Choosing a Confession in Darkest Dungeon 2 is different than in most games. Usually, the difference between progressive levels in video games is in the difficulty but there isn't necessarily the same increase in difficulty grades between all of the missions.
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The enemies do get tougher with an increase in Ordainment chance in Darkest Dungeon 2, yet some players will find that the earliest Confessions may even be tougher than the last ones. Players should know a bit about each before choosing one because it may impact their squad choices and item selection.
Ordainment can be a complicated thing to understand. It increases in strength and quantity between each Confession. It's the one thing that makes levels definitively more difficult as they get higher. The steady increase in frequency and deadliness should be noted; players will find them less intrusive in Denial and most fatal in Cowardice.
Denial has two especially unique features. Players cannot enter the Sluice, a "route" that doesn't actually count as a region. For this reason, Denial can feel shorter even with the same number of routes. Also, the journey will end on other Confessions if they haven't taken on the Lair. The Lair is optional in Denial and players can bypass it entirely.
Resentment is the first time that players are required to conquer a Lair to face the final route called the Mountain. Make sure not to pull out of the battle early unless beating the final boss is not the goal of the run. To truly beat Seething Sigh, all stages of the Lair must be taken on. This fact will remain true for all future boss encounters.
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This second act is also the first time players can enter the Sluice, a bonus area with deadly encounters but extra rewards. Keep the stagecoach upgraded to survive the extra damage and hazards that come along with the trip. Veterans find the risk to be worth the rewards, but it is a tough challenge for squads that haven't been fully upgraded.
It must be noted here that many gamers consider Focused Fault, the final boss in Obsession, to be the toughest encounter in the game. Despite Ordainment buffs being technically more of an obstacle in the final two acts, this reason alone makes Confession number three the most dreaded within the community.
To take on Obsession, gamers will want to make sure that relationships between heroes trend upward. There is very little wiggle room in Obsession so heroes working against each other can essentially spell the end of the journey, even for fully-upgraded teams.
The fights in Ambition are a bit more challenging than in the previous Confessions but the final boss, Ravenous Reach, is considered one of the easiest in the game. So long as players avoid taking on the worst negative Quirks out there, the run should be doable after a few practice attempts.
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When it comes to farming up Candles of Hope, players usually choose either Ambition or Resentment because they both have the Sluice path and the final bosses aren't too difficult. Resentment has slightly easier fights but Ambition has an easier final boss.
Going into the final mission, the boss, Body Of Work, is pretty tough and the battles getting to it have the Ordainment difficulty cranked up to the maximum. Even players who use the best heroes in the game will probably need a heavy dose of luck to come out victorious.
It's a mission that many gamers will only voluntarily beat once to get the final cutscene. The challenge feels good to conquer but it's also a draining experience to get over the edge. All it takes is a handful of things to go wrong and the whole run is ruined.
Darkest Dungeon 2 is available now for PC.
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