Darkest Dungeon Ruins: Curios, party and provisions

I like the ruins. I usually select them when I need an easy week to recuperate.

Most monsters are of the unholy type and are very resistant to bleed damage, but vulnerable to blight damage. The necromancer is easy and the prophet isn’t too difficult with a good party composition.

Liste of Ruins curios

Alchemy table

Use the medicinal herbs.

You find gold or gems (x2) on the alchemy table!

Otherwise…

• Blight (50%)
• Gold or gems x1 (25%)
• Nothing (25%)

Altar of light

Use the holy water.

The altar of light empowers your hero with a +30% damage bonus until next camp!

Otherwise…

The hero receives a +20% damage bonus until next camp instead.

Confession booth

Use the holy water.

The confession booth helps your hero recover -30 stress!

Otherwise…

• +15 stress (50%)
• 6 treasures (25%)
• Remove a negative quirk (25%)

Decorative urn

Use the holy water.

You open the decorative urn and receive treasures!

Otherwise…

• Treasures (44.4%)
• Blight (22.2%)
• Disease (11.1%)
• Nothing (22.2%)

Eldritch Altar

Use the holy water.

The altar rids a hero of a negative quirk!

Otherwise…

• +25 stress (40%)
• Negative quirk (10%)
• Nothing (50%)

Heirloom chest

Use the skeleton key.

You find heirlooms x4 in the chest!

Otherwise…

• Heirlooms x2 (75%)
• Bleed (13%)
• Blight (13%)

Holy Fountain

Use the holy water.

The fountain helps your hero recover 20 stress and 12 HP!

Otherwise…

• The hero recovers 10 stress and 5 HP (50%)
• Gold or gems x2 (50%)

Iron Maiden

Use the medicinal herbs.

You find any loot x2 inside the maiden!

Otherwise…

• Any loot x2 (40%)
• Negative quirk (20%)
• Disease (20%)
• Nothing (20%)

Locked Display Cabinet

You find treasures, mostly gold!

Or if you use the shovel…

You get slightly less treasure and gold!

Otherwise…

• Bleed (50%)
• Blight (50%)

Sarcophagus

Nothing to use.

You find…

• Gold or heirlooms x2 (60%)
• Negative quirk (20%)
• Nothing (20%)

Suit of Armor

Nothing to use.

The armor grants your hero +15 protection and +10 dodge!

Stack of Books

Nothing to use.

You find…

• Stress +25 (22%)
• Positive quirk (22%)
• Journal entry (17%)
• Nothing (17%)
• Negative quirk (11%)
• Diminished light (11%)

Unlocked strongbox

Nothing to use.

• Any loot x2 (75%)
• Blight (25%)

Recommended party for the ruins

The ruins are a dungeon filled with undead enemies that have tremendous resistance to bleeding. What works best here is afflictions and bonuses against the undead.

Abomination

I really like the Abomination in this dungeon. His affliction skill does not do as much damage as that of the plague doctor, but it is not very far when we consider the debuff.

His stun works pretty well against enemies that generate a lot of stress. He is also incredibly resistant!

Crusader

The ruins are the dungeon where the Crusader is at its best. His offensive abilities have a bonus against the undead (up to + 35%).

He can be used in all ranks, but what is surprising is that he does more damage in the back with his lance. The lance offers a very big bonus to critical hits.

With his lance, he advances when attacking. But he has no skill in the opposite direction so for the strategy to work, you have to have another hero who can play with him and who can also attack while advancing.

Plague doctor

Her two affliction skills are very useful in the ruins.

The vapors buff is also very effective when used on the crusader. And finally, her two targets stun is pretty good against the stress dealers in the back; they have only 10% resistance to stuns.

Recommended provisions for the ruins

Short expedition

• 8-12 food
• 8 torches
• 2-3 holy waters
• 2-3 skeleton keys
• 2 shovels
• 1-2 medicinal herbs
• 0-1 bandages
• 0-1 antivenoms

Medium expedition

• 16-20 food
• 10-13 torches
• 3-4 holy waters
• 2-4 skeleton keys
• 3 shovels
• 2-3 medicinal herbs
• 0-2 bandages
• 0-2 antivenoms

Long expedition

• 24-28 food
• 14-16 torches
• 3-5 holy waters
• 3-5 skeleton keys
• 3-4 shovels
• 3-4 medicinal herbs
• 0-3 bandages
• 0-3 antivenoms