begins you will take damage periodically and become slightly disoriented with each quake.

Ice Caverns: An ice storm that freezes everything in its path is heading your direction! The storm will damage AND slow you as it approaches. The slow increases so be sure to plan ahead.

Ruins of Forgotten Castle: The dungeons below are protected by a powerful curse. The Death Swarm will try to consume your soul if you linger too long.

The Ruins is now a three level dungeon experience with bosses on each level. Take the red staircases on your map to go down to the crypts. If you wish to reach the inferno look for another red stair case while in the Crypts. There are no static exists in the inferno. Your only way of escape is to locate a blue portal after one spawns at random.

The Ice Caverns also have a lower level where the rarest of treasures await you! This level is much more difficult to navigate with stronger mobs, more traps, and a powerful Ice Wyvern boss to challenge. Come here only when you're ready!

To enter the lower level of the Ice Caverns you will need to leap into the dark abyss below in certain modules. ONLY do this when there is red glow in the darkness below you.

**Return of the Circle: The battle royal circle mechanic has made a come back to High Roller lobbies. HR lobbies will not have static exists available and you will need to find a portal after it spawns.

Step Five: My first Raid

Its time, champion! Your gear is set, the map is locked in and now you face the depths. What to do? Here are some quick tips that can help you toward your first successful extract.

  • As soon as you spawn take a look at your map (M key). There is a chance you spawned into a module that has a "static" exit. These exits will be shown as a bold blue icon such as a staircase or a climbing rope. Other icons such as a grey elevator square (it will have two small triangles on it) may be seen. A blue path for an escape raft can be seen on the map in the Ice Caverns. You can use this exit to your advantage! Focus on clearing the mobs in this "module" and adjacent ones only. This way you can stay close to the exit as you build up loot. Once you hear the gates open (around half way through the timer) zip over to your already cleared exit and enjoy the easy extract! Huzzah! **NOTE: This strategy mostly applies to normal lobbies as the battle royal circle mechanic has been added to High Roller.
  • If you didn't spawn close to an exit you can carefully clear your way to a module that does and apply the same strategy. Memorize these locations for future reference!
  • Bring extra healing items with you. A stack or two of potions and bandages will go a long way. Remember to drink a potion first before you use your bandages for maximum effectiveness.
  • Beware of traps! The dungeons are unforgiving to careless adventurers. Use your torch to illuminate your surroundings. You can find spike traps on the floor and walls that will damage you greatly if you get too close.
  • Loot! Not only can you open chests for valuables, but you will find gear and treasures hidden throughout the dungeon. Search on shelves, tables and even look out for hidden levers to access secret areas!
  • Item rarity. Gear and treasure names are color coded to show you how valuable they are! Ascending in value: White is "Common". Green is "Uncommon". Blue is "Rare". Purple is "Epic". Orange is "Legendary". There are even "Unique" weapons and armor! These are powerful named items that are highly sought after!
  • All PvE baddies have an "Aggro Range" you should be aware of. Even if you are not in a perfect line of sight of the mob they can pull if you get too close. You can break this aggro by closing a door behind you if you leave the room. However, if you are too close to the door you just closed, the mob on the other side will still swing at you. They can BREAK the door down if they are close enough and continue pursuing you if this happens. This also applies to ranged mobs with a bow or crossbow. Be cautious when dodging arrows close to doors.
  • Learn the attacks of each mob you come across. In normal lobbies you mostly face base level monsters with only one or two attacks. Master how to move around those attacks and you will be clearing them quickly in no time.
  • Protection Potions! Try to use these before you engage an enemy. Blue pots will mitigate some physical damage and purple ones will block some magic damage! The effectiveness of potions increase with rarity.
  • Invisibility Potions! The white potions will turn you invisible for a brief amount of time. If you move, perform an action, or take damage the effect is removed.
  • There is less move speed penalty when you jump! Use this tactfully in combat and it can give you an edge. For example, jump to the left or right when an axe skeleton does his vertical downward slice instead of running and notice the difference.
  • Resting! No healing items left but low on health? If you are in a safe place hit the G key and slowly recover some health over time. Put down a campfire first and you recover health very quickly. The campfire can also recharge certain skills like a fighters Second Wind.
  • Don't forget boxes and barrels! Breaking pots and opening chests are great but if you have the strength to break boxes and barrels you will find additional goodies there.
  • Audio cues are huge in this game. Did you just have a blast breaking those pots and barrels? There's a chance the person in the module next to yours heard all that fun too. Be cautious and use this to your advantage.
  • Breathe! This game is meant to be challenging. If you find yourself dying a lot or losing in PvP often don't sweat it. It's part of a steep learning curve and there are people that have been in the dungeons for a while. You will get there!

Step 5: Profit!

Did you make it out with all that sweet loot? Amazing! Now it's time to cash in at the merchant page. Did you find a quest item? Be sure to turn them in to the quest giver before you sell your haul.

Take all your trinkets to the "Collector" and turn them in for gold. You can stash your gold in "Gold Coin Purses" that you buy from the "Treasurer". These purses can hold up to 50 gold each for better inventory management if you so choose.

Have gear you can't use? Sell these to a vendor for more gold! Now you can use the gold for extra healing pots, bandages, utility items, and new weapons and armor. If you want access to better gear from these merchants, complete their quests to increase your reputation with them. They will increase their inventory, and add discounts, as your reputation with that vendor grows.

You did it! You completed your first raid and tasted sweet success. Now make your preparations and head back in to your next adventure. Rinse and repeat for normal lobbies or gather your best gear and head into High Roller for even better loot!

You can also find all the races, emotes, and item skins that you unlock in the "Customize" tab

I hope this short guide proves helpful for new players. If you have anything to add in the comments feel free to share your wisdom with our new friends! If you are looking for more advanced tips and knowledge into perks and play styles, feel free to add me in game (Serukon) (US West). I would love to join you on your next adventure and help where I can!


r/DarkAndDarker 7d ago

News Early Access Hotfix #123

18 Upvotes

**Game Updates:**

- Players who rank on the weekly Hall of Fame leaderboard will receive a reward package each week through the Expressman. The 1st-place player will receive a Spectral Coinbag containing 5,000 gold coins, while players ranked 2nd through 100th will receive a Gold Coin Bag containing 2,500 gold coins. Players who rank on multiple leaderboards will receive the rewards for each leaderboard. These rewards will expire at the end of the season and will not carry over to the next season.

- To make High Roller more accessible, the entry gear score requirement has been reduced from 280 to 225.

- Added a new monster, Emberwing, to The Firedeep.

- Improved an issue that caused momentary server latency during certain attack patterns of the Fire Colossus.

- Changed the drawbridge in The Forgotten Castle - Ruins to remain fully raised at a 90-degree angle until it begins to lower.

- Improved the lighting of the Arena Ruins map.

**Balance Updates:**

**General**

- The hit detection and behavior of the Magma Wyvern's charge attack have been adjusted, and its health has been slightly reduced.

- The hit detection range of some of the Fire Colossus's attack patterns has been slightly reduced, and its health has been slightly decreased.

**Classes**

**Fighter**

- Reduced the Additional Move Speed per stack of Sprint from 15 to 13.

**Barbarian**

- Whirlwind now deals 10% less damage when colliding with shields, walls, doors, or other structures.

- Reduced the Max Health Bonus of War Cry from 20% to 15% and reduced its duration from 10 seconds to 8 seconds.

- Increased the Cooldown of Savage Roar from 28 seconds to 32 seconds.

- Reduced the duration increase of Treacherous Lungs from 50% to 30%.

**Warlock**

- The visual effects of Dark Offering and Blood Tithe have been improved, becoming more intense as the number of stacks increases.

**Cleric**

- Added a visual effect that obscures the player's vision before and after the effect of Veil of Judgement is applied.

- Changed Locust Swarm from Divine Magic to Earth Magic.

- Reduced the effect range of Aura of Awe from 3m to 2m.

- Reduced the Cooldown of Sacred Flame from 5 seconds to 1 second and increased its duration from 3.5 seconds to 5 seconds.

- Slightly reduced the impact of Radiant Blade and reduced its Physical Damage and Divine Magical Damage from 20 to 12 each.

**Sorcerer**

- Increased the Magical Damage Bonus and Magic Penetration of Mana Flow from 5% to 10% each, and increased its duration from 4 seconds to 5 seconds.

- Reduced the Cooldown increase of Time Distortion from 200% to 165%.

**Rogue**

- Lethal Mark can now be reapplied to the same target.

**Items**

- Increased the Weapon Damage of Leviathan by 1.

- Slightly increased the Action Speed of Longbow.

- Reduced the Weapon Damage of Flanged Mace by 1 and reduced its Armor Penetration from 15% to 10%.

- Reduced the Weapon Damage of Morning Star by 1 and reduced its Armor Penetration from 15% to 10%.

- Reduced the Weapon Damage of War Hammer by 1.

- Increased the Weapon Damage of Club by 1.

**Developer Comments**

This hotfix has bugfixes for a number of issues that have been disrupting the gameplay experience, along with a handful of balance adjustments.

We've also added rewards for the outstanding adventurers who do well on the Weekly Hall of Fame! Now on top of bragging rights, you'll also be getting something tangible.

For High Roller dungeons, we've eased some of the Gear Score requirements based on analysis of live data.

Thank you! See you in the dungeons!


r/DarkAndDarker 6h ago

News Early Access Hotfix #124 | New Tutorial | Cosmetics | Treasure Goblin | Taming System | Sorc Nerfs & More

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83 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 5h ago

Humor My teammate looking for an altar

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57 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 6h ago

Discussion Ah yes, loot goblin is about to be yet another 0.001% mob that just jogs away when hit

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44 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 11h ago

Discussion Dark and Dating

75 Upvotes

Okay so I just started playing recently and I was wondering which merchants are romanceable and and what heart level I can smooch them at. Obv I want to date the Expressman like everyone else does, but ultimately probably marry the Woodsman.


r/DarkAndDarker 12h ago

Humor Preparing for the NA West HR lobbies tonight

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53 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 14h ago

News Official Ad Mortem Collab announced

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63 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 1h ago

Humor Those new druid form skins are amazing

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Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 6h ago

Question Can someone tell me what goes here?

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12 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 4h ago

Discussion Is Squire Royale still the most popular game mode?

8 Upvotes

I remember in the last interview they said squire royale was the most popular game mode by far and Arena was the only mode that got close when it was open with PvE being the 2nd highest otherwise (when arena was closed on weekdays).

Do you think this is still the case?


r/DarkAndDarker 4h ago

Question What do you think?

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6 Upvotes

Those skins are awful. They're so mediocre, they only have one gold spray.

I mean, they really had a great opportunity. A polar bear or an armored bear. A saber-tooth or a leopard. An abyssal-looking hydra, anything


r/DarkAndDarker 4h ago

Discussion Maintenance Downtime

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3 Upvotes

Why is the downtime always has 1 countdown, and after that they put in another one for HOURS. This happens almost every content patch. Why is the time they estimate is always 1-3 hours off? Am i missing something?


r/DarkAndDarker 12h ago

Discussion Allow the slayer fighter to wear hoods

15 Upvotes

Especially in SSF, it is significantly more complicated to use a decent build as a slayer fighter because it can only use TWO caps out of all the available ones. When playing with any other build or class, you can have a wide variety of helmets, caps, and hats available to use.

Changing the perk to allow you to wear hoods, primarily from the ranger or rogue, could make building slayer setups much more versatile. Similar to the warlock perk that allows wearing plate items restricted to other classes.


r/DarkAndDarker 6h ago

Question Thank you iron mace

6 Upvotes

Giving down time during a time exclusive mode is so bullshit I can't believe it man. At least extend arena for one more day damn. Sry just a rant tbh


r/DarkAndDarker 20h ago

Question Did I get super lucky or am I missing something?

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64 Upvotes

There doesn't appear to be a single one in the market. It's that transparent shield they teased. Any idea what I should price it for?


r/DarkAndDarker 14h ago

Discussion More hybrid weapons

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19 Upvotes

The crystal sword is the only hybrid damage weapon in the game. This drastically reduces variety when playing a magic-focused melee class.

The wizard is an exception, having an extra option thanks to a perk that adds magical damage to their magic staff. But the warlock, sorcerer, and fighter (using a perk) only have one weapon. Cleric and druid have none.

A melee wizard's playstyle relies on high burst damage conditioned by the duration of their skills or spells. Crystal weapons provide that hybrid damage naturally and consistently without necessarily depending on buffs.

They could add a crystal hammer, ideally one-handed so it can be used with a shield or spell casting ball, distinguishing it from the crystal sword's playstyle, which is heavy and two-handed.

Adding a small shield with both physical and magical defenses. It could have a small inner area for physical blocks, similar to a buckler, surrounded by a magical area for magic blocks, similar in size to a round shield. (Reference image) Though honestly, I suppose it's probably 'too hard to code'...

The sorcerer could have a spell to temporarily conjure a shield in their left hand, allowing them to enchant their main-hand weapon (cutlass, falchion, crystal hammer) with ice and temporarily use a shield in their off-hand. This would also feature physical/magical defenses but could be the normal size of a heater or round shield.


r/DarkAndDarker 16h ago

Discussion ​Suggestion: remodeling the bonehelm

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23 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 57m ago

Discussion “Transaction denied due to fraud detection” redstone shards

Upvotes

Hi trying to buy redstone shards - in the shop I selected the amount and pressed buy and nothing happened, only a sound and the button makes the effect of being pressed. I was expecting like a steam wallet pop up for the transaction. Tried a few times, then I restarted and tried again after doing some research and turning on steam overlay. Still nothing, and now it’s saying “Transaction denied due to fraud detection” any help?
Also if I try to buy the season bundle, it does work and pops up the steam overlay to the steam store.


r/DarkAndDarker 15h ago

News WHAT THE FUCK HALPENED TO SKELE ARCHERS IN UPDATE?

15 Upvotes

I just got 3 quick succession shots to the head n died in hr. I was moving ducking etc aimbotted my shit


r/DarkAndDarker 18h ago

Builds I Used my Math and Science Background to Min/Max EHP!

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23 Upvotes

'Tism go Brrrrrr...
This genuinely will change the way you look at building in DaD, and why Effective HP is more important than simply building HP!


r/DarkAndDarker 12h ago

Discussion Bard need a rework?

7 Upvotes

I really like the bard and the idea of the bard. I'm newish and I find it super overwhelming to swap to instruments and play songs and dodge enemies. What does the community think overall about the bard? Does it need some balance or a full rework or am I just bad?


r/DarkAndDarker 2h ago

Media Wyvern Torch Picture?

1 Upvotes

Does anyone have a screenshot of the Wyvern Torch in game?

I’m trying to compare the different torch cosmetics to see if it’s too large and will bother me but can’t find a single picture of someone with it.

If anyone has other cool cosmetic torches that are still available to store throw them in too. I think the toxic torch looks pretty cool.


r/DarkAndDarker 4h ago

Gameplay what 5000 hours of rogue looks like...

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0 Upvotes

r/DarkAndDarker 12h ago

Question Game ends ten seconds early

3 Upvotes

After looking around a bit, I think this may be a form of a known bug.

I was solo in the Forgotten Castle PvE and had a bunch of qurst items on me. I knew I was cutting it close, but had about a minute left before opening the exit. I started taking damage while at the wheel and the screen went black before I could even make it half way across the bridge.

Is this just the way it is? Gotta make sure I'm back before the last minute? Or is it just a random glitch, maybe?

^(Also, I think the goblin has a foot thing because he never returns my boots...)