Darkest Dungeon 2 was recently released into early access back in October and players have been trying their best to make it through the waves of painful enemies on a quest to reach the Summit of the Mountain in Act One. It's a journey that's much easier said than done, with dangers lurking around every corner and teams tearing at the seams as party members become overwhelmed with stress and have catastrophic meltdowns that leave them afflicted with a variety of random ailments.
In order to conquer the battles of Darkest Dungeon 2, players will need to get their hands on as many items and skills as possible but some things are much more helpful than others. Take, for example, Dark Impulse, a "trinket" that can allow players to equip some of the best items in the game. But where do players get Dark Impulse and how exactly does it work?
What Does Dark Impulse Do?
Dark Impulse is a specialized item that players must slot inside one of their character trinket slots to use. The item itself will fill the entire trinket slot, effectively leaving the character with only one remaining slot to equip trinkets but allowing them access to a series of specialized trinkets that are capable of turning the tide of battle for some characters.
These specialized trinkets are dropped by cultists and are clearly marked, letting players know that they will need access to a Dark Impulse in order to use them. On the surface, it may seem like a bad idea to limit a character's trinket slots but some of the best accessories that require Dark Impulse to work are immensely helpful. It's up to players to decide if the sacrifice is worth it.
Unfortunately, Dark Impulse itself does do anything other than "unlock the ability to use a special trinket." It features no stat-boosting properties of its own.
Where Is Dark Impulse Found In Darkest Dungeon 2
This is where things get a bit difficult as Darkest Dungeon 2 is very much an RNG (Random Number Generator) heavy game. Players will spend a lot of their time having to adapt to situations on the fly since things can change at the drop of a hat. Players usually won't know what they're going to get in a given run, making it even harder to plan for the future.
The Dark Impulse is very much the same way. It has the potential to drop from Cultist Enemies, meaning players will have to go toe-to-toe with these powerful foes if they want to get their hands on a Dark Impulse. But even then, there is no guarantee as to how many battles it's going to take before players manage to snag one. Their best bet is to simply engage in battle with as many Cultists as possible until Dark Impulse drops.
Tips For Finding A Dark Impulse
- Although there isn't a guaranteed way to get a Dark Impulse, players can increase their chances of finding one by doing the following:
- At the end of each zone, players will always be met with an Oblivion's Ingress, a specialized dungeon filled with Cultists. Players should try their best to clear these out when they find them.
- Some zones will come with the "Bat Country" modifier, a special buff/debuff that can be seen when selecting a route from the Inn. The Bat Country modifier will increase the players' likelihood of encountering Cultists by 200 percent.
- Cultists show up whenever the party has "lost all hope." Those looking to summon cultists quickly can put themselves in situations that purposely diminish the flame on their stagecoach in order to enter the "pitch black" state. Once this happens, players can be "randomly attacked by Cultists" at any time during their travels. Although this method works to summon Cultists, it's not recommended as traveling in the Pitch Black has dire consequences and can even cause the Cultists that players face to become stronger and even deadlier than they already are.
- It is also possible to receive a Dark Impulse from a Cosmic battle. So far, these events are random and can sometimes crop up during Road Battles.
- Even after finding a Dark Impulse, players will need to "farm" trinkets from Cultists in order to make them viable.
- Clearing out Oblivion's Ingress seems to be the best way to collect powerful trinkets that need Dark Impulse from Cultists, as the "mini-bosses" there seem to provide a great chance of the trinkets dropping.