Red Hook Studios launched the first paid DLC pack for “Darkest Dungeon 2: Binding Blade” on December 12, 2023. and will add two new playable characters: the all-new Duelist, and the long-awaited return of the Crusaders from Darkest Dungeon 1. The Crusaders are known as the strongest heroes in the original game. I'm shocked that we never got a Crusader among the early access characters in Darkest Dungeon 2. He is an especially strong and versatile option for either side. Hurry and  Buy Steam Gift Cards  to be the first to experience them.

Duelists and Crusaders

Both new heroes come with unique cosmetics, signature items and fully voiced backstories, including playable flashback encounters. 

The Crusaders are also about to return in triumph. The community's enduring love for the character was a major factor in our choice to bring him back. We wanted to get even better at this, so we created a unique gameplay experience to celebrate his arrival. Crusaders occupy the D&D Paladin's tank, damage dealer, and support/healer slots. On top of that, players have always considered him the game's mascot alongside the Highwaymen. Fueled by radiant divine fire, this battle-hardened knight will pummel his foes where they stand. The Crusader is a well-rounded frontline hero who can take punishing hits, support his team with healing and stress recovery, and use his Blade of Justice.

But the Crusader isn't alone in Binding Blade: the DLC also introduces the Duelist, a full-on classic swordsman complete with cloak and rapier. She is a versatile and complex character who can run with many different team compositions and can be used in either an offensive or defensive manner thanks to her signature "stand" mechanic. The character concept certainly lends itself to high damage, with duelists having the ability to ignore enemy resistance, but the new characters also appear to have some unique support features, such as negating allies' cooldowns.

Of course, in addition to the DLC, the developers have also introduced some free supplementary content to the base game.

Supplementary Content

On your journey to the mountains, you'll encounter new military roadblocks - remnants of an invading military faction. We've also included some community-requested quality-of-life improvements, as well as long-requested additions like the ability to save and restore favorite party and hero gear at Crossroads.

General

Added new military barricade route encounters; Added party and hero loadout saving at the crossroads; Added the ability to remove positive quirks at the Hospital; Added rank highlight to indicate which monster is guarding the selected target; Added achievement List to the profile summary UI; Updated icons seen in the Travelogue for certain deliverable items; Added New Crossroads UI; Updated Stagecoach UI and repositioned the equipment slots and move Pet naming to it; Added “Warrior of Light” quirk, to assist with canon Reynauld creation

Heroes

Highwayman: Take Aim  no longer grants a Speed token

Man-at-Arms:

Crush DMG reduced from 4-7 to 4-6; Crush DMG reduced from 6-8 to 5-7; Rampart DMG reduced from 3-6 to 3-5; Rampart DMG reduced from 4-7 to 4-6; Retribution cooldown increased to 2; Retribution no longer grants Block; Riposte DMG reduced from 4-6 to 3-5; Bolster no longer removes Vulnerable from the target; Bolster no longer removes Weak and Vulnerable from the target.

Occultist: Updated tooltip on Binding Shadows and Binding Shadows to properly represent the duration of the debuff being applied. 

To celebrate the launch of the DLC, Darkest Dungeon II is 25% off on Steam from now until the end of the Winter Sale. Players can also use  Cheap Steam Gift Cards to get this DLC. I believe Crusaders and Duelists will not disappoint you.