Right, So Darkest Dungeon 2 is Free This Weekend – Prepare for the Bloody Mosquito Apocalypse!

AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun · Fri Aug 29 2025

Red Hook's offering *Darkest Dungeon 2* for free on Steam this weekend, inviting us to battle new mosquito folk and a supernatural plague in the updated 'Kingdoms' mode – a bloody generous, if gruelling, offer.

You know that feeling when you accidentally open a portal to a dimension filled with unspeakable horrors, and then someone hands you a free ticket to said dimension? Yeah, that’s basically what Red Hook Studios is doing this weekend with *Darkest Dungeon 2*.

Fair dinkum, mates, for a limited time – specifically, until September 1st – you can snag the base roguelike RPG for absolutely nothing on Steam. Now, before you go thinking this is some philanthropic act of digital kindness, there’s a rather *curious* reason behind it: they’ve just dropped the third and final part of *Darkest Dungeon 2’s* ‘Kingdoms’ mode. And by ‘curious reason,’ I mean a reason involving a new swarm of absolutely horrific, blood-sucking mosquito folk. Courtesy of the clever devils over at Rock Paper Shotgun, who spotted this delightful dose of impending doom.

For those who haven’t dipped their toes into the Lovecraftian mire that is *Darkest Dungeon 2*, let me set the scene. It’s a grim, turn-based roguelike where you guide a stagecoach and its increasingly stressed-out crew through a blighted landscape. You're not just fighting monsters; you're battling your own party's sanity (or lack thereof), managing their relationships, and generally trying not to completely lose your mind. And now, thanks to the ‘Kingdoms’ mode, it’s all gotten a bit… boardgame-y.

Imagine a tabletop strategy game where every dice roll could lead to existential dread or a hero deciding they just *really* hate the person next to them. That's 'Kingdoms' in a nutshell: you’re navigating a map filled with benighted inns, fending off hordes of grotesque pigmen and witches. And with this new update, 'Curse of the Court,' the local fauna has expanded to include giant, monstrous mosquitoes. Because, you know, fighting shambling horrors wasn't quite *enough*.

Now, calling *Darkest Dungeon 2* 'free' is a bit like someone warmly offering you a complimentary case of the plague. It's technically gratis, but you know you’re in for a rough, potentially soul-crushing experience. But here’s the kicker – it’s the *fun* kind of plague! We’re talking dicey turn-based battles that make your brain do gymnastics, character development that feels like pulling teeth but in the best way, and landscapes so gloriously grim they could be straight out of a Hellboy comic. Suppurating swampfields, anyone? Delicious.

I’ve been tinkering with this game for a while, and I reckon it’s worth noting the constant debate between the first and second *Darkest Dungeon*. Personally, I'm still quite fond of the original's layered soundtrack and that feeling of crawling through side-scrolling dungeons – it felt a touch less fussy than DD2’s branching 3D road system. Plus, the first game's take on sanity and darkness really hit different with that claustrophobic atmosphere. As Joe Donnelly put it back in 2016 about the original, "You’ll cry. And cry and cry and cry. But I think you’ll love it." Sound familiar, anyone who’s ever played these games?

However, and this is a big ‘however’ for me, the combat in the second game? *Chef’s kiss*. They’ve boiled off some of the unnecessary number fluff, introduced a much more readable system of HUD tokens, and somehow managed to keep that diabolical dance between party member positioning and skill availability. It’s still brutal, but it feels… sharper. As Laena Hafer summarised in their 2023 review of DD2, it’s "A roguelite sequel that takes a few steps forward and one or two back from the original, but keeps the gloomy but intense spirit alive."

So, whether you’ve tackled neither or both, these are genuinely gruelling RPGs with narration that could chill you to the bone and visuals that are just *chef's kiss* in their glorious, gothic nastiness. And this ‘Kingdoms’ mode? It’s a bit of a clever beast, marrying some of that original *Darkest Dungeon* dungeon-crawling feel with the stagecoach wagoneering of the second game, but honestly, it’s carving out its own identity.

Now, let's talk about the star of this update: 'Curse of the Court.' We’re talking about swarms of Bloodsuckers descending upon your kingdom, bringing with them a 'supernatural contagion' that can inflict your heroes with the dreaded Crimson Curse. (Yep, it’s back, baby!). Players will be tasked with an all-new questline to find a cure for this rapidly spreading infection and exterminate The Bloodsuckers before, well, *time runs out*. Because what’s a good apocalypse without a ticking clock, eh? On top of that, there are new achievements to earn and three fresh 'Kingdoms' maps, each with its own layout and unique challenges, playable across any of the three 'Kingdoms' modules. That’s a fair bit of content to dive into for a free weekend.

This free weekend is a classic move, isn't it? Get you in, show you the horrifying ropes, let you get good and hooked on the grind, and then, *BAM!* They hit you with the discount. If you do come down with a severe case of *Darkest Dungeon 2* this weekend (and let’s be honest, you probably will), take comfort in the knowledge that they’re running a hefty 63% off promotion alongside the free timed access. Even more if you go for a bundle with all the DLC. It’s a clever bit of marketing, mate – Red Hook knows how to dangle that eldritch carrot.

So, if your inner digital wizard is wondering "what happens if I summon a horde of mosquitoes into my already stressful RPG?" now's your chance to find out. Just don't say I didn't warn you about the screaming.

Tags: Darkest Dungeon 2, Roguelike, Free Weekend, Kingdoms Mode, RPG

Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun