Dark and Darker: Ultimate Beginner’s Guide – Tips and Tricks

by Falagar / Game Guides, General Guides / 20 Mar 2022

Dark and Darker is an exhilarating dungeon crawler game that puts a fresh spin on the genre. Merging elements from iconic games such as Wizardry and Might and Magic with groundbreaking features, this game promises an unforgettable experience. If you’re new and looking to get the hang of it check out these tips & tricks to help you hit the ground running.

To boost your combat skills and raise your chances of victory, pay close attention to the attack patterns of enemy monsters. Notice how many strikes you can dish out with your weapon before needing to dodge their next attack.

Don’t let initial struggles in evading enemy attacks get you down. You can still rack up character experience points (XP) even when you fail, which aids in leveling up your character and unlocking additional perk slots. These perks can greatly enhance your likelihood of success and make it simpler to escape tough situations. So, keep at it and don’t throw in the towel!

For max damage, it’s generally best to aim for your enemy’s head. Headshots inflict extra damage compared to body shots. Conversely, limb attacks deal the least damage.

If a buddy bites the dust in battle, you can revive them by collecting their “soul heart” from their body after taking off their chest armor. With the “soul heart” in hand, use it at a sacrificial altar by making a small blood offering. This will bring your teammate back to life and allow them to rejoin the fray.

Stay sharp and listen up to boost your chances of survival. Groups of players tend to be pretty loud, so you might hear them coming from afar. By staying aware of your surroundings and the location of other players, you can find ways to dodge them or sneak past unnoticed.

If you’re part of a squad, it’s a smart move to snag campfires, as they let you regain spells and health by resting at them.

Keep your eyes peeled for bookshelves. Not only do they frequently contain hidden items, but you can also use a book as a lever to reveal secret rooms.

Your torch can light up dark areas. To throw your torch, use the right mouse button. This will help you see your environment and possibly uncover hidden treasures or dangers.

Six different classes are currently available to play in Dark and Darker, each with its own unique playstyle and characteristics. If you’re new to the game, the fighter class is a solid starting point. Fighters can equip a wide array of items, such as bows and arrows, and are known for their strength and adaptability. They’re also great at sprinting and have a decent selection of gear. In short, the fighter class is a strong choice for newcomers.

If you’re looking to play a ranged class, think about going for the Ranger class. This class is super versatile and can hold its own in nearly any situation. You’ll be able to execute quick strikes and utilize traps to gain the upper hand. Rangers can wield one-handed blades, interact, and heal swiftly. They’re pros at tracking and using bear traps, but they might struggle in close-quarters combat.

Knowing some keyboard shortcuts can really up your game. Check out these helpful key binds:

Shift + Right-click: Drop all items at once (even stacked ones).

Alt + Right-click: Drop items individually.

Alt + Left-drag: Split items.

It’s crucial to thoughtfully consider the special modifiers on your gear and use them smartly. Here’s a list of possible special modifiers that can appear on your armor and weapons, along with their effects:

Action Speed: Boosts the speed you interact with objects like chests, portals, and corpses.

All Attributes: Increases all your character’s stats by a certain amount.

Agility: Boosts your character’s speed.

Additional Magic Damage: Increases the bonus magic damage dealt by your spells.

Buff Duration: Lengthens the duration of buffs (e.g., extending how long you stay invisible as a wizard).

Item Equip Speed: Reduces the time needed to equip items on your character.

Knowledge: Enhances spell casting speed, spells/spell count, and item identification speed.

Magical Damage Reduction: Lowers the amount of magical damage received from other players by a certain percentage (e.g., taking less damage from spells).

Magical Power: Increases overall spell power.

Magical Healing: Enhances the amount of magical healing received from a healing spell.

Magic Resistance: Basically, your magical armor rating. Reduces the amount of magical damage received from other players (e.g., taking less damage from spells).

Max Health: Boosts your character’s maximum health.

Resourcefulness: Increases the speed at which you interact with objects and significantly speeds up setting up items like traps and campfires.

Physical Power: Enhances damage dealt with physical weapons.

Physical Damage Reduction: Lowers the amount of physical damage received from other players by a certain percentage (e.g., taking less damage from weapons).

Strength: Increases HP and physical power.

Spell Capacity Bonus: Not yet implemented in the game. Will determine the number or level of spells you can memorize and bring into the game.

True Damage: Damage that bypasses all armor and physical damage reductions.

Weapon Damage: Boosts weapon damage.

Will: Enhances spell power, improves buff/curse duration, and boosts your magic resistance.

If you’re playing as part of a team in Dark and Darker, the Cleric class is a must-have. The Cleric is a game-changer that can significantly impact your team’s success. As a Cleric, you’ll wield the power of life, reviving fallen teammates and summoning demons to fight alongside you. Clerics are especially effective against undead enemies. In a nutshell, the Cleric class is a valuable choice due to its healing, reviving, and undead-fighting abilities.

During your adventure, you might come across portals. If you’re lucky enough to find one, you can use it to either escape with your loot or venture deeper into the dungeon for more epic treasures. Remember, a portal will close as soon as someone enters it, so you’ve got to act fast.

In Dark and Darker, magic is a potent but tricky force to master. Excelling in magic requires not only lengthy incantations and specific skills but also the right channeling equipment and a strategic mindset. To effectively use magic, you must time and aim your spells precisely. However, even if you’re not a natural-born magic user, you can still leverage your knowledge of special equipment and careful planning to gain an edge in battle.

It’s best to steer clear of playing as a Rogue in Dark and Darker, as it’s the toughest class to play. But don’t get discouraged—once you get the hang of it, the Rogue class is insanely powerful. It features stealthy abilities like invisibility and smoke, high damage over time, quick attacks, fast movement, and silent steps. Plus, they have access to free lockpicks and can interact with objects swiftly. The Rogue class is compatible with three different weapons, allowing you some flexibility in your play style. Just be sure to pick your battles wisely and engage in fights you’re confident you can win.

General FAQ What do the skill attributes do?

Here’s a list of the skill attributes in the game and their effects:

Strength (STR): Boosts base health and physical damage bonus.

Agility (AGI): Increases base movement speed, action/attack speed, and equip/interaction speed.

Willpower (WILL): Enhances spell power, buff/curse duration, and base magic resistance.

Resourcefulness (RESC): Boosts item installation speed and the number of weapon/item/backpack slots.

Knowledge (KNOW): Improves spell casting speed, the number of spells/spell count, and item identification speed.

How do I get out of here? Where can I find the portals?

Extraction portals pop up randomly once the death swarm circle starts shrinking. You’ll come across both solo and trio portals. A solo portal is for one player only. In the final round, there’s always a trio escape portal and a trio descent portal.

The Blue Portal: That’s your ticket outta there! Use it to escape safely with all your loot.

The Red Portal: This one takes you deeper into danger, dropping you to more treacherous levels.

Falagar

He is the founder and editor of Magic Game World. He loved gaming from the moment he got a PlayStation 1 with Gran Turismo on his 7th birthday.
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