Dark and Darker: 10 Tips & Tricks for Beginner Players

Dark and Darker is finally back and ready to be played by fans of unforgivable fantasy games. As an FPS with an extraction style gameplay, you’ll find that this game will challenge even the most hardcore of players. So, what about all the beginners looking to try it out?

Not to worry, we have you covered. In this guide, we will provide beginner players with 10 tips and tricks to hit the ground running. In this way, you will be able to overcome all the obstacles that Dark and Darker throws at you! Without further delay, let’s dive in!

10 Tips & Tricks for Beginner Players

Dark and Darker is infamously difficult for a lot of new players – which can actually put off a lot of players. Others tend to relish the challenge. If you’re struggling to get a hold of the basics, we can help you out with this one.

Check out our Complete Beginners Guide – which will give you a basic rundown of how the game works.

However, in this guide, we’ll be providing you with 10 tips and tricks that build off the basics. Following these should help make your journey with the game much more manageable and give you a base to start with it.

1. Choose The Right Beginner Class And Perks

When you start Dark and Darker, you’ll see that you have a variety of classes that you can choose from. In total, there are 9 classes that you can select. We recommend that you make your choice between two: Fighter and Ranger.

These two classes are the simplest for beginners – and will give you the best experience. You can make an argument for Barbarian but these two are by far the best ones.

After you’ve selected your class, you’ll find yourself in the Dark and Darker starting menu. From here, select the Class option followed by the Perk and Skill.

If you selected Fighter, you’ll want to select two of these Perks:

• Sprint
• Second Wind.

They will help you out a lot as a beginner player in Dark and Darker. For the other perks, you can choose one of any that suits your play style. You can select Slayer or Dual Wield if you want to go for aggression, or Counter Attack if you want to play with a shield.

2. Select The Right Base Gear For Your Character

Before you dive into a match in Dark and Darker, you’ll want to select the right base gear. You’ll already start off with some basic clothes and weapons. However, this is not enough for the challenge ahead.

So, we recommend you go into the Merchants menu that you can find in the starting menu of Dark and Darker. From here, select the Squire and go to the Base Gear menu.

Here, you’ll be able to see a variety of Base Gear that you can get from the Squire for free! On the right, you’ll see your Inventory, with all the items you start with. So, we strongly suggest that you get certain items from the Squire.

Here are the items that you should get from the Squire and place in your Inventory in Dark and Darker:

• Potion of Healing
• Potion of Protection
• Adventurer or Heavy Boots
• Francisca Axe
• Castillon Dagger (if you chose Slayer or Dual Wield as your Perk).

Getting all these items will give you a good base to start off with the game. You should definitely utilize this tip!

3. Select The Right Dungeon Map When Starting A Game

Now that you’re ready to get in the game, you’ll be going into the Play option. However, before you do so we recommend that you select the Dungeon Map option.

Here, you’ll come across a map with three areas. Each of these areas will have two difficulty options: Normal and High Roller. Obviously, since you’re just starting out, you’ll be going for a Normal one.

However, keep an eye out for the icons you see on each map. These icons represent Solo, Duos and Trios. Being a beginner, we strongly suggest you only select Solos for now. 

Additionally, you’ll want to play Solos on the The Goblin Caves map for the ideal experience.

The maps will rotate after some time and you can see a timer in the top right corner. So, eventually, the icons will change up on the maps after each rotation in Dark and Darker.

4. Turn Up Your Brightness

When you load into a game in Dark and Darker, you’ll notice that it is, quite fittingly, extremely dark! This is by design, as the game is meant to challenge you. 

However, most of the veterans in the game have their brightness turned all the way up. This allows them to see much further, giving them a very strong advantage. The game also has traps in dark places that can also catch you off guard if you do not see them.

So, we strongly recommend that you utilize this trick too. You can do this by going into the Options when you pause the game. Here, select the Video tab that you can see at the top of the screen.

After that, you can modify your brightness in the Screen Brightness option. Ideally, you want to turn it all the way up in Dark and Darker so you can see all the dangers the game has to offer.

5. Get As Much Valuable Loot As You Can

When you’re just starting out in Dark and Darker, you will have no money in your stash. So, after you’ve loaded into a match, you’ll want to start racking up the cash!

You’ll come across a variety of Chests that will have all sorts of loot inside it. So, start looting these and place any Armour and Trinket in your Inventory that seems to have value. You’ll be selling all of this later so that gradually you have a decent amount of money.

Breaking pots and boxes is also a good way to find loot, so do not skip them if you come across them. They do make a lot of noise so make sure there aren’t any mobs nearby.

And of course, if you come upon any good weapons, you can actually equip them as part of your gear!

You can sell items by going to the respective Merchant. For example, if you want to sell Trinkets, you’ll need to sell them to The Collector. You won’t be able to sell Armor or Weapons to him. 

Similarly, to sell Weapons you’ll need to go to the Weaponsmith.

In this way, you can start making up some bank in Dark and Darker! You can use the extra cash you get to purchase potions, meds, more gear so that you can have an even better run next time!

6. Take Things Slowly

In Dark and Darker, as you progress through each map, you’ll come across mobs of enemies. Each of these enemies are triggered when you enter a room or a particular area. So, you’ll want to take things one at a time.

If you rush through the game, you’ll find that all sorts of mobs are chasing you. Fighting a lot of enemies at once when you’re just a beginner means instant death.

So, instead, you want to take things slowly and go to each room one by one. After you trigger an enemy spawn, kill them and then move forward. This will make it much easier for you to progress through Dark and Darker – as you’re taking manageable fights.

Eventually, you’ll also come across a Cyclops boss as you progress in the game and get past your beginner journey. Check out our How To Beat Cyclops Boss Guide if you need help with it!

7. Master Basic Combat Techniques

If you’ve already played through some matches in Dark and Darker, you might have noticed that even basic enemies like skeletons and goblins can kill you. We understand how frustrating this can be. So, we’ll be providing you with some basic techniques that will allow you to kill them.

Starting off, we recommend that you do not take fights aggressively in Normal mode. Instead, you should bait out an enemy’s attack first. 

Once they’re in their attack animation, you’ll find an opening to hit them.

You can do this by first approaching an enemy and getting close to them. After that, immediately back out as the enemy starts their attack. When you see an opening, immediately hit them. This trick is even more effective against enemies with shields.

Another trick that you can utilize is against skeletons. Most of the time, skeletons with swords only will do a slash attack. You can actually dodge this attack without having to back away.

First, bait the skeleton’s slash attack. After that crouch down and look down at the same time. This combination of Crouch + Looking down will allow you to completely avoid the attack. You can then damage the skeleton and repeat the process until they’re dead.

During your runs, you’ll eventually come across mobs of enemies. Damaging them one by one can be a bit tricky and inefficient. A great way to damage mobs at the same time is to drag your mouse across them as you swing your weapon.

This trick will allow you to clear out mobs much more easily in Dark and Darker.

8. Use Campfires to Reset Your Perks

As you loot a variety of items, eventually you’ll come across a Campfire Kit. Campfire Kits can be thought of as checkpoints which can be a lifesaver. They allow you to regain your health and restore your spells.

When you get a Campfire Kit, use it in a safe area. Doing so starts a timer as you start placing it down. Once the timer ends, you’ll have placed a Campfire down and will sit next to it.

You’ll start regaining your health and also your spells. This can be very useful if you have perks like Second Wind which can only be used once. It will help improve your survivability and we strongly suggest you use healing spells before you use a Campfire.

This will allow you to use them again later on, improving your survivability in Dark and Darker.

9. Be On The Lookout for Mimics and Traps

Dark and Darker does not get its hardcore reputation for nothing. The various enemies in the game are not the only things that can kill you in the game.

The first danger are mimics that can act like Chests. So, while you’re looting Chests, there’s a chance that one of these can be a mimic. Be wary of them, as the first time you come across them can give you a horrible jump scare!

So, even if you do not see enemies nearby while looting chests, it’s possible that the enemy is right in front of you. Have your sword ready to cut down the mimic once they reveal themselves.

Alongside mimics, there are also traps that can catch you off guard. These traps are activated by black tiles on the ground. Some of these tiles are even hidden in dark corners and it’s very easy to miss them if you’re not focused.

Having your brightness high in Dark and Darker should make it easier for you to avoid them!

10. Locate the Rope To Escape

Last, but not least, you’ll also need to escape from the area once the level is over. To do this, you’ll need to locate the rope area. You can do this by looking for the blue rope icon in the mini map in the bottom right corner of your screen.

The rope will only drop down once the level is over. However, we still recommend that you familiarize yourself with its location. This is because you might have to make a quick getaway if there are too many enemies towards the end of the level.

Additionally, if you’re in the Goblin Caves dungeon in Dark and Darker, the cave will start falling apart towards the end. This will start doing damage to you every few seconds. 

Knowing where the rope is in advance will allow you to get to the rope quicker and potentially not die towards the end.

That’s everything you need to know for all the tips and tricks in Dark and Darker for beginner players. If you’re just starting out, we strongly suggest you employ these tips. It’ll give you a good basis to beat the starting levels. Eventually, you’ll be able to figure out everything else the game has to offer!

As a PC Player, you’ll want to have the best settings possible when playing Dark and Darker. This will ensure that you can have as pleasant an experience as possible. Check out our Full Optimization Guide so you can try out these settings!