This release is the result of a year-long grand experiment.

In December 2023, we were brainstorming about what interesting things we could add to Darkest Dungeon II. While new heroes and regions are always well received, we were feeling that familiar itch we got when planning out Darkest Dungeon I expansions. Namely, what if we did something…different? Something unexpected or…uncommon. Something that would challenge us as developers, and surprise our players.

This creative impulse is the same one that led us to make the enormous Crimson Court, the endless Color of Madness mode, and the out-of-nowhere multiplayer arena of The Butcher’s Circus. It’s just part of our creative DNA to want to try experimental things - no two Red Hook releases have ever been the same, and we’re quite proud of that! In this crowded game market, wonderment is the only commodity that trades, and that’s not just true for players, but for developers as well. When we are inspired by what we’re building, we believe you’ll be inspired playing it. As our discussions took shape, we hit on 3 powerful ideas.

#1: A Remix Album
We challenged ourselves to think about what we could do if we took all of the ingredients we had on hand with DDII and then added in some elements of DDI like persistent rosters and a larger self-contained campaign. In essence, we could remix our own game. “Who does that?” we mused.

What came out of this mental exercise was the core idea for Kingdoms: a board-game inspired strategy metagame that delivered a more persistent sense of space and time than the somewhat allegorical Confessions mode. Picking up the pieces of a ruined kingdom, defending it from attack - these were interesting concepts. Similar to a board game, we wanted to structure it with tons of replayability: multiple quests (the first of which launches Jan 27th), multiple maps, multiple customizable difficulty settings.

#2: It’s Free
We’ve been fortunate that our hard work has found an audience. How best, then, to deploy this risky creative endeavor? A paid DLC would delight most boardrooms, but we felt that ultimately our fortunes rise and fall based on engagement. Players playing. Having fun and getting wrecked. The ultimate aim of game development. So, we asked, what if we just…gave it away? Yes, we’ll be drawing down on our war chest significantly, but perhaps we’ll attract new players, wishlists will convert, and word of mouth will buoy our sales. This approach felt more honest, more authentic, and more in line with what we hope Kingdoms elicits in our fans.

#3: And a DLC too, right?
So if Kingdoms is free, how do we cover some of our costs? Another DLC, released alongside, that integrates into both modes and provides more variety and challenge, is of course the answer. But damn if that’s not hard to develop in tandem! Our team proved up to the task, however, and we’re thrilled with the results.

“Inhuman Bondage” introduces an all new underground region (The Catacombs) and the return of one of DD1’s favorite heroes: The Abomination. One of the neatest parts of the DLC is that it adds content to both Confessions and Kingdoms game mode. Whichever one(s) you like, we have you covered. The existing Binding Blade DLC works similarly–the character content in there will work in Kingdoms, too.

We’ve spent over a decade working on Darkest Dungeon. We’ve delighted in our explorations and iterations, and we’re nowhere near done. On January 27th we invite you to experience the results of our latest experiment. If you already own DDII, you’ll get Kingdoms for free. If you are new to Darkest Dungeon II, you will find a complete game bundle is on sale at a hefty discount. Inhuman Bondage is also available on its own, modestly priced. Your purchases directly enable us to keep making these games..

There has never been a better time to board the stagecoach.

–Chris Bourassa & Tyler Sigman, Red Hook Studios

Hello everyone,

It’s been a while! We wanted to let everyone know that we have just pushed a new build for Darkest Dungeon to the coming_in_hot branch. The purpose of this build is to get us a step closer to releasing a unified binary to all our storefronts. Some of you may know that our GOG and Epic builds are not the same as what is available on Steam and this build is part of our effort to rectify that situation. This build does NOT contain any other fixes.

We’ll keep this build up on the coming_in_hot branch for at least a few weeks to ensure stability. We have been testing many of the popular mods to ensure compatibility, but we want to give a period of time to soak test this new build and catch any issue we may have introduced. We would appreciate it if you could help test it out during that time to make sure everything works as intended.

Known Issue: If you are using Ubuntu and got your Steam client installed through "App Install" (also called SNAP), the game won't start.

To fix this, there are two possible solutions, but for both you will need to use terminal:

Solution 1:
uninstall Steam from snap:

• sudo snap remove steam

and then reinstall it with additional parameter:

• sudo snap install steam --classic

Solution 2:
Don't use the SNAP version of Steam (which is not made by Valve, but by Canonical) and instead download official version from https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/about/


Thank you for your help!

"Behold the infinite malignity of the stars!"

The Shambler is available on Makeship NOW!

Place your order here: https://www.makeship.com/products/shambler-plushie

This plushie is available for a limited time as part of the Makeship Menace event.

A total of 1000 Shambler plushies have been pre-stocked for the Makeship Menace event. This means the first 1000 orders will ship out immediately and arrive in time for Halloween.

“Making peace with adversity is the very essence of existence.”

Our Leper Plush is available for pre-order on Makeship now: https://www.makeship.com/products/leper-plush

This exclusive Darkest Dungeon merch is only available for a limited time!

The Leper was voted #1! Earlier this year, we asked the Darkest Dungeon community which hero they would like to see made into a Makeship plushie next, and the Leper won out over the Grave Robber and Jester. We were so happy to design this community favourite with the Makeship team.

You have exactly 21 days to place your order. If the Makeship campaign is fully funded by August 27, this plushie is guaranteed to go into production.

You can read more about how Makeship works here![www.makeship.com]

Curious to know if this plush will ship to you? Makeship has all their shipping destinations here: https://www.makeship.com/shipping-destinations

Introducing Kingdoms - a FREE stand alone campaign game mode coming to Darkest Dungeon II later this year.

Watch the Kingdoms announcement trailer below!

This new game mode challenges players in a desperate race against the clock to find and defeat a monstrous threat before it overwhelms and destroys the Kingdom. Journey across the land to gather resources and battle evil incursions, all while defending a network of safe haven Inns.

Acquired resources are used to upgrade heroes and also the Inns themselves, which can be improved via extensive upgrade trees. Players will embark on unique quest lines and fight back against three new monster factions: The Coven, Beastmen and Crimson Courtiers. Kingdoms can be played independently of the game’s original “Confessions” campaign.

We announced Kingdoms earlier today as part of the Triple-i Initiative[iii-initiative.com]. To help celebrate the announcement, Darkest Dungeon II is currently 33% off.

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/1940340/Darkest_Dungeon_II/

You can also pick up The Binding Blade DLC for 10% off.

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/2598510/Darkest_Dungeon_II_The_Binding_Blade/

Want to keep up with all Kingdoms news? Be sure to join our official Discord[discord.gg] and our mailing list[eepurl.com].

We’ll be releasing more information on this free update in the coming months.

We’re excited to announce that Darkest Dungeon II is participating in The Triple-i Initiative[iii-initiative.com].

The Triple-i Initiative is a brand new digital showcase focused entirely on triple-i games.

Join us here on Steam April 10th at 10am Pacific for 45 minutes of reveals, announcements & trailers.

We have a big announcement planned, so be sure to tune in!

“Indiscriminate science stains the surgeon's hands.”

We’ve partnered with Makeship to create a Plague Doctor plushie!

Click here to place your order today![www.makeship.com]

This exclusive Darkest Dungeon merch is only available for a limited time. This campaign will run for 21 days, and if it is fully funded by March 12, the Plague Doctor plushie is guaranteed to go into production. You can read more about how Makeship campaigns work here[www.makeship.com].

Curious to know if this plushie will ship to you? Makeship has a list of all their shipping destinations on their website: https://www.makeship.com/shipping-destinations

The Binding Blade, Darkest Dungeon II’s first DLC, is available now!

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/2598510/Darkest_Dungeon_II_The_Binding_Blade/

This DLC contains 2 new heroes with playable backstories and a special unlock quest, a wandering mini-boss + more.

Take a look at our heroes in action in the Binding Blade launch trailer below.

The Duelist is a disciplined and deadly combatant capable of tactically switching between Defensive and Aggressive stances. She is able to move between ranks with ease, attacking from both the front and back ranks, dispatching her enemies with brutal efficiency.

The Crusader has returned! This battle hardened knight is fueled by a radiant Holy fire and will Smite his foes where they stand.

To celebrate the launch of the DLC, Darkest Dungeon II is 25% off from now until the end of the Winter Sale.

We’ve also added The Binding Blade to the Oblivion Edition Bundle. This bundle contains Darkest Dungeon II, The Binding Blade DLC and the official game soundtrack!

Pick up The Binding Blade today!

The Binding Blade, Darkest Dungeon II’s first DLC, is releasing December 2023!

https://steamproxy.com/steamstore/app/2598510/Darkest_Dungeon_II_The_Binding_Blade/

This DLC features 2 new playable heroes - The Duelist and The Crusader!

The Duelist is a disciplined and deadly combatant capable of tactically switching between Defensive and Aggressive stances. She is able to move between ranks with ease, attacking from both the front and back ranks, dispatching her enemies with brutal efficiency.

The Crusader has returned! This battle hardened knight is fueled by a radiant Holy fire and will Smite his foes where they stand.

The Binding Blade will see you mastering the ruthless Duelist, battling through barricades, and seeking clues that will lead you to...the last of the Crusaders. Both new heroes are complete with unique trinkets, signature items, and fully voiced backstories including playable flashback encounters. This content pack will also introduce a fearsome new threat - The Warlord - a roaming mini-boss who can be found on your journey to the Mountain.

Be sure to WISHLIST this DLC today!