when is the right time to dismiss characters (in general)?

[chickeninthecorner]

i know this game revolves around throwing away those that are a burden, and keeping whoever is still useful, but is there a general rule?

[Verdugo]

i do it if they have a lot of negative quirks that I don't have the money nor the time to treat

[sooshon]

there's really no downside to having someone in a roster vs. having an empty spot. So just dismiss as you have the option to recruit better folks from the stagecoach and need to make room. Switch folks out for new recruits based on level of new arrivals as you upgrade, classes you want to have in your roster and when you have options of same xp \ same class recruits as someone already in your roster you can compare quirks. At least that's how I go about it.

[Macdallan]

I don't think there's a simple answer here as we probably all play the game in slightly different ways.

I guess as a general rule if the cost of removing the negative quirks or if the negative quirk effects greatly outweigh the positive quirks and the gear/skill upgrades I have purchased for a character then it might be time to replace them. For low level characters this is often an easier decision as there's a lot less invested in them.

It's not always necessary to remove negative quirks. Some of the negative quirks can basically be ignored and left untreated like the ones that lock that character into limited stress relief options. Others might have effects that only kick in when running certain dungeons so if you can easily avoid using that character for those dungeons then it may be better to keep them in the roster.

If I don't have many or any other characters who can fill the same role in the team at roughly the same level then I might hang on to a character even if they have a lot of negatives, but if I have 3 or 4 other characters that can do what they do it might be time to wave goodbye and replace them.

[Nibbs]

Just replace them as you can. The only danger of leaving a bad unit in your roster is if you forget about them the next time a good unit comes through the stagecoach.

[chickeninthecorner]

thanks everyone :)

[Nakos]

About the only time I'll dismiss a character is if there's one that's almost an exact duplicate on the Stagecoach (only with better gear, higher resolve level, better quirks). Most of the time I'll just work with what I have.

The other consideration for me is if I have two of a character class I'm not fond of. Sometimes early in the game I'll take a character because I just need someone, and then later on when I find one I prefer, I may replace the extra. I generally like to have at least one of every class. My favorites I'll have more than one of.

And finally, there's Vestals. I wind up with a LOT of Vestals. Getting a full roster of characters leveled up tends to require a lot of Vestals, but once you actually GET to the top, you don't need quite as many.


As far as quirks go, do the gathering mission for the Weald, that one results in the town event Caregiver's Convention. You can, bit by bit, scrub away the negative quirks and lock in the positive ones you like for minimal cash.

[RopeDrink]

Assuming you haven't invested a lot of time, gold, and resources into building a hero up, then you can dismiss them at your leisure with almost no downside.

So, you've grabbed a bundle of fresh meat off the Coach one week, then found better low-level replacements the next? Well, feel free to pick-n-mix. The barracks is limited, so pick what's best for you.

Taken some of that fresh meat to a dungeon and received a bundle of awkward diseases and negative quirks after? Feel free to consider replacing them if you'd rather save money instead of investing so heavily into fine-tuning the lowbies.

Naturally, you won't always get the hero(es) you want, nor will they always come with top-tier quirks, but unless a hero is pushing to higher levels with unlocked skills and other investments, then there's no shame in kicking them to the curb for something more suitable.

Personally, I always fill the barracks with flexible heroes and leave 4x slots exclusively for Antiquarians and level 0-2's. That way, I'll always have room to cook up apprentice teams or gold-generation teams when needed, and once the bulk of the roster is heading towards 6, I'll consider converting those four slots into a killer team and then level them normally so that everyone ends up max-level (stinking rich and fully prepped for the finale).

By doing so, you always leave yourself room for recruits or wrapping up straggling missions and boss encounters without feeling the need to disband a mid (or high) level hero who you've already spent a lot of gold or time on.

[The big fat monkey]

I usually sort the crimson blood afflicted off unless they are valuable. But also underperforming or those with bad perks and traits.

[sooshon]

Originally posted by The big fat monkey:

I usually sort the crimson blood afflicted off unless they are valuable. But also underperforming or those with bad perks and traits.

Crimson Curse is really not that bad a of a thing, in fact I almost end up missing it when I cleared one of the court levels and everyone was "cured." Folks who aren't going on missions don't really consume much blood at all, you probably only ever need to do a small handful of blood supply missions through the course of a campaign, you get free disease immunity so you don't have to worry about those heroes getting sick anymore. You can get masive speed and other bonuses by consuming extra blood to make short work of bosses and whatnot, all in all not a bad thing at all.

[RopeDrink]

Crimson Curse is really not that bad a of a thing

The Crimson Curse is god-awful, starting with lower health and persistant res-reduction, not to mention the likelihood of losing inv-slots just to carry around extra consumables, and the need to manage a secondary resource just to prevent heroes from dying off on their own.

Much like a Flagellant gaining perks when injured or Rapturous, Curse seems nice on paper, but objectively, you are better off with healthy non-cursed heroes at max-res who will never randomly do their own thing at a critical moment, do not waste loot spots, and do not need to be fed alt-food during (or after) dungeons (all to maintain +1-4 SPD and occasional DMG).

Conversely, low infection makes it easier to avoid arguably the hardest boss in DD1.

The main positive of the Curse is that you cannot receive any other disease - while the rest involve potential loss of control (heroes shuffling themselves, sacrificing turns by passing or by taking random pot-shots, friendly fire, refusing support, hitting themselves, acting out at camp, thus losing on buffs, healing, stress relief, and worse), all for the sake of paltry buffs that have never been required to take a nice comfortable steaming dump on fights via random Joe Soaps at baseline with no extra concerns and no need to carry around blood.

Crimson Curse, Rapturous, or walking around half-dead by default for unnecessary damage boosts is neither necessary nor optimal. When CC is enabled, it is wise to avoid getting infected by any means necessary -- keeping the roster clean for as long as possible until you have no choice but to push for a curse wipe.

It is not a good thing -- just situationally "less bad".

Having said that, I almost never disband cursed heroes unless they fall under the same lowbie-only "can't be bothered to deal with it" criteria, much like a level 0 getting god-awful quirks and an equally bad disease after their first mission - choosing between time and gold to fix them (or) throwing them in the bin and grabbing a fresh recruit.

[Icklejabba]

The easy answer in 2 questions

1) Do i need this hero anymore
2) if i take them into a dungeon are they gonna cost a TPK

[lawjax]

I never replace anyone anymore. I just keep sending everyone into the dungeon until they succumb to the brutal nature of the land, or adapt to it and become brutal themselves. It makes for a more compelling storyline, and the graveyard begins to hold more meaning for me.

[Whatever]

Early game? Immediately if there's a replacement. Mid-late game? Just fix them.

[Velvet Waltz]

lvl 1 or 0 heroes with afflictions that DON'T have good quirks or have bad quirks can go. like I'm willing to fix a lvl 1 afflicted hero if he brings a luminous or crit quirk to the table, other than that, he can go