~Beyond the Border~ > Akyu's Arcade

[SSLP] Darkest Dungeon: An admission of defeat.

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AzyWng:
Note: I've decided to abandon/cancel this let's play. Brief explanation on the lowest page.

Greetings fellow maidens, it's just some random lurker who's finally come out into the light - and he's undertaking a project he hasn't done before at all.

I'm going to do my very first screenshot Let's play - this one being of Darkest Dungeon.



Nominated for a number of awards and selling over two million copies (at least, according to Wikipedia), you might have heard of this game before.
Made by indie game developer Red Hook studios, Darkest Dungeon is a dark fantasy RPG with roguelike elements - the player character inherits a mansion that is filled with your pick of failed experiments, fungal monstrosities, spooky scary skeletons, hostile fish-people, cultists, bandits, and things that shuffle about in the dark until they show up and kill pretty much your whole team.

You see, the previous owner, known only as The Ancestor, made some... very poor choices in his time among the living, and the task of cleaning up his mess falls to you, The Heir. Or, more accurately, you, and the team of men and women you'll send into harm's way. In exchange for assisting you in your task, they get gold, redemption, adventure, and a painful and undignified end.

The opening screen can describe the game's major theme better than I can.



You may have noticed I have not told you when I will update. This is because school finals and other important things are kind of going on right now, so getting a SSLP down atop all the studying and last-minute assignments I have to turn in is a difficult proposition at the very best. Hopefully, once all the school-related drama has reached its conclusion, I'll show a proper update schedule.

Now, unlike a certain ongoing let's play, I'm not going to make much use of mods short of a few reskins and an unofficial palette expansion mod. There didn't seem to be any Touhou-related mods for this game, and given the atmosphere and what happens to the characters in-game... that's probably for the best. I also don't have any of the DLC, so if you want dancing ladies with spears or for your characters to become basically vampires, I'm afraid I can't help you with that.

In the mean time, we need to figure out the name of our estate, and we need to ask for volunteers to join Reynauld and Dismas in this doomed endeavor.

See, the default name of every save file is "Darkest", and the estate name is a fill-in-the-blank name - The ____ Estate, making the default estate name "The Darkest Estate". However, a unique playthrough requires a unique name, not just the edgy one the game gives us at default. So, what ideas do you have for the estate's name? Keep in mind that you only have control over that middle word, so while you can't say "The Estate of the Kaleidoscope", you can say "The Kaleidoscope Estate".

As for volunteers... You start out with a pair of heroes as part of the game's tutorial - Reynauld and Dismas, both of whom have the same skill set, quirks, and character class every time you start the game. Aside from those two special snowflakes (they're not really, they can die at any time, including the tutorial), each hero you recruit has a name randomly generated from a list of names. This works well enough, but repeats of names do still happen on rare occasions.

In any case, if you'd like to put yourself in the game as a hero, just post it in the thread, alongside which hero you're gonna be. I'll describe the various heroes later, but know that each and every one of them is expendable - I'm not going to dismiss your heroes, but if they die, they die and there's no way to undo that.

Please wait warmly for a description of the different heroes.

AzyWng:
So. Heroes. Or at least, people who will willingly come to a place like this to kill things and loot treasure.

It’s important to remember that these people are not happy people. Happy people would seek work elsewhere. These people are plagued by their past, hoping to find redemption or escape here.

Spoiler alert: They won’t. Most of them won’t, anyway.

So, the list of possible heroes:

The Abomination
In Short: Vestals, Crusaders, Lepers, and Flagellants (who are a part of the Crimson Court DLC and thus will not appear in this playthrough) all hate him! Might have something to do with the fact he can transform into a repulsive killbeast once per battle. In his human form he uses chains, prayer, and a partial transformation so he can puke on things. In his killbeast form, he is a killbeast. This scares his own colleagues, however, so do be careful.

Courtesy of the balance patch that came with the launch of The Color of Madness DLC, the Abomination is now able to party with religious heroes (the Vestal, Crusader, Leper, and Flagellant). His crit effect is a damage boost (+20%).  Transform (The Abomination transforms into a repulsive killbeast) can be used in all four ranks. Beast Bile (The Abomination pukes on his enemies) now deals a little bit of damage (-90% damage modifier) rather than none at all (previously -100% damage modifier).

The Antiquarian
In Short: She’s a terrible fighter - her kukri attacks are untrained and weak, her censer, while multipurpose, is very poor at all of its purposes, and two of her abilities are mostly selfish in nature. However she lets you carry and find more loot. There’s money to be made putting this gal in danger - just make sure she and her colleagues don’t die too quickly.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Antiquarian bring along a skeleton key at the start of each quest, alongside various tweaks to her skills. Her crit effect is a dodge boost (+10). Get Down! (The Antiquarian retreats to the back) boosts blight chance, Fortifying Vapors (A slight heal) now boosts blight and bleed resist, and Protect Me! (The Antiquarian calls for an ally to defend her) now marks the target the Antiquarian forces guardianship upon.

The Arbalest
In Short: A very sniper-ey class - in the front two rows, she’s a liability, but in the back two rows, she shoots things and is good at shooting them. Her arbalest is also multipurpose like the Antiquarian’s censer, except this weapon can actually kill things. She can also patch people up with bandages that somehow do not stop bleeding. A useful combination of killing things and not killing things - as long as nothing moves her from the back rows.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives her a crit effect of increased damage against marked targets (33%). Suppressing Fire (The Antiquarian just fires really fast, with little regard for accuracy) now hits the back rows only, Rallying Flare (the Arbalest shoots a flare) now has a chance of healing a bit of stress on each party member, and Battlefield Bandage (the bandage that doesn't stop bleeding) can heal any party member of your choice (originally only the first three ranks.)

The Bounty Hunter
In Short: He’s got a number of ways to kill things, including hitting them with an axe, hitting them with an axe after they’ve been pointed/whistled/casted at, hitting them with an axe after they’ve been stunned, pulling them in with his hook and then hitting them with an axe, throwing caltrops at them and then hitting them with an axe, and punching them and hitting them with an axe later. All of these ways have varying degrees of effectiveness depending on the situation, but usually at least one of these tactics will work well.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives him a crit effect identical to the Arbalest's - increased damage against marked targets (33%). Additionally, Come Hither (Basically Scorpion's "Get over here") will now mark enemies, giving him two marking skills.

The Crusader
In Short: Your standard Knight in shining armor, he can slash and stab things with a sword, hit them with a sword hilt, and show them an accusing scroll. He’s not just good at killing things, though, as he can shield himself from damage through the sheer power of faith, provide minor healing, and reduce the stress of his comrades. Truly a man devoted to his allies - be they former criminals like the Highwayman, shady medicine peddlers like the Plague Doctor, or even literal Abominations.

You get one of these guys at the start of the game. His name is Reynauld.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Crusader a crit effect of increased PROT (+15%). His Battle Heal (The Crusader uses his battle standard to heal through the power of faith) can now heal anyone in the party.

Grave Robber
In Short: A dodgy lady with knives, a pick, and a number of other tricks up her sleeve. Her mobility and the versatility of her skills means she fits in nearly anywhere, and two of her skills move her about the team, so even a messed-up formation won’t reduce her effectiveness. She isn’t actually any better at gathering treasure, sadly.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Grave Robber a crit effect identical to the Antiquarian's - a dodge boost (+10). Rather than being guaranteed to come with Poison Darts like all Grave Robbers do, all Grave Robbers will come with Shadow Fade. Additionally, Shadow Fade (The Grave Robber slips into the shadows) has been changed significantly - while the number of uses is now limited to three per battle and it no longer stuns foes, the skill will stealth the Grave Robber, and will boost her dodge, damage, and crit chance. Toxin Trickery (The Grave Robber drinks from a vial of some unknown liquid) is now useable one per battle, Thrown Dagger (exactly what it sounds like) and Lunge (also exactly what it sounds like) do more damage against blighted targets, and Pick To The Face (also exactly what it sounds like) ignores PROT.

The Hellion
In Short: Warrior lady. Several of her skills debuff her once they’ve been used, so keep that in mind. Also keep in mind, however, that she can hit all four rows of the enemy team with the right skills. Competing with the Leper for the title of “Best Hero to have in Row 1”.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives her a crit effect of increased damage against bleeding targets (+33%). Barbaric YAWP! (The Hellion sounds her barbaric yawp across the rooftops of the world... and right into her enemy's faces, stunning them) can now only be used three times per battle. Breakthrough (The Hellion charges with her glaive) can now be used in any row except the front (previously it could be used in all four rows), and its debuff is not as large as other debuffs. Debuffs from the Hellion's exhausting skills (Barbaric YAWP!, Breakthrough, and Bleed Out) can no longer be removed with Medicinal Herbs, and will instead last for the entire battle.

The Highwayman
In Short: A robber with a dagger and pistol, he’s right at home in the middle rows, though with the right skills he can do a lot of moving about.  There’s not too much special to say about this guy other than he can find a place for himself on any team.

You get one of these guys at the start of the game. His name is Dismas.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Highwayman a crit effect of a speed boost (+2). Enemies hit by Grapeshot Blast (The Highwayman somehow fires grapeshot/buckshot/shot of some kind... from a flintlock pistol) will now be debuffed and may recieve critical hits more often. Duelist's Advance (The Highwayman charges forward with his dagger, stabbing an enemy and preparing to counterattack) can now only target the first three rows, and will no longer be able to hit the back where that goddamn Bone Courtier is located.

The Houndmaster
In Short: A constable with a dog. He can whistle at his enemies or hit them with a club, while the hound can howl to relieve stress, lick her wounds to restore health, guard a teammate from attacks, or just fucking tear the enemy into pieces in one of two ways. Bring the pair along and get two Scooby Snacks, absolutely free! Great for long hunts, rewards for success, or to boost your dog’s energy when you need her to fucking tear the enemy into pieces even harder.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Houndmaster a crit effect of a boost to bleed chance (+20%).

The Jester
In Short: Pretty much a murderous musician. He can prepare for a fatal finale attack by playing music or by simply stabbing things with a dagger as he advances to the very front row. The music he plays can reduce stress, boost allies, and debuff enemies. His jokes are funny all the way up until you become the subject.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Jester a crit effect of a boost to stress healing done (+40%). Dirk Stab (Exactly what it sounds like, and the Jester moves forward one space) will hit enemies even if they're being guarded. Harvest (The Jester hacks at enemies with his scythe - all Jesters will start with this skill) now provides a damage boost to the Finale skill. Finale (The Jester performs some flashy spear-stabbing move once per battle) can now be performed from the first two ranks (originally only the first rank), can now hit any enemy (originally could only hit the first three rows) and the debuff that occurs is now more severe (originally a long dodge reduction, now a reduction to dodge, speed, and an increase in stress damage taken for the rest of the battle). Solo (The Jester slides right to the front as he plays music) no longer debuffs enemies, instead buffing the Jester. It can now be used twice per battle. Additionally, some moves that originally just boosted Finale's damage will now boost its crit chance, too.

The Leper
In Short: Like a reverse Arbalest, he’s only effective in the front two rows, his attacks are very inaccurate, and his non-killing things-abilities all affect himself, and himself only. Also like a reverse Arbalest, he’s extremely strong and tough - having the highest health pool and attack base out of any hero in the game, with the non-killing things-abilities only making him even tougher and stronger. Competing with the Hellion for the title of “Best Hero to have in Row 1”.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch will give the Leper a crit effect of increased accuracy (+10). Purge (The Leper cuts away corpses and inflicts a big knockback on the enemy in the front) can now only be used in the front row, and it provides a slight boost to accuracy. Revenge (The Leper channels his rage to boost damage but make him easier to hit) can now be used in any rank, is now only usable once per battle, and its effects last for the entire battle. It also causes the Leper to take more damage for the rest of the battle. Withstand (The Leper focuses on his own defenses, boosting his PROT, healing stress, and causing enemies to focus on him) now buffs for the entire battle, is now usable once per battle and in the first three ranks, and now applies the resistance buffs Solemnity used to have. Solemnity (The Leper rests and heals his wounds) now heals stress. Intimidate (The Leper performs some sword trick that reduces PROT on his target, reveals his target if they're stealthed, reduces the target's damage output, and causes enemies to focus on him) now boost s the Leper's speed.

The Man-At-Arms
In Short: Looks like the Demoknight. His main role, however, is not to kill things, but to help his teammates kill things while making sure they aren’t killed themselves. He accomplishes this by directly defending his teammates, shield-bashing his foes to stun them, shouting at his enemies to debuff them, shouting at his teammates to increase their stats, drawing the heat while preparing a counterattack, and hitting things with his mace. Despite knowing “The secrets of a hundred campaigns”, he will always start at resolve level 0 until a certain upgrade is built.

The Color of Madness DLC balance patch gives the Man-At-Arms a crit effect of less stress damage (-33%). Rampart (The Man-At-Arms performs a shield charge, advancing forward and stunning an enemy and knocking them back) can no longer target the third rank, now only hitting the first two rows. Bellow (Exactly what it sounds like, slowing down enemies and reducing their dodge) no longer crits, and in fact no longer deals damage at all, only debuffing. It now applies a new debuff - if the enemy is a marked target, they'll recieve more crits (+5%). Command (The Man-At-Arms coordinates his team's attacks, increasing their accuracy and crit chance) now gives all team members a boost to damage when guarded (+15-+25% more damage when guarded, depending on the level of Command). Bolster (The Man-At-Arms commands his team, boosting their speed and dodge) is only usable once per battle and no longer boosts speed, instead boosting stress damage resistance. The boosts last the entire battle.

The Occultist
In Short: Guy with a turban on his head and a human skull made into a candle. Several of his skills can debuff his enemies, and his heal has the potential to fully restore the health of a party member. However, this health restore skill can heal 0 healthpoints, inflict bleed, or, worse yet, do both. And he will, trust me. Many, many times. Additionally, his damage output is quite low due to both an already low damage base and the fact many of his skills deal less than his damage base, and though he receives a damage boost against eldritch enemies with some of his attacks, it's not quite enough to make up for it. He incurs a bit of a risk if you make him your dedicated healer, but it might just be worth it... maybe.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Occultist a crit effect of increased healing (+25%). Weakening Curse (Exactly what it sounds like) now reduces a target's PROT as well as their damage output.

The Plague Doctor
In Short: Lady who might be mistaken for a guy due to the fact she wears baggy clothes and has a plague doctor mask on (duh). She can inflict blight on enemies and stun them with chemical bombs, or she can apply a sort of first aid that can cure blight and bleeding, or she can boost her teammate's stats through the use of some of her shady drugs. These shady drugs and other bizarre medieval-era treatments can also be used while camping, but unlike in real life, they actually work.

You get one of these ladies at the start of the game, just after you complete the tutorial. While her quirks, skills, name, and palette are all randomly generated, she (and future Plague Doctors) will always start with the Plague Grenade skill, which lets her inflict blight on the back two rows (usually where the more annoying enemies are located.)

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Plague Doctor a crit effect of increased blight chance (+20%). Noxious Blast (Exactly what it sounds like) now inflicts an accuracy debuff in addition to the blight effect. Blinding Gas (Also exactly what it sounds like) is now limited to three uses per battle. Emboldening Vapors' (The shady drugs mentioned earlier) boosts can now be used twice per battle, and last the entire battle. Disorienting Blast (Also exactly what it sounds like) can no longer be used in the first rank, and can no longer crit.

The Vestal
In Short: Lady who wields both a book and a blunt implement. However, if you're actually using her blunt implement to hit things, you might be doing it wrong. Her front-row attacks can debuff enemies, but she's much more useful with her reliable healing skills. Though they're not as powerful as the Occultist, she's not about to meme your team, making her a close contender with the discount Abdul Alhazred for the title of "Best Healer".

You get one of these ladies at the start of the game, just after you complete the tutorial. She again has a randomly selected name, quirks, and skills, but she (and all future Vestals) will always start with the Divine Grace skill, which lets her apply a good heal to an ally of her choice when she's in the back ranks.

The Color of Madness DLC's balance patch gives the Vestal a crit effect identical to the Occultist's - increased healing (+25%). Illumination (The Vestal summons a burst of light to damage enemies, restore the torch a little, and reduce enemies' dodge) no longer crits, but can reveal stealthed targets. Hand of Light (Exactly what it sounds like, at least one youtuber liked to call it "The Jesus Punch", originally debuffed enemy damage and accuracy while boosting the Vestal's damage output against unholy enemies) no longer debuffs enemies, instead boosting the Vestal's accuracy and damage.

Now that I've explained a bit on who these people are, it's time to decide whether you wish to send someone with your name into a place where they will be puked on, shot at, and possibly cannibalized.

CyberAngel:
I'm a seasoned dog handler so feel free to add one to your party on my behalf.

AzyWng:
All right, then. The first Houndmaster I add to the roster will be named Cyberangel.

Hopefully he doesn?t die too fast.

Now, for the estate?s name... I?m thinking of just calling it ?The Kaleidoscope Estate?, but if you have any other ideas I?m eager to hear them.

Gesh86:
I think the Grave Robber is cute (in a game where no one thinks of applying for any beauty contests). Rather than calling your first of those Gesh86 I'd like her to be named Satuuya though if that's ok.

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