It has been six or seven weeks since I arrived at the Dank Dungs, aka my ancestral home that was apparently built upon a temple of 100% pure fucking horrors because that's just how things happen in video games. Progress has been slow--my initial group of adventurers proved unable to make it through the first quest alive--RIP, plague doctor whose name escapes me! You turned masochist and jumped in front of a mace, as if unaware that you had no health left. Farewell, young healer who grew too scared to heal and subsequently stepped in a spike trap!--save two: Another healer (whose experiences left her with a fear of the dark and a hatred of humans), and Ser Reynold, who all things considered made it out pretty okay! His stress levels weren't even that high, which is why I sent him back in immediately along with a few new recruits while the aforementioned healer visited the brothel to get her head back on straight (it wouldn't work--she wound up deciding that she could only recover by self-flagellation when we returned).

I'm not sure how far in the dungeon we were this time when Ser Reynold snapped, but it was surprisingly early on. We had plenty of food, and I'd even sprung for some bandages and potions (at great personal expense--I was out of money as we passed the threshold), but perhaps the four or five trapped cabinets we encountered proved too much when combined with the encounter with the cultists. What is certain, of course, is that within a few rooms Ser Reynold had been reduced to a paranoid wreck--albeit one with excellent health and what remained a powerful attack. So with no money to afford another expedition (and an unwillingness to waste all the provisions I'd bought), I decided we would press forward, because I mean come on how bad could a little paranoia be? Sure, Reynold might refuse healing now and again, but he was of hardy enough stock that I reckoned he would be okay.

This was a terrible assumption to make. I was unaware, at the time, that the real cost of a paranoiac is not in the occasional refusal of healing, but in the nigh-constant stream of bullshit that comes out of their mouths--an act which increases the stress levels of the whole party who, to be fair, have had to listen to someone rant about movements in the shadows for the last ten minutes. By the time we reached the final battle, my jester (Corneilles is his name, and apparently swinging sickles at things is his game) had become abusive, my graverobber who, again, shall remain nameless because well I'll bet you can guess what happens to her, had become terrified and spent a lot of time pleading with monsters not to kill her instead of attacking, and my replacement healer, Grauchet (what the hell kind of a name is Grauchet, anyway?) was the only one who had not lost her mind (although she was very close). Meanwhile, Reynold had become a kleptomaniac as well as a paranoiac, which meant he stole about 1,000 gold and some bandages from a chest which, for once, was not trapped. Typical.

We reached the final room of the dungeon, somehow, held together by a few hit points from a lucky crit of a group healing spell. The final battle began with the almost immediate dismemberment of the graverobber, who, it should also be mentioned, was of weak constitution (meaning she took a penalty to every death's door roll). She stayed alive for several more rounds because I was able to heal her every round for a few HP which would then promptly vanish as soon as the next attack happened. Eventually, she died, and in that moment Grauchet's stress levels maxed out. That, I figured, would be that.

Except Grauchet became valorous, instead of anything bad, and promptly dismantled the enemy herself with a few well-rolled attacks while Reynold muttered to himself and Corneilles slung insults at his fellow party members. The quest completed, and I rejoiced at the several thousands of gold paid out as a result.

Which then immediately were dumped into various therapies for my party members, so they'd actually go in the dungeon next time. Darkest Dungeon don't shiv.

MIKE MIGNOLA.

I knew there was something I loved about the style! It is definitely reminiscient of his work.

Great blog. I love the hero moments in this game. The lows may be low, but the highs are... Hella High?

Yeah, I actually had a cultist become...valorous, I think(?) just last night and it basically just made him crit all over the place. It was immensely satisfying.

Of course, at the same time I had a Jester who spent his turns sobbing quietly rather than making any moves, so... easy come, easy go, I guess?

@ford_dent Great write-up!

Man, this game seems fantastic. It's been really hard to abstain from it since I want to play it in its full glory when it comes out for real.

@dimi3je: This is only the second game I've broken my "no Early Access" rule for--the first being Crypt of the Necrodancer, and in both cases it is because the core mechanics and gameplay are so solid, and enough of the game exists in its current state, that I will probably not run out of shit to do before the back half of the game's finished.

@ford_dent yeah, there seem to be a general consensus that Darkest Dungeon is in great shape as it is. While I am certainly happy to hear this I still feel like I am going to sully my experience with the game when it launches in full or that I'll just get my fill of it by then. This being said, it has been a real temptation to not give in.