Is Darkest Dungeon 2 roguelike or roguelite?

Si Yan Tuong

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With the imminent release of Darkest Dungeon 2, fans are wondering whether Darkest Dungeon 2 will be roguelike or roguelite. While these genres sound the same, they offer a completely different gameplay experience.

So if you’re an enthusiast of either of these genres, naturally, you’ll be curious whether the newest installment will be a roguelike or roguelite. Let’s find out together!

Is Darkest Dungeon 2 roguelike or roguelite

Darkest Dungeon 2 is a roguelike game, as confirmed by its game description. The game features permadeath, meaning that if a character dies, they are gone for good, random levels and turn-based gameplay.

There’s no doubt that the game stays true to its roguelike nature as described by the developers.

What Makes Darkest Dungeon 2 A Roguelike Game?

Roguelike and roguelite are two subgenres of gaming that are very similar to each other. That said, there are some minor differences that players use to catalog rogue-inspired games into these two genres.

The major difference is that roguelike games tend to have turn-based gameplay, and if a player dies while clearing a level, they lose all their progress and must start over from the beginning. 

On the other hand, roguelite games tend to be more forgiving as they tend to have some sort of permanent, out-of-run progression that makes the subsequent run much easier. Plus, roguelite games don’t often feature turn-based gameplay.

When it comes to Darkest Dungeon 2, it is most definitely a roguelike game due to its turn-based combat. The game even has a mechanic where every time the HP of a hero reaches 0, instead of dying, they enter a state called Death’s Door. In this state, any subsequent hit received by the character can be fatal. 

So if you fail to protect your ally from further attacks while they’re in the Death’s Door state, they will die, and you will lose the character along with the Mastery points and equipment (Combat Items, Trinkets) you have invested in them. Once a character is lost, you can’t revive them in the expedition, which is expected in a roguelike game.