Darkest Dungeon 2 gets major update to metagame and progression Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Darkest Dungeon 2 gets major update to metagame and progression "A wholesale rework of the fundamental underpinnings" of the game. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Published on 27 Sep 2022 2 comments Early access roguelike Darkest Dungeon 2 is getting a major update which reworks the game's progression system - and also resets some player stats, developer Red Hook Games has warned. The Altar of Hope update adds a new type of reward - Candles of Hope - which you can earn and then spend on various attributes which should make future missions safer for your party. As you'd expect, the bigger the danger, the bigger reward in terms of Candles bagged at the end. Missions will offer more Candles the further you manage to progress, but suffer a wipe and you'll see your Candle hoard penalised. Watch on YouTube Darkest Dungeon 2 early access trailer. The risk/reward here is whether you choose to end your expedition in progress gracefully at an inn, keeping your Candle stash intact, or press on for further glory/death. Reaching the game's current end point - The Mountain - will also ensure you take home all your Candles up to that point - even if you fall at the final boss. The Altar of Hope update is live now on the game's experimental branch, before it arrives for everyone in a couple of weeks. Players should note that its arrival will reset your current Hope score, including item unlocks and hero availability, as well as any in-progress expeditions. Your hero backstory progress, skill unlocks and Confession boss unlocks will remain. You'll also get 20 Candles as a freebie for your trouble. The Altar of Hope also adds a new ally, the Bounty Hunter, and tweaks plenty of other settings and bugs - the full patch notes are here. Darkest Dungeon 2 launched a year ago via early access and is set for a full release in February 2023. Our Bertie gave it go soon after launch and found it more of a roguelike than the original, and that this change had been transformative. "If you can settle into the game's remorseless, that's where you'll find the magic," Bertie wrote last year. "This isn't a game about being heroic, it's a game about surviving and scraping through. It's a game about learning to value any advantage, and to not get sloppy or overconfident in your approach. And when you begin to appreciate that, you begin to see beyond the bigger and better - the more glamorous artwork, the fancier animations, the cinematic flair - into a game that seems to have trimmed an already strong concept into something leaner and potentially even meaner than before." Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 1 Sonic Frontiers will receive free Monster Hunter DLC Get ready to roast. 1 2K confirms some personal data obtained in recent data breach "No indication" financial information compromised. Square Enix Montréal is now Studio Onoma following Embracer acquisition "Onoma is Greek for name and names offer endless possibilities". 17 Latest Articles Nintendo Switch firmware update lets you take screenshots in the Switch Online app The app on your console, not your phone. 1 Sonic Frontiers will receive free Monster Hunter DLC Get ready to roast. 1 2K confirms some personal data obtained in recent data breach "No indication" financial information compromised. Jelly Deals Samsung's premium PRO 980 1TB SSD is under £80 during Prime's Early Access sale A great PC or PS5 upgrade. 1 Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store