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Darkest Dungeonhas no fixed meta, meaning you can experiment with all the heroes to create team compositions tailored around your playstyles and preferences. Whilesome heroes are ranked higher than others, their effectiveness eventually depends on the location or zone.
Keep in mind that all the party compositions recommended below play the most optimal with fully upgraded heroes. That means you need tofarm gold fast inDarkest Dungeonto improve your heroes' weapons, armor, and skills.
If you are creating location-specific teams, consider locking in theTactician and Adventurer quirksfor your heroes. They increase damage dealt and total stress resistance per zone.
Furthermore, some party builds can still be effective in other dungeons. So, do not be afraid of experimenting with different heroes. You get new heroes each week through the Stage Coach. Drag them into your parties to see how they perform. You can always replace them later on.
Best Team Compositions for the Ruins
The Ruins are overrun with the undead and the unholy, primarily focusing on dealing physical damage.Unholy enemies are highly resistant to Bleed but highly susceptible to Blight. They are also fairly weak to stuns and attacks that change positions.
So, thebest heroes for the Ruins inDarkest Dungeonare those who either do bonus damage against Unholy enemies or have Blight attacks. Heroes with Bleed builds or without direct-damage attacks will always be highly ineffective in the Ruins.
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Inspiring Cry
Holy Lance
Crusader is the only hero inDarkest Dungeonwho does15 percent increased damage to unholy enemies. Having four of them in the same party proves highly effective because they can reach every enemy rank from any position, especially the Bone Bearers in the back lines at higher difficulties. They can also heal and stress-relieve each other for maximum sustainability.
You will use Holy Lance as your primary attack skill in the four-man Crusader composition. It has a high critical chance and can one-shot most enemies with low health and defense. The thing to note here is that Holy Lance can only be used from ranks three and four, and pushes your hero forward by one rank.
It is important torearrange your last two Crusaders based on their speed. The fourth Crusader should attack first, followed by the third. This way, they will both continuously shuffle in each turn. That leaves the first two Crusaders to deal with the front two ranks. Either attack with Smite or stun enemies with high protection, such as Bone Captains.
The only issue is that the four-Crusader party is rather slow. There is a small chance that it might not work in lengthy dungeons. You can better your odds with trinkets such as Unholy Hater and Unholy Slayer’s Ring that further stack bonus damage against unholy enemies.
Bulwark of Faith
The Ruins are generally an easy dungeon to run that does not force you to have a dedicated healer. If you still find the unholy armies difficult, consider pairing Vestal with the Plague Doctor. The former heals all of your heroes while the latter does an insane amount of Blight damage per round inDarkest Dungeon. The Plague Doctor is also excellent at blinding or pulling the back lines if needed.
If you do not want to buy the Shieldbreaker, replace her with Abomination at the same rank. He will add more Blight attacks to your arsenal.
This is one of the most powerfulDarkest Dungeonteams in the Ruins, but requires you to buy the Shieldbreaker. She is a mobile hero with armor-piercing and Blight-inducing attacks that destroy the enemy team. She can synergize with several heroes at different ranks, so you can bring her to the front or pair her with Man-at-Arms instead.
Best Team Compositions for the Weald
The Weald no longer plays host to nature but rather to unnatural fungal creatures with high Blight resistance that pass off as both human and eldritch. Most can also mark your heroes to receive bonus damage from all sources. Their only weakness seems to be Bleed, but in only some cases.
Expect enemies to do both Bleed and Blight damage in the Weald. Expect them to also be faster with higher accuracy and dodge ratings. Rabid Gnashers, for example, can wreck your entire party within a couple of rounds if you are not careful. The same goes for Crones.
Whenchoosing heroes for the Weald inDarkest Dungeon, make sure to include strong front-line fighters to soak damage, and damage dealers that can reach the back lines. Having a hero who can clear the markings of enemies will be helpful as well, but it entirely depends upon your party composition.
Retribution
Bolster
This team composition works well for not only the Weald but also other locations inDarkest Dungeon, which requires a sturdy front line. Each hero has some sustainability that makes them hard to kill.
Bounty Hunter is a strong, beefy hero in his own right. Houndmaster can use Guard Dog to dodge all incoming attacks. Man-at-Arms is the tank hero ofDarkest Dungeonwho can be used as a wall between enemies and your weakest heroes. All the while, you also have Vestal healing everyone back to full health.
Man-at-Arms can either taunt the Unclean Giant’s Treebranch Smackdown or use Defender on Houndmaster to protect him in rank two. Both can also guard/protect any other hero marked by Fungal Scratchers or Crones.
Dodge trinkets such as Feather Crystal or Sun Cloak can make Houndmaster invincible after using Guard Dog a couple of times. It is your choice to either lead with Man-at-Arms or Houndmaster. Considering his bonus damage against beasts, you should opt for the latter.
Breakthrough
Adrenaline Rush
Similar to the first one, the second party composition recommended for the Weald has lots of healing, damage negation, and the flexibility of targeting all enemy ranks.
The Occultist can target ranks three and four with his Abyssal Artillery. Hellion can target both the front and back lines with Wicked Hack and Iron Swan. Houndmaster can target the entire enemy team. Leper can cut through the first rank, but do give him accuracy trinkets such as Ancestor’s Signet Ring and Focus Ring.
Flagellant greatly benefits from being marked by enemies in the Weald. Taking damage makes his heals more powerful. He also deals Bleed damage that works well in the Weald. Switch him with Leper if you want.
Best Team Compositions for the Warrens
Warrens are riddled with beasts that are part man and part pig. Their putrid nature makes them highly resistant to Blight inDarkest Dungeonbut not so against Bleed attacks. Expect to contract diseases and take a lot of stress damage from the Swinefolk.
The Bounty Hunter and Hound Master areexcellent heroes for the Warrenssince they do bonus damage to beasts and humans. Equipping the Beast Slayer’s Ring and Man Slayer’s Ring will further add to your overall damage. Other heroes that do Bleed damage such as Flagellant are also effective.
Bleed Out
Most players tend to forget that the Plague Doctor is equally effective without her Blight grenades. When fully upgraded, Incision does commendable damage while stacking Bleed every round. Secondly, she can use Leeches as a highly useful camping ability in Warrens to remove all diseases.
Hound’s Rush does 15 percent additional damage to beasts, so you can one-shot small enemies with the Houndmaster to reduce the chance of contracting diseases. Flagellant serves as a hybrid hero in thisDarkest DungeonBleed composition, dealing damage, applying Bleed, and healing where needed.
Hellion hits hard with her Wicked Hack. Use her and the other heroes to destroy the front enemy ranks quickly. This will ensure the Swinetaur cannot use its powerful attacks from the backlines.
Hands from the Abyss
Uppercut
Finish Him
All four heroes can mark enemies for various debuffs, including amplifying damage done to marked enemies. Since multiple marks stack with each hero,you have the recipe to do an insane amount of damage.
There are several ways of playing a marking composition inDarkest Dungeon. It depends on which heroes go first, which enemy you want to target first, and how you want to set up the damage rotation.Enemies that cannot be killed immediately should be stunnedby Houndmaster and Bounty Hunter. The rest get set up to be killed in the next round.
It is important to reach the backlines in the Warrens. Bounty Hunter can use Come Hither to pull enemies while still marking them. Occultist has his Daemon’s Pull which does the same, but without the ability to mark.
Best Team Compositions for the Cove
The Cove contains eldritch horrors in the form of Fishfolk. They do a lot of Bleed damage while being resistant to Bleed themselves. Most enemies you find in the Cove will have high health or protection ratings. Thankfully, the pelagic monsters are weak against Blight. You will have a hard time cutting through them without a hero that does Blight damage.
Hence, heroes such as Shieldbreaker, Plague Doctor, Grave Robber, and Abomination are all suited tobeat Cove with ease inDarkest Dungeon.
If It Bleeds
Blight is highly effective in the Cove. Abomination (in human form) and Plague Doctor can both Blight ranks two, three, and four in the same round. Occultist deals increased damage against eldritch enemies, so using Abyssal Artillery on the backlines pretty much guarantees the next Blight dots to kill. Hellion, like in every composition, is free to target either the first or last enemy at will.
This is a fairly straightforward build inDarkest Dungeonthat can beat Cove on any difficulty. Even if your team gets shuffled around, your heroes can still pick out targets as needed. Abomination, for example, can stun a high-priority target or switch to beast mode to Rake Blighted enemies. The Occultist can go melee to land critical attacks.
Adder’s Kiss
Serpent Sway
This is a fun composition to try in the Cove. It revolves around the Shieldbreaker softening up the enemy team. Plague Doctor continues to nuke the backlines with Blight. Occultist sticks to his dagger for bonus eldritch damage. Arbalest picks off high-priority targets while giving a little healing support.
If you do not have Shieldbreaker, replace her with Hellion. If you are not a fan of Arbalest, shift Plague Doctor to rank four and switch with Grave Robber. If sustainability is in question, shift Occultist to rank three and add Leper to rank two.
Best Team Compositions for the Courtyard
The Courtyard is a high-difficulty location that falls in the Crimson Court DLC. It includes enemies that are weak to Bleed, and highly resistant to Blight. The biggest threat here is the amount of stress damage you take. The Courtyard quests are pretty lengthy inDarkest Dungeon. You need a way to handle stress or else succumb to madness.
Hence, thebest heroes for the Courtyardare the ones that can do Bleed attacks and have some self-sustainability.
Almost all Bleed builds for the Courtyard revolve around this composition. Flagellant becomes the main healer while having the skills to do a lot of damage himself. Houndmaster releases his hounds on priority targets. Hellion hacks away at the front or backlines. Jester gives support by buffing the team and reducing stress.
You can switch Houndmaster with Vestal for better heals, which might lower your overall damage. To fix that, switch Flaggelant with Leper. Jester’s songs will continue to improve his accuracy to take out the front two ranks in the same round.
Best Team Compositions for the Farmstead
Farmstead is part of the Color of Madness DLC. It pits your party against an endless wave of enemies. You cannot move or explore like in the other dungeons. Your sole goal is to prepare the best party possible and survive as many waves as possible until you either fall or retreat.
Adder’s Kiss / Expose
This is the only team composition you need for the Endless Harvest inDarkest Dungeon. Vestal sticks to healing and stunning duties. Jester plays his songs to buff the entire team with improved accuracy, critical, and speed. Keep stacking these in each round. Jester gives Leper all the accuracy he needs to cut through the front lines with Chop or Hew. Shieldbreaker does what she does best: tearing through the entire enemy.
The Color of Madness DLC offers thebest trinkets inDarkest Dungeon. Each hero gets a new unique rarity called Crystalline, which can be bought from the Nomad Wagon with Crystal Shards.
There are several variations of this party. You can, for example, switch Leper with another Shieldbreaker to have both shuffle forward in each round. You can also switch Leper with Man-at-Arms for added protection and defense if you do not have the required trinkets in Farmstead.
