Some time after the temporary defeat of the Heart of Darkness, a scientist known as the Scholar begins experimenting with an Eldritch force called the Iron Crown. When a run ends, Profile rank increases, which unlocks new characters and items for players to use in subsequent runs. The player's team suffers from penalties when the flame is nearly extinguished. The flame on the stagecoach represents the team's hope. However, a stay at the inn also increases Loathing, a stat which indicates the all-consuming evil of the world. It is also the place where the players can lower the stress level of characters and improve team dynamics. If a member of the team dies another hero may join the player's team once they reach an inn. The player can visit a Hospital to remove bad character traits.

However, if the characters share a hostile relationship, one may stop another from using their skills and increase each other's stress level. If a character is friendly with another, they gain additional gameplay perks. In addition, high stress levels affect the relationships between the game's characters. If a character is under a lot of stress, they will have a debilitating meltdown during combat, which results in a massive decrease in health and the acquisition of negative traits. Īs the characters progress in the game, their stress level increases. As the player explores the world, they can also visit Shrines of Reflection, where players can learn more about the backstories of the game's characters. Combat in the game is turn-based, and the heroes must be positioned properly as some of their skills cannot be used while they are standing in a wrong spot. As the player explores, they encounter different locations of interest and roadblocks, many of which cause the player to enter combat scenarios. The ultimate goal is to reach a mountain, which is the source of evil that has overtaken the world.

The player commandeers a stagecoach, which is the primary way of navigating the game's world. The player can equip these characters with trinkets and combat items. The game features multiple characters, and each of them have their own unique strengths and abilities. Like its predecessor, Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike role-playing video game.

The full version of the game was released in May 2023. The game was released in early access for Windows in October 2021. Darkest Dungeon II is a roguelike role-playing video game developed and published by Red Hook Studios as the sequel to Darkest Dungeon.

Darkest dungeon like game but with gear