Standalone update revealed during the Triple-i Initiative introduces all-new ways to play
Red Hook Studios has announced that Darkest Dungeon II will receive a major new campaign game mode, ‘Kingdoms’, as a free content update later this year. A teaser trailer was released to celebrate the update as part of the Triple-i Initiative, a brand new video game showcase event. As part of a Steam Sale celebrating the Triple-i Initiative, Darkest Dungeon II will be available for 33% off and The Binding Blade DLC for 10% off.
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, which is made up of a network of safe haven Inns. The player journeys across these lands to gather resources and battle evil incursions. 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 questlines 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” mode.
“Kingdoms is an exciting project for us. If you look at our release history, no game or DLC has ever retread ground, and we’re proud to continue that tradition here. This new mode will blend some of the permanence and roster management of the original Darkest Dungeon with the traversal and combat of Darkest Dungeon II. Best of all, this is a massive, FREE update to DDII, packing our flagship title with even more content and value for our players. At Red Hook, we evaluate projects based on their potential to elicit surprise, delight, and despair… Kingdoms hits all three. We can’t wait to share more with our community.” – Chris Bourassa, Co-Founder, Creative Director
Aside from Kingdoms, Darkest Dungeon II invites players to embark on a thrilling journey through five campaigns, known as “Confessions”, each featuring their own terrifying boss and pervasive mechanics. The game features 12 playable heroes, with 2 additional heroes, the Duelist and the Crusader, being available via the DLC The Binding Blade. Other features include the extensive metagame progression hub “The Altar of Hope”, over 70 Steam and EGS achievements, 10 companion pets with different run-defining properties and optional thematic difficulty modifiers in the form of the Radiant and Infernal Flame equipable items, for those who want less or more challenge.
The free Kingdoms update for Darkest Dungeon II is expected to arrive in late 2024 for PC on Steam and Epic Games Store.