Progress Report on Initial Darkest Dungeon II Mod Release

Hello everyone,

Darkest Dungeon II’s initial PC modding release is almost ready! We’ve been hard at work getting this into testers hands and navigating the initial kinks. Testing for this update has been underway for the past few weeks and we have been making excellent progress with the pool of mod creators who have volunteered to help us shakedown this new era.

To recap, this first update will tackle the initial mod loading/overwriting logic and Steam workshop integration. These core capabilities will enable modders to edit any of the exposed .csv files (which contain the vast majority of numerical gameplay values) and then structure those changes as Steam workshop packages. Content-wise, it will be possible to create custom items from scratch (trinkets, combat items, inn items, stagecoach equipment) and also new hero palettes. It will also be possible to create mods that change/alter any existing skills or data in the game that is currently contained in exposed csvs.

The test pool has been incredibly valuable in helping prove out the workflow for modding in Darkest Dungeon II. It is no surprise that some things require a bit more support to fully open up, but we are already blown away by what the modding test pool has been able to achieve. (We’ve included some examples at the bottom of this post so you can get a taste!) We’ve accomplished a lot to get where we are today, but we are not ready to release in June like we had originally hoped. As mentioned, we are very close, but need just a little more time for further refinement.

In order to help hasten this process, we would like bring in more testers, both those who wish to get a preview of what it takes to make mods in Darkest Dungeon II, and those who want to assist in testing out mods and working with their makers to provide feedback to them! 

If you are interested in helping, please fill out this survey. We will keep this sign up form open until July 8th and will only contact those who have made it through the selection process. Those selected can expect to hear from our team in the second week of July.

A few more weeks of testing with some additional modders will help get this initial mod update over the finish line and put us on target for a late July release. Finally, if modding is not something that excites you, we’re happy to report that there are other additions coming that may be of interest. We will also be updating both the Man-at-Arms and the Jester alongside this release! 

While you wait, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the inventive mods that have been created so far. Read on to see examples of pets, trinkets, combat items and quirks our testers have cooked up!

Pet Mod Example

Mod Creator: Tranquil

Tester Tranquil has created some inventive pets for modders to bring on their journey, including the Portable Jester.

Bringing the Jester along will give your allies a chance to stress heal when you land a Crit. You’ll also gain +2% chance to Crit when moving, at the cost of a 33% chance of gaining 2 Bleed Tokens.

Combat Item Mod Example 1

Mod Creator: Wobberjacky

Create unique combat items like the Arachne Weave. When used in battle, this item will transform its target into a Webber!

Combat Item Mod Example 2

Mod Creator: Egthoridon

Gain power at a terrible price with Glimpse of Madness.

Trinket Mod Example 1

Mod Creator: Lux

Bring your own barricade to the battle with the Portable Barricade Trinket.

Trinket Mod Example 2:

Mod Creator: buhCat:3d8

Power up your Occultist with the Dream Relic.

Quirk Mod Example

Mod Creator: Lux

Use mods to add new quirks to the game, such as this Marksman quick!

Inn Item Example:

Mod Creator: scruffc

Scruffc has created an Inn item that will increase your changes of running into the Collector