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Darkest Dungeon 2 was already a brutal, challenging affair, but the introduction of its Kingdoms mode took things to a new dimension. Bringing the core DD2 experience into a strategy game-esque setting, which is laid out like a tabletop board game, it’s dropped its turn-based combat and gloriously grim aesthetic into a fresh experience. Developer Red Hook promised that more content drops, known as ‘modules,’ would arrive for Kingdoms, and now it’s made good on that pledge as its second expansion, Secrets of the Coven, has just arrived.
If you’re not up to scratch on what Darkest Dungeon 2 Kingdoms is, here’s a very quick primer on the strategy game-style experience. Each Kingdoms run is laid out in a series of tiled pathways, and the goal is to stop an evil force from taking over the land by plotting a course through the tiles to reach a final boss. However, encounters with their soldiers and followers will stand in your way, and you’ve only got a finite number of ‘days’ to find and defeat their leader.
Also dotted around the board are inns – these are friendly sanctuaries where you can rest and recover, but if you don’t protect them well enough, they can be overrun by the opposition force. Depending on your difficulty level, if you lose a certain number of inns, it’s game over. When you do find yourself at a combat encounter, you’ll be tested in similar ways to the original Darkest Dungeon 2 experience – turn-based combat, team composition, and smart tactical decisions.
Hunger of the Beast Clan was the name of the gritty first module for Kingdoms, but for this latest expansion, Red Hook is going for a witchcraft theme. “Secrets of the Coven brings an entirely new challenge as you face off against a group of nefarious witches,” the developer says. “The unseen threads of witchcraft are at work, pulling at the seams of the Kingdom. Follow clues to uncover and eradicate this mysterious coven before their subversive influence takes root!”
As well as the fresh enemy and narrative for Kingdoms, the mode is getting some excellent quality of life additions as well. You’ll now be able to stash at least three items at any inn you visit, but you can upgrade the number of slots to hold more. Hoarders can now buy back items from you for a fraction of the price you bought them for. There’s also a new help tool that can assist you with picking strong and complimentary team compositions.
Alongside the free Secrets of the Coven update, the premium The Binding Blade DLC has dropped as well. This gives you two more characters in your arsenal – The Duelist and The Crusader.
Darkest Dungeon 2’s Secrets of the Coven update for its Kingdoms mode is out right now. If you’ve never tried Darkest Dungeon 2, now’s a good time to grab it, as it’s currently 50% off until Monday, April 21. You can pick it up here.
If it’s not quite your thing, check out some of our recommendations for the best roguelikes and best RPGs on PC right now.
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