Darkest Dungeon 2 Heroes: How to Unlock All Characters

There are 12 playable heroes you can add to your party in Darkest Dungeon 2, but only four of them are available at the start. To build better team compositions, you’ll need to unlock all characters. In this guide, I tell you how to do that.

Unlock Requirements for All Heroes in Darkest Dungeon 2

You begin the game with four characters unlocked: Plague Doctor, Highwayman, Graverobber, and Man-at-Arms. Once you complete the prologue, you’ll be able to unlock characters at the Altar of Hope in any order, pending you have enough resources to do so (more on that below). With the addition of The Binding Blade DLC, there are currently 10 additional characters to unlock.

The first eight extra characters can be unlocked at the Altar of Hope, while the final two, Duelist and Crusader, are made available by installing The Binding Blade expansion and finishing The Lost Crusade quest, respectively.

• Hellion
• Vestal
• Jester
• Occultist
• Leper
• Bounty Hunter
• Flagellant
• Runaway
• Crusader
• Duelist

Where to Find the Altar of Hope

The Altar of Hope can only be accessed at the beginning of a journey. Once you pass it, you’ll have to complete an expedition before you can return. However, once there, select the Living City section, where you’ll find the list of heroes you can unlock and upgrade. As with any other such item at the Altar, you’ll need Candles of Hope to get more characters.

The Living City is also where you’ll upgrade members of your party, increasing their health and deathblow resistance, getting new Hero Paths, and more. I suggest getting as many characters as possible as quickly as possible. Doing so will let you experiment with different strengths and playstyles, perhaps making runs much easier. Just because a hero is your favorite doesn’t mean they’re the best for the enemies you’re facing.

How to Use the Altar of Hope

It costs eight Candles of Hope to unlock a character at the Altar of Hope. With that in mind, you’ll need a total of 56 Candles of Hope to get all of the heroes in Darkest Dungeon 2.

How to Get More Candles of Hope

There are several ways to get more Candles in Darkest Dungeon 2: Defeating a Confession Boss for the first time, visiting locations with candles, going to Inns, and completing hero goals will earn you more Candles of Hope during your expedition.

That’s how to unlock all characters in Darkest Dungeon 2. Doing so will take significant effort and dozens of Candles of Hope. Steel yourself, and good luck! For more help against the darkness, such as how to beat the Focused Fault boss or a list of all pets and their buffs, click the links or check out our Darkest Dungeon 2 guides hub.