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At the end of a Denial run in 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:Darkest Dungeon 2, players will be faced with the Brain of Darkness, locked away by the Shackles Of Denial. This monstrous foe represents the heroes' own doubts, and it restricts your party's abilities throughout the fight. Just making it to the final battle is a feat in itself, but it's not over until the Shackles are destroyed.
Knowing what to expect - and what you don't have to worry about - is key to defeating the game's earliest end-boss. With a strong party and a solid plan, you can achieve victory.
Updated on May 14, 2023 by Matt Arnold: The Brain of Darkness has been renamed the Shackles of Despair, and DD2's iconic boss fight has seen some changes since the game launched out of early access. We've updated this guide for the most recent version of the game. Good luck - it only gets harder once you've overcome the Shackles!
The Four Locks
The Shackles of Denial are four separate locks. Destroying each Lock will remove abilities from the Brain's arsenal and reduce the number of attacks you have to contend with each round. The most efficient strategy is to focus on defeating one Lock at a time to reduce the overall damage you'll take over the course of the fight.
Beware of Denial
Each Lock is capable of inflicting a Denial on the entire party at the start of each round, which blocks you from using Skills and Combat Items of a specific type. The Denial is chosen randomly from among those available to the surviving Locks, so defeating a specific Lock early can help you use your party build to the best effect.
For example, if your team focuses primarily on melee attacks, try to defeat the Latch of Regret quickly so that your damage-dealers won't be neutralized. The chart below indicates which Lock is ꦬassociated with eღach Denial.
Shackles Of Denial Attacks And Traits
All four Locks use between one and three of four distinct attacks. While each has access to their basic attack, Crippling Doubt, the more powerful attacks are exclusive to specific Locks. Destroying the user will remove that attack from the Brain's arsenal.
|
Attack |
Lock(s) |
Effect |
|---|---|---|
|
Cerebral Falter |
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Crippling Doubt |
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Mental Lashes |
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Overwhelming Anguish |
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Paralyzing Fear |
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Ruptured Vessel |
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Be ready to deal with Stun, Vulnerable, and Blind throughout the fight. If your party 168澳洲幸运5开奖网:includes the Leper, you can use his Withstand Skill to tank many of these attacks. Reflection allows him to remove Blind on his own, and Solemnity will keep him healthy and (mostly) Stress-free. This strategy takes away much of his damage-dealing potential, though, so you'll need to have another offensively-minded hero in your party to pick up the slack.
Since Solemnity heals both HP and Stress, it can be denied by two different Locks, the Padlock of Wasting and the Shackle of Despair. Make them priority targets if you intend to tank with the Leper.
You can also use the Man-At-Arms' Command skill to r🧔emove Blind from a damage-focused Hero like the Highway✤man or Hellion.
Lock Traits
|
Lock |
Denial |
Weakness |
Resistance |
Effect When Defeated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Bolt of Lamentation |
Ranged |
|
|
|
|
Latch of Regret |
Melee |
|
|
|
|
Padlock of Wasting |
HP Healing |
|
|
|
|
Shackle of Despair |
Stress Healing |
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|
As you can see, you'll need to vary your tactics when dealing with each Lock. If you can afford to deal with Mental Lashes and Paralyzing Fear and don't rely too heavily on ranged attacks, consider saving the Bolt of Lamentation for last since it🔜 enhances the other Locks when it is destroye𓆏d.
Defeat the Locks in the order that makes the most sense for your party. Eliminating the Padlock of Wasting early can increase your chances, as it has a chance to prevent you from restoring HP as long as it is active. Furthermo♉re, destroying it frees you up to inflict damage-over-time effects on the other lock🤡s, since its heal only triggers once when it is defeated.
Remember, by this point in the game you have a solid party that you know how to use effectively - otherwise, you wouldn't be facing the Brain of Darkness. Stay calm, plan your strategy, and roll with the punches. You've got this.