Darkest Dungeon 2’s free Kingdoms mode is out now, and it’s got its red hooks in me already

In the standard version of Darkest Dungeon 2, your focus is on a menacing mountain that overlooks the inn after every unpleasant journey. It’s like a journey for plague doctors or The Hobbit: Cosmodick Turpin Edition. While I enjoy the weight of those distant peaks on my mind and eyes, it’s refreshing to try out Kingdoms, the new free game mode in DD2 that just launched today, offering a variety of disasters to approach.

On one side, there’s an inn overrun by beastmen. On the other side, there’s a safer inn, but it’s guarded by tentacular cultists. And in the middle, there’s you with a group of half-dead, half-mad adventurers armed with a range of weapons, cursed artifacts, phobias, and illnesses. Let’s embark on this journey with laughter and tears as we watch the launch trailer.

I spent about an hour playing Kingdoms before its launch today, and while it may not reignite your interest if you’re tired of Darkest Dungeon 2, it’s well-crafted. Essentially, it’s a turn-based digital board game with worker placement elements, where you move between upgradeable inns to fend off attacks and complete quests as the threat level rises. You start by choosing layouts and difficulty settings, then assemble your party at the Crossroads and venture through a borderlands region similar to the base game.

Once you liberate the inn at the end of the trail, you explore the full board. Almost every turn, one of the inns on the map is besieged by enemies, starting with Beastmen and unlocking more factions later on. You can rush to aid the inn, facing hazards along the way, or send heroes from other inns to help defend.

The journeys between map nodes are reminiscent of the main game’s regions – guiding your stagecoach using WASD on a minimap, collecting loot while avoiding damage to your heroes. However, the paths between inns are shorter with fewer encounters and branching routes.

This is balanced by the need to make multiple runs to reach destinations. Some paths lead to campsites for rest but lack progression facilities or protection from ambush. There’s also a fatigue mechanic that reduces hero health based on travel distance, prompting you to rotate party members for rest at inns.

Amidst all this, you must complete quest objectives before the inns fall and the threat level becomes unmanageable. In my initial game, I had to deliver a telescope to a watchtower to survey the Beastfolk threat.

Leaving heroes at inns and campsites harkens back to the town/dungeon format of the original Darkest Dungeon, but Kingdoms offers a unique strategic experience within a vast world. It’s not just a mode from DD1 in DD2; it’s more akin to games like Armello, where strategic decisions are crucial in a mysterious environment.

The Kingdoms map features Red Hook’s signature detailed style, but a bit more clarity wouldn’t hurt. After spending countless hours in this setting, I’m eager for a refreshed presentation. What would a Lightest Dungeon look like? How can the dungeon essence be retained in a world without shadows? These are intriguing questions that I hope to discuss with Red Hook in the future.

I’ve enjoyed my time with Kingdoms. For those who don’t, there’s good news as a new paid DLC pack for Darkest Dungeon 2, Inhuman Bondage, is launching alongside it. This DLC introduces the underground Catacombs region and a new hero, the Abomination, known for his self-loathing and transformation abilities. The DLC content will also be available in Kingdoms, offering players underground shortcuts and more Catacombs exploration.

What’s next for Darkest Dungeon 2? Only time will tell. “We’ve spent over a decade working on Darkest Dungeon,” the developers stated on Steam. We have thoroughly enjoyed our adventures and experiments, and we still have a lot more to explore.