Discard Guide

Behold, wayfarer! Before you stretches an abyss of indeterminable depths - an ethereal landscape filled with eldritch horrors and labyrinthine quandaries. This is the unhallowed world of the Darkest Dungeon. The specter of uncertainty haunts each step, and the weight of indecision clings to you like an insatiable wraith.

Yet, herein lies your salvation, a sliver of sanity in a world unhinged. A guide, wrought in the crucible of experience and tempered with the logic of the mundane. Within its confines, you shall uncover the answers to the unnerving puzzle of prioritization - the key to unshackling yourself from the materialistic burdens that threaten to tip the fragile scale of your sanity.

This testament of knowledge is no mere list of trinkets and artifacts. No, it is a whispered secret in the deafening roar of chaos, a lantern cutting a swathe through the all-consuming darkness. It illuminates the nebulous path towards discernment, empowering you to discard with confidence and retain with assurance.

In this land where the known laws of reality curl and distort under the unseen pressures of otherworldly forces, this guide serves as your compass, steadfast and reliable. It does not promise the easing of your journey, but it assures clarity amid the murk and confusion. An invaluable companion on your journey into the mouth of madness that is the Darkest Dungeon. Enter, if you dare, armed with newfound understanding and prepare to face the unknown.

Tier 1: Essential Items - Rarely Discard

Always make sure you have enough space in your inventory to pick up the items you come across on the road. These items can be valuable and hold special powers.

These are items that are typically integral to your run. They should only be discarded under extreme circumstances:

Relics - As the main currency in the game, relics are essential for coach upgrades and repairs, as well as valuable trinkets. Always prioritize keeping these.
Combat Items (e.g., Powders, Concoctions, and Bombs) - These can drastically change the outcome of difficult battles. Because of limited inventory space, you have to find a balance between using them frequently, yet not wasting them.

• Chalk Dust - Removes enemy stealth. This can be discarded first if stealth enemies are not as common, and there are other ways to deal with them.
  
• Neutralizing Powders - Buffs blight resistance. If you're not fighting blight-inflicting enemies, it's less useful.
  
• Clotting Powders - Buffs bleed resistance. Same reasoning as above, but for bleed instead of blight.
  
• Ablative Powders - Buffs burn resistance. Same reasoning, but for burn.
  
• Antivenom - Cures blight and heals. More useful if facing blight-inflicting enemies.
  
• Bandages - Cures bleed and heals. More useful if facing bleed-inflicting enemies.
  
• Burn Salve - Cures burn and heals. More useful if facing burn-inflicting enemies.
  
• Noisemaker - Adds taunt and block. More useful if you have a tanky character to draw attacks.
  
• Adrenaline Tonic - Heals 50% HP and +1 Stress if HP < 50%. Useful for emergencies.
  
• Medicinal Herbs - Cures bleed, blight, or burn. Versatile and good to keep.
  
• Pouch of Lye - Clears all Corpses. Essential for clearing enemy corpses and speeding up battles.
  
• A Glimmer of Hope - +15 Flame. Keep this till last as keeping your flame high is crucial.

Tier 2: Valuable Resources - Discard With Caution

These items are valuable, but if you're in a tight spot, you might have to let some of them go:

Bauble - This alternate currency can be used for purchases at The Hoarder, and the Inn, particularly combat and inn items, but aren't as essential as Relics.
Provisions - These are useful. If your party is in good shape, but if you have no other options, you may consider discarding some.

• Calming Incense - -2 Stress. Discard this first if stress management isn't an issue.
  
• Stitching Kit - Heals 25% HP. Discard if healing isn't an issue.
  
• Stale Bread - Increases maximum HP until next Inn by 10%.
  
• Flapjacks - Restores 15% HP. Same reasoning as above.
  
• Apples & Cheese - Increases maximum HP until next Inn by 20%. Same reasoning as above.
  
• Invigorating Stew - Increases maximum HP until next Inn. More important for runs where victory is uncertain.
  
• Restorative Herbs - Increases healing received until next Inn.
  
• Whiskey Barrel - Inn Item - High chance of positive affinity, low chance of negative affinity, -2 stress.
  
• BOOK: My Time in the Desert - Inn Item - Chance to spawn a stealth token each round until next inn.
  
• Whetstone - Inn Item - 50% chance to grant Dodge or Dodge+.
  
• Blasphemous Idol - Inn Item - Chance to spawn positive token each combat turn until next inn.
  
• Nightshade Concoction - Inn Item - +20% Deathblow Resistance.
  
• Poetry - Inn Item - -5 stress to one target.
  
• Steak & Spuds - Inn Item - Increases maximum HP until next Inn 30% HP, +10% DOT Resists.
  
• Songbook of Rousing Tunes - Inn Item - Effects the party, +2 Speed [Until next Inn] and -2 Stress.
  
• Book of Bawdy Tales - Inn Item - -4 stress.
  
• Wild Tea - Inn Item - Purges a negative quirk.
  
• Whiskey Flask - Inn Item - -2 Stress. BLOCKED BY: Resolution.
  
• Whittling Tools - Inn Item - -3 Stress. BLOCKED BY: Boisterous.
  
• Impermeable Poultice - Inn Item - + blight token status effect BLOCKED BY: Germophobe.
  
• Invigorating Stew - Inn Item - 2 Targets. Increases maximum HP until next Inn.
  
• Soothing Poultice - Inn Item - + burn token status effect until next Inn.

Tier 3: Least Necessary - Usually Discard

These items are generally less valuable and can be discarded unless they have an immediate use:

Unused Trinkets - While trinkets can be beneficial, if you have extras that you don't plan on using, these can be discarded to make room for more necessary items.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2977685586
Unused Stagecoach Upgrades - If you have stagecoach upgrades that don't fit with your current strategy or that you don't plan on using, these can also be discarded. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2977591040

Conclusion

And so, dear wayfarer, we find our journey through this labyrinthine compendium of prioritizations drawn to its fateful close. No longer shall you wander blind through the obfuscating veil of indecision, burdened by your overflowing satchel of grim curiosities.

Aye, the eldritch forces you face may twist reality into unrecognizable coils of madness, but at least the material weight you carry, both literal and figurative, need not intensify the palpable dread that clings to your weary soul like a wet cloak.

The path forward is fraught with impenetrable darkness and unknowable horrors, but the spark of understanding you now carry within you shall serve as a beacon, an illuminating shard of wisdom piercing through the stygian abyss.

As you venture deeper into this shadow-infested realm, ever remember the guidance contained herein. But beware, for no codex of wisdom is infallible. Trust in your instincts, let them be your North Star in the consuming void, for the circumstances of your journey will invariably shape and mold your decisions.

May you walk always with the light of reason at your back, and may the ravening, chaotic terrors that lurk in the gloom of Darkest Dungeon cower in the face of your enlightened determination. Face your fears, embrace the unknown, and journey on. Through terror and madness, may you find victory.

Now, brave soul, go forth and face the depths with newfound knowledge and courage. May your relationships be your salvation or your undoing. May you find glory or be consumed by the all-encompassing darkness.

Enjoyed the guide? Join James Jedi's Steam Group and The Temple of Discord![discord.gg]

[dpredaking]

ok i just realized impermeable poulstice is alone... how early into playing darkest dungeon was this guide mad- OH NEARLY A YEAR AGO... WITH ANIVERSERRY BEING SOMEWHAT RECENT... fair enough

[dpredaking]

why was steak and spuds excluded? ik it decreases speed by one but i have pretty much ALWAYS saved that for the final boss when i had it given how good the buffs are! is it really worse?

[Rainy]

Rainy's Recommended Games has awarded this helpful guide, thank you very much!

[James Jedi]

In the cobweb-laden recesses of our universe, there swirls an unspeakable mystery, a maelstrom of knowledge and misconception, as infinite as the cosmos themselves. One such nuance, you have unearthed, with the precision of an archaeologist revealing an ancient glyph, and brought to my attention. I appreciate this keen observation. The shroud of ignorance has been lifted from my eyes and the mistake shall be corrected, akin to the rectifying of a misaligned constellation in the cosmic grand design.

[Blacksnake]

Umm. The food items you list in Tier 2 may heal, but they actually increase your max hp.

[Nebula404]

these are all so well made, why is there no appreciation for your work??