The Crimson Court DLC for Darkest Dungeon introduces a challenging new environment filled with vampiric enemies, the debilitating Crimson Curse, and unique loot. Proper preparation is key to surviving the Courtyard and its horrors. This guide will provide you with a comprehensive list of provisions and strategies to ensure your party is well-equipped to face the challenges that await.
Understanding the Crimson Curse
The central mechanic of the Crimson Court is the Crimson Curse. This disease, contracted from Courtyard enemies, cannot be cured by conventional means and progresses through stages, impacting your heroes’ stats and behavior.
Initially, the curse is passive, offering immunity to other diseases while active. However, as it progresses without “The Blood,” heroes enter increasingly detrimental states:
- Wasting: Heroes suffer stat penalties, becoming weaker and less effective.
- Craving: The penalties worsen, and heroes become obsessed with obtaining “The Blood.”
- Bloodlust: If given “The Blood,” heroes enter Bloodlust. While stat boosts are significant, they become uncontrollable, acting randomly and potentially stressing out their party members.
Managing the Crimson Curse is crucial. Ignoring it leads to party weakness and madness. Suppressing it with “The Blood” offers temporary power but carries its own risks.
Removing the Curse
Curing the Crimson Curse permanently is difficult, especially early in the Crimson Court campaign. Methods include:
- Defeating the Fanatic: This unique enemy randomly appears when you have cursed heroes. Killing him yields “The Cure,” removing the curse from one hero.
- Courtyard Bosses: Defeating any Courtyard boss cures the entire party involved in the fight. Defeating “The Baroness,” a key boss, cures your entire roster, both in missions and in the Hamlet.
- Sanitarium Treatment: After completing the quest “A Bewitching Predator,” the Sanitarium offers a Crimson Curse removal treatment.
Essential Provisions for the Courtyard
Due to the unique challenges of the Crimson Court, your provision strategy needs to be tailored to this specific dungeon. Here’s a breakdown of essential items:
Food: Always Maximize
Food is paramount. The Courtyard often features long hallways, increasing the risk of hunger checks and stress.
- Recommendation: Always bring a full stack of Food and pick up any additional food you find during expeditions.
Torches: For Accuracy, Not Light
Despite the Courtyard being brightly lit, torches are still valuable.
- Benefit: Torches provide a +4 Accuracy bonus, crucial for overcoming enemy debuffs that reduce your accuracy and increase stress.
- Recommendation: Bring a full stack of Torches.
Bandages: Combat Bleed and Blight
While Blight is the primary damage type from vampiric enemies, Bleed is also prevalent. Bandages are also useful for interacting with the Pile of Strange Bones curio.
- Recommendation: 5-8 Bandages should suffice for most expeditions.
Shovels: Curios and Obstacles
Shovels are essential for clearing obstacles and interacting with curios. The Courtyard contains numerous curios, some requiring shovels for optimal outcomes.
- Recommendation: 3-6 Shovels. Bring 6 if you intend to interact with most curios, 3 if you prioritize obstacle clearing.
Holy Water: Stress Management and Curios
Holy Water has dual purposes in the Courtyard. It can be used on the Damned Fountain curio for positive effects and, more importantly, to reduce stress.
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Stress Reduction: Holy Water can mitigate the significant stress damage taken in the Courtyard.
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Curios: Use on Damned Fountain for buffs. Caution: Avoid using Holy Water on heroes in the Wasting, Craving, or Bloodlust stages of the Crimson Curse, as it can have negative consequences. Holy Water is safe for heroes with the passive Crimson Curse effect.
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Recommendation: 4 Holy Water.
Medicinal Herbs: Debuff Management
Medicinal Herbs are generally useful for removing debuffs inflicted by enemies. In the Courtyard, they can counter various enemy debuffs, enhancing your party’s combat effectiveness.
- Recommendation: 3-6 Medicinal Herbs, depending on your party’s level and your comfort level with managing debuffs.
Antivenom: Countering Blight
Vampiric enemies in the Courtyard heavily utilize Blight attacks. Antivenom is crucial for mitigating this damage.
- Recommendation: Bring a full stack of Antivenom to counteract the prevalent Blight.
The Blood: Managing the Crimson Curse
“The Blood” is a unique provision essential for managing the Crimson Curse. It temporarily alleviates the negative effects of the curse and triggers Bloodlust.
- Necessity: Crucial for managing cursed heroes and interacting with certain curios and encounters.
- Recommendation: Maximize your “The Blood” provisions. Unused vials are returned to your inventory after expeditions, so there’s no penalty for bringing too much.
Party Composition Considerations
While provisions are vital, your party composition also significantly impacts your success in the Crimson Court.
Darkest Dungeon Party Composition Suggestions for Crimson Court
- Stress Healer: A Jester is highly recommended due to the constant stress accumulation in the Courtyard from both environment and enemies.
- Healer: A Vestal is a strong choice for consistent healing to manage the damage taken from enemies.
- Tanks/Damage Dealers: Heroes like Leper, Flagellant, Crusader, Man-at-Arms, and Hellion excel due to their survivability and damage output against Bloodsucker-type enemies. Flagellant’s stress management abilities are particularly valuable.
- Avoid: Antiquarian, Plague Doctor, and Shieldbreaker are less effective in this environment due to enemy resistances and the focus on stress and bleed/blight management.
Conclusion
Venturing into the Darkest Dungeon’s Crimson Court demands meticulous preparation. By understanding the Crimson Curse and stocking up on the right provisions – especially Food, Torches, Bandages, Shovels, Holy Water, Medicinal Herbs, Antivenom, and “The Blood” – you significantly increase your party’s chances of survival. Choose your party composition wisely, prioritize stress and blight management, and you might just emerge victorious from the blood-soaked Courtyard.
