Darkest Dungeon 2’s Early Access has been available for a few months now, and it’s already received several notable updates. The new patch, deployed on August 15, revises the last waypoint in each region of the game, the “Oblivion’s ingress”, or the entrances to oblivion, are protected by guardians. These fearsome and misshapen cultists possess unconventional abilities that will quickly fill the stress gauge of your small group.
Attack of the Cultists
The goal of the update seems to be to put groups with their backs to the wall, and throw them into a deadly situation when one of the gauges drops too low, be it Light or Doom. Cultist ambushes when the light is low will include more formidable enemies. Filling the entire Doom gauge will cause a fight with the Exemplary, a boss similar to the one present at the end of the 3rd region. Suffice to say, it’s almost a death sentence if it happens to you in the early regions.
The guardian’s lair at the end of each zone becomes mandatory, with 2 battles, and the impossibility of fleeing. The fight becomes more formidable after each region too, and these mini-bosses will also be present in the mountain waypoints, before the final boss.
The new enemies
Three cultists are added to the bestiary, the Hérault, who likes to play with his flesh trumpet (hum) in order to harass the group. The Altar, which serves as support for his faction. He receives prayers from cultists and offers buffs in return. It is better to destroy it quickly in order to prevent the cultists from becoming too powerful.
The latest addition is the Exemplary, the ultimate cultist creature. Size 3, he devours other cultists, and empowers himself with his own prayers to devastate the party. It’s a boss encountered at least twice during each adventure, so you have to find a good strategy to overcome this obstacle.
Many corrections and balances have also been made to the rest of the game, you can consult them in the official patch notes.
A new progression system coming soon
Red Hook Studios keeps up the pace, with an update every one to two months on average. The next update is scheduled for September, and it should introduce a whole new progression system.
Launched late last year, DD2’s early access is far from representative of the full game’s content. Redhook studios has revealed its update schedule and content ahead of the full game release. Here is the detailed and translated list of planned additions.
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