Darkest Dungeon 2's first DLC is finally bringing back one of the original's strongest heroes

Red Hook Studios has unveiled the first paid DLC pack for Darkest Dungeon 2: The Binding Blade, not to be confused with the Fire Emblem game that had Roy from Smash Bros. in it. The DLC is coming some time in December, and will add two new playable characters: the all-new Duelist, and the long-awaited return of Darkest Dungeon 1's Crusader.

I was shocked we never got the Crusader among Darkest Dungeon 2's early access drip of characters. He was a particularly strong and versatile option for any party, occupying that D&D Paladin niche of tank and damage dealer and support/healer. 

On top of that, I always saw him as a bit of a mascot for the game alongside the Highwayman. The Crusader's Darkest Dungeon 2 iteration seems to largely fall in line with his original skillset, at least according to The Binding Blade's promo material:

"This battle hardened knight is fueled by a radiant Holy fire and will Smite his foes where they stand. The Crusader is a well rounded front rank hero who can withstand punishing blows, support his team with healing and stress recovery, and rend his opponents with his righteous blade."

But the Crusader won't be alone in The Binding Blade: the DLC also introduces the Duelist, a full-on classico swashbuckler with a cape and rapier. The character concept certainly lends itself to high damage, and the Duelist has the ability to ignore enemy resistances, but the new character also seems to have some unique support functions as well like negating allies' cooldowns.

The Binding Blade will also introduce a new roaming miniboss and playable backstory segments for the new characters. The pack has not yet been given a price, but it is currently available to wishlist on Steam and Epic.

Associate Editor

Ted has been thinking about PC games and bothering anyone who would listen with his thoughts on them ever since he booted up his sister's copy of Neverwinter Nights on the family computer. He is obsessed with all things CRPG and CRPG-adjacent, but has also covered esports, modding, and rare game collecting. When he's not playing or writing about games, you can find Ted lifting weights on his back porch.

Read more
Elden Ring Nightreign screenshot
Elden Ring Nightreign's Steam page lets slip it'll have DLC bosses and player characters
zoomed in concept art of the Agadon Hunter, a new enemy appearing in Doom: The Dark Ages.
Doom: The Dark Ages already sneakily revealed its 'new Marauder,' and the devs hope he'll be just as challenging, but a little less frustrating
Hyper Light Breaker player characters standing in a row with yellow cloud and dark background behind
Hyper Light Breaker will cost $30 and for a limited time come with a free copy of Drifter
Three hyper light breaker characters running toward camera viewed from below.
A month into early access, Hyper Light Breaker has already added a new playable character, with a perk designed for players who like to 'shoot fast and shoot a lot'
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles with Splinter, Casey, and April, playing videogames and eating pizza, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splintered Fate.
That Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles roguelike I refuse to stop going on about is adding Casey Jones as a playable character and a junkyard full of frogs to goongala your way through
Onimusha 2 cover art
If you were worried Onimusha 2 won’t be hard enough, I have great news: Hell mode is here to ruin your life
Latest in RPG
A close-up of a scared young girl's face as she stumbles through the woods, a crown of twigs and flowers upon her head.
CD Projekt says it's not using generative AI on The Witcher 4 because it's 'quite tricky when it comes to legal IP ownership'
Ciri in The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 won't be out until sometime in 2027 at the soonest, CD Projekt says
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 characters with their bodies replaced by skeletons, thanks to the KCD2 Skeleton mod.
Here's that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 mod that turns everyone into skeletons you asked for
Ghoul in sunglasses
I'm convinced being a ghoul in Fallout 76 is the best way to vibe in West Virginia, thanks to these powerful perk cards and my new true love: Radiation
A hunter digs in to some delicious dumplings in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Monster Hunter Wilds' first title update is overflowing with new stuff: A long-awaited Grand Hub, Arch-tempered Monsters, Arena Quests, and most importantly, fashion
Lou Graham
Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 won't have typical RPG romantic relationships, but it will feature 'romantic feeding'
Latest in News
Assassin's Creed Shadows immersive mode - Naoe holding a tanto in her hand as two guards fall to the ground behind her.
Assassin's Creed Shadows' first hotfix addresses stability issues and a photo mode crash
A close-up of a scared young girl's face as she stumbles through the woods, a crown of twigs and flowers upon her head.
CD Projekt says it's not using generative AI on The Witcher 4 because it's 'quite tricky when it comes to legal IP ownership'
A plastic duck dressed like a circus weightlifter
The 5th highest-rated game on Steam in 2022 is back with a multiplayer sequel
A still from a video announcement of Game Informer's return, featuring the magazine's Halo 2 issue.
Game Informer is back from the dead: 'The whole team has returned'
An April Fool's Day Palworld game concept about dating Pals
From Palworld movies to Palworld TV shows: 'Everyone under the sun pitched us every idea you can imagine,' says Pocketpair's communications director
Ciri in The Witcher 4
The Witcher 4 won't be out until sometime in 2027 at the soonest, CD Projekt says