The Altar of Hope is the foundation ofDarkest Dungeon 2’s meta-progression system, allowing players to exchange their Candles of Hope for permanent unlocks and upgrades. While fans must spend their first batch of the Candles in the Working Fields, they will soon have access to all the Altar’s locations. This abundance of choice may leave some players feeling slightly overwhelmed, and this guide is here to address that by providing tips on how to approachDarkest Dungeon 2’s Altar of Hope.
Darkest Dungeon 2: Altar of Hope Tips
As soon as players have access to the entirety of the Altar of Hope, it is recommended that theyunlock a hero in the Living Citythat can replace the Grave Robber. Indeed, this dagger-wieldingDarkest Dungeon 2herois almost certainly the weakest from the base crew, and theJesterandFlagellantareboth great options to pursue. Fans should also consider unlocking theBounty Hunter, a special hero that must be hired at inns, as he is quite powerful right out of the box.
RELATED:Darkest Dungeon 2: How To Remove Negative Quirks (& Lock Positive Quirks)
After claiming some new heroes, players should unlock theOrphan Wolf Cubfrom theCompanionshiptrack at theIntrepid Coast. Fans should thenstart putting Candles towardunlockingDarkest Dungeon 2’s Hero Pathsandupgrading hero statsin theLiving City. While fans will need to decide for themselves exactly how to approach these actions, each hero’sfinal Deathblow Resistance nodeis a long-term goal that should be targeted.
Simultaneous to performing hero upgrades, players should put their excess Candles towardunlocking Inn Items in the Working Fields. In particular, fans should focus on Inn Items until they have unlocked afoodthat can replace Slime Mold, such as Stale Bread, and arelationship itemlike the Whiskey Barrel. Players can also spend some Candles on unlockingDarkest Dungeon 2Combat Items(Healing Salve and Triage Kit are both excellent), Stagecoach Items, and Trinkets, though Inn Items should take priority.
Once players have secured an assortment of good items, they can start spending their excess Candles on theJourneyandResourcefulnesstracks at theIntrepid Coast. More specifically, fans should work toward Journey’sCharitynode and Resourcefulness’sRespitenode, though they should plan to eventually take them to their maximums.
After doing this foundational work,Darkest Dungeon 2playersthat are still having trouble on their runs should consider spending additional Candles on further Living City and Intrepid Coast upgrades and unlocking more items in the Working Fields. However, if the player feels sufficiently powerful, they can start focusing on the end-game unlocks, which manifest as theMemoriestrack in theTimeless Woodsand theInfernal Flamepath in theIntrepid Coast. From there, fans can spend their final Candles oncosmeticsatThe Mountainand in the Intrepid Coast’sRenowntrack.
