It doesn't happen very often, and it certainly isn't even close to being a 50/50 chance, but I prefer it that way. Of course, the godsend of all godsends, the greatest feeling in the world is having one of your pitch hitters backed into a corner and in the moment of truth break through with a Virtue, saving themselves and the entire run. But the game almost feels better and more honest when you are barely squeaking by, each battle teetering on the precipice of total annihilation given one wrong move, one bad dice roll, or the poorly timed acting out of a party member deep in the throes of paranoia or selfishness. You may enter into a quest with all the proper items, everyone in a good mood, and after the first battle be almost ready to call it quits after being ambushed by The Thing from the Stars, the Collector or GOD FORBID the Fanatic. Not only the current quest but your entire run can be ruined by poor decisions, badly laid plans and just poor luck. You are almost always fighting an uphill battle, and one bad move can be such a massive setback you may never recover to the feeling that the current mission is going 'pretty okay all things considered' which is about the best you can ask for. Many mechanics and situations feel like a cruel joke. There are few games as infuriating and rewarding as Darkest Dungeon.

Indeed, the state of the heroes who have braved the Darkest Dungeon and survived constantly remind me that there is a deeper, fouler evil out there. Yet still, even this deep in, I can't shake the feeling that I'm in over my head and that I am walking into certain doom.

Its been about 65 hours, over 200 weeks, 3 dozen heroes dead and lost, the Crimson Curse finally wiped from the land, all bosses defeated, all the journals collected, the Farmstead conquered (178 kills!) and at least one of each hero at Resolve level 6. I stand at the 3rd mission of the Darkest Dungeon, terrified of the notion that this quest gives you FOUR camps when the longest missions cap out at two.

Alluring siren darkest dungeon finding