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All you need to know about Darkest Dungeon's quirks and making the most of them.

Darkest Dungeon: Complete Guide to Quirks & Their Effects

All you need to know about Darkest Dungeon's quirks and making the most of them.
This article is over 7 years old and may contain outdated information

There’s enough RNG in Darkest Dungeon to screw you over a million times, and the game’s quirk system does a pretty good job of both bolstering and ruining your characters as one of the game’s biggest stat modifiers.

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Just like people in real life, every party member you come across has their share of quirks. They start off with at least one positive and one negative quirk when you see them in the Stage Coach, and they gain more while pushing through the horrors before them.

This guide will go over Darkest Dungeon‘s quirk system, as well as lay out all of the game’s positive and negative quirks for you to peruse and hope you get (or don’t get).

When do you get new quirks, and what affects whether they’re negative or positive?

There are three situations in which your characters may receive additional quirks:

  • After an expedition
  • When interacting with curios during expeditions
  • When relieving stress at the Hamlet

Finishing an expedition brings relief, but sometimes that relief is short-lived — one or more of your characters may take on a negative quirk upon its completion.

There is no way to stop your characters from gaining quirks, but you can increase their chances of getting positive quirks from expeditions by keeping their stress low and completing the expedition’s objective.

If you leave an expedition early, the characters you took in are more likely to take on negative quirks. If you complete an expedition’s goal, you have a flat 45% chance to take on a positive quirk — and the chance of a negative one is based off each character’s stress level at the time of completion.

Lastly, a character can have up to 5 positive quirks and 5 negative quirks. A previous quirk will be overwritten if a character receives a new one, but this can be prevented via locking them in.

Removing negative quirks

Want to remove a quirk? Then it’s time for a trip to the Sanitarium, where they can wipe away negative quirks as well as lock in positive ones (for a hefty price that only goes up as a character’s Resolve does).

You can have a character stay at the Sanitarium to remove a quirk for a fee. This starts at a reasonable sum — but should a quirk have been enforced and made permanent, it will be more expensive to remove.

A negative quirk can be made permanent if left to fester for too long, or if a character interacts with a curio and is given a negative quirk it already had. It’s important to try to get rid of any truly debilitating quirks early on, before a character is heavily afflicted by it.

Some negative quirks are certainly less debilitating than others. It’s often in your best interest to let the less-than-terrible ones fester and be made permanent to avoid getting something even worse.

Locking in positive quirks

It seems locking in positive quirks isn’t that different from removing negative ones, as both are dealt with at the Sanitarium. As with removal, you can have a quirk locked in for a fee. But locking in positive quirks is significantly more expensive than removing negatives.

You can lock up to three positive quirks at the Sanitarium and your choices ca not be undone, so choose wisely.

Locking in positive quirks has two functions:

  • You are guaranteed to not have that quirk overwritten by another when you get a new positive quirk
  • The positive quirk will not be erased by its negative counterpart

Those are two pretty good reasons to lock in the best of the best. A list of conflicting quirks can be found below.

Positive quirks

This list is self-explanatory, except for one bit: Quirks with an asterisk (*) next to their names have no negative counterpart to knock them off a character’s quirk list. They can only be removed manually, or if a character with 5 positive quirks receives another positive and overwrites them.

Quirk Effect
 Armor Tinkerer* -20% Gold to upgrade Armor at the Blacksmith
 Back Tracker* No Stress gained when walking backwards
 Balanced* +15% Move resist
 Beast Hater +15% DMG vs. Beasts
-15% Stress vs. Beasts
 Beast Slayer +10 ACC vs. Beasts
+3 CRIT vs. Beasts
 Clotter +15% Bleed resist
 Clutch Hitter +3% CRIT when health is 50% or less
Corvid’s Eye +8 ACC
+8% Scouting chance
Corvid’s Grace +6 DODGE
+25% Move resist
Corvid’s Resilience +33% Disease resist
 Cove Adventurer -20% Stress received while in the Cove
 Cove Explorer* +20% Scouting Chance in the Cove
 Cove Scrounger* +10% Scouting Chance in the Cove
 Cove Tactician* +15% DMG in the Cove
 Deadly +1% CRIT
 Eagle Eye +3% CRIT for Ranged Skills
 Early Riser +2 SPD when the Torch is above 75
 Eldritch Hater +15% DMG vs. Eldritch
-15% Stress vs. Eldritch
 Eldritch Slayer* +10 ACC vs. Eldritch
+3 CRIT vs. Eldritch
 Evasive +5 DODGE
 Fast Healer* +10% Heal Skills when Camping
 Fated* 10% chance to turn a Miss into a Hit
 Hard Noggin +15% Stun resist
 Hard Skinned +10% PROT
 Healer’s Gift* +20% Heal Skills when Camping
 Irrepressible +5% Virtue Chance
 Last Gasp +1 SPD when Health is below 50%
 Lurker +10% DMG if Torch is below 26
 Man Slayer +10 ACC vs. Humans
+3 CRIT vs. Humans
 Mankind Hater +15% DMG vs. Humans
-15% Stress vs. Humans
 Meditator* Improves Stress relief when Meditating and Camping
 Natural Eye +5 ACC for Ranged Attacks
 Natural Swing +5 ACC
 Night Owl +2 SPD if Torch is below 26
 Nymphomania* +20% Stress relief from the Brothel
 On Guard +4 SPD on first round of Combat
+5 DODGE on first round of Combat
 Photomania -20% Stress when Torch is above 75
 Precise Striker +3% CRIT on Melee Attacks
 Quick Reflexes +2 SPD
 Quickdraw  +4 SPD on first round of Combat
 Resilient  +10% Stress Healing
 Robust +15% Disease resist
 Ruins Adventurer -20% Stress received in the Ruins
 Ruins Explorer* +20% Souting Chance in the Ruins
 Ruins Scrounger* +10% Scouting Chance in the Ruins
 Ruins Tactician* +15% DMG in the Ruins
 Second Wind +10% DMG when Health is below 50%
 Skilled Gambler Increased chance of winning while gambling
 Slugger +10% DMG on Melee Attacks
 Steady -10% Stress received
 Stout* +15% Healing Skills when Camping
 Stress Faster Easts -100% less food when Stress is 50 or more
 Thick Blooded +10% Blight resist
 Tough +10% Max Health
 Unerring +10% DMG on Ranged Attacks
 Unholy Hater +15% DMG vs. Unholy
-15% Stress vs. Unholy
 Unholy Slayer +10 ACC vs. Unholy
+3 CRIT vs. Unholy
 Unyielding +10% Death Blow resist
 Warrens Adventurer -20% Stress received in the Warrens
 Warrens Explorer* +20% Scouting Chance in the Warrens
 Warrens Scrounger* +10% Scouting Chance in the Warrens
 Warrens Tactician* +15% DMG in the Warrens
 Warrior of Light +10% DMG when Torch is above 75
 Weald Adventurer -20% Stress received in the Weald
 Weald Explorer* +20% Scouting Chance in the Weald
 Weald Scrounger* +10% Scouting Chance in the Weald
 Weald Tactician* +15% DMG in the Weald
 Weapon Tinkerer* -20% Gold to upgrade Weapons

 

Negative quirks

Quirk Effect
Ablutomania 40% chance to inspect fountain curios
 Anemic -10% Bleed resist
 Automatonophobia +20% Stress vs. Humans
 Bad Gambler Decreased chance of winning while gambling
Bloodthirsty 35% chance to inspect torture device curios
Calm -15% DMG in the first round of Combat
Claustrophobia +20% Stress in corridors
 Clumsy -5 DODGE
Compulsive 20% chance to inspect all curio types
Corvid’s Blindness -10 ACC when Torch is above 50
Corvid’s Appetite +33% chance to inspect food curios
Corvid’s Curiosity +27.5% chance to inspect all curio types
 Cove Phobe +20% Stress when in the Cove
Curious 20% chance to inspect all curio types
Dacnomania 40% chance to inspect torture device curios
Dark Temptation 40% chance to inspect unholy curios
Demonomania 40% chance to inspect unholy curios
 Diurnal -2 SPD if Torch is below 26
 Dud Hitter -3% CRIT when Health is below 50%
Egomania 40% chance to inspect mirror curios
Will steal findings
 Fear of Beasts +15% Stress vs. Beasts
-10 ACC vs. Beasts
 Fear of Eldritch +15% Stress vs. Eldritch
-10 ACC vs. Eldritch
 Fear of Mankind +15% Stress vs. Humans
-10 ACC vs. Humans
 Fear of Unholy +15% Stress vs. Unholy
-10 ACC vs. Unholy
 Flawed Release -3% CRIT on Ranged Skills
 Fragile -10% Max Health
Guilty Conscience 35% chance to inspect holy curios
Hagiomania 40% chance to inspect holy curios
Hieromania 35% chance to inspect holy curios
Hylomania 40% chance to inspect treasure curios
Kleptomaniac 35% chance to inspect holy curios
Will steal findings
 Lazy Eye -5 ACC for Ranged Attacks
 Light Sensitive -10% DMG when Torch is above 75
Lygophobia +20% Stress when Torch is below 26
 Mercurial +5% Affliction chance
 Misses the Spot -1% CRIT
Necromania 40% chance to inspect dead body curios
 Nervous +10% Stress
 Night Blindness -10% DMG if Torch is below 26
 Nocturnal -2 SPD if Torch is above 75
 Off Guard -4 SPD on the first round of Combat
-5 DODGE on the first round of Combat
Paranormania 40% chance to inspect curios that may be haunted
 Phengophobia +20% Stress when Torch is above 75
Plutomania 40% chance to inspect treasure curios
 Ruins Phobe +20% Stress while in the Ruins
 Ruminator -10% Stress Healing received
 Satanophobia +20% Stress vs. Unholy
 Scattering -5% DMG on Ranged Attacks
 Shocker -10% Stun resist
 Sickly -10% Disease resist
Sitiomania 40% chance to inspect food curios
 Slow Reflexes -1 SPD
 Slowdraw -4 SPD on the first round of Combat
 Soft  -5% Max Health
 Stress Eater Eats +100% more food when stress is 50 or more
Thanatophobia +20% Stress when Health is below 50%
 The Yips -5 ACC
 Torn Rotator -5% DMG on Melee Attacks
 Warrens Phobe +20% Stress when in the Warrens
 Weak Grip -3% CRIT on Melee Attacks
 Weak Grip on Life -10% Death Blow resist
 Weald Phobe +20% Stress when in the Weald
 Winded -1 SPD when Health is below 50%
 Zoophobia +20% Stress vs. Beasts
 Thin Blooded -10% Blight resist
 Tuckered Out -10% DMG when Health is below 50%

 

Neutral quirks

These “neutral” quirks are more negative than positive. All of them are related to what a character will or will not do when in town, and often they make managing your characters’ stress relief more complicated than it needs to be.

Quirk Effect
Deviant Tastes Cannot visit the Brothel
 Enlightened Will only Meditate for Stress relief
Faithless Cannot Pray or Flagellate for Stress relief
 Flagellant Will only Flagellate for Stress relief
 Gambler Will only Gamble for Stress relief
 God Fearing Will only Pray for Stress relief
 Known Cheat Cannot visit the Gambling Hall
 Love Interest Will only visit the Brothel for Stress relief
 Resolution Cannot visit the Bar for Stress relief
 Tippler Will only visit the Bar for Stress relief
 Unquiet Mind Cannot Meditate for Stress relief
 Witness Cannot Pray for Stress relief

 

Conflicting quirks

These are quirks that cannot be had simultaneously — and there are quite a few of them. So how do they work?

Let’s say a character has “Natural Swing”, which grants a nice +5 ACC, but finishes an expedition and receives its polar opposite, “The Yips”.

In this situation “Natural Swing” and its nice +5 ACC will be removed and instead you’ll have “The Yips” and its -5 ACC in that character’s negative quirk category instead.

Positive quirk Negative quirk
Beast Hater  Fear of Beasts
 Beast Slayer Zoophobia
 Clotter Anemic
Clutch Hitter Dud Hitter
 Corvid’s Eye Corvid’s Blindness
 Corvid’s Grace Corvid’s Appetite
 Corvid’s Resilience Corvid’s Curiosity
Cove Adventurer Cove Phobe
 Deadly Misses the Spot
 Eagle Eye Flawed Release
 Early Riser Nocturnal
 Eldritch Hater Fear of Eldritch
 Evasive Clumsy
 Hard Noggin Shocker
 Hard Skinned Soft
Irrepressible Mercurial
 Last Gasp Winded
 Lurker Night Blindness
 Man Slayer Automatonophobia
 Mankind Hater Fear of Mankind
 Natural Eye Lazy Eye
 Natural Swing The Yips
 Night Owl Diurnal
On Guard Off Guard
 Photomania Phengophobia
 Precise Striker Weak Grip
 Quick Reflexes Slow Reflexes
 Resilient Ruminator
 Robust Sickly
 Ruins Adventurer Ruins Phobe
 Second Wind Tuckered Out
 Skilled Gambler Bad Gambler
 Slugger Torn Rotator
 Steady Nervous
 Stress Faster Stress Eater
 Thick Blooded Thin Blooded
 Tough Fragile
 Unerring Scattering
 Unholy Hater Fear of Unholy
 Unholy Slayer Satanophobia
 Unyielding Weak Grip on Life
Warrens Adventurer Warrens Phobe
 Warrior of Light Light Sensitive
Weald Adventurer Weald Phobe

 

It may seem like there’s a lot to remember about quirks, but you come across (and lose) so many characters that you come to memorize your favorites and lock them in, and hope for the best otherwise. That is, of course, unless you’re playing above Normal mode. If you’re new to Darkest Dungeon, just do your best. The game is out to get you in more ways than just your characters’ quirks.

If you still need a bit of help, you can check out the rest of our Darkest Dungeon guides in order to survive this punishing game. 


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