Darkest Dungeon Gets Its First New DLC in Six Years

Red Hook Studios has returned to the original Darkest Dungeon with its first new DLC since 2020. The Fire's Edge launched on August 18, bringing the Runaway and Duelist from Darkest Dungeon II into the first game with abilities rebuilt around its combat system. The DLC costs $6.99 on Steam and requires the base game.

The release ends a long break for new Darkest Dungeon content. The previous DLC, The Butcher's Circus, arrived on May 28, 2020 and introduced a separate PvP mode. Red Hook spent the following years expanding Darkest Dungeon II, but The Fire's Edge now brings two of that sequel's heroes back to the Old Road.

Runaway joins the roster as a flexible damage dealer who can fight effectively from several party positions. Her biggest addition is Burn, a new damage type for the original Darkest Dungeon. Red Hook says her attacks work particularly well with parties using Stuns, Pulls, Knockbacks, and Shuffle effects.

Duelist moves between party ranks while maintaining Riposte and can switch between Defensive and Aggressive stances during combat. Her abilities reward planning several turns ahead, especially when deciding where she needs to be positioned before her next attack.

Both heroes first appeared in Darkest Dungeon II, but Red Hook has adapted them to the original game's combat rather than moving their sequel abilities across unchanged.

New trinkets use mechanics called Trigger Uses, Quest Charges, and Progressive Trinkets, giving players additional conditions to consider when putting together a party.

Those systems sit alongside Runaway's Burn mechanic as the main additions affecting combat outside the two new hero classes. They give existing characters new equipment options without changing the structure of the original campaign.

The Fire's Edge adds Academie Duello, Craftworks, and Archaeological Base Camp as three new Hamlet districts. They join the existing town progression systems and give established campaigns additional projects to build toward.

With two returning heroes, a new damage type, fresh trinket mechanics, and three districts, Red Hook has added new campaign content to the original Darkest Dungeon for the first time in more than six years.