Darkest Dungeon Cheats & Secrets for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One

Red Hook Studios’ Darkest Dungeon is a 2016 roguelike RPG and one of the best-selling games in the subgenre. Initially releasing for PC and Mac, the title would eventually be ported to PlayStation 4 and PS Vita as well as versions arriving for Xbox One and Nintendo Switch. Darkest Dungeon was initially crowdfunded via Kickstarter before launching into Early Access, with the game’s initial core team of developers expanding to accommodate new features and gameplay elements made possible thanks to the Kickstarter’s success. After its year-long Early Access period, Darkest Dungeon launched into 1.0 on January 19, 2016.

The title proved to be a massive hit among fans of roguelikes, RPGs, and horror games, winning over audiences with its notorious difficulty and Lovecraftian atmosphere. In addition to selling over 2 million copies, Darkest Dungeon would be converted into a tabletop board game and receive three separate DLC expansions that add to the core campaign.

Darkest Dungeon Premise

The story of Darkest Dungeon begins with the player learning they have inherited an estate from an unknown ancestor. This ancestor, while seeking to expand his wealth and influence, sought out forbidden knowledge by digging underneath the foundations of the estate, releasing untold horrors in the process. Before taking his own life, he bequeaths the estate to the player and requests that they clear out the dungeons underneath the estate to cleanse the area of ancient horrors and foul beasts. Setting out to fulfill their ancestor’s wishes, the player heads to the estate and recruits a team of adventurers, heading into the dungeons to clear them out one level at a time, all while fighting for their sanity.

In terms of its gameplay, Darkest Dungeon can best be described as a Roguelike RPG. While on the grounds of the Estate, players can recruit new heroes (who are randomly selected from a pool of adventurers spread out across 15 character classes), upgrade their skills and equipment, and either remove or affix Quirks that affect how each Hero behaves in battle. After the preparation phase, players head into procedurally generated dungeons that contain enemies and a boss. After clearing out dungeons, players can then return to the Estate to further upgrade their party before adventuring out again.

The game’s signature mechanic is an “Affliction” system, where Heroes become more and more drained and weary the longer they adventure. Managing each Hero’s health and stress level is a crucial component of Darkest Dungeon alongside the game’s combat and exploration, lest the player run the risk of losing some of their most powerful party members for good.

Darkest Dungeon Main Characters

While there are several different Heroes that players can recruit into their party in Darkest Dungeon, they are each randomized and are not what would traditionally be considered “main characters”. Instead, the main character of Darkest Dungeon is arguably the Narrator, who guides the player on their journey and creates an unnerving and foreboding atmosphere throughout. This Narrator plays a critical role in the story of Darkest Dungeon as the ancestor of the player and former owner of the Estate that the player inherits. The whole plot of Darkest Dungeon centers around the player clearing out the ancient and Eldritch horrors that reside underneath the Estate’s foundations. The main characters in Darkest Dungeon include:

• The Narrator: The omnipresent voice that follows the player throughout Darkest Dungeon, the Narrator is the player’s ancestor and former owner of the Estate. In pursuit of forbidden, arcane knowledge, the Narrator dug tunnels underneath the foundations of his Estate, uncovering ancient horrors residing in the earth. Before ending his own life, the Narrator bequeaths the Estate to the player and then accompanies them as a guiding voice throughout their journey to clear out the Darkest Dungeon.

Games in the Darkest Dungeon Series

Widely recognized as some of the best roguelikes available, the Darkest Dungeon series is a critically acclaimed and commercially successful line of games notorious for their ultra-challenging difficulty and Lovecraftian atmosphere. The Kickstarter success of Darkest Dungeon would help pave the way for the title to receive several DLC expansions and ports to other platforms. Following these releases, Red Hook Studios announced a sequel to Darkest Dungeon in 2019, with the title entering Early Access on Steam in 2022. In May 2023, Darkest Dungeon II was released in 1.0 and is currently enjoying similar success to the first game in the series, with one DLC currently available and plans for more on the way. Games in the Darkest Dungeon series include:

• Darkest Dungeon (iOS, PC, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, 2016)
• The Crimson Court DLC (2017)
• The Color of Madness DLC (2018)
• The Butcher’s Circus DLC (2020)
• Darkest Dungeon II (PC, PS4/PS5, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One/Series X/S, 2023)
• The Blinding Blade DLC (2023)

Darkest Dungeon Cheats & Secrets

There are several secrets and unlockables for players to uncover in Darkest Dungeon. For the most part, these secrets are consistent across all versions of the game. The exceptions are the cheat engine codes, which are only applicable to the PC version of the game.

Darkest Dungeon Secrets & Unlockables

Recruiting the Darkest Dungeon Kickstarter Heroes (PC Only)

As a roguelike, randomness and luck factor heavily into the player’s success. However, there is a built-in secret that allows players to have some agency over which Heroes they recruit to their roster. The Kickstarter campaign for Darkest Dungeon awarded certain backers the ability to create their own Hero. In the full retail release of the game, these Heroes are still recruitable as long as the player knows how to reach them.

To unlock any of these heroes, select the Stagecoach in the Hamlet. Ignore the random assortment of heroes and instead press [Enter]. Entering the correct name of the backer Heroes will pull up a Hero of a specific class you can recruit into your party. Note that if these Heroes are dismissed or die, they can no longer be recruited in that playthrough of the game.

To find the Heroes’ names necessary to summon them, players will need to go into the Darkest Dungeon file directory and find the “Backer_Heroes.json” file. Use the table below to CTRL-F the class code you’re looking for, and find the hero’s name in the text string to enter at the Stagecoach.

Removing Level Restrictions (PC Only)

By going into Darkest Dungeon‘s file directory and editing some game files, players can change certain aspects of the game. NOTE: This can permanently damage the game if done incorrectly, so it’s best to make a backup of the original game files before altering anything.

Go into the installation folder at “Darkest Dungeon/campaign/quest/quest.json” and open the file there using Notepad. Scroll to the end of the file and change the numbers in the “restriction” section to 99. By doing so, players will be able to take high-level Heroes into low-level dungeons for easy experience and rewards.

New Game + Mode

Completing all the Darkest Dungeon quests and defeating the game’s final boss unlocks New Game + mode (Stygian difficulty). Note, however, that unlocking this mode requires completing the Darkest Dungeon quests in under 91 weeks with less than 13 Hero deaths. This mode has locked “strict” options and monsters that have increased difficulty.

Unlocking the “Caretaker” Achievement

Unlocking the “Caretaker” achievement requires completing all the Caretaker Goals. However, Caretaker Goals awarded for completing Darkest Dungeon location missions do not qualify. You must complete the Boss and Max Resolve Level goals.

Unlocking the “On the old road, we found redemption” Achievement

Start the final quests with Dismas and Reynauld from the tutorial. It is not necessary to keep them alive to earn the achievement.

Unlocking the “Sentimental relics from our forefathers…” Achievement

To unlock this achievement, players must collect all 14 Ancestral Trinkets. As a reminder, these are:

• Ancestor’s pen
• Ancestor’s map
• Ancestor’s lantern
• Ancestor’s pistol
• Ancestor’s bottle
• Ancestor’s signet ring
• Ancestor’s scroll
• Ancestor’s musket ball
• Ancestor’s coat
• Ancestor’s portrait
• Ancestor’s tentacle idol
• Ancestor’s handkerchief
• Ancestor’s candle
• Ancestor’s moustache cream

Most of them are available as rewards after long champion-level dungeons (intended for heroes that are at least Level 5). The map, bottle, tentacle idol, and candle can only be obtained by defeating The Shambler, a very difficult enemy. He has the same drop rate for rewards on lower levels. Try fighting him in apprentice dungeons if possible. He appears after you place a torch on a curio named “Shambler’s Altar”. He can also randomly appear as a corridor fight, which is more likely with low torchlight.

Darkest Dungeon Achievements/Trophies

Completing the indicated task unlocks the corresponding achievement or trophy in Darkest Dungeon.

Secret Achievements

There are also 6 hidden or secret achievements that players can unlock in Darkest Dungeon:

Darkest Dungeon Cheat Engine Cheats (PC Only)

The PC version of Darkest Dungeon is compatible with third-party cheat engine software and trainer files containing cheats. One such trainer file can be found here, and it contains the following cheats for players to activate when booting up the game:

• Infinite Health
• No Stress
• +5K Gold
• +100 Busts
• +100 Portraits
• +100 Deeds
• +100 Crests
• +100 Shards
• +100 Memories
• One-Hit Kills
• Max Torchlight
• Min Torchlight
• Infinite Torchlight

Darkest Dungeon Cheat FAQs

Is there a way to make Darkest Dungeon easier?

As a roguelike game, there’s a certain portion of a player’s success in Darkest Dungeon that is up to the luck of the draw. That said, persistence and learning the game’s systems will make playing Darkest Dungeon considerably easier. The first two areas are very tough and intended to put players through their paces. However, progressing past these areas and defeating some bosses unlocks resources and Trinkets players can use to upgrade their heroes and make them more powerful. As a result, later areas become less and less challenging as heroes advance and players acquire new skills. The game will still be challenging, but the roguelike upgrades will give players a fighting chance in Darkest Dungeon‘s procedurally generated levels.

Is it possible to beat Darkest Dungeon?

Like most roguelikes, Darkest Dungeon does have a final boss players can defeat to signal completing the game and the end of a full “run”. After beating Darkest Dungeon, players get access to new difficulty modes, including the game’s most challenging difficulty.

What is the hardest difficulty in Darkest Dungeon?

The hardest difficulty in Darkest Dungeon is, without a doubt, the Stygian difficulty. Formerly known as New Game +, this mode introduces tougher and more deadly monsters, as well as some very restrictive time limits on completing the game. Stygian Mode requires that players complete the game in 86 weeks or less (where completing the game in 99 weeks is a feat in and of itself) and that they have less than 12 Hero deaths.

How long to beat Darkest Dungeon?

Despite being a roguelike game, Darkest Dungeon is by no means a bite-sized experience. Like most RPGs, it can take players dozens of hours to beat Darkest Dungeon a single time. Most playthroughs of the game will take between 55-60 hours if players solely focus on the main objectives. To earn all achievements and 100% the game, Darkest Dungeon will run for about 125 hours. Factor in that the game is meant to be infinitely replayable (as with all roguelikes), and players could spend thousands of hours playing Darkest Dungeon.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©Darkest Dungeon key art.