How to Unlock New Skills in Darkest Dungeon II

Are people born with a photographic memory... or does it take time to develop?

by Matthew Kevin Mitchell
Image: Attack of the Fanboy

Are you wondering how to unlock new skills in Darkest Dungeon II? To start, all characters possess five fundamental combat abilities. However, by finishing five chapters of their personal tale, you can access six additional skills. These chapters delve deeply into the history of each hero, and upon completion, you will be rewarded with a new skill relevant to the chapter’s events. Follow these steps to acquire new abilities in Darkest Dungeon II and become a true hero.

How to Get New Skills in Darkest Dungeon II

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To unlock new combat skills in Darkest Dungeon II, you must visit the Shrine of Reflection during an expedition.

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The Shrine of Reflection is on the map as the Bell icon.

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Once at a Shrine of Reflection, you must pick one of the four heroes you want to unlock new skills. You can only unlock one skill on one hero at a time. After choosing a hero, you will be taken to their story screen to complete five chapters. These chapters will alternate from narrated stories to hands-on puzzles you must solve.

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For example, one chapter of The Vestal requires that you keep a brazier lit while satisfying your curiosity three times. What does this mean exactly? Well, that is for you to figure out based on the limited information provided to you by the game. First, however, you will have the basic instructions and skills to achieve the goal.

Related: The Best Pets in Darkest Dungeon II

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After completing the puzzle, you will permanently unlock a new skill for the chosen hero that can be used in future expeditions. In my example, I unlocked the X skill. I can now go into the hero’s character sheet and make this new combat skill active anytime.

If you fail at the challenge, you will not unlock a new skill and must visit a different Shrine of Reflection. However, this isn’t a huge deal because most regions have multiple Shrine of Reflections you can visit in one expedition.

Note from the author: I created this guide while playing Darkest Dungeon II on my PC through Steam.

About The Author

Matthew Kevin Mitchell has been a contributing writer for Attack of the Fanboy and PC Invasion since 2022. Matthew primarily covers Manga like One Piece, horror movies like Scream, and survival horror games like Dead by Daylight. His favorite moment came during his first press event covering Scream 6 for AotF. He hails from Denver, Colorado, where he received his Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from Regis University. When he isn’t scaring himself silly or writing, he loves to play ice hockey, spoil his dog, and drink an unhealthy amount of coffee.