Be smart and only equip trinkets when the benefit outweighs the negative. Is it really worth an extra 1-2 damage on an attack if it guarantees your Crusader will go last every single round? No.

For example, many early game trinkets provide a mediocre benefit at the cost of a speed debuff. They can make a huge difference if used intelligently, but can also sabotage your team if you equip them with abandon. With a few flexible characters though, you can realign your party order without wasting turns on pure movement or * gasp*, passing. If you stack your team with too many position-dependent classes (Lepers, back-line Vestals), you can easily be killed by even weak monster parties if they can shuffle you around. Skills that let characters make a useful action (attacking/debuffing enemies, buffing themselves, etc.) while moving forward or back are AMAZING. It’s easy to focus on flashy, easy to understand classes like the Crusader, Man-at-Arms, and Vestal, but don’t underestimate classes like the Jester, Highwayman, and Gravedigger. Make sure to cultivate at least a handful of warriors in your roster that have repositioning skills.

Resting right before a boss and stacking buffs is also an obvious but effective strategy. Several characters also have buffs they can apply during a camp that will make a mission much easier if used early-ish or in the middle of a dungeon. With the right camping skills, you can often end up with less overall stress on a medium-length mission than a short one if you rest near the end of the run. Don’t be afraid of taking on long missions.Think strategically and don’t bring the same compositions to every fight. Take characters that do Unholy damage in the Ruins, anti-beast damage in the Weald, bleed for the high-HP monsters in the Warrens, and blight for the Cove monsters who resist bleed damage. On the contrary, you should be looking for damage types and quirks that will help you. Make sure to avoid obvious problems like characters who have a phobia of a certain enemy types or primarily attack with a damage type that is heavily resisted in an area. On the same tip, organize your party according to the mission.Prioritize missions that reward Deeds early on, as you’ll need them to upgrade the Coach and the Blacksmith. Don’t just pick whatever mission – look at what heirlooms and trinkets they reward and think about what would benefit your party the most.

Pay attention to mission goals and rewards.

Tips and tricks darkest dungeon