There are four characters unlocked by default in Darkest Dungeon 2. These are the Man-At-Arms, the Plague Doctor, the Highwayman, and the Graverobber. Each of them has unique skills and abilities on the battlefield, and backstories that players can learn about throughout the game. together, they make a pretty balanced team, offering a good mix of damage, support abilities, and debuffs to the enemy team.

Aside from the four starting characters, there are five others that can be unlocked. Some fill similar roles to those in the starting party, while others are more unique and lend themselves to specific playstyles. These are the Runaway, the Hellion, the Occultist, the Leper, and the Jester. More will be added later, as the game is currently in early access, but so far the only truly new hero to the Darkest Dungeon franchise is the Runaway.

Related: Darkest Dungeon 2 Early Access Trailer Reveals 3D Graphics

Many players may want to unlock some of these characters to leverage their unique playstyles. Some may even want to unlock them all simply to be able to say they have. No matter what the reason, there are a variety of benefits to having a diverse cast of characters at players' disposal, and luckily, unlocking them is pretty simple.

How to Unlock All Characters in Darkest Dungeon 2

All of the characters in Darkest dungeon 2 are unlocked through players' profile rank. Fortunately, the only thing necessary to increase profile rank is hope, which is gained simply by playing the game. After dying, or completing a run, Hope is added up and can result in an increase in rank. Early in the game, multiple rank-ups can easily happen in a single run, so players need not be intimidated by, or hyper-focused on, accruing enough hope to rank up. Simply playing the game as usual will be enough.

Here is the list of ranks needed to unlock each hero:

  • Rank 3: Hellion
  • Rank 6: Runaway
  • Rank 9: Jester
  • Rank 12: Leper
  • Rank 15: Occultist

Players can unlock the new addition, the Runaway, pretty early at Rank 6. This will make it easier to enjoy the only hero not included in the original Darkest Dungeoneven for those not dead set on unlocking every single character. Hope can be accrued in a few different ways, like completing missions, killing bad guys, keeping the torch lit, progressing the wagon, and helping NPCs. The more that players are able to get through, the more Hope they will bring back after dying or completing the run. It's all about progressing as far as possible, and the Hope will simply come consequentially as a result of successfully completing the game's objectives.

More: Darkest Dungeon 2 Early Access Release Date Announced For October

Darkest Dungeon 2 is available in early access on PC.